Marineford Harbor
Garp stood at the edge of the dock, the salty wind tugging at his half-gray hair. His gaze swept over the scene: the dog-headed warship undergoing emergency repairs in the distance. He clicked his tongue and turned to his aide, Bolt.
"Hey, Bolt! First thing tomorrow morning, get us a fully fueled ship. My old vessel came all the way from the New World in a rush—it's barely better than scrap right now!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp," Bolt replied with a sharp salute, his tone serious. "I've already made arrangements. We'll depart at six on the dot!"
Garp nodded in satisfaction and was about to turn away when hurried footsteps sounded behind him.
"Vice Admiral Garp! Please wait!"
"Hm?" Garp turned and saw Tizolo, one of Gern's subordinates, hurrying toward him.
This green-haired youth was usually the calmest among Gern's trio—but now, his entire demeanor was tense, his eyes betraying a rare, almost frantic urgency.
"Well, well!" Garp raised an eyebrow and grinned. "If it isn't Gern's little golden brat. What brings you to me?"
"Vice Admiral Garp," Tizolo took a deep breath, staring directly into Garp's eyes with unshakable resolve. "Please… allow Lipo and me to accompany you!"
"Hah?" Garp blinked, then laughed loudly, slapping Tizolo on the shoulder with a force that made the young man wince.
"Accompany me? You want to tag along while I go chasing Roger? That's not a walk in the park, kid. That guy's no small fry… one wrong move and you're dead!"
"I understand," Tizolo said, his voice low but firm. He clenched his fists tightly. "Because… I suspect that Vice Admiral Gern may also be after Roger."
"Gern hunting Roger…" Garp's smile faltered slightly, his eyes sharpening instantly. He fixed Tizolo with a penetrating gaze. "What do you mean by that?"
Tizolo gritted his teeth, as if steeling himself.
"Vice Admiral Gern was supposed to return to HQ under Sengoku's orders. Yet he made us announce that he was still aboard the ship, and went off on his own…"I suspect he might have already found Roger."
"Suspect, huh…" Garp paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes. "Well… that kid certainly has guts…"
"That's why, Vice Admiral Garp," Tizolo's voice edged with urgency, "I know this goes against regulations. Gern himself could punish me for it. But just thinking that he might face the Pirate King alone… I can't sit still.
"No matter how strong Gern is, he cannot hope to defeat Roger single-handedly. That's the Pirate King!"
Garp stared at Tizolo for a few seconds before grinning broadly.
"Looks like Gern did a good job raising his subordinates, huh?"
Tizolo froze, surprised by the unexpected reaction.
"All right!" Garp clapped him on the shoulder, his laughter booming. "Then tomorrow morning, you two will come along!"
A flash of relief crossed Tizolo's eyes as he nodded solemnly. "Understood!"
As he watched the young man disappear into the shadows of the harbor, Garp's smile faded, replaced by a steely, contemplative expression.
"Gern… found Roger?" he muttered, brows furrowing."Impossible… I've been chasing that guy for half my life. Gern has only faced him once. How could he possibly lock onto Roger's position faster than the World Government—or the entire Navy?
"Roger's not the kind of…"
Garp's words stopped mid-thought, struck by a sudden memory.
Months ago, in the corridors before a high-level Marine meeting, he had walked beside Gern. Gern had casually teased:
"Roger went off to the South Blue looking for a little girl because of some heartbreak? That's just cruel!"
At the time, Gern's step had faltered imperceptibly. His expression remained calm, but now Garp realized he had caught a subtle flicker of something unusual.
"South Blue…" Garp's pupils shrank. The truth dawned on him.
"So that's it… he wasn't just joking along with me—he let something slip!"
Garp connected the pieces in his mind and clenched his fist so tightly the knuckles cracked.
"Roger… has no ambition left."
Garp knew the man better than anyone. He had conquered the seas, fulfilled his dream, and disbanded his crew—not out of some secret plot, but because he truly let go.
"All he wants… is to rest for a while…"
And the South Blue was Roger's final, temporary refuge.
"Then… he'll return to his homeland."
Garp's breath caught. The memory of Roger's final battle with him flashed before his eyes—the man's face calm, almost relieved.
"Once it's all over, I'll turn myself in! So, Garp! Don't stop me anymore."
At the time, Garp had assumed it was mere bravado. But now…
"That man… he meant it."
Roger had no intention of fleeing. No desire to stir chaos. He only wished, in the twilight of his life, to return to the East Blue. To the place where it all began.
And Gern… had probably already seen through it.
"That brat…" Garp's lips twitched into a small smile, yet a complex emotion flickered across his eyes."What exactly are you planning?!"
Three days after Garp left HQ
The atmosphere in the Fleet Admiral's office was tense. Sengoku, Kong, and Zephyr sat around the massive strategic war table, their brows tightly knit as they analyzed the supposed "ambitions of Roger."
Sengoku drummed his fingers against the table."Roger disbanding his crew cannot possibly be just a retirement. That explanation can be ruled out—he must be…"
"Hm," Kong said, his hands clasped before his chin, eyes sharp. "According to World Government intelligence, the last known location was the South Blue… but the exact coordinates…"
Zephyr snorted. "No matter what he's planning, he can't hide if he dares to show himself. Not even Rocks could."
"But—"
Just then—
"Brrr! Brrr! Brrr!!!"
The Den Den Mushi on the table rang frantically, and almost simultaneously, hurried footsteps thundered down the hallway. They grew louder and culminated in a bang as the office door was violently pushed open!
Kong's eyes snapped, and he immediately grabbed the phone. A young Marine's urgent voice blared into the receiver.
"Fleet Admiral! Fleet Admiral! In the Scara Sea of the South Blue…"
Before he could finish, a messenger stumbled into the room, face pale, chest heaving, pupils tight with shock, as though he had witnessed something that could topple the world.
"Speak!" Sengoku barked, rising to his feet.
Zephyr slammed a hand on the table, fine cracks spidering across the wood.
The messenger swallowed hard, finally choking out:"Vice Admiral Gern and Pirate King Roger… have clashed at Biaks Island, in the Scara Sea of the South Blue!
"They are fighting to the death! Full force! The entire world is in shock!"
The air froze.
The Den Den Mushi continued crackling:"The sea space is distorted! The battle's aftermath has triggered a colossal tsunami! Three nearby islands have already sunk, and a vast area of the sea is hollowed out!"
Kong crushed the phone in his hand with a snap. Sengoku's eyes behind his glasses narrowed sharply. Zephyr's forehead glistened with cold sweat.
"That lunatic…" Sengoku ground out through clenched teeth. "He actually dared to face Roger alone?!"
"Does he think he's Garp? That idiot!" Kong slammed a fist into the table."Immediately mobilize all HQ forces! Seal off the South Blue! Roger must not—"
"Wait!" Zephyr suddenly interrupted, his tone low and terrifying. "No… right now, Roger is not the priority!"
"S-Someone tell me—what is this intelligence?" Sengoku asked, advancing toward Zephyr, who turned to glare at the messenger.
"This… was from two days ago."
"Two days ago?!" Sengoku and Kong reacted in shock.
"Two days ago? Why are we only hearing this now?!" Kong slammed his palm against the solid wood table, shattering it.
The messenger swallowed nervously, his voice trembling."The communications in the Scara Sea were completely cut off. Nearby patrol ships only approached after observing abnormal phenomena…"
"…Just discovered it…" His voice trailed lower. "…That sea… has completely changed…"
Sengoku snatched the crushed Den Den Mushi. The remaining static crackled through the broken communicator:"…space fissures… tens of thousands of meters… seawater cannot refill… impossible to approach…"
Zephyr turned toward the window. His Haki-infused fists smashed the wall, sending debris flying. The salty wind and rain slammed into the room, alarms blaring across Marineford.
"Now is not the time to argue," Zephyr said, his cloak whipping violently."If Gern can really push Roger to his limits…"
His eyes gleamed with a terrifying light as he turned, "then that battlefield has probably already…"
Kong's face went ashen as he yanked off his Fleet Admiral cloak."Activate the Devil-Slaying Protocol immediately! Deploy all five Vice Admirals—no, everyone! Cancel all missions and head to the Fourth… wait… where is Garp?"
Sengoku's fingers froze on the intelligence logs."According to the course… his destination is Log Town, East Blue!"
All three men paled simultaneously.
Lightning split the sky, illuminating their grave faces.
The messenger stammered further, voice trembling:"And… worse… the battle was observed to almost abruptly stop earlier this morning…
"But… the victor cannot be confirmed yet. No one has entered that sea…"
Amid the torrential rain, the broken Den Den Mushi emitted a final, rasping shriek:"…CP agents have confirmed… Log Town, East Blue… is the last known location!"
The words hit like a hammer to every chest in the room.
"Deploy immediately!" Zephyr clenched the shattered window frame."Alive or dead—we will see them for ourselves!"
Steel and fury erupted as Kong charged out of the office. Outside, Marineford had already become a storm of activity. Officers sprinted through the rain while ship horns blared across the harbor.