A Woman's Diary

"Who built this godforsaken place! They're building a tomb here! It's all so winding and twisting!"

Garp was about to unleash a torrent of curses.

As soon as he entered, he encountered countless forks in the road. The internal structure was as intricate as an anthill, with paths appearing almost everywhere.

He can't split himself into two, otherwise he could send out several clones to explore separately.

Now that I'm all alone, I can only pick a road that looks good and then blindly rush towards it.

The palace was poorly decorated, and the layout and color scheme were all the same. The longer you stayed in this place, the more dizzy you would get.

Garp thought to himself, "This won't do. I have to find someone. If I can find them, I'll grab them and interrogate them!"

It's definitely much more effective than just wandering around aimlessly.

But things often don't go as expected. He suddenly turned a corner, and the space opened up completely. He had walked out of the corridor and was now in a square hall.

Along one side of the wall were doors, one after another, embedded in the wall.

On the other side, there are rows of windows, without glass, just arched openings, through which one can see directly into the outside world.

Garp walked over and looked outside.

There was still nothing noteworthy; it was the same deserted scene they had encountered before entering.

This place is so vast and sparsely populated that it's almost unbelievable. The land is huge, there are lots of buildings, but it's very difficult to encounter any living people.

Garp turned his gaze to the doors.

The doors are all made of wood, and judging from their size, they were probably used as living rooms.

He took a breath and walked over quietly.

He pressed himself against the wall, reached out and placed his hand on the doorknob of the first door, gently pushed it open a crack, and then slipped inside with a light step.

The door opened for less than half a second before closing again.

Garp has already entered the room.

Two beds, one large and one small, were placed close together. A square wardrobe stood against the corner of the wall, along with a wooden table and chairs, on which were several books.

And that was it. The room wasn't too big or too small, and its furnishings were extremely ordinary.

The only thing worth noting was the few long skirts that were draped together; they were probably freshly washed and hung there to dry, their length resembling curtains.

"A woman's room?" Garp raised an eyebrow.

He noticed several small pieces of clothing next to the skirt, probably the smallest size, likely for young children.

Children? Yes, there are indeed children.

Garp walked to the bedside. The two children were lying in the blankets, their eyes closed, sleeping soundly in each other's arms.

Twins? Everyone would think that, because the children all have red hair and look almost identical, but it's hard to tell their gender.

"Hello~" Garp said softly, reaching out to poke one of the children's chubby cheeks.

Unexpectedly, it woke someone up.

"Aba a la la la..." The child opened his eyes, saw Garp, and instead of crying, he clapped his hands and laughed, seemingly amused by something.

The person next to me is still asleep and hasn't been woken up.

"This kid!" Garp exclaimed.

He thought of his own son, who was just as adorable as he was when he was little, but would cry at the slightest touch, and was nowhere near as cheerful as he is now.

He casually pinched the child's cheek; it felt nice and chubby. Then he walked away.

He's here on official business. He'd better leave before the mother of the two children returns; there are several other rooms waiting to be checked.

But after taking only a few steps, his gaze suddenly fixed on the desk, or more precisely, on the books placed on it.

Books are things that record things, right?

He walked over, picked up the book on top, opened it to the first page, and immediately smiled.

"A diary? That's even better!"

Garp didn't think it was impolite to casually flip through someone's diary; he just opened it with a certain interest and continued reading.

That day was a nightmare, but I still have my child. I will try my best to overcome this trauma. In the Wandenreich, a new life awaits us!

Writing in a diary is a hobby I recently learned, and also a way to pass the time.

[His Majesty is not here. Has he gone out?]

I cleaned the central area of the palace today, but I didn't dare go into that main hall.

[I didn't feel it when I was focused on work, but when I got back, even with the kids around, after putting them to sleep, I sat alone in my chair and felt a bit lonely.]

His Majesty told me to find someone new, but would anyone like me? A woman who has given birth...?

[There are many people in the Wandenreich, but I don't dare to initiate conversations with anyone unless they are former residents of God Valley.]

[Go Magnolia!]

Several men tried to harass me today, but I ignored them... they were all ugly!

[The Wandenreich forbids unauthorized battles; His Majesty is indeed a wise ruler to have established such a rule.]

[Can't I still forget Garling? No! That guy is scum! Shamrock, Shanks, when you grow up, you have to help Mom teach him a lesson!]

His Majesty still hasn't returned today. I heard he went out to look for someone.

[It's supposed to be a diary, but I have no idea how long a day is. I just write down whatever comes to mind, like this paragraph. Isn't that a bit too casual...? By the way, why am I complaining about myself in my diary?]

[Spiritual Power is truly amazing; it's said that everything in the Wandenreich is made up of this power.]

Okay, time to get to work!

Um...

Garp put down his diary and began to ponder.

This is clearly written in a woman's voice; the diary contains notes about things she cares about, as well as words of encouragement to herself.

Although it was clear from her writing that she was a foolish woman, he still managed to grasp the key point.

What is Spiritual Power?

As the former Navy officer Resadax, whom I met before, said, Quincy fight by absorbing and controlling Reishi.

If everything here is made of Reishi, does that mean all the buildings, including this space itself, are also made of spirit particles?

That day was a nightmare. What exactly happened that day? The so-called Emperor is not here; perhaps that's a good thing.

And then there's Garling, that name sounds familiar, like I've heard it somewhere before...

Garp suddenly put down his diary and leaned against the door.

He heard footsteps outside; judging from the frequency, there were two people.

He pressed his ear against the door to eavesdrop.

"Thank you so much, you've been helping me so much lately."

"It's nothing. My dad always taught me to take care of the weak. The strong are always in the minority; the weak make up the majority of the world."

"That makes perfect sense. If it weren't for His Majesty, neither I nor the people of God Valley would have survived."

"I'm sorry, the Navy was also an accomplice in that tragedy... I need to apologize to you."

"Haha~ Mr. Long is here again! Didn't I tell you, you didn't do anything wrong, and you're not the culprit, so you're not allowed to apologize anymore!"

"Alright, I'm sorry you had to see that."

Um?!!

Inside the room, Garp's eyes widened immediately upon hearing the voice. "So that's why you betrayed the Navy!"

Have they forgotten the power of the Fist of Love?!