"Kid, you're very clever."
BIGMOM tossed Napoleon into the air, transforming it back into the pirate hat on her head.
Zeus, the thundercloud, also changed from his black, enraged state back into white, while Prometheus transformed into his cartoon-like form and hung from her head.
Rowan said, "You never intended to kill him in the first place, did you? Maintaining the balance of this sea benefits both you and the Marines."
BIGMOM licked her lips. "Kid, how about leaving the Marines and joining me? I have plenty of daughters. You have what it takes to become part of my family."
Rowan was momentarily speechless.
BIGMOM's daughters who were close to his age seemed to be.
He hurriedly pushed that terrifying thought out of his mind and replied, "Back when you were with the Rocks Pirates, you should still remember what happens when people with this kind of potential are all aboard the same ship, right?"
"Mamamama... Then, kid, do you know what possessing this kind of potential in the Marines represents?"
BIGMOM's enormous face twisted into a strange smile. "The Marines, the Fleet Admiral, the Admirals... Do you know? As far as I know, there are only two people in the entire Marines who possess this kind of potential."
Sengoku... and Garp.
One was the Fleet Admiral who commanded the entire Marines. Before becoming Fleet Admiral, he obeyed the World Government's orders without question, but after becoming Fleet Admiral, he developed ideas of his own.
The other was the Marine hero. In fact, if not for the enormous influence he possessed and his habit of playing the fool, he would have been dealt with long ago simply because of the hidden meaning behind the letter D.
Rowan shook his head slightly and didn't continue dwelling on the subject.
"The title of Four Emperors has been introduced among the pirates. From now on, the Marines' strength will be concentrated in the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line."
"It can be predicted that for a very long time to come, countless pirates will set their sights on becoming one of the Four Emperors and head toward the New World. And in order to keep your positions as Emperors, you'll have to kill or recruit these newcomers time and time again."
"Those who lose their will can never become true powerhouses of this sea. From now on, the pirate world will only have four supreme powers."
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea system will also select suitable individuals through these repeated challenges, allowing them to become one of the forces maintaining the balance of the sea. This will become the structure of the world in the future."
"BIGMOM, so your choice is already obvious, isn't it?"
Beside him, Kuzan listened with some astonishment.
This world had never taught anything like this kind of political strategy.
Even Kuzan, who knew about the Seven Warlords of the Sea system and knew that the Four Emperors title had been deliberately introduced as bait, had never understood all the connections between them or the purpose behind it.
Now that Rowan had laid everything out before him, he suddenly felt as though he had gained some enlightenment.
BIGMOM also had a strange expression. After taking a deep look at Rowan, she grabbed Zeus's cloud and turned around.
"Kid, I'll be waiting for the day you leave the Marines."
With those words, BIGMOM skimmed across the sea, kicking up waves as she headed directly toward the waters of Totto Land.
On the ice, Kuzan looked at Rowan and asked, "So the sea will be peaceful for a while in the future? That's good, then. It means the family can develop steadily."
Rowan glanced at the unconscious Sakazuki and kicked him farther away.
"The balance is maintained by the Marines and the pirates, but it doesn't include us. When it comes to the idea of liberation, the World Government won't hesitate or show any mercy."
"Even if Ohara's people were nothing but defenseless scholars, the moment they touched the World Government's taboo, they destroyed them without hesitation."
"What they care about is ideology. Pirates are merely one of the forces that maintain the balance, and the Marines are the same. The only thing they truly fear is an idea."
With that, Rowan used Moonwalk to rise into the air.
"You take care of Sakazuki. I still have something to do. I'll give you a surprise in a few days, so keep an eye out for it."
With those words, Rowan headed toward the direction in which the battleship had previously retreated.
The distance... was a little far.
The men under Rowan at the G5 branch were simply far too obedient.
After returning to the ship, the warship headed back toward the G5 branch, wiping out pirates along the way once again.
More importantly, Rowan had to get back to writing.
One week later, East Blue, Goa Kingdom, Foosha Village.
After spending some time pacifying the entire East Blue, the Marine hero Garp finally arrived back in his hometown around noon.
However, he had barely entered the village with his luggage when he noticed that the bar was unusually lively.
It seemed two familiar brats were also standing inside, loudly declaring something.
"My will exists because of the people! Protecting the people of this country is my responsibility!"
"No matter what, no one has the right to decide whether another person lives or dies!"
"If lives can be trampled on at will, then I'll become no different from those people."
"A general exists to protect the people. That is the most fundamental meaning of the position!"
"I'm Luffy!"
"I'm Ace!"
"We're willing to give our lives to protect the people of Foosha Village!"
The two little brats stood on top of the bar counter, taking turns speaking. Their back-and-forth performance had the villagers who had come for a midday drink roaring with laughter.
"Ace, how are you going to protect me? You're not even taller than me yet!"
"Can little Luffy's punches even knock down the big yellow dog at the entrance of the village? Hahaha!"
"You two brats! Makino just cleaned that counter! Get down from there!"
"That general is a true big shot. He has the determination to protect the people and respects the value of life. You two are nothing like that yet!"
"Luffy, here, have some juice."
Although the villagers were laughing with good intentions, the teasing still made the two brats quite unhappy.
However, when a glass of juice was handed over, little Luffy immediately took it and started drinking, not forgetting to say thank you.
"Hahahaha!"
A middle-aged man burst out laughing. "Lord Luffy, who wants to protect everyone, is happily drinking juice. Hahaha!"
Ace pointed at him angrily. "You despicable adults! One day, we're going to become the greatest generals!"
Hearing this from outside the bar, Garp was so pleased that his old eyes almost became misty.
Finally... finally, they hadn't turned out like his unreliable father or his equally unreliable son.
Their goal of becoming Marine generals really proved that his teachings had worked!
If that bastard Roger knew about this, he would probably kneel down and cry tears of gratitude toward him, right?
Although someone might have taken advantage of the situation, judging from the changes in Ace, that guy who had put the hat on Roger's head wasn't so bad after all.
At least he had given Ace the right guidance.
"Hahahaha!"
"Ace, Luffy, your beloved grandpa is back!"
Overjoyed, Garp pushed open the bar door and spread his arms wide, waiting for a hug from his grandsons.
But the next moment.
"Demon King Garp is back!"
"Luffy, run!"
The two brats jumped down from the bar counter and immediately ran toward the back of the bar.
"Ace, Luffy, that's the kitchen!"
Makino stretched out a hand, but there was clearly no stopping the two nimble little brats.
Seeing his enthusiastic welcome rejected, Garp awkwardly lowered his arms and picked his nose.
"Looks like my love-based education still isn't enough."
Makino gave a slight bow. "Mr. Garp, are you taking another leave to come home and visit your grandsons?"
Many of the villagers in the bar stood up and greeted Garp, but one person shrank back, trying to hide his presence.
"What are you hiding for? Do you really think you can hide from him?"
An old man knocked the man who had previously tried to claim he was Ace's father with his cane, forcing him out.
He had stopped drinking alcohol and switched to fruit juice. Now he hunched his head down miserably.
"I've already been beaten three times! I even quit drinking! Why won't you leave me alone?"
He raised his head slightly, but the moment his eyes met Garp's, he quickly lowered them again.
"Smack."
Garp placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong? Did you do something?"
The man stammered, unable to bring himself to say anything.
The villagers drinking nearby immediately spoke up for him.
"This bastard tried to become Ace's father a while ago, but Ace smashed two wine bottles over his head. Then he got beaten three times in the middle of the night. Now he doesn't even dare drink anymore."
"Hahahaha... I heard he screamed and begged for mercy every single time."
"Now that Mr. Garp is back from his leave, he might get beaten again today."
Understanding the situation, Garp gave a mischievous grin and patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder.
"So, you want to be the old man's son?"
The man raised his head slightly and forced out an awkward laugh. "I wouldn't dare, Mr. Garp. I was just drunk. I was talking nonsense."
Garp glared at him before snorting and walking out.
He still had to properly educate his two grandsons. Besides, this guy had obviously already been dealt with by Rouge's new man, so there was no need for him to get involved.
Under Garp's Observation Haki, he quickly found the two brats. He grabbed them by the scruffs of their necks, one in each hand, and carried them back to the courtyard of their home.
After bringing a reclining chair out of the house, Garp put the two brats down and asked kindly, "So, your dream is to become a general?"
Ace and little Luffy looked at each other.
"We want to become a general like Black Arm! To protect the people and be respected by everyone!"
"And me! I want to protect everyone too! I'm really strong! My fists are just like bullets!"
"Black Arm?"
Garp looked puzzled. Why did this sound so much like that old bastard Zephyr?
"Who is Black Arm? How did you two hear about him?"
Ace put his hands on his hips.
"Black Arm is a hero of the people! He protects good people and brings all the pirates to justice! He's a great general!"
???
Garp was stunned.
How did he not know that Zephyr, who had spent so many years in the Marine boot camp, had become famous enough for his reputation to reach all the way to the East Blue?
At that moment, little Luffy beside the house slapped a newspaper down.
"True justice means following the basic moral boundaries of humanity. The definition of good and evil should be decided by morality, not by those in positions of power."
Little Luffy's voice had not even broken yet. Hearing such a serious statement delivered in his childish voice made it sound incredibly strange.
Garp snatched the newspaper from him.
At the very top were three large characters:
[The New Era]
And underneath the title was a line of text:
[The Awakening of Youth Means the Awakening of an Era]
This made Garp freeze for a moment.
The awakening of youth? The awakening of an era?
This wasn't the World Economy News Paper. It wasn't some newspaper produced by that bird Morgans, either.
So where had this thing come from in the East Blue? And how had it ended up in little Luffy's hands?
Garp was just about to question his grandson when the headline on the front page caught his attention.
[Using the Four Emperors as Bait, Luring Pirates Into Mutual Slaughter]
Four Emperors the moment Garp saw the headline, he was drawn in and began reading the article beneath it.
A photograph showed the shattered ships and corpses of pirates who had challenged Whitebeard, BIGMOM, and Kaido in the New World, only to be utterly defeated.
Next came an explanation of why the Four Emperor titles had been thrown out, along with an analysis and conclusion.
The article clearly explained that attacking civilians and ordinary islands would not earn anyone the title of Four Emperor.
The purpose of throwing out the Four Emperor titles, removing three of the existing positions and leaving one open, was precisely to make the pirates fight among themselves.
There was no point in attacking civilians or ordinary islands. Such actions could not prove one's strength.
The Marines and World Government would not casually allow the bait they had thrown out to be swallowed, and the pirates of the New World would not acknowledge such a person as a Pirate Emperor either.
The second half of the article clearly pointed out two paths to becoming the fourth Pirate Emperor.
The first was to challenge the three confirmed Four Emperors, namely Whitebeard, BIGMOM, and Kaido.
The article did more than simply list their names. It also provided an analysis of the three Emperors' strength.
Whitebeard possessed all three types of Haki and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
BIGMOM possessed powerful Haki and the Soul-Soul Fruit.
The article specifically emphasized that the only way to have a chance of defeating her was to have absolutely no fear of her in one's heart. Otherwise, one's soul could be taken away.
Finally, there was the Undying Kaido, an existence that could not be killed and seemingly could not even be injured.
Any injury would recover in the very next moment. Even having his head severed, being submerged beneath the sea, or being burned by raging flames could not kill him. He would soon recover.
Garp continued reading with a frown.
After introducing the three Four Emperors, the newspaper proposed the second way of becoming a Four Emperor.
That was to accomplish the World Government's purpose in throwing out the bait, slaughtering large numbers of pirates and fighting one's way to the top among one's own kind, thereby proving that one possessed the qualifications to become a Four Emperor.
Slaughtering towns could only prove one's viciousness. Pirates who attacked ordinary people could not prove their strength, and the World Government would never allow the so-called title of Four Emperor to become a joke.
If a pirate crew without sufficient strength was wiped out the very next day after becoming an Emperor, then what would be the point of such an Emperor's title?
Once the title became a joke, then neither Whitebeard, BIGMOM, nor Kaido would acknowledge the sweetness of the bait anymore.
The newspaper's writing was precise yet easy to understand. It devoted a large amount of space to explaining everything, rather than summarizing it as simply as this.
Garp frowned.
He knew very well that anyone with even a little sense could understand that everything written in this newspaper reflected the real situation.
The Marines' true objective had been laid out clearly, and the fact that pirates were slaughtering towns in an attempt to increase their bounties and obtain the title of Four Emperor was also something the Marines and World Government would indeed refuse to allow.
The reason had been explained just as clearly.
In this way, the newspaper itself actually helped accomplish the purpose behind using the Four Emperor title as bait.
However... at the same time, the contents of the newspaper clearly revealed its desire to protect ordinary people.
Interesting.
Garp turned the newspaper over.
The second page once again featured a huge headline:
[Collision with BIGMOM, Only Marine Vice Admiral Sakazuki Survives]
The attitude of the article's first half was quite clear. It gave a detailed account of Marine Vice Admiral Sakazuki's confrontation with BIGMOM in Totto Land a few days earlier, describing his sharp words and unyielding attitude, showing not the slightest intention of backing down.
But very soon, the second half slapped that image right in the face.
The tough image portrayed in the first half was directly turned into that of a fool in the second half.
Every other Marine aboard the warship had died. Only Vice Admiral Sakazuki had escaped alone, repeatedly using the Den Den Mushi to call for reinforcements along the way.
In the end, after being sent flying by a single slash from BIGMOM, the incident simply came to an end.
The final section of the page mentioned Sakazuki's special status.
As a rare Logia Devil Fruit user possessing the power of a natural disaster, his Magma-Magma Fruit ability was extremely powerful.
As a candidate for Admiral, and even the designated future Admiral who would become one of the Marines' greatest combat powers, BIGMOM, who had no intention of truly going to war with the Marines, naturally would not actually kill this Vice Admiral.
But throughout the entire incident, the newspaper believed that the Marines who had died deserved someone's attention.
[We are not Logia users. We are not Marine Vice Admirals, and we certainly will never become Marine Admirals.]
[We are merely ordinary people among the countless masses. Perhaps one day, we may become Marines because we want to protect our hometown.]
[So perhaps we should think about those ordinary Marines who died. To die meaninglessly because of the recklessness of their superior could very well become our own future.]
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