As Annabeth stepped through the silver door into the next area, she stopped short at the strange sight before her.
An incredibly tall, broad-shouldered old man sat lounging on a sofa, casually eating rice crackers. His frame was packed with muscle despite his age, and his short white hair and equally short full beard framed a weathered, battle-tested face. His black eyes gleamed with a mix of mischief and authority. He wore an immaculate all-white suit with matching shoes, a long white overcoat with red and gold pauldrons hanging loosely off his massive shoulders, and a dark blue undershirt with a light blue tie.
Annabeth approached, straightening her posture but keeping her gaze level. "Excuse me, sir. I'm Annabeth. Are you going to give me my next challenge?"
The old man glanced up for the first time, as if just noticing her presence. "Oh—sorry, kid, didn't see you there." His voice was deep and rough, carrying the weight of years at sea. "Yeah, I'm your examiner. Name's Garp. I'm a Vice Admiral in the Navy."
Annabeth's gray eyes widened slightly. "Wow… you must have worked really hard to get that far."
Garp suddenly let out a booming laugh—"Bwahaha!"—that shook the walls. "Not really! I just beat people up for a few years and they promoted me!" He grinned wide, the casual confidence of a man who'd survived countless battles radiating off him. "But enough about that."
His expression shifted, becoming just a little more serious. "My challenge for you is simple… but dangerous. In fact…" He tilted his head, eyeing her critically. "…I hesitate to have someone so young take this challenge."
He snapped his fingers, and with a heavy thunk, the exit door appeared behind her.
"I won't lie to you, kid," he continued, his voice lower now. "You do this, you'll experience pain—physical and emotional. It'll be one of the hardest things you'll ever experience. So I won't blame you if you walk out that door right now." His gaze hardened, testing her resolve. "But if you stay and complete the challenge…" A faint smirk returned to his face. "…you'll obtain the opportunity to grow very strong."
He leaned forward slightly, resting his massive hands on his knees. "So… what's your answer?"
Annabeth took a deep breath, her gray eyes narrowing with determination. "I'm ready."
Garp studied her for a long moment. Seeing the unshakable resolve in her gaze, he gave a small, approving nod. "Alright. Here's the deal—" his voice rumbled like distant thunder, "—I'm going to have you temporarily become me at a critical moment in my life. You'll have all my power, skill, and experience… along with all the memories that led up to that point. But none of the ones from beyond it."
Annabeth tilted her head slightly, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "So… I'm gonna be you, at a moment in your life that already happened?"
Garp nodded. "You don't have to do much. I just wanna see how someone else would've reacted in my place. See if things could have played out differently… if another choice was made. Hell, I'll be satisfied even if you do the same as me." His tone softened slightly. "Don't worry. Your real body will be safe here. Now… go out there and have some fun."
Before Annabeth could say anything, he snapped his fingers.
Her vision exploded into bright light, blinding her. When the glow faded, she wasn't herself anymore—at least, not physically. She was in Garp's massive, battle-scarred body. Inside, though, she was still Annabeth. Then, like a floodgate breaking, Garp's memories surged into her mind. The wave of information was overwhelming—faces, voices, battles—and the headache that followed was excruciating.
When the pain finally subsided, she realized where she was.
She stood on the execution platform, the wind whipping at her overcoat. Next to her was Garp's grandson—Portgas D. Ace—bound in seastone cuffs. Below, a full-scale war raged: pirates clashing with Marines in a desperate struggle to free Ace. Behind her stood Fleet Admiral Sengoku, his imposing presence radiating authority.
In Garp's deep, gravelly voice, she spoke. "Was it worth it, Ace? Were you happy?"
Ace turned his head toward her, his dark eyes calm despite the chaos. "It was worth it… and I wouldn't take any of it back. Not one second."
"And if you could get out of here…" Garp (Annabeth) asked quietly, "…what would you do?"
Ace's eyes softened, tears beginning to form. "I'd set sail with my friends and family… and spend the rest of my life going on amazing adventures."
Inside Garp's head, Annabeth thought, I know what Garp would do. He wouldn't break—even after hearing that. He'd stay the course like a good Marine and follow his orders. But then she remembered Garp's words—he didn't want to see what he would do. He wanted to see what Annabeth would do.
After a long moment, she made her decision.
Without hesitation, Garp (Annabeth) scooped Ace up in one massive arm. Ace blinked in shock. "Whoa, old man, what are you—"
A hand clamped down on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw Sengoku, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you doing, Garp?"
Garp (Annabeth) didn't answer. Instead, in a blur, she coated her fist with Armament Haki, then drove a lightning-fast uppercut into Sengoku's jaw. The blow sent him flying backward off the platform. "Sorry, old friend… nothing personal."
Ace stared wide-eyed. "Old man, what are you doing?!"
"I'm choosing my family over my job," Garp (Annabeth) growled, leaping from the platform into the chaos below. She plowed through anyone in her way—Marine or pirate—her fists sending enemies sprawling as she carved a path toward Luffy.
A furious roar echoed from behind. "GAAAAAARP!!!"
She looked back to see Akainu bearing down on her, magma fists blazing. But she didn't stop. Moments later, she reached Luffy, dropping Ace unceremoniously beside him. Reaching into Garp's coat, she pulled out a key and unlocked Ace's cuffs.
Luffy stared up at her in shock. "Grandpa… why are you helping us?"
A massive grin spread across Garp (Annabeth)'s face. "You're my grandsons. Of course I'd save you. Now get the hell out of here!"
Ace's voice cracked with urgency. "We won't leave you, old man!"
"I know," Garp (Annabeth) replied. Then, with two Haki-coated fists, she conked both of them on the head, knocking them unconscious. She tossed them to Jinbei. "Get them out of here quickly—and don't come back."
Jinbei nodded without a word and dove into the ocean, swimming as if his life depended on it.
Garp (Annabeth) turned to face the oncoming Akainu.
"I always knew you'd pull something like this," Akainu snarled, molten heat radiating from his body. "That you'd turn your back on justice for that family of yours."
Garp threw back his head and let out a booming, defiant laugh. "Bwahaha! If being on the side of justice means betraying the only family I've got left… then I think I'd rather be a criminal!"
Akainu's teeth clenched. "Then you'll die as one!" He charged, magma fist raised.
Garp sidestepped and slammed a crushing blow into Akainu's face, sending the Admiral staggering across the frozen bay.
"You'll need to do better than that," Akainu spat, regaining his balance.
"And you need to watch your surroundings," Garp (Annabeth) shot back. With a mighty stomp, she shattered the ice beneath Akainu, sending him plunging into the sea below. The ocean swallowed him in an instant.
Turning back toward the battlefield, Garp (Annabeth) threw herself into the fray, trading blows with Marines and pirates alike.
Then—
"GAAARP!"
She looked up to see Sengoku charging toward her, fury etched across his face.
Garp (Annabeth) lowered into a battle stance and rushed to meet him head-on—
But just as their fists were about to collide, Annabeth's vision went white again.
She woke in her own body, standing face-to-face with the real Garp.
Then Garp said, his voice carrying a rare note of sincerity, "Thank you for that, kid. You showed me that it was possible for both my stupid grandsons to survive. I'm… happy I got to see it. Thank you. But I have to ask—the reasons behind your choice."
Annabeth stood tall, meeting his gaze without hesitation. "Does there have to be a reason to choose your loved ones over your duty?" she asked, her gray eyes sharp with conviction. "I just did what I would have done if it had been someone I care about. And if that meant becoming a wanted criminal… so be it."
Garp's eyes widened, a flicker of surprise breaking through his usual laid-back grin. Then a slow, approving smile spread across his face. "Well, look at that. You're a lot stronger than your age suggests, little lady. If you existed in my world, I'd take you in as my pupil in a heartbeat. But unfortunately, you don't—so instead, I think I'll just give you a passing grade… and a reward."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a gleaming gold card, pressing it into her hands.
After taking it, Annabeth asked curiously, "What is it?"
Garp smirked. "Tet said it was something called a template. It'll give you the skills and abilities of the person it's based off of—in this case, my grandson Luffy's navigator, Nami. You'll get her skills with a staff, her navigation skills, and her abilities as a weather wizard. Tet made it so those would be a part of you, so you won't need Nami's… clima-tact—whatever the hell that is—to use them. And finally…" His expression turned just a bit more serious. "I asked him to add the basics of the Marine Six Style, as well as basic mastery of Observation and Armament Haki. It'll be up to you to achieve full mastery."
Annabeth's eyes lit up with interest as Garp continued. "When you're ready to absorb the template, just crush that card."
She stared at it in amazement, feeling the weight of its potential.
But then Garp scratched the back of his head and said, "Oh… I was told to tell you that there will be a side effect."
Annabeth looked up sharply. "What side effect?"
Garp said. "If you absorb the template, your body's development will change to follow the same path as Nami's. So when you're fully grown… you'll have the same body type as her."
Annabeth tilted her head, thinking it over. "Do you have a picture of her, by chance?"
Garp chuckled. "Tet thought you might ask that. So yes—here." He handed her a folded picture.
Without showing any visible reaction, Annabeth studied it for half a second, then—without hesitation—crushed the gold card in her hand. It shattered like glass, dissolving into glowing streams of energy that flowed into her body. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the rush of power, then opened them and gave Garp a serene smile.
"Thank you, Garp."
For once, the Vice Admiral seemed caught off guard. "…Um, you're welcome." He crossed his arms, his usual confident smirk returning. "But I should be thanking you. Now that I've seen the choice you made, I won't hesitate from now on. If it's between duty and family… I'm choosing family."
A golden door materialized before them, slowly swinging open with a blinding light spilling through.
Annabeth glanced back at him. "Goodbye, Garp. I hope I can see you again."
Garp waved casually, but there was a glint of pride in his eyes. "Later, kid. Good luck—you'll need it."
Annabeth stepped through, disappearing into the white void beyond the golden door.