"Wang Shi, those bastards in Dressrosa are no simple opponents."
"I don't want the Goa Kingdom to keep waging war!"
Hearing the name Dressrosa, Garp immediately thought of Doflamingo's punchable, loathsome face.
That man's arms dealing had fueled quite a few wars.
Tsuru had told him that the Donquixote Family had a hand in the war between the Flower Kingdom and the Mulberry Kingdom in the West Blue.
Garp didn't want the peaceful Goa Kingdom to become a warlike nation that was constantly starting conflicts.
War kingdoms never met a good end.
They were eventually destroyed by others.
Even the homelands of Beast Kaido and Heir to the Devil Bullet had vanished into history.
Was Doflamingo planning to get involved in the war between the Goa Empire and Germa 66?
"It's the Goa Empire, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Kaya, who was treating Wang Shi, reminded Garp sternly, her little face full of earnestness.
"Tch. Empire, then!"
"Anyway, Wang Shi, don't work with Doflamingo."
Garp snorted. Now that the East Blue had a powerful empire like the Goa Empire and Wang Shi, the King of Exile, pirate crews in the region had indeed become much quieter.
There were barely any pirate crews left in the vast waters of the Goa Empire.
Many had fled to the waters of other Affiliated Nations.
"Garp, I'll admit you're qualified to teach me the Three-Color Haki, but you're not qualified to teach me how to govern a country."
"Have you ever been a king? An emperor?"
Wang Shi smiled faintly, not bothering to show Garp the slightest respect.
The Monkey D. family had immense talent and strength.
But Garp was extremely self-centered, following his own sense of justice and doing whatever he pleased. Luffy was even more single-minded. Did either of them have any talent for ruling and managing?
No. Not a bit!
Dragon, who'd inherited all the Monkey D. family's intelligence, had spent over twenty years building the Revolutionary Army, yet it was still a sorry excuse for a kingdom.
Of the three founders who'd turned the Freedom Fighters into the Revolutionary Army, Ivankov had been captured, while Kuma had left the group.
Eight years after Ginny, commander of the East Army, died, Belo Betty was being promoted to commander in her place—and still had to ask Kuma, who'd already left the Revolutionary Army, for his opinion.
A promotion system built around such "social niceties" was no way to run a large organization.
And all they did after overthrowing an Affiliated Nation was depose a tyrannical king and put a kind one in his place.
What good did that do? It treated the symptoms, not the cause.
Then there was Ivankov, who was supposed to be captured, and Inazuma, who were gathering information inside Impel Down.
That was a "genius" suggestion if he'd ever heard one.
Was the isolated Impel Down in the Calm Belt really a better source of information than the outside world?
The Revolutionary Army of today had a little intelligence, but...
"You! I'm trying to warn you!"
"The king of Dressrosa is Doflamingo. He's a pirate, one of the Shichibukai!"
"He's also closely connected to the Underworld!"
Garp wanted to grab Wang Shi and beat him up again, but Kaya, Nojiko, Nami, and even Makino all stepped in front of Wang Shi, leaving him no opening.
"I know."
Wang Shi replied coolly. He knew ten times, even a hundred times, more about Doflamingo than the old geezer Garp did.
Even Vice Admiral Tsuru and the World Government's Cipher Pol couldn't compare with him.
Because Wang Shi had a cheat.
"You know? And you're still provoking him? Even Tsuru says Doflamingo's identity makes him a real headache."
Garp's fists clenched. He was genuinely afraid Doflamingo would take Wang Shi for everything he had, then drag the Goa Empire into a quagmire of war.
He didn't want to see the day when even the villagers of Foosha Village were conscripted into the Guard Army.
"Hahaha! What are you worried about? You've still got my back, don't you, Vice Admiral Garp?"
"If Doflamingo dares to threaten the Goa Empire, just head to the King's Plateau in Dressrosa and hit them with a Conqueror's Coating Shockwave. One punch, and the Donquixote Family is gone."
With Kaya and Nami supporting him, Wang Shi got to his feet and grinned at the furious Garp.
"I'm a Marine! Dressrosa is an Affiliated Nation, Doflamingo is its lawful king and a lawful member of the Shichibukai. He's also a former Celestial Dragon..."
Garp was fuming at Wang Shi's attitude.
"Get lost! I'm done teaching you! Leave Foosha Village!"
Garp turned and walked away. Wang Shi had already picked a fight with the Germa Legion in the North Blue, and now he wanted to join forces with the Donquixote Family.
He wanted to punch that trash king into the sky.
"Garp, let's call your instruction this time even with Dragon's attack. I don't owe you anything, and we're square."
Wang Shi watched Garp's retreating back and smiled calmly. This had been a deal, not an apprenticeship.
Besides, that bastard Garp had taken the opportunity to beat him up quite a few times.
Wang Shi was already being generous by not holding a grudge.
He just wondered whether Empress Sally had been keeping a tally of Garp's offenses.
After all, Sally had put Garp on her list when he failed to attend their wedding.
By now, Sally had probably heard that Garp had beaten Wang Shi up over the past few days.
That stingy empress, who loved to play despite being so bad at it, might have added a few more marks against Garp.
"Get lost!"
Garp roared, leaving Foosha Village and heading for Mt. Colubo.
He needed to take out his frustration on Luffy.
It was all the fault of Luffy's good-for-nothing father, Dragon. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to put up with Wang Shi's attitude.
Looks like I'll have to find another way to get Conqueror's Coating.
But I'm still a long way from that. I shouldn't get ahead of myself.
Wang Shi had only just begun learning the Three-Color Haki, yet he was already thinking about advanced Haki techniques. He was being far too ambitious, wanting more than he could reach.
"Come on, let's head back to the palace!"
Wang Shi led the others away from Foosha Village.
Elsewhere.
"Teacher Bogard, I won't forget what you've taught me."
Silver-haired Saka bowed respectfully to Bogard, gratitude shining in his eyes.
Once, he'd dreamed of becoming a Marine draped in a cloak of justice.
But joining the Imperial Guard wasn't bad either. The empire's uniform was stylish—better-looking than the Marines' uniforms.
"Thank you for the guidance."
Zoro nodded in thanks. The path of Three-Sword Style was something he'd have to explore for himself.
Even Bogard could only offer advice and guidance.
"You're all talented. You're sure to have a place in the world of the future."
Bogard thought highly of young Zoro, who had the makings of a master swordsman. Saka had promise too, with the potential to become a Vice Admiral.
Eric, the mercenary and bounty hunter, had gotten along well with the Marine officers under Garp. By paving the way with money, he'd received thorough instruction in the Six Powers technique Rankyaku.
That had greatly improved his Scythe Wind Blade.
Sanji's excellent cooking had earned him detailed instruction from several Marine officers, giving him a foundation in Geppo and Soru.
Meanwhile, Van Augur had defeated every sniper aboard the Dog-Head Warship. He'd improved somewhat, but not by much.
On Wang Shi's advice, Van Augur had begun focusing on training in two types of Haki.
Observation Haki was essential for a sniper. Armament Haki coating his bullets would determine his ultimate potential.
Zoro, too, was currently focusing on Haki training and continuing to explore swordsmanship on his own.