On Men's Enthusiasm for "Building"

"Huh?" Shanks asked in confusion. "Mr. Garp, didn't you tell Mr. Zephyr? The captain entrusted his child to you, didn't he?"

"Uh..."

Garp froze, shot Shanks a fierce glare, then immediately began to stammer, not daring to meet Zephyr's eyes.

"Roger entrusted his child to Garp?" Zephyr gave a mocking snort. "And how did you know that, Red-Haired brat?"

"Mr. Gaban told me in Elbaf. He said Mr. Garp told him personally."

Shanks did not hesitate in the slightest as he instantly sold Garp out.

That made Garp lower his head even more guiltily, trying to disguise himself as a mushroom.

Seeing this, Zephyr found it amusing and admired Garp's appearance for quite a while.

By the time Garp could no longer bear it and secretly raised his head, he found Zephyr wearing a faintly amused smile.

"Zephyr, you... you already knew?"

"I'm not so old that I can't hear anything."

"Oh, oh."

"Then... sorry?"

"Sorry for what?"

"I..."

Garp scratched his head irritably. It was not that he truly wanted to hide this from his old friend, but he genuinely could not bring himself to say it.

Now that Zephyr knew, Garp did not know what to do for a moment.

"The child is innocent."

Looking at Garp, who seemed as though he had done something wrong, Zephyr ultimately said only that.

Garp was stunned, then smiled and shook his head. "Just as expected of you, Zephyr."

After waiting for so long and seeing the atmosphere between the two old seniors ease, Shanks could not help but speak.

"So... Mr. Garp, can I go see the captain's child? He counts as my little brother."

Hearing that, Garp's tone immediately turned unfriendly.

"You brat, you sure have a lot of business. Fine, fine, go see him. Whether Ace wants to see you is another matter!"

"Hehe." Shanks chuckled foolishly, then slowly repeated, "Ace... his name is Ace?"

"Why wouldn't he want to see me? We could be family."

"I..." Garp hesitated. "I told Ace who his father was."

"What's wrong with that?"

Shanks asked in confusion, but he immediately realized what was going on.

"Ace... does he hate Captain Roger?"

Just like him, who had thought he was a free little pirate, only to discover that Celestial Dragon blood ran through his veins.

Ace might have thought he was the grandson of a Marine hero, only to find that the blood of the Pirate King flowed through him.

At that thought, the smile on Shanks's face faded as well.

"Then I have even more reason to see him. Captain Roger really was a pirate."

Zephyr glanced at Garp and quietly nodded at him. In a sense, Ace had been trapped by Garp for his entire life because of his father's bloodline.

This gave Ace severe self-destructive tendencies under extreme circumstances.

Making a child bear such a background from such a young age, Zephyr could only say that it was just like Garp.

"Just this once."

Garp closed his eyes and said in a deep voice.

It would be good to let Roger's child meet Roger's other child. At the very least, he had to make up for his own mistake.

After telling Ace about his background that day, Garp had rarely seen the smile of that well-behaved grandson from before.

"Thank you, Mr. Garp."

At Partys Bar, the three returned after their heart-to-heart talk.

Beckman was the first to notice that something had changed, though he did not know exactly what. He planned to ask later.

Shanks casually wrapped an arm around Uta and sat down, continuing to enjoy himself as though nothing had happened. There was no sign at all that he had just joined the Neo Marines Zephyr had mentioned.

Garp likewise placed Luffy on his lap, but after hearing that Luffy had already lost to Uta some fifty times, he flew into a rage and decided to step in personally, determined to settle things with Shanks.

Shanks gladly accepted the challenge, his fighting spirit blazing.

Thus, Zephyr watched the two "idiots" hug their bowls of thick noodles and wolf them down, unable to help shaking his head.

After casually asking about how Higuma and the others would be handled, and confirming that those found guilty would receive a day trip to Enies Lobby followed by a reserved seat in Impel Down, Zephyr nodded in satisfaction.

No crime was too small. Since he had run into Higuma, Zephyr would naturally put him on the scales and weigh his sins.

Seeing Garp and Shanks eat noodles as though they were about to spray them out of their nostrils, Zephyr sighed and looked away, feeling that the sight was too much to bear.

[Zephyr: We arrived in Foosha Village and got to meet that Red-Haired brat, but there was a small accident. Garp ate the Nika Fruit.]

[Flender: ?]

[Samuel Oak: ?]

[Dumbledore: ?]

[Zephyr: It sounds absurd, but that's exactly what happened. Little Luffy kindly shared some fruit, and Garp ate it without even looking. That was it.]

[Flender: Nika Garp... truly a path I never imagined.

Now he and Sengoku really are the twin pillars of the Marines, one Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Mythical Zoan each.]

[Samuel Oak: So Straw Hat Boy has become Straw Hat Father?]

[Dumbledore: No, I don't think that is very likely.]

[Zephyr: Garp would never take Roger's hat unless he went mad.

Though I don't particularly want to say it, this isn't necessarily a bad thing for me. Becoming an enemy of the World Government by necessity has given Garp a reason.

At least two people have now joined my Neo Marines.]

[Flender: Two people, could it be?]

[Zephyr: Yes. I persuaded that Red-Haired brat to join as well, and he agreed.

I used that phrase of yours: unite every force that can be united.]

[Flender: Uh, I knew you'd gained a lot of insight, Zephyr, but I didn't expect you to be this clear-headed.]

[Zephyr: That brat has a good heart, after all. So did Roger. People with principles are always admirable.

It's a pity it's a little too late now. Otherwise, perhaps we could have saved Harald. He also longed for communication and equality.]

[Flender: That's true, though I really didn't expect you to have already set your sights on the land of giants.]

[Samuel Oak: Considering possible future allies and building up power across the sea is perfectly normal. Alliances in our world are spread across every region.

Speaking of which, if you want to develop in secret, Skypiea would be an excellent place. It's hidden, and it has a vast amount of gold to serve as funds.]

[Zephyr: Exactly. Yukinari and I think alike on that point. Even if getting up and down is a little troublesome, there are many insects and birds in the sea that can fly while carrying people.]

[Flender: In that case, Fish-Man Island would be good too. Ten thousand meters beneath the sea, it has absolutely advantageous terrain, and it even has the ancient weapon Poseidon.]

[Zephyr: Yes. I didn't know before, but now that I've learned so many secrets, I truly feel that the world is vast and there's nowhere I cannot go.]

[Dumbledore: Reality is like that. It's like reading a book—if you don't know what is inside, every page you turn will feel unfamiliar.]

The discussion grew ever more animated. Perhaps when it came to building, even old men had a fanatical urge to contribute, especially when Zephyr's world was currently the one most in need of unification and the easiest to unify among the four worlds.

[Zephyr: In any case, the matters involving Garp and Red-Haired have mostly been resolved. But that Red-Haired brat gave me quite a surprise.

His daughter Uta is a Paramecia-type Uta Uta no Mi user, the future vessel of the Music Demon.]