The roar of the Bone Fist Strait was the only sound in this vast stretch of ocean.
Water surged violently into the whirlpool, its center like the gaping throat of a monstrous beast, devouring everything that once belonged to District 7.
Garp stood atop a relatively intact mangrove root pillar, his bare torso coated with dust and fine wood splinters. The sea breeze ruffled his graying hair, revealing an old scar etched across his forehead.
He stared at the wound he had carved into the sea. The rage swirling in his eyes was like the dark undercurrent at the edge of the whirlpool intense, profound, with a trace of weariness quietly settling into his brow.
Even a man of his immense physique paid a price for sustained, high-intensity exertion.
"Hey, old man."
Rayleigh's voice came from behind, carrying a weathered weight the sea breeze could not shake.
From some hidden corner, he produced a deep brown oak wine jug. With a flick of his wrist, it arced steadily toward Garp. "Even a fist strong enough to shatter shackles deserves a break, right? The Eastern Sea's liquor isn't weak."
Garp caught it with a reverse grip. The jug felt heavy, its familiar pungent scent drifting from the cork into his nose.
He pulled out the cork and tipped the jug back, drinking deeply. The burning liquid poured like molten lava down his throat into his stomach, easing some of the fatigue in his limbs.
Wiping the spill from his lips, he looked at Rayleigh, who had stepped beside him. "What is it you want to say?"
His voice was still low and gravelly, but the sharp edge had softened.
Rayleigh took a swig from his own jug, his Adam's apple bobbing as he faced the all-consuming whirlpool. "You're saying what?"
He chuckled softly, deepening the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. "That punch of yours just now was even fiercer than when you walloped Roger in God Valley? That you, a Navy hero, are no longer sitting atop the Marine Admiralty, but wandering the world, becoming the World Government's number-one thorn?"
He paused, gaze sharpening. "Or… maybe you finally understand? The will of the D was never meant to bow and 'protect' those crumbling chains."
Garp remained silent.
His gaze settled on the roiling water, the whirlpool's center dark and endless.
He took another long drink, the fiery liquid exploding across his tongue.
"Protect?"
He scoffed, voice rough with self-mockery. "All my life I've been protecting… What have I protected? My son became a leader of the Revolutionary Army, shouting to overthrow the World Government. One grandson wears a straw hat as a pirate, claiming he will become Pirate King. Another grandson…"
His fingers tightened around the jug, knuckles whitening with a faint click. He turned sharply, eyes flashing like drawn blades, pointing directly at Rayleigh. "Damn 'justice'! I will protect it no longer!"
"So you smash it with your fists?"
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, tone neither approving nor mocking. "Destroy Enies Lobby, rip apart the Red Line's corner, sink Sabaody District 7… next, are you going to dismantle the foundations of Mariejois?"
"Whoever touches my family dies!"
Garp's voice boomed like thunder, overpowering the roar of the whirlpool. Obsession and determination flared in his eyes. He would protect his loved ones, even if it meant burning the world to ashes.
"I will drive the entire Red Line continent into the depths, turn Mariejois into a grave for gods, and make those self-proclaimed 'deities' feel the ice of the ocean floor!"
Rayleigh watched Garp's eyes burn like molten fire, silent for a moment.
The sea breeze tousled his gray hair as his gaze drifted to the distant horizon, where sky met sea. It was as if he could see across time, glimpsing a figure as untamed as Garp once was.
"Roger…" he murmured, his voice echoing faintly. "His eyes looked just like that back then."
He paused, lost in memory. "For his crew, for that piece of freedom he would never let be sullied, he dared to draw his sword against the world. Knowing death awaited, he hesitated not an instant. He said… human dreams never end."
At the mention of that name, a flicker of emotion passed across Garp's eyes.
He tilted his head back and drank deeply, the burning liquor setting his eyes aglow.
"That bastard…"
He muttered, his tone layered rivalry, respect, and something almost… appreciative. "I chased him half my life… from the South Blue to the New World, fighting to the death… and in the end…"
His throat tightened, voice low. "…I had to raise his son."
"The Ace…"
Rayleigh's voice softened, carrying the warmth of an elder. "He's a good kid. The fire that burned in Roger still burns in him, and… in his core, he inherited your father's iron will."
He turned, gaze sharp, locking onto Garp. "Garp, the ship of the new era has already set sail. That kid… Luffy… and Ace… they don't just need a shield in front of them. They need a hammer that can smash the barriers of the old era. An axe to clear the thorns in their path. Your fists…"
He raised his hand, pointing to Garp's calloused, broad-knuckled hands. "…can guide them better than any pirate flag ever could."
Garp said nothing.
He stared silently at the whirlpool, watching the black waters consume all.
The deafening roar of the waves faded into distant background noise. Rayleigh's words rippled through him like stones tossed into a deep pool.
He seemed to weigh each word carefully, recalling battles and promises past.
Then!
"Grandpa!!"
A sharp, excited shout cut through the tense air, carrying the scent of roasted meat and boundless enthusiasm.
Luffy stretched his rubbery neck and launched himself like a slingshot.
With a "smack," his rubbery foot landed solidly on a thick branch beside Garp, shaking the whole mangrove tree.
He clutched a golden, glistening roasted beast leg larger than his head. Grease coated his mouth, cheeks, even the tip of his nose, like a cat who had successfully stolen a fish.
"Grandpa! You're amazing!!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled like searchlights in the night. His mouth full of meat, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster, he mumbled with delight, nearly spitting on Garp. "Boom! That entire chunk of land disappeared! Way stronger than my Gear Third 'Bone Balloon'! Teach me! Please, teach me!"
Garp's thoughts were interrupted by this human cannonball and the clamor. He glared at Luffy, veins bulging, forehead throbbing. "Kid, can't you see I'm drinking? Go eat your meat over there, and stop making noise!"
Luffy ignored the scolding, laughing softly, and plopped onto another high root beside Garp.
His rubbery bottom bounced impressively on the hard root, thumping several times.
He held the enormous beast leg tightly and chomped down, chewing greedily. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he stopped, tilted his head, and pressed his greasy face close to Garp's, eyes wide with pure curiosity:
"Grandpa!"
Swallowing the meat, he shouted, "That old man selling the wine!"
Pointing with his grease-coated finger at Rayleigh, who was watching nearby, he asked, "He said you fought the Pirate King? Was it Roger, Grandpa? Did you really fight him? Was he strong? Was he as tough as your fist? Did he really have three heads and six arms?"
The air seemed to freeze.
Only the thunderous roar of the Bone Fist Strait filled the silence, punctuated by Luffy's excited breathing and the occasional drip of grease from his meat onto the root below.
Rayleigh's hand froze midair with his jug, a playful curve on his lips. His eyes behind his glasses gleamed with anticipation, almost shouting, "Answer your grandson!"
Garp's facial muscles twitched violently. He looked into his grandson's clear, innocent, "tell me a story" eyes, then glanced at Rayleigh's "you'll regret this" expression. The Eastern Sea liquor in his hand suddenly tasted like water.
A fire ignited within him. He lifted his hand!
Bam!
A solid, precise punch, full of love and lesson, struck Luffy squarely on the shiny forehead as he leaned forward!
"Ow! Ow ow ow!"
Luffy let out a pitiful wail, clutching his instantly swelling head, bouncing three feet like a startled rabbit.
The precious roasted leg nearly flew from his hands!
Tears welled as he rubbed the small "mountain" on his head, grimacing in pain.
"Kid, eat your meat! Mind your own business!"
Garp roared, face darkening, voice louder than the whirlpool's roar, nearly spraying Luffy's face.
Luffy pouted like a dog whose bone had been stolen, muttering, "I was just asking… Grandpa's too stingy… won't even tell the story of the Pirate King…"
Yet he obeyed the iron fist, holding the massive leg close, curling onto the other side of the root, chewing quietly.
Only his big eyes occasionally peeked at Garp and Rayleigh, sparkling with undimmed curiosity.
Rayleigh watched the grandfather-grandson pair. Seeing Luffy with a swollen head, miserably munching meat, he could no longer contain his laughter. "Hahaha! Garp! Your grandson… is far more entertaining than that selfish Roger ever was!"
His laughter rang out across the sky, carrying clarity and joy that came from knowing the world. "For a smile like this… shall we drink?"
Garp looked at Luffy's carefree, silly face, then at the Bone Fist he had just delivered, a punch that reshaped the sea. His anger and ferocity gradually ebbed like a receding tide.
A deeper, resolute expression settled on him, immovable as a reef beneath the waves. He raised the half-empty jug and clinked it heavily against Rayleigh's.
"To this!"
Garp's voice was like a war drum, overpowering the roar of the waves. "Not for that dead man Roger!"
He drained the rest of the jug in one gulp, the burning liquor running down his muscular, scarred chest. "And not for the damn new era!"
Wiping his mouth, his eyes swept over Luffy, as if peering through time to Ace. "For my grandsons! Whoever lays a hand on them…"
His fingers clenched tightly, the empty jug squeaking in his palm. "…I will smash their heads! Whether Celestial Dragon or Five Elders!"
The liquor burned his throat but ignited an even fiercer conviction in his chest.
Above the Bone Fist Strait, several news drones hovered, projecting live images of the endlessly floating, unbroken colorful bubbles of Sabaody. The final headline appeared:
"Earth's Crust Torn! District 7 of Sabaody Permanently Submerged! God-Slayer Garp Creates 'Bone Fist Strait!'"
The image: a massive, all-consuming whirlpool dominated the screen, its jagged red rock edges clearly visible.
Bottom left: silhouettes of Garp and Rayleigh clinking jugs, weathered and resolute.
Bottom right: Luffy's profile, gleefully gnawing a giant beast leg, a swollen bump on his head, innocent and mischievous, a mixture of curiosity and recklessness.