Obstruct

The room fell silent after Garp left.

Rouge stared blankly at the crib, her expression shifting between emotions.

Zany, showing little emotion, stretched and left the room, heading towards the second bedroom.

Her shift had ended for the night; it was time to rest.

"Why..."

Rouge's negative emotions were almost at their peak.

The moment Garp revealed his face, she recognized him.

It was the Marine Roger had mentioned many times as his most trusted, even showing her a photo.

Thinking back now, Roger wasn't just reminiscing; he was entrusting his child to someone.

So, why entrust his child to a Marine?

Did he think she wasn't worthy, or did he fear his Pirate companions would be purged?

Rouge's face was incredibly grim, her fists clenched tightly, her hatred for Roger reaching its apex.

She wouldn't care if they took her life.

But if they tried to take her child's life and force him down a predetermined path, she refused!

She'd rather her child live as an ordinary person his entire life than follow the path of that madman, Roger.

Baterilla Island, a deserted coast where a wooden sailing ship was anchored.

When Garp appeared here holding a baby, he suddenly stopped.

He tightened his grip on the child in his arms, his face grave as he looked into the distance.

Even without Observation Haki, he could see two distinct figures not far away, blocking his path to the wooden sailing ship.

"Zephyr!"

Garp let out a low growl.

He hadn't expected that even Zephyr, with his dull mind, could set a trap for him in advance.

"Garp, you're here!"

Zephyr stretched his neck and stood in front of Garp, blocking his way.

"Get out of the way!"

Garp said sternly.

"Whether I move or not isn't up to me."

Zephyr chuckled and took a step to the side, revealing Ross behind him.

They had known Garp would come to Baterilla Island and had made thorough preparations.

The baby in Garp's arms was an orphan Ross had prepared long ago, with black hair and features somewhat similar to Rouge. He had been sent to Baterilla Island through the CP Organization's special channels.

Having Garp snatch the child first while they blocked him was also a way to make Garp hesitate.

Otherwise, if a fight broke out, Zephyr couldn't guarantee Ross's safety 100%.

But as long as Garp held the baby, even if he knew the child wasn't Roger's bloodline, Garp wouldn't be able to exert his full strength.

If Garp could abandon the innocent, he wouldn't be Garp.

Even though Zephyr disliked Garp's personality, he still recognized Garp's belief in justice.

"Celestial Dragon!"

Garp's expression grew even uglier as he looked at Saint Ross's face.

"Put down Ace, and I'll allow you to leave."

Ross said calmly, his words leaving no room for doubt.

He wasn't an ordinary person like Rouge who couldn't act; Garp couldn't detect any pretense from him at all.

[Garp]

[Overall Rating: S+]

"Impossible! He's my grandson, I'm taking him with me."

Garp tightened his grip on the child and responded sternly.

If he hadn't succeeded and had been stopped, he might have chosen to leave and reconsider his plan.

But now that Ace was in his hands, how could he give up halfway?

"Your grandson?"

Both Ross and Zephyr looked surprised. Were they taking them for fools? And was that something one could just say casually?

"Tch, Garp, Roger's son is your grandson. Are you saying Roger is your son, or that Rouge is your daughter?" Zephyr's laughter boomed.

He knew Garp wouldn't make excuses, but he hadn't expected such a terrible one.

"What are you talking about?"

Garp wore a look of confusion, as if he knew nothing about it.

"Who is Rouge? Roger's been dead for two years, how could his child have just been born?"

"Can't we just test it to see if it's Roger's offspring? The World Government recently developed a new technology that can compare human genes to determine blood relations. Even for the dead, as long as there are cells, it can be tested."

Ross looked at Garp playfully, wanting to hear what other brilliant ideas he had.

He wasn't here today to force Garp out of the Marines. As long as Garp remained within the Marines' framework, he had plenty of ways to use this incident to make him compromise.

But if he truly forced Garp away, he would have to worry about Garp seeking revenge.

The main reason was that with his current strength and manpower, he couldn't possibly keep Garp here.

Upon hearing Ross's words, Garp fell completely silent.

He didn't need to test it to know the result; the child in his arms was definitely Roger's bloodline.

Roger had told him so himself, and it wouldn't be wrong.

Furthermore, after Roger's death, he had secretly visited Baterilla Island and secretly seen Rouge once, so he knew Ace was definitely Roger's orphan.

This was also his fault.

If he hadn't accidentally let slip during a discussion among the Marines on his ship about Roger having no heir, it wouldn't have triggered this chain of subsequent events.

Even if he tried to cover it up afterward, he could only brazenly claim that Roger had told him before his death that he had descendants, but he didn't know who or where.

Because of his mistake, the South Blue, where Roger was last seen before surrendering, suffered. Babies and pregnant women who might have been of Roger's bloodline were all implicated.

With things having reached this point, how could Garp hand the child over?

If Ace hadn't been taken away by him in the end, wouldn't those innocent people in the South Blue have died for nothing?

Thinking of this, Garp decided to strike first.

"If you dare to make a move, I'll destroy every ship in the vicinity."

Zephyr's words completely extinguished Garp's idea, making his expression even more grim.

"Hmph."

Zephyr snorted coldly. "We've known each other for decades, don't you think I know what's going through your head? You can swim to the next island by yourself, but if you bring a child, he'll surely die."

Garp was silent.

As Zephyr said, without a ship, he had no way to take Ace away.

Thinking this, Garp had a flash of inspiration and turned his gaze towards Ross.

The moment his gaze fell, he saw Ross smiling as he took out a Den Den Mushi.

"This Den Den Mushi can connect to my grandfather's Den Den Mushi, who is one of the Five Elders."

"Vice Admiral Garp, you wouldn't want my grandfather to know about this, would you?"

"What do you want? I won't hand Ace over to you."

Garp gritted his teeth and said, deciding to go all out and not even bother with lies anymore.

As long as he didn't hand Ace over, he would accept any condition, no matter how harsh.

Otherwise, at worst, they could all perish together.

He was alone now, with no attachments.

His son Dragon was already grown and didn't listen to him at all; he was too lazy to discipline him.

He had no strong attachments left to the Marines or the Pirates.

He had seen through this world; it was impossible to bring justice to the world.

All he could do was stick to his principles and refuse to yield, even unto death.