Dragon's Question!

In the first half of the Grand Line, there exists an unnamed island. Its only advantage is that it is a Spring Island, so the climate is mild, the vegetation is lush, and it has fresh water, which is most important for voyages. Its distinctive feature is that there are eight finger-shaped mountains on the island.

But that's all in the past. From Dragon's perspective, standing on the deck of the warship, there are no longer any obvious hills on the island, only a single, partially destroyed mountain remains.

Before he knew it, his father had been here for two years, Dragon thought to himself, but he wasn't here to rekindle their father-son bond; he was filled with anger and doubt.

"Long time no see, Mr. Bogard." As the warship approached the Dog-Head Warship, Dragon was the first to greet Bogard was standing on the opposite deck.

Bogard's attire remained unchanged, still the same brown suit, top hat, and pristine white Justice Coat; of course, the long sword at his waist was indispensable.

"Um."

Bogard, being rather taciturn and showing no interest in conversation, pointed directly to the remaining half-ruined mountainside on the island and suggested, "The Vice Admiral is in that direction. Go."

"OK."

Dragon had known this adjutant for years, so he didn't find it strange. He immediately stepped onto the soft sand using the planks prepared by the marines, and from his position, he could faintly hear the rumbling sounds coming from the island.

"Call--"

He took a deep breath and walked into the island step by step with a blank expression. Bogard watched Dragon's back silently until he completely disappeared into the jungle, then shook his head slightly and looked wistfully at another part of the island.

Inside the island, as Dragon continued to advance, the explosion-like sounds grew louder, but no smoke rose into the air. His tension increased, but his belief in justice propelled him forward without hesitation.

Suddenly, the sound stopped. Sure enough, when Dragon arrived at an open area that could be considered a camp, he saw Garp looking at him, wearing only a vest on his upper body, while his black suit and Justice Coat were casually hanging on a tree not far away.

"What are you doing here, kid?" Garp looked at his son, who had suddenly appeared in front of him, with some confusion, but immediately picked his nose with his right pinky and asked in a cheeky tone.

"Could it be that she misses her dad and came to ask me for a hug?"

But Dragon was already used to his father's unreliability and was not affected by his anger at all. He got straight to the point and said what he wanted to do.

"I've come to ask my father, what is justice in the navy, and what is justice in yours!"

"Huh?" Garp was taken aback. When he saw that Dragon's eyes were serious, his expression immediately became serious, and he fell silent. After a moment, he sighed.

"I told you back then, you weren't suited for Mary Geoise, but the Five Elders gave Fleet Admiral Kong the order, sigh."

"I actually think this year's mission to guard the Holy Land has been very rewarding. It has allowed me to see the true nature of the Celestial Dragons. Otherwise, I might have really considered protecting them as a form of justice!" Dragon said through gritted teeth.

"Father, can you answer my question now? You've always told me that the navy is righteous, but is it really righteous?"

"Fool! While the Navy does have to protect those scumbags, that's not their only responsibility. Catching pirates and maintaining peace on the seas is also a matter of justice!" Garp said angrily.

"If you hate those scumbags, I can go to the Fleet Admiral, go to Sengoku, and have them transfer you out of Mary Geoise."

"You just need to focus on hunting down pirates, and be a good Marine like me. Don't meddle in those other messy things."

"What's the point of being a navy officer who can't uphold true justice?" Dragon clenched his fists tightly. He wanted to say those words aloud, but he held them back and instead said, "I've applied to go to G-3 Branch, and the Fleet Admiral has accepted."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Garp was overjoyed, "I've almost mastered this punch. Once I've settled my score with Chinjao, I'll take you to chase after Roger. His ship has plenty of skilled fighters; you'll definitely have a good fight!"

"What is your justice?" Dragon had completely lost hope in the Navy's sense of justice.

"."

Faced with his son's question once again, Garp remained silent before finally answering, meeting his gaze as he spoke in a deep voice.

"I'm just a marine."

"Marine soldier. A marine who obeys orders? Then whose orders do you obey, the government or the navy?" Dragon pressed.

"As I said, I am just a 'Marine'!" Garp emphasized the last two words. Now Dragon understood. Marine, Marine, his father was ultimately a soldier of the Navy, not a soldier of any other organization.

"Really? I understand."

For some reason, although his father's sense of justice still disappointed him, this was not so bad compared to the worst answer he had expected.

"Are you leaving already? Won't you stay for a drink? The tiger on this island tastes pretty good." Seeing Dragon about to turn and leave, Garp became unreliable again, as if his previous serious demeanor had never existed.

"We've already met, that's enough."

With a soft remark, Dragon walked back into the jungle, leaving Garp helplessly standing with his hands on his hips, gazing up at the sky. Indeed, he still wanted to spend more time with his son.

It's alright, though. Dragon has been transferred to G-3, so we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. After all, he's the commander of the G-3 Branch.

Even though he hadn't been in charge for two years, he still held the position of commander, because no one else among the Marine Vice Admirals could hold that position.

In another part of the woods on the island, it was as if a gust of wind was blowing, and the branches along a line kept rustling. Then, a figure dressed in a standard black suit appeared out of nowhere. He looked nervous, his breathing was a little rapid, and he leaned against a thick tree trunk, taking out a small Den Den Den Mushi from his pocket.

"I never imagined that 'Naval Hero' Garp would dare to insult the Celestial Dragons, and his son Dragon."

[Whoosh!]

Just as his right hand was about to pick up the receiver from the Den Den Mushi, a flash of light, bright enough even in daylight, sliced off the Den Den Mushi and the left hand supporting it.

[Pfft--]

A muffled thud of flesh being torn apart rang out. Blood splattered from the severed end of his left palm, mingling with the fluids of the Den Den Mushi in front of him. By the time they hit the ground, they were already intertwined, followed by a piercing scream.

"Ahh!"

My hand!!

The CP agent sent to monitor Garp was clutching his bleeding left wrist with his right hand, kneeling on the ground and wailing in agony. When he looked up at the newcomer, he was first stunned, then panicked.

"Rear Admiral Bogard!"

Bogard, dressed in a brown suit and top hat, walked up to CP with a long sword already drawn in his hand.

"An invisibility ability that can't be detected by Observation Haki, that's impressive, but you've been on this island for too long. Vice Admiral Garp discovered you half a year ago. You underestimate the intuition of strong individuals."

"So you've been watching me for the past six months?" The CP member was utterly desperate, but his strong will to survive spurred him on, and he warned, "Rear Admiral Bogard, you should know my identity. To attack me is to betray the government and the Navy!"

[Pfft--]

But his only response was another flash of gleaming blade, followed by the head slowly sliding off the line of blood that appeared on his neck, leaving Bogard with his expressionless face.

"No one will know, and no one will care."

Thank you Sa'uan My Lung for the 100 tip! Thank you, thank you!