Eating Melons Was Dangerous

Before he knew it, a new year had arrived, and Marine Headquarters was filled with a faint festive atmosphere.

Fleet Admiral Kong gave the entire Navy three days off. Other than the soldiers on rotating duty, practically everyone else at headquarters had happily gone into town to celebrate the new year.

It made no difference to Mo Xingchen whether there was a holiday or not. He did not train anyway, and as long as Garp was not out on a mission, he had nothing to do. After deducting the repair costs for the Training Ground he had damaged while fighting Sakazuki from the bonus money he had earned at the Sabaody Archipelago, he still had plenty left. He was not short on money.

He picked out some gifts in town and, on the second day of the new year, paid visits only to a few big shots and Borsalino. Kuzan and Dragon were still out capturing pirates and had not returned to headquarters. After all, being close to everyone meant being close to no one. Mo Xingchen understood that much.

The New Year holiday passed in a flash. Mo Xingchen went to Garp's house to mooch lunch, and the moment he entered, he saw Garp sitting on the sofa with an alarmingly dark expression. Even his beloved rice crackers and donuts sat untouched on the table.

"Uncle, what's wrong?"

"Brat, do you think a criminal's bloodline is destined to produce criminals?"

Mo Xingchen scratched his head. What was going on? Had this middle-aged man finally started using his brain? Was he pondering philosophy? Before he could figure out how to respond, Garp continued.

"A high-level meeting was held today. The CP Organization discovered that Roger married a woman on Baterilla Island in the South Blue. There might be a child. The World Government wants the Navy to seal off the island. If they cannot determine which woman it was, every child born this year, along with their mothers, will be secretly executed by the CP Organization. I opposed the Navy assisting in this operation, but I was the only one."

So it was about Ace. Mo Xingchen began choosing his words, preparing to talk some sense into the conflicted old Marine.

"Uncle, there's really nothing to agonize over here. Let's set aside the question of whether a criminal's bloodline will become criminal, and sort through this mission first."

After taking a tactical sip of water, Mo Xingchen continued.

"If the Navy refuses to cooperate with this operation, can the CP Organization independently seal off the island and complete the mission?"

"If most of the CP agents abandon their original assignments and focus entirely on this mission, there won't be a problem."

"Then there you have it! Even without the Navy's cooperation, the World Government can still get it done. But if the Navy refuses to cooperate, it will definitely anger the World Government. They probably won't abolish the entire Navy outright, but they'll certainly cut future military funding, supplies, and so on. We might not care, Uncle, but what about the rank-and-file soldiers fighting for justice? They have families to support. And there are condolence payments, pensions, and all that. Maybe that's why Admiral Sengoku and Sister Crane didn't oppose this mission!"

It was not that Garp did not understand these things. Despite his usual carefree and unreliable demeanor, the Monkey family was not lacking in political sense. It was just that Roger had entrusted his child to him in prison, and he was one of the few who knew the truth. On one side were the innocent women and children on the island; on the other was the promise he had made as a man. He had been torn for quite some time. Then, as if he had finally reached a decision, he slowly spoke.

"Brat, if... if I knew who Roger's wife was..."

Mo Xingchen did not let Garp finish, because once certain words were spoken, they became a decision. For someone like Garp, that would amount to denying his own heart. So Mo Xingchen hurriedly cut in.

"Uncle, even if you said it, so what? Would the World Government believe you? What's your source? Where's your evidence? So in the end, the World Government's mission would still continue. Either they deal with everyone, or they obtain solid proof that what you said is true."

Watching Garp sigh and stare blankly at the ceiling, Mo Xingchen continued.

"Uncle, there's no way to satisfy both sides in this matter unless you become the ruler of the World Government right now and order the mission stopped. Otherwise, nothing can change. A person's bloodline has a fifty percent chance of being criminal, but in Roger's case, once his child learns about his origins, he'll naturally hate the government. The chance of becoming a criminal won't be fifty percent—it'll be over eighty percent. Of course, children are highly malleable. If he has an upright elder who teaches him from a young age and helps him build the right worldview, outlook on life, and values, perhaps he won't become a criminal after all."

"Mm, I know what to do now. No, I'm going to find Sengoku and beat him up! Why didn't he back me up this morning?"

Sengoku: Are you even being polite? You awful bastard, you're truly awful!

Seeing that Garp seemed to have worked it out and returned to his carefree self, Mo Xingchen also let out a long sigh of relief. Even without his advice, Garp would eventually have figured it out himself, but this uncle had truly treated him well. He did not want to see him suffering so much.

So he grinned and followed behind Garp, ready to go watch the show. Cheering from the sidelines sounded pretty good too.

In the end, the three of them sat bruised and battered in Vice Admiral Tsuru's office, drinking tea.

Sengoku and Garp were injured because they had beaten each other up, while Mo Xingchen had been beaten by Sengoku for fanning the flames from the sidelines.

Vice Admiral Tsuru watched the three of them start bickering again on the sofa and shook her head. Hah, men really were this childish! Without me, this Navy would fall apart!

Boom!

"Woo—woo—woo..."

Suddenly, an explosion came from the direction of the harbor, followed by alarms blaring throughout the entire base. The three men on the sofa went to the window to inspect the situation.

A warship on the harbor waters was engulfed in flames and belching black smoke. If it was not repaired in time, it would likely trigger a second explosion or even sink. A group of soldiers surrounded a figure in the square. Judging by the person's clothing, he was not a Marine.

Vice Admiral Tsuru immediately called the Military Police Force.

"This is Tsuru. What happened at the harbor?"

"Reporting to Vice Admiral Tsuru, a pirate has invaded headquarters. There is one intruder. His identity has not yet been confirmed. The on-duty squad has already intercepted him."

"Alright, I understand."

After hanging up, Vice Admiral Tsuru exchanged speechless looks with the three people by the window. This pirate's New Year gift was certainly special. Riding alone from a thousand miles away? Delivering himself to his death!

"Do you want to go take a look?"

"What's there to see? It's not like Whitebeard showed up. If every stray cat or dog needs us to step in, the Navy might as well disband early."

Garp picked his nose and casually walked back to the sofa, grabbing the last bag of rice crackers and starting to eat.

"Garp! You bastard! That bag is mine!"

Mo Xingchen rolled his eyes at the two childish middle-aged men, then turned back to the window to see how long the soldiers would take to subdue this lawless fanatic.

"Huh! Is that... Fleet Admiral Kong?"

Hearing Mo Xingchen's words, Vice Admiral Tsuru stopped working and came to the window as well. Looking at the figure walking toward the pirate, she said, "It really is Fleet Admiral Kong. Looks like a big shot has arrived. Let's go, everyone."