A bold swig of liquor burned its way down and washed the bitterness from Garp's chest.
"That jug was yours. Why did you snatch mine?" Sengoku grumbled.
"What's yours, what's mine? You came here to drink with me. Doesn't matter which jug." Garp laughed it off, his gloom lifting for the first time.
Yes. Why did they become Marines?
Not only to guard the people, to shield the innocent. They had their own dreams too.
To be a Marine, to become an admiral, to one day wear the Fleet Admiral's cloak. That had been Garp's dream. Now, it was shattered.
So be it. Garp had already decided to give up on climbing ranks. A quiet life as a vice admiral, chasing pirates and guarding Headquarters, did not sound so bad.
"Thank you, Sengoku."
He took another pull, his gaze settling on the horizon. The sun was sinking, yet its brilliance had not dimmed.
"Drink."
Holy Land Mary Geoise, World Government.
The resplendent hall was empty now save for four. Kong and Zephyr had departed, leaving only the Four Elders, faces furrowed, the air thick with silence.
The bald Elder had not reappeared in the Holy Land. If he had died, he would have been reborn in the sky above Headquarters. Since there was no sign of him even after a full day, that could only mean one thing: he had truly been captured.
"And the Deadwarden is dead. This Rakuya is no ordinary threat," the sword-bearing Elder said darkly.
"Zephyr already reported it. Rakuya's homeland is too dangerous for even an admiral to set foot in. Seems that was no lie. CP0 searched for years and could not find his hidden clan. Their strength must be terrifying."
"If we let this continue, our authority will crumble. With Rakuya before us and Liuyun behind, is the world about to change?"
"We cannot sit idle. We must find a way."
"What way? Even we were slain once by Liuyun. What method could defeat such men?"
"True. It is thorny. Then… what if we bring Rakuya over? Recruit him into the Marines. Bind him to our cause, and let him fight Liuyun for us." The square-faced Elder spoke slowly, testing the idea aloud.
"Have Rakuya fight Liuyun? Not a bad plan… but do you really think he will agree?"
"If not, then the terms are too stingy. He captured the bald one and demanded Devil Fruits as ransom. Clearly, he values them. We can provide him with fruits. Let him clash with Liuyun. If he kills Liuyun, problem solved. If Liuyun kills him, then his clan will be provoked into war. Either way, they bite each other, and we take the fisherman's prize."
"The fisherman reaps while the clam and crane fight?" The whiskered Elder's eyes flashed sharp. "Not a bad strategy."
"Indeed. To use another's hand to strike down our foes."
"Still, Rakuya and Liuyun did not rise this far by being fools. This must be plotted carefully."
"For now, the most urgent matter is to rescue the bald Elder. Suggestions?"
"Rescue? If we mean to recruit Rakuya, then we give him what he asked for first. He wanted Devil Fruits as exchange. Then we give them. Not just one give him more."
"Fine. But he said he would come collect them himself. Do we just sit and wait?"
"We wait. Send CP0 to track his movements. If he does not come, Kong will deliver the fruits."
"It feels like we are the ones begging."
"Begging or not, if it secures Rakuya, I care little. Let Kong handle it."
Meanwhile, in the New World, the Whitebeard Pirates were licking their wounds. Liuyun had abducted Marco the Phoenix and extorted a hundred Devil Fruits. Whitebeard only managed to hand over forty. Those forty mysteriously vanished. Though Whitebeard knew Liuyun had stolen them, he had no proof. He could only swallow the insult. Worse, he still owed sixty more, written into a debt note. It left him with the bitter taste of being swindled, yet powerless to resist.
Marco, once he learned the truth, was stricken with guilt. He felt he had wronged his father far too much. So, as soon as he could stand, he set off to gather information.
Near noon, a blazing phoenix descended from the sky and landed on the deck of the Moby Dick.
"Father." Marco, still short of breath, came before Whitebeard respectfully.
"Marco. Did you learn anything?" Whitebeard had wanted him to rest longer, but Marco insisted, using his wings to scout far and wide.
"I did."
"Oh? Who exactly is this Liuyun?"
Whitebeard leaned forward, his face full of interest. In all of the New World, he had never once heard the name. If not for being extorted, he would still be in the dark.
"Father, here's what I found." Marco handed him a thick stack of newspapers.
Whitebeard raised a brow and scanned the print. Minutes later, his brows shot up and he slammed the papers down.
"Damn it. Such vital news, and I never heard a whisper!" Whitebeard's regret was bitter. The paper laid it out in black and white: Liuyun had destroyed the World Government in a single day.
"No wonder he told me, 'If I dare to topple the Government itself, why would I fear Whitebeard?' So that was the meaning." The memory of that mocking line struck Whitebeard like thunder. In Liuyun's eyes, the Whitebeard Pirates were nothing but a joke.
If he dared annihilate the World Government, what did it matter to offend Whitebeard?
To topple the Government truth be told even Whitebeard had never possessed such audacity.
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