Verbal sparring wasn't working, yet taking direct action risked harming the innocent civilians of Water 7.
It was a situation where a stubborn approach hit a dead end on both sides.
Helpless, Garp could only find a rock to sit on and rest.
Seeing this, Dragon took the initiative to sit beside Garp, silently recounting his specific observations in the Sorbet Kingdom.
Of course, Dragon didn't mention anything regarding Sky Island.
After all, that was their base of operations. Even though Garp was his biological father, he couldn't possibly reveal the location of their headquarters to him.
Tom, who was gradually recovering from the influence of York's ability, looked left and right at the two sides who had ceased hostilities. Blushing silently, he went home, took a bath, and changed his clothes.
Not long after.
The dog-figurehead warship, which had been pushed out by the waves caused by the clash of Haki between York and Garp, sailed back and docked at the proper harbor in Water 7.
Garp's adjutant, Bogard, was currently just a young man in his early twenties.
However, he was very tactful. He left all his subordinates at the docks and in the town, coming to find Garp alone.
"Vice Admiral Garp... the snacks you wanted."
"Oh, it's Bogard. These snacks came just in time; I was getting bored."
Taking the bag of senbei brought over by Bogard, Garp tossed one into his mouth. Bogard turned his head to the side, looking at York, who had started helping Tom move timber alongside Ivankov.
"Are we not arresting York?"
"Can't arrest him."
Garp answered while chewing on the senbei.
"You saw the commotion when I fought him earlier. If we don't want the innocent people of Water 7 to suffer casualties, right now we can only watch that bastard build his ship."
Garp's words silenced Bogard.
If it were him a year ago, he might have strongly urged Garp not to let go of the opportunity to capture York.
But after experiencing the God Valley incident a year ago, his thoughts on the Marines and Justice had undergone significant changes.
After a moment of thought, Bogard found a nearby rock and sat down just like Garp.
He unbuckled the long sword at his waist, propped it up in front of him, rested his hands on the hilt, and simply glared at York and the others working.
The day passed peacefully just like that.
In the evening, York arrived at a tavern in Water 7, only to see that it had already been occupied by the Marines.
He, Stussy, Dragon, and Ivankov—four pirates in total—walked into the tavern and were instantly stared at by dozens, if not hundreds, of Marines simultaneously.
Furthermore, behind them stood the two experts, Garp and Bogard.
Dragon and Ivankov instantly broke into a sweat, and even Stussy felt slightly unnatural.
Of course, the main reason was the immense pressure coming from Garp behind them.
However, York acted as if he saw nothing at all, walking straight to the tavern's counter.
"Bring out all your alcohol! I'm paying for everyone's drinks tonight!!"
As soon as these words came out, the entire tavern went quiet for an instant.
But in the next second, a massive roar almost lifted the roof off the tavern.
"Generous!!"
"As expected of the Lord of Depravity! Rich guy!!"
"Brothers! Open up your bellies and drink! Let's drink him poor!!"
"Oooooh!!"
...
The Marines in the tavern erupted in enthusiastic cheers, as if the one treating them to drinks in this moment wasn't York the pirate, but Garp himself.
Seeing this, Stussy let out a soft sigh of relief.
Given the atmosphere when they first entered the tavern, she almost thought a real fight was about to break out.
Fortunately, it was all a false alarm.
Swaying her slender waist, she walked over and sat down beside York.
Garp and Bogard forcefully squeezed past Dragon and Ivankov to sit on York's other side.
Only then did Dragon and Ivankov follow, sitting down next to Stussy.
However, not long after they sat down, a Marine walked up, wrapped his arm around Dragon's neck, and dragged him away from the counter.
"Dragon~ I heard when you joined the military you didn't mention your relationship with Vice Admiral Garp and started directly from the bottom. You've got backbone!"
Dragon was uncomfortable being dragged around by the neck, but he didn't get angry.
The reason was simple: the man holding him was an elder who had watched him grow up. Although they weren't related by blood, he was one of Garp's old subordinates.
Similarly, the table Dragon was dragged to was mostly filled with such people, men who had once been very close to him.
Facing their teasing, Dragon smiled somewhat awkwardly.
"As the old man's son, the pressure is huge."
"Besides, if I had used the old man's fame to debut in the Marines with a high rank, I believe you all would have looked down on me."
Hearing this, the group of old soldiers immediately laughed heartily.
Dragon looked around amidst the laughter of the veterans.
He discovered that many familiar faces from his childhood were missing, replaced by many young but completely unfamiliar faces.
Clearly, although Garp had won the ultimate reputation in the God Valley battle, a heavy price had been paid.
"Hey, Dragon, I can understand you becoming a pirate, but..."
An old soldier rested his hand on Dragon's shoulder while gesturing toward York with his chin.
"Why did you choose to follow the Lord of Depravity?"
"That guy's ability is quite nasty. I made a fool of myself in front of the rookies today because of it."
Dragon smiled awkwardly again and tried his best to explain: "An ability is just an ability; a person is a person. York isn't a pirate in the traditional sense; he is a good man."
"I see..."
The soldier who asked the question suddenly realized.
Then he patted Dragon's shoulder firmly.
"Since that is your judgment, then we choose to trust it!!"
After saying that, he raised his glass high.
"Brothers!"
"To Dragon finding a new ideal, cheers!!"
"Cheers!!!"
Glasses clinked, liquor spilled. This small party, treated by pirates and enjoyed by Marines, remained lively until midnight.
...
Early the next morning.
York, Dragon, and Ivankov followed Tom to build the new ship again.
Garp, Bogard, and the group of Marines who had crawled up from their hangovers gathered collectively to watch.
Ivankov's movements were stiff under the gaze of this crowd.
After all, the two sides were natural enemies.
He had already felt very uncomfortable drinking in the tavern yesterday, but the atmosphere was so good then that it didn't stand out.
Today, with the Marines back to their serious selves and staring at them collectively, the psychological pressure was truly immense.
York glanced at Ivankov, who was barely able to walk properly, then looked at Garp's group with deadpan eyes.
"I know you guys are waiting for me to finish building the ship so you can make your move after we set sail, minimizing the battle's impact on Water 7."
"But since that's the case, what's the point of just staring blankly?! Hurry up and come help!!"
"Don't you understand that if you help me build the ship faster, you can arrest me at sea sooner?!"
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