Escort Mission, Chance to Leave

"Are you the one? 'Triangle Spellbreaker' Lowett…"

At that moment, Garp's voice, devoid of emotion, echoed in his ears.

Lowett was startled, but his expression remained unchanged.

He looked up at Morgan, then turned back and replied neither subserviently nor arrogantly, "I apologize. It's quite troublesome to share a name with a pirate."

Morgan's lips twitched.

This ability to lie with a straight face…

Garp was taken aback, then clutched his stomach and collapsed onto the sofa.

"Pffft hahaha, hahahaha!"

"No… that's right, hahaha, just like that… Triangle Spellbreaker just shares your name, hahahaha!"

Garp laughed until tears streamed down his face, giving a thumbs-up with no regard for his image.

"Oh, I can't… my stomach…"

After laughing for a few minutes, Garp sat up, panting heavily, his shoulders still shaking. He was clearly holding back.

Lowett looked innocently at Morgan, who spread his hands and then shook his head.

"Lowett, Vice Admiral Garp… he didn't mean it that way."

Didn't mean it that way?

… See if Lowett can let go of the past and cooperate with the Navy to erase traces of his existence.

Given a mage's usual cautious nature, Lowett had undoubtedly made a fool of himself.

"But it's not bad this way. With your caution, I can report back with peace of mind…"

Garp's laughter subsided, and he said, "There are quite a few of those useless, corrupt officials who have their eyes on you. The Gorosei are only not pursuing the matter out of consideration for appeasing Branch 153, which suffered heavy losses."

Government officials!

Gorosei!

Uh… useless?

This was a conversation beyond the scope of Morgan and Lowett, so they chose to listen obediently.

"Ultimately, it's only natural. For such a minor issue to reach the Gorosei, they'd be scolded if they didn't… "

Their influence was limited, and to the Gorosei, it was the smallest of matters. With subordinates like that, the Gorosei wouldn't be happy.

Fortunately, Garp quickly moved past the topic and said seriously.

"Actually, my main goal in returning to the East Blue is you!"

"Me?"

Lowett was stunned.

Not Luffy?

"Yes!"

Morgan hesitated for a moment before explaining.

"Vice Admiral Garp, I think Lieutenant Lowett he…"

But before he could finish, Garp continued.

"I want to ask you, do you have any psychological burden from changing your identity from a pirate?"

Lowett: "……"

Huh?!

Huh?!!!!

"What do you mean by that…?"

Lowett was full of questions.

"You know… what I mean."

Sorry, I really don't!

He looked at Morgan inexplicably. Morgan frowned, thought for a moment, and then suddenly realized.

"Oh~ I remember now! It's 'Fire Fist' Ace, who set sail a few months ago, right? I heard he's been living in your hometown, Vice Admiral Garp, and you're related… So, the rumors are true? Uh… sorry."

Faced with Garp's stern gaze, Morgan lowered his "noble head," not afraid of his crown falling off.

Lowett understood.

So that's how it is, I see!

After all my calculations, Lowett underestimated himself, the butterfly whose flapping wings could cause such an impact.

In the summer of Sea Garden Era 1517, Garp's current biggest worry was probably Ace setting sail.

Not "'Ace has set sail'."

It's "Ace has set sail."

As the posthumous child of the Pirate King, he should have lived a quiet life under the World Government's relentless pursuit.

But Ace not only didn't hide his identity, he even set sail with great fanfare. In just a few months, his bounty exceeded 100 million, and he remained undefeated in his voyages, his fame soaring.

Before even reaching Sabaody Archipelago, he was dubbed a "Supernova" by busybodies.

Correspondingly, Marine Headquarters paid increasing attention to his existence, the atmosphere growing more somber.

If this continued, Garp worried Ace's identity would be exposed, leading to... a result no one wanted to see.

Just then, he learned that in the East Blue, there was a pirate who lost an arm assisting the Navy in capturing pirates... and successfully became a Marine under Aokiji's cover.

Clinging to the hope of a drowning man's last straw, Garp came calling.

Even without experience, he's a good positive example, isn't he?

But...

"I'm sorry, I think I'll disappoint you, Vice Admiral Garp... 'Fire Fist' Ace and I have nothing in common to reference."

Lowett replied calmly.

"Why?"

Garp's eyes widened, and he stood up. "Do you think Ace was born a villain?!"

Actually, I am.

Lowett thought to himself, then shook his head. "No, Ace set sail a few months before me, so he's my senior. I had the fortune to see his bounty poster... The biggest difference between him and me can be seen right there on the bounty poster."

This was already a tactful way of putting it. After speaking, Lowett looked at Morgan.

Morgan understood. He opened a drawer and rummaged through a pile of bounty posters, soon finding the Triangle Spellbreaker and Fire Fist, both marked with a large red cross.

"I'd like to see what you're playing at, kid..."

Garp grumbled unhappily, pulled over the bounty poster, and immediately froze.

On the poster, even though most of the Triangle Spellbreaker's face was obscured by the red cross, the look of unwillingness and anger could still be seen.

Contrast this with Ace.

Standing under the Spade Pirates' flag, Ace had one hand on his hip, making a funny face at the reporter taking the photo. His eyes held only longing and anticipation for the future, with not a trace of gloom.

This was the result of entirely different motivations for setting sail.

"Lowett" was forced to set sail, angry at the World Government's inaction and filled with confusion about the future; whereas Ace naturally didn't take the Navy or the World Government seriously. They were merely opponents, not obstacles, and he naturally yearned for the sea.

So, given the chance, "Lowett" decisively abandoned his pirate past.

But Ace would never do that.

Suddenly, Lowett noticed Garp aging visibly, his vigorous life force waning.

Morgan looked back and forth, silently chiding Lowett with his eyes for being too direct.

Lowett returned a look that said, It's better to have a short pain than a long one. Old people can't handle despair, but they can't handle despair after hope even less.

"I see, so that's how it is..."

Garp pressed the bounty poster onto the table, lowering his head, wrinkles pulling back.

"I actually... already knew. That kid Ace has always been like this."

Having been bullied since childhood and accustomed to using strength to mask himself, Ace had complex feelings about the word "parents."

After learning he was Roger's son, the prolonged loneliness, sadness, and confusion transformed into hostility and rejection, which was more akin to a child throwing a tantrum, venting their anger, and acting spoiled.

But precisely because he was a "child," this stubbornness was harder to erase.

This is something I already knew, isn't it?

"Forget it, never mind..."

Suddenly, Garp waved his hand and stood up straight.

"Even if I don't eat donuts, the donut shop won't necessarily close. Life has to go on..."

"Vice Admiral, what a great analogy! Simple and vivid!"

Garp: "..."

His sad mood was completely disrupted, and even Morgan choked.

Giving Lowett a speechless look, Garp waved his hand. "Then that's settled. You two... please keep this confidential. Not many people here at Headquarters know about this."

Lowett and Morgan immediately saluted.

"Understood!"

"Alright, I'm heading back."

With that, Garp walked to the door, opened it, and stepped out.

"Actually, if you wanted to, Ace couldn't have gotten away, could he?"

Creeeak...!

The door slowly closed, and as he watched the old figure gradually disappear behind it, a hint of amusement flickered in Lowett's eyes.

Could someone who had given Roger so much trouble really be helpless against a mere Ace?

That was the Grand Line, a place that had to be navigated according to magnetic lines!

Not like the Four Blues, where one could wander and hide at will.

And Ace was even just a "newcomer," barely understanding the Grand Line.

If Garp had put even half the effort into chasing Ace that he had into chasing Roger, he probably could have caught Ace and made him do the ansai drum dance the moment he stepped onto the Grand Line.

However...

He hadn't.

On one hand, he chose to let go, knowing Ace belonged to the sea; on the other, he tried to hold on, not wanting him to walk down a path of no return.

This contradiction was evident in how every old man viewed his wayward juniors.

Even his visit to himself was just to find peace of mind.

The once formidable "Demon of the Marines," the unyielding "Iron Fist Vice Admiral," now needed to search for the courage to face reality...

"In the end, I've gotten old!"

Lowett let out a long breath.

Morgan, standing beside him, also sighed at the opportune moment.

The two froze for a second, then turned to look at each other.

But before they could speak, the door was suddenly yanked open with a heavy thud.

Seeing Garp reappear at the doorway, both their faces went blank.

"Uh, I almost forgot the main business..."

Garp scratched his short white hair and said, "I'll be back. I'll bring a group of people with me. You two are responsible for escorting them to Loguetown and handing them over to Smoker there... Yeah, that's it."

With that, Garp closed the door and disappeared again.

Lowett: "..."

Perfect!

That's so Garp!

The package has arrived. If nothing unexpected happens, the contract status will change tomorrow.

Ah, this is agonizing.

Recommendation slots are determined every Friday. This week is over, and next week is already scheduled. This means the tree will have to go bare-bones for at least two weeks. I won't have a chance to get a recommendation until the 30th, the end of the month. The new book period is only one month long [manual vomiting blood].

If only I had published the book on a Thursday or Friday, if only I had notified the editor in advance to facilitate the contract. This is a lesson. Friends who want to write a book, remember to take heed.

But then again.

I don't think I've...

ever completed the perfect process of getting a recommendation in the second week of publishing, hehe (ૢ˃ꌂ˂ૢ)