Everyone basked in the cheerful atmosphere, chatting animatedly.
Garp keenly sensed signs of the townspeople beginning to venture out more boldly, the sounds of their bustle drifting faintly over.
"Kakarot, all right, enough chatting. Sakazuki and I need to leave first."
Garp patted Kakarot on the shoulder, a hint of helplessness on his face. "We won't meet with the residents here."
Although Garp believed he had done right by ordinary civilians, an indescribable wave of guilt rose in him whenever he thought of how, without Kakarot and the others intervening this time, the Marines would nearly have committed an unforgivable atrocity.
Moreover, although he and Sakazuki had now joined the Revolutionary Army, in the eyes of the outside world, Sakazuki was still that cold, merciless World Government lackey who did not treat civilians as human beings. Showing himself without warning would probably only provoke the residents' resentment and disgust.
Kakarot and Lina understood Garp's concerns and said little. They simply watched silently as the two boarded the warship, then watched it slowly leave the harbor, receding farther and farther until it disappeared beyond the horizon.
Afterward, Kakarot and Lina did not linger either. They exchanged a glance, and their figures flickered as they teleported straight back to Rouge's home at the very back of town.
Rouge had already packed her clothes and the valuables in her home.
Although at first glance the house did not seem noticeably emptier, a closer look revealed that she had packed two large bundles of belongings and set them neatly to one side.
To Kakarot and Lina, Rouge's current state of mind made her seem like an entirely different person from before.
Previously, she had seemed shrouded in gloom, listless and lifeless, without a trace of vitality, her eyes filled with deep exhaustion and despair.