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Ace gasped upon hearing the conversation outside.
"Garp!?"
"Why is he here?"
The Marine hero Garp!
A pair of iron fists that once hammered down from Rocks to Luo Jie—just hearing Garp's name would send shivers down the spines of many pirates.
Ace quickly moved back to his bed, controlling his breathing.
He felt a quiet relief.
"Good thing I observed first and didn't rush out..."
Had he let his pride get the better of him and rushed out, not only would the Marines have stopped him, but perhaps even Tsuru would have decided to take action.
Running into Garp while attempting a jailbreak was truly one of the unluckiest things that could happen.
So now, all he could do was endure—hold everything in and not give away the secret of his resistance to seastone.
Clatter~
Chains released one after another, the sound of at least a dozen doors opening in succession.
Ace's mouth twitched.
The Marines really were thorough!
One day, he vowed he'd find a way to repay this meticulousness in kind.
As he silently complained, a figure had already positioned itself beside him, sitting down without a word, lost in thought.
It was rare to see this side of the usually carefree Garp.
Ace was momentarily speechless.
After a long silence, however, he finally broke it,
"Ahem, what brings you here so late? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
"Brat, you still have the nerve to worry about this old man?" Garp responded gruffly, looking slightly surprised.
Ace, scratching his head in mild embarrassment, replied, "I meant I'm going to sleep."
Boom.
Before he finished, an annoyed Garp gave him a firm flick to the forehead, an old habit from when Ace was a child, as if to remind him he hadn't forgotten.
"The execution's tomorrow! And you still have the nerve to sleep!"
Garp bellowed angrily.
Ace lowered his head, responding quietly,
"What else should I do? Cry? Beg for mercy?"
...
The atmosphere fell silent.
Garp raised his fist but left it suspended mid-air, unsure.
Yeah, what was there to do, if not sleep?
Silence followed once more.
"Listen, you all just wouldn't listen... if only you had taken my advice and joined the Marines, you wouldn't have to…"
Garp looked annoyed, his tone burdened with a reluctant sadness.
Join the Marines?
Ace looked up and, instead of answering, smiled slightly as he asked,
"The Marines are all set? Tomorrow won't be easy for them."
The Marines may be executing him, but there was no way Whitebeard would sit idly by!
"The Whitebeard Pirates won't succeed... Marine forces are fully assembled. The three Admirals, the Vice Admiral ranks, and the Shichibukai are all gathered at Naval Headquarters."
Garp spoke with a tone laced with inner conflict.
His heart was torn—Marine on one side, Ace on the other, and he was caught between them.
Ace's heart sank; just as he expected.
With both the Marine Admirals and Shichibukai at the headquarters, breaking out seemed near impossible.
Escape was a bleak option.
The Marine's fortified defenses and combat power were daunting, leaving Ace helpless. No matter how strong he was, fighting his way through alone would be unthinkable.
The fate of Golden Lion served as a grim reminder; Ace had no desire to share that fate.
A vast Marine presence surrounded him.
Ace sighed in quiet resignation.
But then, a spark lit up in his eyes as an idea struck him.
If you can't beat them, join them!
"Old man, I think… you may have been right."
Garp was taken aback, "What did you just say?"
"I mean… what if I join the Marines now?"
Ace looked up, his eyes alight with determination.
"Now? Join the Marines?"
Garp stood there in stunned silence.
It was an unusual thought, maybe even ridiculous, but somehow, not entirely impossible!
His eyes brightened, and he scratched his head with both hands as though he'd stumbled upon the perfect solution.
"You stay right here!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Garp had rushed out, leaving in a hurry.
Ace's mouth hung open, words caught in his throat.
He had only been speaking offhandedly—after all, with the Marines' strict methods, how could something like that actually happen?
Marine Command Room.
Sengoku continued briefing Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru on the detailed battle plan for the next day.
Victory was essential. Ace had to die, and the Whitebeard Pirates couldn't be allowed to escape!
Boom!
A loud noise echoed through the room as the door was forcefully thrown open. Garp strode in, unbothered by the intense atmosphere.
"Garp! What are you doing, you idiot? We're discussing tomorrow's deployment, and you barge in here like that!" Sengoku slammed the table, his voice thundering.
Kizaru let out a relieved sigh.
"Wu~ Vice Admiral Garp really does know how to make an entrance~"
Akainu sneered, displeased.
Aokiji merely shook his head, resigned to Garp's antics.
The sudden intrusion had everyone in the room briefly alarmed—they'd almost thought it was an attack by the Whitebeard Pirates.
Ignoring their reactions, Garp casually flicked his ear and walked up to Sengoku, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder.
"Why bother with combat deployment? Ace is joining the Marines; we won't need to fight tomorrow."
Sengoku: ? ?
Akainu: ? ?
Aokiji: ? ?
Kizaru: ? ?
The room was stunned into silence, all eyes on Garp.
"I disagree!"
"I disagree!"
Sengoku and Akainu rose from their seats simultaneously, their voices in unison.
Garp turned to Akainu with a frown. "The old man's talking—who asked for your input?"
He then looked back at Sengoku. "I'm telling you, Sengoku, this is happening whether you like it or not!"
"Garp! You're overstepping! I am the Fleet Admiral, and I say no!" Sengoku shot back, his anger building.
Garp, rolling up his sleeves in exasperation, looked at Sengoku incredulously.
"Why not?! You wanted to make him a Shichibukai before—why the sudden change of heart?"
And thus began a heated argument, each line between Sengoku and Garp delivered louder than the last.
Sengoku: "That was when he was alone, Garp! He's part of the Whitebeard Pirates now!"
Garp: "So what! A pirate's a pirate, isn't he?"
Sengoku: "It doesn't work like that! He's lost his value as a bargaining chip and has no right to negotiate terms!"
Garp: "Lost his value? Wait until Whitebeard shows up tomorrow, then talk to me about value!"
Sengoku: "Let him come! I'll make sure he witnesses Ace's execution! Whitebeard's ruled the seas long enough!"
Garp: "What does Whitebeard have to do with Ace?"
Sengoku: "Oh, and what about Ace's connection to Roger?!"
…
…
Like two bickering children, the lifelong comrades argued back and forth, as if raising their voices would help them win the debate.
Aokiji yawned, pulling his blindfold down.
Kizaru, crossing his legs, stared blankly at the ceiling, clearly bored.
But Akainu, his eyes gleaming with a dark intensity, seemed to be contemplating something.
"Enough!" he finally interrupted, rising to his feet. "We can agree to this—if certain conditions are met."
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at
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