Information Delivered, Fist of Farewell

Water 7

Several days have passed in the blink of an eye.

With the combined efforts of Franky, Mr. Iceburg, and the three foremen of Galley-La Company, a sailboat capable of crossing all seas has been built at lightning speed and will soon be ready to set sail.

Meanwhile, Roman quietly knocked on Vice Admiral Garp's door.

"Haha, it's little Roman!"

The cheerful, tall old man patted the table in front of him and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Come, sit down! Chat with this old man for a while—that Luffy doesn't even have the patience to listen to another word from this old man!"

"Mr. Garp, I have something to discuss with you." Roman didn't sit down, but stood in the room, his serious expression making Garp also become serious.

"Ace has been captured."

?

"What Ace...?"

"Portgas D. Ace, Luffy's older brother." Roman sighed as he looked at Vice Admiral Garp stood motionless like a statue.

"Or rather—Gol D. Ace?"

!!

In an instant, an aura as heavy as a mountain and as thick as a vast ocean enveloped Roman! Even with Roman's current strength, he was instantly unable to breathe and was unable to move as if he had been thrown into the deep sea.

Click click click!

The entire room was filled with a series of faint creaking sounds, as if all the objects were groaning and begging for mercy!

"Do you know what you're saying, little Roman?"

With an utterly calm voice, the teacup in Vice Admiral Garp's hand first turned into fine sand that trickled down, then vanished into thin air along with the tea! Immediately afterward, the chair he was sitting on collapsed silently, followed by the table in front of him, the floor...

In the blink of an eye, only a tall, elderly navy man appeared to be 'sitting' in mid-air in the room, his soul-piercing eyes fixed firmly on Roman! Forget about 'Elementalization,' even raising a hand to use his ability was incredibly difficult. But—

Roman wasn't prepared to fight this Marine Hero either.

"I received a message,"

Despite the terrifying and Haki that seemed capable of shattering him into pieces at any moment, Roman remained calm.

"A battle took place on Banaro Island a few days ago."

"The two sides in the battle are Ace, the Whitebeard's Second Division Captain, and Blackbeard, a defector from Whitebeard's command."

Blackbeard?!

In an instant, Garp remembered the person who had barged into the Shichibukai meeting a while ago:

"I recommend my family's captain to succeed as Shichibukai."

The man named Lafitte, who was holding a cane and wearing a top hat, looked at the three Shichibukai, Vice Admiral, and Fleet Admiral present with a grin.

'His name is Marshall D. Teach!'

Was it him?

The imposing aura dissipated, and the entire room returned to calm once more! If it weren't for the 'disappeared' tables, chairs, and floor, it would have been as if nothing had ever happened.

"Go on!"

Roman remained unfazed by Garp's tough words.

—If something were to happen to the Straw Hat crew, my tone would be far worse than this.

"The result of the battle was that Ace was captured alive, and Blackbeard should have already sent Ace to Marine Headquarters. — He wants to seize the position of Shichibukai, so he needs a sufficiently substantial 'gift'."

Fire Fist Ace, the Whitebeard's Second Division Captain, with a bounty of 550 million Beli, is more than enough!

Garp took one last, deep look at the boy before him, pondering everything from Ace's true identity and the battle on the other island to Blackbeard's ambition to become Shichibukai...

This is information that ordinary people—and even the vast majority of powerful individuals—can never access!

"I know what Mr. Garp is thinking,"

Roman spread his hands. While the transmigrator certainly knew a lot of classified information, explaining the source of this information was itself a very troublesome matter. Fortunately, now was not the time to concern himself with such 'trivial matters'.

"But the most urgent task now is to prevent Ace's identity from being exposed."

If it's just his identity as the Whitebeard's Second Division Captain, then maybe there's still a chance to 'save' him. But if his identity as the son of the King of the Pirates Ace is revealed, then...

"Blackbeard used to be Ace's subordinate, and given Ace's temperament—"

Many Whitebeard Pirates knew that he was the son of the previous King of the Pirates.

"Therefore, Mr. Garp must hurry back. —Whether it's altering the report or silencing the parties involved, the priority is to conceal Ace's identity, and then find a way to get him out..."

They're all people within the 'system,' and even someone as upright and honest as Garp would be quite familiar with these 'methods' after decades of experience. Given his position and power, it's not impossible that he could suppress this matter.

—Impartial and incorruptible? Utterly impartial and just?

Then they wouldn't be human.

"You brat... you..."

"I advised Ace against it a long time ago, but you know—"

Seeing Garp's hesitation, Roman simply spread his hands, looking like he was helpless.

"He won't listen to me. In fact, he doesn't even listen to Whitebeard. Whitebeard also didn't approve of him chasing Blackbeard alone. I don't know how a hero like Roger could have such a stubborn son."

"In any case, I hope you, as his grandfather, can try to persuade him,"

"To be honest—what's so great about being a pirate? If he's willing to surrender, the Navy can immediately mold him into a model of 'reformed prodigal son,' and the position of Admiral will be within his grasp in no time..."

"It's really strange to hear such words from someone who's a 'pirate'."

Roman rolled his eyes as Garp slowly stood up.

"I was dragged into becoming a 'pirate' by your grandson. If you want to blame someone, blame Luffy."

Well, although Roman, after eating the Paper-Paper Fruit, also planned to find a small country to 'steal' it, then recruit soldiers and build up his strength...

"Thanks, little Roman."

Garp, recovering from the shock of the news, nodded to Roman. The fact that Roman would come to say such a thing at this time meant that he... no, he considered Luffy a true comrade and family!

Otherwise, given the shrewdness and caution shown by this young man named Roman, he would have definitely stayed as far away from such troublesome matters as possible.

"I'm setting sail back to headquarters immediately!"

"But before that—"

Click, click,

As Garp slowly approached, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, a row of question marks slowly appeared above Roman's head.

????

"Hehehe, I heard our ship is almost finished!"

Wearing a white T-shirt, Luffy happily carried a large bag of meat towards the beach. Roman had just told them to go to the beach to check on the ships and make preparations for departure.

"Hmph, what's there to be happy about?"

Zoro, dressed in a matching outfit with Luffy —actually a cheap, discounted black T-shirt—pushed a smirk, but a rare look of interest also appeared on his face. After all, for a pirate crew, a good ship is like a Famous Sword to a swordsman.

Upon thinking of the swords, Zoro subconsciously adjusted the three swords at his waist.

Besides Wado Ichimonji and Sandai Kitetsu, the other sword was just purchased in Water 7. Although the Straw Hat crew currently "not short of money," it is still just a "good sword."

Not good enough for Zoro's monstrous strength, it can only serve as a transitional measure.

Boom!!

A figure flew in and landed in front of the group, causing them to stop in their tracks. Then:

"Cough cough cough,"

A disheveled Roman stood up from the large crater in the ground.

"Luffy? You bastards~~"

"Roman, are you alright?"

The reason why the oblivious Luffy could ask such a question is, of course, because of Roman's current appearance:

His suit was tattered and torn, revealing its paper-like exterior; beneath the clothes, his well-defined muscles were covered in bruises; his face...

"Life Return!"

With a quick rub of his hands, Roman's face, which was covered in bumps, quickly recovered.

"I'm fine,"

Having just recovered from his disfigurement, Roman calmly dusted himself off, and his suit began to rebuild itself with a rustling sound.

"—But you're in trouble."

????

Thump!

A tall figure suddenly appeared behind Luffy and his crew. As they turned around, their faces covered in cold sweat, they saw Vice Admiral Garp holding a fist as big as a casserole dish.

"You bunch of brats!"

Bang!

With a shout, the "Fist of Love" slammed down, instantly slamming Luffy's head into the floor! Vice Admiral Garp glared angrily at the others: Zoro and Sanji.

"Just because you have a little bit of strength doesn't mean you know your place?"

"You think you're so powerful, huh?"

"Garp— "

Bang!

"Garp— "

Bang!

In an instant, the three Straw Hat crew simultaneously performed a head-smashing boulder feat, causing Roman had straightened his tie, to nod in approval.

That's right! Partners should share both good times and bad. How can I be the only one who gets beaten up?

"Grandpa, what's wrong with you!"

"Hey! Luffy— " X2

Facing the Straw Hat's three fighters who had risen in a rage, Garp rubbed his fists with a look of disdain.

"What? You want to fight with this old man—"

"Let's go,"

Roman, who had been sent flying by Garp's punch, turned around without hesitation and gestured for the dumbfounded Nami, Robin, and Chopper, who was terrified like a reindeer, to follow.

"Mr. Roman... Luffy and the others?"

When faced with Chopper's stammering question, Roman casually waved his hand.

"Don't panic,"

"They'll catch up in a minute."

Well, in the form of a head full of bumps...