He is a remnant of the old era, this is an ironclad fact!

Inside the military prison at the Loguetown port, Teach was bound by Seastone chains and shackles, pinned firmly within the cell, unable to move a muscle!

He was soaked to the bone, his head hung low in dejection, feeling utterly helpless.

How had things spiraled into this mess?

He had already secured the Dark-Dark Fruit, only for it to be snatched away by some inexplicable force. But Teach was not one to give up easily, so he had quickly launched a second plan: capture the Munch-Munch Fruit, use its abilities to consume Bane, and thereby indirectly obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit.

Once that was done, everything would have returned to the track he had envisioned.

That's right, his original plan was to follow Ace to find Bane, kill him, and then turn around to take down Ace. Using Ace as a stepping stone, he would board the Marine's grand ship, become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and initiate his grand scheme: leverage the power of the Marines to wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates, then seize Newgate's Tremor-Tremor Fruit to reach the pinnacle of his life!

The plan had been perfectly laid out, and he had successfully tracked the whereabouts of that bastard Bane, but how on earth did Garp suddenly pop up?

To be honest, in terms of raw strength, Teach didn't particularly fear Garp; he could still trade a few blows.

But combat was never just about who was stronger. The alliance between Ace and Teach didn't hold much of an advantage against the combined force of Garp, Smoker, and Bane.

Yet, it was a case of the prepared catching the unprepared. Garp opened with his ultimate move, completely stunning both Ace and Teach. Teach hadn't expected Garp to be so ruthless toward his own grandson, while Ace hadn't expected Garp to target Teach as his primary objective.

One wrong step led to a cascade of failures. With no advantage to begin with, they were left in the dust from the very first exchange. Ace was severely wounded by Garp on the spot, then swiftly finished off by the combined efforts of Smoker and Bane.

Even at this point, Teach still thought he had a chance to escape, but who the hell could have guessed that Bane would actually go easy on them?

Was that even reasonable?

Under such a series of bizarre maneuvers, both Teach and Ace crashed and burned. From the moment they arrogantly stepped through the gates of the Marine base to the end of the battle, not even half an hour had passed!

Even with a mind as resilient as Teach's, he couldn't help but wonder if he was suffering from karmic retribution.

Ever since he murdered Thatch, nothing had gone his way!

Now, he had no idea what fate awaited him. He could only hope with all his might that his old man would hold firm, crush the Marines, and rescue him!

On the other side, Ace was locked in a separate cell, receiving the same treatment as Teach, covered in Seastone chains and shackles.

However, unlike Teach, he had a visitor.

Garp, wrapped in a few bandages but still standing tall, looked at his beloved grandson locked inside the cage.

"Hmph, now that it's come to this, do you still have anything to be stubborn about? Ace!?" Garp demanded, wearing that arrogant expression that made it clear why he was the one who got to be the grandfather.

Standing beside Garp was Bane, who was biting on a cigar, arms crossed over his chest, watching Ace with a hint of amusement.

Ace ignored Garp entirely, his eyes filled with hatred as he glared at Bane, gritting his teeth: "Don't get too smug. The old man will kill you sooner or later, you despicable, shameless bastard!"

"Sigh, you idiot." Bane let out a soft sigh and shook his head: "Even now, you still think I killed Thatch?"

"If it wasn't you, then who else could it be?!" Ace spat out bitterly.

"It was your good partner Teach, you fool." Bane sneered, then continued: "From the very beginning, he was the one eyeing the Dark-Dark Fruit. He was the one who ambushed and killed Thatch to steal it, only I..."

Bane gave a rough account of the situation, blurring over the details of the World-Crossing Gate. Ace stood stunned in his cell after hearing it.

But soon, he gritted his teeth again and said: "Impossible, you bastard is lying to me!"

"You're already locked up here; what point would there be in me lying to you? But it doesn't matter, I don't care whether you believe me or not." Bane shrugged.

Who actually killed Thatch and what the truth was didn't matter to Bane. Now that Ace had fallen into the hands of the Marines, and Teach had as well, the outcome was the same.

Perhaps Garp could protect Ace, but the fuse for the Summit War had already been lit.

The Whitebeard Pirates, known as the strongest pirate crew, wouldn't be jumping around for much longer. Once the Whitebeard Pirates were crushed and Newgate died in battle, what would it matter who killed Thatch?

In reality, judging by Newgate's current physical condition, even if the Marines didn't target the Whitebeard Pirates, they wouldn't be able to maintain their glory for much longer. This was the irresistible tide of the era. A king who had suppressed the many pirates of the New World for over twenty years was growing old, and his throne would naturally invite countless challengers.

As soon as he showed even a hint of fatigue or weakness, the ambitious wolves of the sea would tear the entire Whitebeard Pirates to shreds!

Kaido was not one to live under another, nor was Charlotte Linlin, and many other second-tier contenders were watching just as closely.

Therefore, from the start, Bane never feared the threat of the Whitebeard Pirates. Newgate himself must have seen this situation clearly, which was why he eventually resigned himself to leaving behind that world-famous declaration.

He was a remnant of the old era; there was no ship in the new era that could carry him!

That was an ironclad fact!

Thinking of this, Bane felt a sense of dullness. He cast a sympathetic glance at Ace. Whitebeard was a hero his entire life, but he had made one grave mistake: choosing Ace as his successor.

Of course, Ace had many virtues and strengths—for instance, he could rally people and earn the trust of the Whitebeard Pirates' members—but he also had fatal flaws: his impulsive, reckless nature. Most importantly, his strength had failed to grow to the level Whitebeard expected, leaving him unable to shoulder the title of the strongest in the Whitebeard Pirates!

Bane soon left the prison, leaving the time and space to the grandfather and grandson.

After Bane left, the tension in Garp's expression eased significantly. He sighed as well, looking at Ace: "Ace, your pirate game is over."

"The Whitebeard Pirates won't let this slide, Gramps!" Ace looked at Garp with determined eyes.

"Indeed, and that is one of the reasons why I came to capture you myself, Ace." Garp looked at Ace, and after a moment, he spoke: "From the moment you left the New World, we Marines initiated a grand plan called the 'Whitebeard Pirates Annihilation Plan.' Now that you, and that fellow named Teach, have fallen into our hands, the prelude to this plan is effectively set..."

Ace looked at Garp in shock, then suddenly realized the implication, saying in disbelief: "You want to start a war?"

"The war never ended; you're just too naive." Garp's expression darkened.

At this point, Garp crouched down. In this moment, he revealed his exhaustion, appearing like an ordinary old man. He looked at Ace and said: "The only way to save your life now is for you to join the Marines, Ace. Otherwise..."

"Impossible!" Ace retorted before Garp could finish: "Asking me to betray the Whitebeard Pirates? That's impossible!"

"You will die, Ace! If you insist on this, the best outcome will be spending the rest of your dark, hopeless life in the Impel Down prison!" Garp scolded, frustrated by his stubbornness.

Before he left Marine Headquarters, Sengoku had told him one thing: Ace's bloodline had been exposed.

The Marine high command knew Ace was the son of Roger. Sengoku had given Garp a chance: if Ace were willing to join the Marines, there would be room for negotiation. After all, turning the child of the Pirate King and a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates into a Marine would be far more effective in striking the pirate faction than simply executing him!

Even knowing that hell lay ahead, there was no wavering in Ace's eyes. He looked at Garp firmly and said in a low voice: "Impossible!"

Upon receiving this answer, Garp's eyes were filled with pain. Seeing his grandfather's expression, the resolve in Ace's eyes began to crumble, and tears flowed down his cheeks, but he bit his lip, refusing to yield.

He was afraid that if he kept looking at his suffering grandfather, he wouldn't be able to maintain that firm refusal.