"Sean, you brat! What on earth did you do in Foosha Village? Even old man Slap is throwing a fit!"
Garp's voice boomed through the Den Den Mushi, the snail itself mimicking his expression of utter exasperation.
"Listen, old man, did Mayor Slap not give you the specifics of what I did?"
"The second I answered the phone, he spent several minutes cursing up a storm, so I just hung up on him!"
'Well, that sounds exactly like you,' Sean thought.
"Actually, I didn't do much. I just kidnapped three people from Foosha Village."
"What?! You went to Foosha Village to kidnap people? Who did you take?"
"Who else? Your two grandsons, Ace and Luffy."
"Wait a minute! I told you to go and persuade those two brats, not to kidnap them!!" Garp's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Look, Garp, you know your grandsons better than anyone. Do you really think they're the type who can be convinced with words?"
"That..." Garp paused. He realized Sean had a point.
In truth, if Sean hadn't appeared, Garp might have just given up. He figured they would go to sea as pirates anyway, and he trusted his grandsons wouldn't engage in slaughter or plunder. They would likely be the type of "pirates" who were essentially just adventurers. With Garp's status in the Marine, protecting them wouldn't be too difficult.
Sending Sean to persuade them had been a last-ditch effort; he hadn't actually expected Sean to succeed.
"Sean, why did you kidnap them? What are you planning?"
"Relax, they've already voluntarily joined the Marine!"
"What? That's impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible. They've already signed the enlistment papers."
Garp was completely stunned. Was Sean really that capable? Had he actually managed it? But the more he thought about it, the more suspicious it felt.
"Sean, be honest. How exactly did you persuade them?"
"Persuade? Garp, are you feeling okay? I simply beat them up, knocked them unconscious, and then made them sign the papers."
"Uh..."
'And you call that "voluntarily joining the Marine"?' Garp wondered. 'Do you have some kind of fundamental misunderstanding of the word "voluntary"?'
"Oh, by the way, old man, I'll have the World Economic Journal publish an article tomorrow. As for the headline... hmm, how about: 'The Grandsons of the Marine Hero Officially Join the Marines; The Legend Continues'!"
"Sean, you little..."
Garp knew exactly what Sean was doing. This was a total strong-arm play!
"Ah, and as for the content, I'll have Morgans write it like this: 'Because Garp once captured the Pirate King, Ace and Luffy have sworn to purge the Four Emperors to ensure the Marine Hero's prestige remains untarnished!'"
"Sean... that's enough!!" Garp snapped, his voice tinged with anger.
If Sean did this, it would make things incredibly dangerous for Ace and Luffy, regardless of whether they stayed in the Marine or tried to become pirates.
"I refuse to believe you wouldn't recognize Luffy's straw hat. Have you truly never considered what it means for Shanks to give that hat to Luffy?" Sean's tone sharpened. "You think he's just going on an adventure? Old man, stop being so naive!"
"Or would you rather wait for the day you have to watch your own grandsons be pushed onto an execution platform? Do you really want to be the one burying the young?"
These weren't empty words.
Under the weight of that statement, the expression on the Den Den Mushi shifted. Garp's resolve began to waver. The image of his grandchildren on an execution platform was a devastating blow to his spirit.
Silence fell over the line. Sean waited, giving Garp time to make his final decision.
If the old man still insisted that he release the two boys, Sean wouldn't mind—he would just let them go. But since Sean was currently stationed in the East Blue, while Luffy still had a few years before he was meant to set sail, Ace's situation was different. If Ace tried to leave now, Sean could snatch him back in a heartbeat.
In that case, Ace wouldn't even get the chance to enter the Grand Line. And if it came to that, Sean wouldn't play the "join the Marine" game again. One chance was enough; there would never be a second.
Finally, after about two minutes...
"Fine. Ace and Luffy are in your hands."
"Don't worry. In two or three years, I'll give you back two seeds for future Marine Admirals!"
"I'm not expecting that. As long as they can see reason and become decent Marines—even if they're just ordinary soldiers—I'll be satisfied."
"Deal. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
"Wait!" Garp shouted just as Sean was about to disconnect.
"What now?"
"You said you kidnapped three people. Who was the third?"
"The third, huh..."
'Knock, knock, knock.'
Just as Sean was about to mention Makino, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!"
"Sean, I've prepared dinner. Would you like some?"
"Of course! I wouldn't miss your delicious cooking for the world!"
"Oh, stop it. It's just a very ordinary seafood risotto..."
Their conversation drifted clearly through the Den Den Mushi. Garp froze.
"Hello? Sean, you brat, was that Makino's voice?"
"Ah, Grandpa Garp!" Noticing the voice from the snail, Makino recognized Garp and greeted him immediately.
"Hiss... Sean, don't tell me the third person you kidnapped was Makino?" Garp sounded shocked. However, based on their conversation, Makino didn't exactly sound like a kidnap victim.
"Now, Garp, don't put it so crudely. I simply invited Miss Makino to take a position at the 16th Branch as our head chef!"
"Makino, is that true?"
"Well... yes, that's correct!"
"Alright. I suppose it's for the best that you're at the 16th Branch; you can help me keep an eye on those two brats, Ace and Luffy." Garp breathed a sigh of relief. Kidnapping Ace and Luffy was one thing, but if Sean had kidnapped Makino too, it would have been crossing a line. Thankfully, it wasn't what he feared.
"By the way, Sean, how did you persuade Makino to work at the 16th Branch?"
"I just threw her over my shoulder and carried her away. Simple!"
"Pfft... you what?"
"Anyway, Garp, if you're done, I'm hanging up. I have a lot of things to handle!"
"Wait—"
Garp's voice was cut off abruptly.
Sean had already hung up the Den Den Mushi.
'''
The next day.
Sean stood before Ace and Luffy.
A newspaper was tossed into the iron cage, and whoever had thrown it left without uttering a single word.
"Huh? Ace, why are we in the paper?"
Luffy tilted his head in confusion, staring at the newspaper on the floor and the massive photo dominating the front page.
Beside him, Ace's eyes nearly popped out of his head. In the photo were he and Luffy, both dressed in Marine uniforms...
This was absolutely insane!
He scrambled to pick up the paper, only to find that the headline alone made his jaw twitch.
[The Marines Gain Two New Supernovas: Grandchildren of the Marine Hero Garp]
The actual article was even more shocking.
In the interview, the two stated that as the grandsons of the Marine Hero Garp, they felt it was their duty and determination to bring the Great Pirate Era to a definitive end, ensuring a peaceful environment for all citizens.
Luffy went as far as to say that the person he hated most among the Four Emperors was Shanks, and that he intended to personally send him to the execution platform.
As for Ace, he claimed that his target was Whitebeard.
After reading the article, Ace stood there, completely shell-shocked. He had no idea why he was being linked to Whitebeard... but he knew exactly how Luffy felt about Shanks.
"Ace?"
"Luffy... that Sean is absolutely ruthless!!"