Eating Melon Is Dangerous

As the new year arrived unnoticed, a hint of festive cheer permeated Marine Headquarters.

Fleet Admiral Kong granted the entire Marine force three days off. Except for the soldiers on duty, everyone else had basically gone into town to celebrate the New Year with great joy.

For Mo Xingchen, whether it was a holiday or not made no difference. He didn't train anyway, and if Garp wasn't on a mission, he had nothing to do. The prize money he earned in Sabaody Archipelago, after deducting the repair costs for the training grounds damaged during his fight with Sakazuki, was still substantial. He wasn't short on money.

After selecting some gifts in town, on the second day of the New Year, he only paid visits to a few important figures and Borsalino. Kuzan and Dragon were still out capturing pirates and hadn't returned to headquarters. After all, being close to everyone meant being close to no one; Mo Xingchen understood this principle.

The New Year holiday passed in a flash. Mo Xingchen went to Garp's house for lunch. As soon as he entered, he saw Garp sitting on the sofa with a terrifyingly dark expression. Even his favorite senbei and donuts were left untouched on the table.

"Uncle, what's wrong?"

"Kid Mo, do you think the bloodline of a criminal will always result in a criminal?"

Mo Xingchen scratched his head. What was going on? Was this middle-aged man starting to think? Contemplating philosophical questions? Before he could figure out how to respond, Garp continued.

"We had a high-level meeting today. The CP Organization found out that Roger was married to a woman on Baterilla Island in the South Blue, and they might have a child. The World Government has ordered the Marines to blockade the island. If they can't determine which woman it is, the child born this year and its mother will be secretly executed by the CP Organization.

I disagree with the Marines assisting in this operation, but I'm the only one who disagrees."

So, it was about Ace. Mo Xingchen began to organize his thoughts, preparing to counsel the stubborn old Marine.

"Uncle, this matter, honestly, there's no need to be so conflicted. Let's set aside the debate about whether a criminal's bloodline inevitably leads to criminality, and let's sort out this mission."

Tactically taking a sip of water, Mo Xingchen continued:

"If the Marines don't cooperate with this operation, does the CP Organization have the ability to blockade the island independently and complete this mission?"

"If they assign most of the CP agents to abandon their original tasks and focus entirely on this mission, it's not a problem."

"Then that's good! It means the World Government can still complete the mission without Marine cooperation. Therefore, the Marines' non-cooperation will definitely anger the World Government. While they can't abolish the entire Marine force directly, they will certainly cut back on future military funding, supplies, and so on.

It doesn't matter much to us, Uncle! What about those lower-ranking soldiers fighting for justice? They have families to support. And what about慰问金 (comfort money) and抚恤金 (death benefits)? Perhaps for these reasons, Admiral Sengoku and Sister Crane didn't oppose this mission!"

Garp wasn't ignorant of these things. Despite his usual careless and unreliable demeanor, the Monkey family's political intelligence was not lacking. He simply knew the truth because Roger had entrusted his child to him in prison. Faced with innocent women and children on the island on one hand, and a promise made as a man on the other, he was in a dilemma. He struggled for a while, and as if having made a decision, he slowly spoke:

"Kid Mo, you say... if I knew who Roger's wife was..."

Mo Xingchen didn't let Garp continue. Because once some things were said, they were equivalent to making a decision. For someone like Garp, it would be a negation of his inner self. So he quickly interjected, "Uncle, even if you say it, what then? Will the World Government believe you? What's your source? Where's the evidence?

So in the end, the World Government's mission will still proceed, either by dealing with everyone or by obtaining concrete evidence to prove you're telling the truth."

Watching Garp sigh and stare blankly at the ceiling, Mo Xingchen continued, "Uncle, this situation cannot have the best of both worlds. Unless you become the ruler of the World Government right now and order this mission to stop, there's no way to change it.

There's a 50% chance that a person's bloodline will lead to criminality, but for Roger's bloodline, as long as his child knows their identity, they will naturally resent the government, and the probability of them becoming a criminal won't be 50%, but rather a possibility of over 80%.

Of course, children are highly malleable. If they have an upright elder who educates them from a young age, instilling the correct worldview, outlook on life, and values, perhaps they won't become criminals."

"Hmm, I know what to do. No, I'm going to fight Sengoku! Who told him not to back me up this morning!"

Sengoku: Are you polite? You terrible fellow, you're truly terrible!

Seeing that Garp seemed to have figured things out and returned to his carefree self, Mo Xingchen let out a sigh of relief. Although Garp would have eventually figured it out himself without his persuasion, this uncle truly treated him well, and he didn't want to see him so worried and distressed.

So, he grinned and followed Garp's heels, ready to watch the commotion. It would be quite good to cheer from the sidelines then.

As a result, three bruised and battered individuals ended up drinking tea in Vice Admiral Tsuru's office.

Sengoku and Garp were injured from fighting each other, while Mo Xingchen was hit by Sengoku for fanning the flames from the sidelines.

Vice Admiral Tsuru shook her head as she watched the three of them start brawling again on the sofa. Sigh, men are so childish! This Marine Corps would fall apart without me!

"Boom!"

"Wuuu~ Wuuu~ Wuuu..."

Suddenly, an explosion sound came from the direction of the port, followed by the entire base's alarm. The three on the sofa rushed to the window to check the situation.

On the sea near the port, a warship was engulfed in flames, emitting thick smoke. If not repaired promptly, it was estimated that a second explosion, or even the ship sinking, would occur. A group of soldiers surrounded a figure in the plaza. Judging by their attire, they were not Marines.

At this moment, Vice Admiral Tsuru also dialed the security department's phone.

"This is Tsuru. What happened at the port!"

"Reporting, Vice Admiral Tsuru, a pirate has infiltrated headquarters. The number is one person, identity unconfirmed. The duty squadron is currently intercepting."

"Understood."

After hanging up, Vice Admiral Tsuru and the three by the window exchanged speechless glances. This pirate's New Year's gift was quite special. Riding solo? Delivering oneself as a target!

"Do you want to go take a look?"

"What's there to see? It's not like Whitebeard is here. If we have to deal with every stray cat and dog, the Marines might as well disband."

Garp picked his nose and nonchalantly walked back to the sofa, grabbing the last remaining bag of senbei and starting to eat.

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

Mo Xingchen rolled his eyes at the two childish middle-aged men and turned back to look out the window, wondering how long it would take the soldiers to apprehend this lawless madman!

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

Hearing Mo Xingchen's words, Vice Admiral Tsuru also stopped what she was doing and came to the window to observe. Looking at the retreating figure walking towards the pirate, "It really is Fleet Admiral Kong. It seems a big shot has arrived! Let's go, gentlemen."

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