"I don't know, you'll have to judge for yourself!"
When asked by Ace, Garp didn't answer directly, nor did he seem to care much. No matter how valuable the One Piece was, his top priority right now was to overthrow the World Government and kill Imu!
Even the struggle for the One Piece was like child's play to him; his vision was too narrow, like a child's game. His gaze had already transcended this vast ocean, reaching a much higher level!
"You're that bastard Roger's son, aren't you? You look just like him when he was young! It's such a shame the Navy couldn't execute you last time!"
When Garling saw Ace's face, he was reminded of the hateful Roger. That man had corrupted one of his sons, making him unwilling to serve the Celestial Dragons, with only freedom and pirates on his mind. He had completely ruined him!
"That's right, I am his son. Do you have a grudge against him?"
Ace wasn't surprised to be recognized. Buggy had told him many times, "The more mature Ace becomes, the more he resembles my captain, the one known to the world as the Pirate King!"
It's not surprising that such a legendary father knew many older figures and had grudges with many people!
" Kaido! Looking at him closely, this kid really does resemble Roger's annoying face!"
"That's right, almost exactly the same. We saw it up close at the Shakky's Rip-off Bar on Hachinosu!"
"Tch! Roger's a womanizer too, coming to enemy territory to see that woman!"
" Garp! I want an explanation!"
" Sengoku! Children are innocent. You're so old now, haven't you come to this realization yet?"
" Tsuru! You knew about this all along?"
"I don't know, but Roger's child had just been born back then, so the child is innocent!"
"I just don't want to be kept in the dark!"
"Back then you were Marine Admiral. To be honest, could you have let that child go?"
"I..."
"That bastard Garp! How dare he adopt Roger's child! I, the Saint, will make sure he faces a court-martial!"
"It's no use, he doesn't care about any of that anymore!"
"The navy is acting strangely; don't provoke them any further!"
"The child the old man brought back back was actually the child of the Pirate King! How did they build such a deep trust? It's unbelievable!"
" Ace! Have you finally accepted your identity?"
Ace's answer immediately sparked a flurry of discussion, with the most heated debate focusing on the alliance between the Navy and Kaido and Big Mom. Not only were they numerous, but they were also the most closely connected group in this secretive organization!
The Navy attempted to execute Ace back then, but ultimately failed; their discussions revolved more around Garp!
The most discussed topics among the pirates were naturally the Pirate King's past deeds, the One Piece he left behind, and the saying "like father, like son," praising Ace's current achievements!
"That's right! We have a deep-seated grudge!"
Saint Garling gritted his teeth. Of his two fine sons, one had been kidnapped by that bastard Roger, and by the time he found him, he had completely gone astray and couldn't even stay in the Holy Land anymore. He was utterly ruined. What a waste of such good talent!
"So you want revenge? Then come at me! All of you can come at me at once!"
Ace stood there, neither humble nor arrogant, looking calmly at the Five Elders, Garling. Even though there were still three of the Five Elders, he was not afraid. Although he was still quite far from the God Realm, he was confident that he could handle a few old guys without any problem!
"You..."
" Garling! This is not the time to dwell on personal grudges. The bigger picture is at stake!"
Just as Garling was about to say something, he was interrupted by Saint Mars's voice in his mind: Now is not the time to start a war, and the newly formed balance cannot be broken, otherwise they will definitely suffer a great loss!
" Fire Fist Ace! Do you think you can change the situation by coming here alone? There are two people with four titles over there. This is not a place for you to act arrogantly!"
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter couldn't stand Ace's arrogant attitude. He was just one of the Four Emperors, someone who had only been acknowledged by their World Government!
There are two more such figures present. Although Kaido and Big Mom have lost their Four Emperors, their strength is still undeniable!
Which of the Five Elders doesn't possess the strength of Four Emperors? How dare a junior like you act so arrogantly?
Even Kuma and Dragon, who had previously defeated Saturn and Nusjuro, were not as arrogant and domineering as Fire Fist Ace. It was utterly insulting that they were alone, old, and weak!
Of course, the Five Elders ' words also contained a hint of instigation and incitement to Kaido and Big Mom to attack Ace.
They're masters at creating conflict. Back when Kaido and his crew were the Four Emperors, they always did this, making the Four Emperors fight each other and preventing any possibility of them joining forces!
"Who said I came alone? I just thought someone was bullying my brother, so I arrived first. So what if I'm alone? What can you do to me?"
Ace didn't come alone; Hawk-Eye, Buggy, and the others came with him too. But when he arrived at Lodestar Island and climbed over the mountaintop...
When Ace saw the huge crowd in the valley, Ace thought he was too late and that Luffy was being attacked. So he abandoned everyone and flew over, which led to the scene of fire lines stretching across the sky!
Ace wasn't exaggerating; Vic had already told him about the existence of the God Realm, and he had been secretly studying and comprehending its Laws all these years!
Although he is still some distance from the God Realm, he is still far superior to Kaido, Big Mom, and the Five Elders. Among those present, apart from the old man Garp, who is stronger than him, even Dragon might not be able to defeat him. He has the confidence to speak with confidence!
Moreover, he had just spotted his good friend Sabo in the crowd, and knew that the other side was Luffy's father's faction— the Revolutionary Army. The tall figure standing in front of Sabo must be Luffy's father, and they were clearly there to support Luffy!
If Sabo hadn't winked at him when he looked at Sabo, he would have immediately greeted him. With the tacit understanding from their childhood, Ace knew something was going on and didn't say anything!
But he knew that on Luffy's side were at least his own Cross Guild, Luffy's father's Revolutionary Army, and the leisurely old man Garp, who was drinking tea and watching the show. He had no reason to be afraid of anyone!
So what if he's one of the Five Elders? So what if he's a pirate? So what if he's one of the Four Emperors? If he weren't still confused about the situation, he would have already attacked the Five Elders!
"You..."
The Five Elders were stumped again. The five factions were already locked in a stalemate, barely maintaining a balance, and now the Cross Guild, a Four Emperors -affiliated group, had joined the Cross Guild. This group was also part of the pirate faction, and they still showed no goodwill towards the World Government, even wanting to take them down. How could the Five Elders possibly respond?
If someone says something that displeases another, they might just retaliate with a fight, immediately disrupting the balance of the situation. The Five Elders would likely be the ones who suffer the most, no longer daring to utter any threats and secretly calling for reinforcements. They're having no time to live like this!
The Five Elders were frustratedly calling for reinforcements, but the others were not idle. They unleashed their Observation Haki to its maximum range, and many powerful auras rushed into their Observation Haki!
Moreover, these auras were not sensed from just one direction; auras were approaching from all directions on the mountains surrounding the valley!
Some had only a few, some had dozens or hundreds, and some had hundreds or thousands. It felt as if the valley was surrounded by enemies, and the enemies were tightening their encirclement. This feeling of uncertainty made people very uncomfortable!