Marco: He was only sealed, not dead! Why not just ask Natsu?

"Five years ago, when that kid of yours brought the whole clan to Origin Island, I knew you guys were different from the others."

Others either came to seize territory or to escape disaster. Natsu was different. He brought his entire clan, young and old, able-bodied and incapable, he brought them all. Not a single one was left out."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Back then, I thought, 'This guy is reliable.' Now it seems I wasn't wrong."

Yan listened without replying, but his back was straighter than before.

Then his gaze fell on Ace.

Ace stood at the edge of the deck, his hands gripping the railing of the ship's gunwale, his knuckles white.

His lips were pressed into a thin line, his shoulders were tense, and his whole body was like a string stretched to its limit.

He kept hesitating.

Yan had wanted to speak up when he first arrived, but he hadn't found the right opportunity.

Those words rolled around in his throat several times, but he swallowed them back each time.

He can't wait any longer.

He gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

"Brother Yan."

Yan turned to look at him.

"Excuse me... that old man... Garp..." Ace's voice was a little hoarse, and he paused halfway through his sentence, as if forcing the rest of the sentence out of his throat, "Grandpa Garp, he..."

Yan's smile froze for a moment.

He looked at Ace's expression. He had seen that expression many times before.

On the battlefield, on the faces of those waiting for his news.

It was an expression that said you've prepared for the worst, but still cling to the last shred of hope.

He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to start. He knew about the relationship between Elder Yaoyu and Elder Yakumi and Ace.

They've drunk together, fought together, Yaoyu Yu, who's usually quiet, becomes quite talkative when he's with Ace.

Elder Yaoyu and Elder Yakumi present at the time, and they witnessed Garp being sealed away.

They tried to persuade them.

I couldn't dissuade him.

Ace saw his expression and his heart sank.

He gritted his teeth, his whole body beginning to tremble.

He should have known.

Garp is a naval hero.

That old man was stubborn his whole life; he would never back down.

He told himself a thousand times that the old man had nothing to do with him, that he wasn't his grandfather, that his surname was Portgas, not Monkey.

But even after those words had swirled in my mind a thousand times, I still couldn't suppress the emotions welling up in my chest.

Many things flashed through his mind.

He remembered when he was a child, Garp would grab him by the back of his collar and pull him down from a tree, yelling at him while checking if he was hurt.

He remembered Garp teaching him to box, correcting his posture punch by punch, and hitting him on the head when he got impatient.

He remembered that every time Garp came to visit him, he would curse "that bastard Roger's son," but his hands were never empty; he would always bring food or clothes.

He recalled the Summit War.

He saw Garp throw that punch.

He saw the old man's eyes.

He couldn't calculate how much force was released in that punch, but he knew that if Garp really wanted to stop him, that punch would have been enough to smash him into the ground.

That old man.

That damned, stubborn, and despicable old man.

Why can't I just humble myself even once?

Yan remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"Naval Garp the Hero, Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Chief of Staff Marine Headquarters Sakazuki Marine Headquarters, Admiral Admiral Marine Headquarters Borsalino to surrender." His voice was calm as he stated the facts, but he tried to speak slowly.

"In the final moments, he fought back desperately, but was sealed away by Lord Madara using the Six Paths Chibaku Tensei Devastation."

He paused for a moment.

"Marine Headquarters Kuzan and Admiral Aramaki, both Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, have been killed in action."

Ace swayed slightly.

"Elder Yaoyu and Elder Yakumi, along with Vice Clan Chief Fugaku, attempted to persuade Garp to surrender," Yan said, his voice softening as he looked at Ace's face. "However... some missions cannot be abandoned."

Ace didn't speak.

He kept his head down, and his shoulders were trembling.

Tears fell onto the deck, drop by drop. He gritted his teeth, his jaw grinding as if he were fighting against himself.

"Garp left behind some last words," Yan said. "If you want to know them, you can go to Elder Yaoyu and Elder Yakumi after the situation stabilizes."

Ace's legs went weak.

He reached out and grabbed the gunwale, crouching down with one hand gripping the railing and the other covering his face.

His back was trembling, from his shoulders to his waist.

He didn't make a sound, but that silent crying was more unbearable than loud wailing.

The deck remained quiet for a while.

Marco walked over.

He walked slowly and steadily, the blue flames burning quietly on his shoulder.

He walked over to Ace, squatted down, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Ace! Don't rush." Marco's voice was still that lazy tone, but there was a steady edge to it.

"They said it's just a seal, not a death. At worst, we can ask Natsu, or Yaoyu for Yakumi. Meeting them occasionally shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Ace removed his hand from his face.

He looked up at Marco, his face streaked with tears, his eyes and nose red, but his gaze had changed.

The thing that was sinking just now has stopped.

yes.

seal.

It's just a seal.

He's not dead.

The old man was locked inside the stone ball, but he's still there.

Given his relationship with Yaoyu and Yakumi, asking them to arrange a meeting should be feasible.

Even if Garp were locked in a rock, he'd probably still be the same old grumbling guy.

The thought of this scene made Ace's lips twitch; he felt like both crying and laughing at the same time.

Yan, who was not far away, was also stunned for a moment.

He blinked, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Oh shit.

The difference between sealing and death is so obvious, why didn't he think to point it out earlier?

It's true that people are prone to making mistakes when they're in the thick of things.

He turned his head away, pretending to look at the sea, to conceal his expression.

"Alright, alright," Whitebeard spoke up from the side, his voice rough but laced with laughter, "Stop making such a fuss. That old Garp is tough as nails; he wouldn't die even sealed in a rock."

He looked down at Ace, his gaze carrying a deep gentleness. "Ace, once things are settled here, I'll go with you."

I have to save face for those two brats, Yaoyu and Yakumi. If they don't, I'm not leaving. Gurgle gurgle gurgle!

Ace sniffed and wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve.

His voice was still trembling a little, but he was already able to pull a smile.