"Did you finish them all?"
Garp's deep voice came from behind.
The two turned their heads and saw the old hero arrive with a squad of Marines.
His adjutant Bogard and several officers were escorting a group of sailors in handcuffs.
At the front was their so-called "captain" — Nezumi. With his whiskered face and twitchy nose, he looked more like a rat than a man.
Guts gave the disgraceful sight a cold glance. "How are you planning to deal with this trash?"
"Marine scum like this… naturally, they'll be executed publicly," Bogard replied icily. "Let it serve as a warning to every rat hiding in the shadows."
The evidence of Nezumi's collusion with Arlong over the years was overwhelming, and Bogard's voice trembled with fury.
"Nami!"
A familiar voice rang out. A tall woman with dark skin and long blue hair came running over Nojiko. Behind her were the villagers of Cocoyasi.
"Nojiko? Everyone? What are you doing here?" Nami gasped in surprise.
Her sister hurriedly explained: "I saw you running toward Arlong Park, so I called everyone. We were worried… if something happened to you, we'd all fight Arlong together."
Genzo stepped forward, his face grim beneath his pinwheel hat. "Nami… you've been carrying this burden alone all these years. We were useless."
The villagers' words pierced her heart, and Nami broke down, throwing herself into Nojiko's arms. Tears she had held back for eight long years spilled freely.
After a while, she wiped her face and forced a smile. "Thank you… but it's over. Guts and Vice Admiral Garp took care of Arlong… and Captain Nezumi too."
"You were forced to live through hell for eight years… I'm ashamed beyond words!" Garp's booming voice suddenly cracked with emotion.
Then, to everyone's shock, the legendary Vice Admiral bent at the waist, bowing ninety degrees before the villagers.
The Marines behind him followed his lead, bowing as one.
"V-Vice Admiral Garp, please—! You can't do this!" Genzo shouted, panicked. As a former lawman, he knew exactly what kind of figure this old Marine was. For him to bow… it was unthinkable.
But Garp didn't budge. His broad shoulders trembled with rage as he growled: "No. This disgrace falls squarely on the Marines. To allow such filth to thrive in uniform… unforgivable."
His fists clenched tight, his presence swelling like a storm. "I'll personally report this to Sengoku!"
---
That night, Cocoyasi Village overflowed with laughter and firelight.
The villagers lit bonfires, set up grills, and feasted under the stars just like the banquets often held by the Straw Hat Pirates in later tales.
Meat roasted over open flames, barrels of sake rolled out, and the air was filled with the music of relief after eight years of fear.
Amid the merriment, Garp and his Marines prepared to depart.
They formally said their goodbyes to Guts, duty pulling them back to Marineford to deliver their report.
Before leaving, Garp once again tried to sway him. "Guts… join the Marines. With your strength, you could change the world."
But Guts only shook his head, refusing once more.
With a heavy sigh, Garp turned away. The old hero's broad back seemed weighed down as he left with his men.
"Mr. Guts, thank you," Nojiko said softly as she approached, carrying two large bottles of wine. She held one out to him.
"Nami told us everything. You helped us end Arlong's reign."
Bang—!
Their bottles clinked together.
This time, Guts didn't mutter excuses or hide behind words. He simply grinned.
"She's my navigator. That means only I get to bully her! Hahaha!"
Nojiko blinked at his boldness, then smiled.
"Then Nami really has found herself a reliable captain. But…" She tilted her head, teasing lightly,
"if you bully my sister too much, as her big sister, I won't forgive you~."
"Oh? You won't forgive me?" Guts smirked, his voice low with mischief. "I'd love to see how you plan to stop me."
He reached out, his free hand tilting her chin upward with thumb and forefinger.
Though not as delicate as Nami, Nojiko's features glowed with a wild beauty, her sun-tanned skin, her sharp eyes, her air of resilience.
It had been over a week since Guts had indulged in such impulses, and his body stirred at the thought.
Nojiko's face flushed red, though her complexion made it harder to notice. But the anxious flicker in her eyes betrayed her panic.
"W-wait… what are you doing!?"
Just as their lips were about to meet, Nami burst in like a furious kitten with her fur standing on end.
"Nojiko!!"
Startled, Nojiko froze, then bolted in an instant — her retreat more like a mouse fleeing a cat.
Nami planted herself between them, glaring at Guts with puffed-up cheeks. "What were you trying to do with my sister!?"
"Your sister's very beautiful," Guts replied, smirking as if to provoke her further.
"Y-you… you…!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Nami's small fists pummeled his chest like a rainstorm, though to Guts it felt more like mosquito bites.
"Oi, hold on…" His eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of something beneath her sleeve. "A tattoo?"
Nami froze.
On her left shoulder where was the mark of the Arlong Pirates, the scar of her nightmare past. She'd always hidden it with short sleeves until now.
"…Yeah," she whispered. Then, more softly,
"Thank you."
Her fists lowered. Slowly, she rested her head against his chest, the weight of eight years finally slipping away.
---
A few days later.
"He defeated you!?"
In Loguetown, the voice of Fleet Admiral Sengoku roared from the den den mushi, disbelief ringing through the snail's face.
Sitting casually on the sofa in Smoker's office, Garp held the receiver in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.
Around him, Smoker, Tashigi, and several local Marines stood frozen, wide-eyed.
They had heard the news moments earlier but still couldn't bring themselves to believe it.
Someone had actually defeated Vice Admiral Garp.
And worse he wasn't some legend from the past, but a man barely in his thirties. Smoker's own age.
"…Did you fail to convince him to join the Marines?" Sengoku asked after several stunned seconds, forcing his tone back under control.
Garp took a long sip of tea before answering. "He's already seen through the essence of the Marines."
On the other end, Sengoku fell silent. For nearly half a minute, the only sound was the faint hum of the line. Then his voice came again, heavy and low.
"Is there a chance… that he'll become a pirate?"
The very thought sent a chill through the room.
If someone strong enough to defeat Garp chose the path of piracy… then a new monster would be born. Another Four Emperor at best.
At worst… the second coming of Gol D. Roger. Or even Rocks D. Xebec.
Garp shook his head slowly. "He's a reckless brat, but he's got a decent sense of judgment. What I'm worried about… is if he ever crosses paths with the Celestial Dragons."
His gaze hardened, the tea cup creaking in his grip. "If those pampered fools provoke him, I've no doubt he'll kill them."
The thought hung heavy in the room.
If that happened, the World Government would demand action. The Marines would have no choice but to brand Guts an enemy of the world, driving him straight into the ranks of pirates.
That was the last thing Garp wanted to see.
"…The Celestial Dragons are only a minority," Sengoku finally said. "I'll do everything I can to prevent that outcome."
But Garp suddenly slammed his fist on the table, his voice rumbling like thunder.
"Sengoku! How long are we going to tolerate those worms tarnishing Marine justice!?"
The word worms struck the room like a cannon blast.
Every Marine in the office froze stiff. Smoker choked, nearly swallowing his cigar whole.
Everyone knew Garp despised the Celestial Dragons. It was one of the reasons he had refused promotion to Admiral. But to hear him speak so bluntly, so openly…
That hadn't happened in decades.
Even Sengoku was shaken, his voice dropping low. "Garp, you—!"
"How much longer are we going to wait? Until we're in our graves before anything changes!?" Garp's voice thundered, his expression twisted with frustration.
Even Sengoku, hardened by decades of command, was unsettled.
What is this…?
This pressure, this fire in his old comrade's eyes—
It was like Garp had shed the weight of age, like the sharp "mad dog" of his youth had returned.
The call ended.
Garp rose to his feet. His towering figure radiated a force that made the room itself feel small. "Smoker. Come back to headquarters with me. Your strength is wasted sitting in East Blue."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!" Smoker answered quickly, snapping to attention.
Everyone present exchanged uneasy looks. For the first time in years, they felt it. The old blade, dulled by time, was gleaming sharp once more.
Just as Garp led his men out of the base, a soldier rushed in, pale-faced. "M-Mr. Garp! Bad news!"
Meanwhile.
The ship Guts now sailed was a medium-sized Marine warship, once under the command of Captain Nezumi, seized and turned over by Garp himself.
After stripping the Marine colors, it had been given to Guts to use freely.
Now, with Garp and his men departed toward the Grand Line, Guts and Nami drifted slowly into the bustling port of Loguetown.
"Guts! I'm going shopping for clothes!"
Nami's eyes sparkled as the ship slid into harbor. She had been waiting for this moment ever since their voyage began.
Since Arlong's defeat, she no longer called him "Mr. Guts." Just "Guts."
"Well, hand me half the money first," Guts said, holding out his palm lazily. "I'm going to enjoy myself too."
He had no interest in hoarding treasure. Whether it was Arlong's bounty that Garp had given him, or the loot from idiot pirate crews they had sunk along the way, all of it was held by Nami.
Whenever he needed something, he just asked her.
"Fun?"
The word immediately set off alarms in Nami's head. She recalled, not without irritation, the stunt he had pulled with her sister Nojiko a few days back. Her cheeks puffed in annoyance.
"I changed my mind! You're coming with me. I want a new bag."
"I refuse." Guts rejected her instantly, no hesitation at all.
Nami huffed, folding her arms with exaggerated indignation. Then she leaned in close, eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Are you really sure you don't want to do it? A beautiful girl like me… there'll be plenty of men rushing to help. And here I am...graciously bestowing this honor on you."
She said it sweetly, almost playfully, but there was calculation in her tone.
Half a month of traveling together had taught her something about him. Guts might act careless most of the time, but he did have bottom lines.
Push the wrong one, and the joking ended real quick.
And right now, her words were brushing close to that line.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and Exclusive R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Every 100 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.