Grandfather and Grandson

Rodney watched Ace, sighed, and knew that this man had made up his mind. The Monkey family was like this; Garp had fought for the Marines his entire life.

Dragon fought his entire life to liberate the masses who lived in misery.

Luffy's entire life was spent pursuing freedom and adventure to become the Pirate King.

And Ace... was led into a pit by Whitebeard... all for the fatherly love he lacked?

People are complex, and the people of this world are even more so—simple yet complex, easy to understand yet difficult to understand.

Ace loved his mother, a respectable and great mother who used special methods to keep him in her womb for twenty months so that he could be born into this world. She gave birth to him only after Garp appeared, dying from exhaustion.

He hated his father because his mother died because of him. He was the Pirate King, a man who had conquered the sea, the most free person on the sea, yet he couldn't protect his wife. If it weren't for Garp, he might have died long ago.

Yet, he respected Roger because he conquered the sea and accomplished the unprecedented feat of circumnavigating the world. Conquering the sea made him the most free person, inspiring both respect and longing in Ace. He wanted to become the Pirate King, to prove his strength, to prove that he was not weaker than Roger, that he had not disappointed Roger's bloodline.

It was useless to say more, only to say, "I can help you, but you must promise me one condition, a condition you must abide by! This is a man's promise!"

Ace also looked intently into Rodney's blood-red eyes and said, "Tell me, and I will definitely abide by it."

"After entering the Grand Line, if you encounter the Whitebeard Pirates, don't join them, okay?"

"How could I join another pirate crew! I set sail to become the Pirate King!"

That remains to be seen after you survive Whitebeard's son-collecting technique.

"The one who becomes the Pirate King will definitely be me!" Luffy said loudly, completely out of place.

But neither of them paid any attention to him. Rodney nodded, took out the Seastone handcuff key, and helped Ace break free. Feeling the unconstrained power, Ace nodded and said, "Although I don't like you as a person, Rodney, you are a very principled person."

"Yeah! Yeah! As long as there's money!" He put the Seastone handcuffs into his pocket, watching Ace leave to chase after Garp.

That was all he could do. Ace pursued freedom, and Garp pursued justice. Watching his grandson die in front of him, yet being bound by the justice behind him, was undoubtedly a torment for an old man. Rodney was soft-hearted and couldn't stand these melodramas. If Ace was willing to abide by their agreement, then Blackbeard wouldn't capture him, and there wouldn't be any other nonsense.

If he didn't comply, he could only blame himself. He couldn't stop a man from pursuing freedom and family.

He did all this only because he didn't want to see an old man live the rest of his life in the pain of losing his grandson.

Garp was a good person. Whether in the anime or during his time in contact with him, Rodney knew that he was a good old man.

"Hey, hey, Rodney, hurry up and let me out!" Luffy shouted loudly from the side.

Looking at the slightly loosened soil around him, Rodney said, "Figure it out yourself, it'll be quick."

Whoosh!

He immediately disappeared using Soru, while at the port, flames had already begun to burn.

"Old man, I will never let you hurt them!" Ace's crew had arrived. They stood on the ship, calling out their captain's name, wanting to take their captain away?

"Hahaha! Ace, do you want to stop me? For your crew?" Garp looked at the wall of fire behind Ace, laughing loudly, his eyes full of bright light, asking with a bright smile.

"Of course! Old man! I am their captain!" Ace had made up his mind to advance and retreat with his crew! Because he was their captain!

"You can't beat me." Garp strode forward, his aura as heavy as a mountain. The Marine hero who dared to stand in front of the legendary pirate Rocks alone back then, even in his old age, still had undiminished momentum.

Ace took a step back. He knew that he couldn't beat his grandfather, the person who was evenly matched with his bastard father. He was no match for him now.

But, I absolutely cannot let the old man hurt everyone!

The flames on his body burned fiercely, and an invisible aura burst out, causing Garp to raise an eyebrow. The Marines and ordinary villagers around him fell in the face of this invisible aura, with only a few still standing.

Had Ace's Conqueror's Haki awakened?

Garp clenched his fist, took a big step, and came to Ace almost instantaneously. Ace didn't even have a chance to react, taking a Fist of Love head-on!

Bang!

Ace's body was punched away by Garp, breaking through the fire wall and landing straight on the Spade Pirates' ship, where he was steadily caught by a group of people.

"Captain Ace!"

"Captain, are you okay?"

"Captain!"

"Deuce, the ship's doctor, quickly see if Captain Ace is okay?"

The crew members gathered around, making Ace very moved. Although he had been punched by Garp, he understood that Garp had not used much strength. It was more like fulfilling him than beating him!

"Enough talk, Duke, turn around! Let's go!"

"Yes, Captain!" Duke, the helmsman, received the order and excitedly turned the ship around. Suddenly, the sea exploded beside them, stirring up huge waves, pushing the ship to accelerate away from the port.

"Tsk, missed. Rodney, kid, cannonballs! Cannonballs!" Garp had arrived on the warship at some point, with Rodney rushing over beside him.

Rodney had a helpless expression, handing Garp lead cannonballs the size of ostrich eggs, one in each hand.

The warship and the pirate ship were only a few hundred meters apart. With his strength and accuracy, how could he possibly miss?

However, Rodney didn't expose Garp, helping him from the side, watching him use his own way to send his grandson into the sea.

He was only angry that Ace had entered the sea silently, setting sail without saying hello to him. Moreover, he was just joking with Rodney, but he didn't expect him to really bring Ace back. But it was also good; he could loosen up his grandson.

Meteor Fist!

The cannonballs, fired at the speed of traversing the gun barrel, hit the side of the pirate ship accurately, helping the pirate crew leave like adding fuel to the fire.

"You brat, don't let me catch you!" Seeing the pirate ship escape far away, Garp laughed loudly.

"Grandpa! Thank you for taking care of me all this time!!!"

Ace knelt on the ship, kowtowing deeply in Garp's direction!

Hearing Ace finally call out that "Grandpa," Garp's burly frame trembled slightly, but he just laughed heartily, "That brat just won't listen! This old man wanted him to become a Marine, but he just wouldn't, insisting on becoming some Pirate King! Really, I don't know what's so good about that! Rodney, don't you become a pirate."

"I probably won't. As long as no one forces me, I think being a Bounty Hunter is pretty good." Shrugging, not calling out the old man's words, he just asked, "Vice Admiral Garp, do you really not regret it?"

"Regret? This old man never regrets what he does! This old man hoped he would become a Marine, but he didn't want to. This old man can't just tie him up here and prevent him from pursuing his freedom, can I? This old man can't do that."

"Is that so?" Rodney knew that Garp couldn't bring himself to hurt Ace. It was clear from the original story. If he had wanted to, he could have taken people out to capture him when Ace made a name for himself in the first half of the Grand Line, but he didn't. Instead, he quietly watched his grandson sail the seas, pursuing his own path.

"Hahaha, let's not talk about that. These recruits were so easily knocked to the ground. This old man must train them properly afterward! As Marines, they can't be this weak!"

Silently praying for these Marines, Luffy hurriedly ran over and shouted loudly on the warship, "Ace!! Wait for me!! I will definitely not let you become the Pirate King!!"

Garp's face darkened, "Luffy!!"

Bang!

The fist of love struck Luffy's head, and he dragged him off the warship with one hand, saying, "Looks like this old man needs to train you properly!"

"Ahhh! Grandpa, let me go! Grandpa!!"