Xia Chen watched the old man's back and slowly walked towards him.
"How strange! A naval hero would actually seek out a pirate like me!"
Xia Chen went to the old man's side and sat down on the edge of the cliff.
That's right, this old man is Garp!
Xia Chen turned his head and saw that Garp's eyes were dull and lifeless, like a walking corpse.
" Garp, what's going on?"
Garp remained silent until Xia Chen grew impatient, at which point he finally asked lifelessly:
"Did you know that Ace and Sabo are dead?"
"What?!!"
Upon hearing this, Xia Chen's expression suddenly changed, and an unreadable light flashed in his eyes.
After a moment of silence, having processed the news Xia Chen regained his composure and asked in a calm voice:
When did this happen? Who did it?
"Yesterday! The World Government!"
After speaking, Garp fell silent again, and after a long while, he continued:
"This news was also told to me by Sengoku!"
"I returned to Foosha Village a few days ago, intending to stay for a while, but I never expected to hear this news!"
"Yesterday, the World Government went completely mad, launching a swift and devastating attack on Whitebeard's remaining forces!"
"And Sabo happened to be with Ace, so in the end they..."
Garp paused for a moment before continuing:
"None of them survived! All the pirates on that island lay dead in pools of blood!"
"..."
Xia Chen was silent for a moment, then said:
"How many troops did the World Government deploy? Taking down the Whitebeard Pirates won't be easy, especially with Sabo there too!"
" Sabo's strength is in no way inferior to that of Marine Admiral, and may even be far superior!"
" The World Government actually has this kind of backing?"
Xia Chen's tone was tinged with doubt.
Because of his involvement, the Whitebeard Pirates did not suffer significant losses in the Paramount War.
The main players were basically all retained.
Those captains are all quite strong; taking them down won't be an easy task.
Not to mention Sabo, whose strength is no less than that of the Four Emperors.
After Sabo broke free from Imu's control in Dressrosa, all Three Types of Haki were significantly enhanced, reaching the King Level level.
With the added power of the Storm-Storm Fruit, there are very few people in this world who can defeat him.
Unexpectedly, they were also wiped out by the World Government.
I don't know!
Garp shook his head.
" The World Government's actions were not communicated to the Navy; Sengoku only received the news after the war had ended!"
" Xia Chen, tell me... what has this old man lived for?"
"As a naval officer, my son and grandson have all turned against me!"
"Now that my son is gone, and two of my three grandsons have died, tell me... was choosing to become a naval officer really the right thing to do?"
Do you think you should be asking me this question?
"You're over seventy years old, and I'm only seventeen! I can't give you an answer to something that requires life experience!"
"However, if you do as I say..."
"You are right!"
"At least by joining the Navy you can protect yourself; otherwise, you'd probably be dead before them by now!"
"And... their deaths have nothing to do with whether you're a Marine or not!"
"You have your own sense of justice, which is why you chose the path of the Navy!"
"Of course! This is just your experience over the past many years. What you do with the rest of your life, you old bones, is up to you!"
Upon hearing Garp couldn't help but give a wry smile and said:
"Your strength far surpasses ours; for a moment, I didn't even treat you as a junior, which is why I unconsciously asked you this question!"
"So... you asked me to come over through the Den Den Mushi just to tell me these things?"
Xia Chen looked at Garp and asked calmly.
"These are only part of it; the main reason is that I want to ask you for a favor!"
Garp suddenly turned his head and looked at Xia Chen seriously.
"Oh!"
"You, a marine, are asking a pirate like me for a favor? Are you kidding me?"
Upon hearing this, Garp didn't speak, but slowly stood up and just looked at Xia Chen.
The next second--
Please!
Garp bent down and bowed to Xia Chen.
"You..."
Seeing Garp like this Xia Chen was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
To be fair, his attitude towards Garp wasn't exactly bad, but it certainly wasn't good either.
However, if judged solely from the perspective of justice, then Garp is indeed a staunch defender of justice.
Of course, this isn't about the Navy's justice!
It was the justice he upheld!
For example, in the original work, he is a naval officer and has that identity.
No matter how much he struggled internally, he could still watch Ace die in front of him.
However, after the Deserter King was captured by Blackbeard, he bravely stormed into Hachinosu just to rescue Deserter King.
To be honest, Xia Chen strongly disagrees with this point.
Why save the Deserter King all people?
Okay, he admits that he had reservations about Garp because of the Deserter King.
Fortunately, he had already killed the Deserter King, otherwise he might have gone to Marine Headquarters to kill him again.
The thought of an unscathed soldier stopping a blood-soaked general from killing the enemy disgusted Xia Chen.
After a long silence, Xia Chen finally spoke:
"Speak, what is it?"
"I'll consider it if I think it's suitable!"
Garp slowly raised his head, looked at Xia Chen, and solemnly said:
"I've already lost my son and two grandsons, I can't lose the last one, so..."
"I need your help to protect Luffy. I don't want to lose him again!"
"There's no need for you to say that!"
Hearing this, Xia Chen shook his head and said calmly:
" Luffy is my captain, and I won't stand by and watch him get into trouble, even if you don't tell me!"
"With me here, no one can lay a hand on him!"
"As for Ace's death..."
" The World Government won't be so arrogant for long!"
"I'll go and wipe them all out soon!"
"So... old man, you don't need to do anything outrageous!"
" Ace was like a brother to me, so I'll naturally avenge him if he dies, but not now!"
"You're going to take on the World Government all by yourself?"
Upon hearing this, Garp's eyes widened, and he said in disbelief.
Is there a problem?
Xia Chen asked in a calm voice.
"..."
Garp was silent for a long time before speaking:
"As far as I know, the World Government has a Celestial Dragons King hidden behind the scenes, whose status is even higher than the Five Elders! His strength must also be extremely terrifying!"
"It's just Imu! No big deal!"
Xia Chen replied calmly, while Garp's face showed an expression of utter shock upon hearing the name.