Translator: PapaSmurf0700
"As light itself, I am rather difficult to kill." As someone who joined the Navy at the same time as Akainu, Kizaru was one of the few qualified to make such a casual joke at his colleague's expense.
"Hmph. Get ready, Borsalino. You're about to be very busy." Akainu crossed his arms over his chest, already settling into his new role as the absolute authority of the Marines. After Kizaru departed, Akainu turned to leave as well.
Sengoku remained, caught in a dilemma. Should he report what Akainu had just declared? If the Five Elders knew of his true ambitions, they would likely reconsider their decision. After all, Akainu's promotion to Fleet Admiral had not yet been made public. With Aokiji gone, the only other candidate with the requisite strength and reputation would be Kizaru. Compared to the hawkish Akainu, the seemingly lazy Kizaru appeared to be a much safer choice. But Sengoku wasn't sure. If Kizaru did take power, where would his "unclear justice" truly lead the Navy?
Just as Akainu reached the door, he stopped. Without turning back, he spoke, his voice cold and hard as volcanic rock. "The Navy does not need your brand of justice. The failure of your grand plan at Marineford speaks for itself, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
That single sentence made Sengoku's head snap up. The phrase "failure of your plan" struck him with sudden clarity. This was not the same Akainu. He had become something more.
"Mercy is the most useless emotion for those who wield power," Akainu continued. "The Marines are the single greatest military force on these seas. Only strength dictates the truth."
"Your ideals may have been more grounded than Kuzan's, but they were still steeped in idealistic nonsense. For the sake of a justice defined by others, you allowed factions and disputes to fester within our own ranks. One Navy, with countless different justices. Is that not a betrayal of our very purpose?"
"Men who cannot even see the true path of justice become a burden. The Navy has no need for soldiers who lose their way on the battlefield. They only need to understand one thing."
With that, Akainu finally turned to face his predecessor. At that moment, the man who would soon lead the Marines finally unleashed his full presence. A wave of intimidating pressure, powerful enough to startle even Sengoku, swept through the room.
"The absolute eradication of evil and the certainty of victory are all that matter!" Akainu declared, his voice ringing with unshakable conviction. "Justice does not sympathize with the weak, nor does it aid the righteous. Justice is not a concept to be debated. Because the victor... is justice!"
"Watch closely, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Under my leadership, the Navy will finally reach its zenith."
-----
Long after Akainu had left, a sudden, booming laugh erupted in Sengoku's office.
"Hahahahaha! Conqueror's Haki! I should have known! The justice that man believes in... it is absolute and complete!"
Sengoku was overjoyed, a giddiness he hadn't felt since he'd last beaten Garp in a rice cracker eating contest. Akainu's justice was the very antithesis of his own, yet he couldn't have been happier. Because the Five Elders would never suspect that the vicious dog they believed was their most loyal weapon was, in fact, straining to break its chain and bite the hand that held it.
Sengoku found himself genuinely looking forward to the future of the Navy. He wasn't worried that Akainu's iron-fisted rule would turn the Marines into another version of the World Government. He couldn't. Because the moment the Spark Alliance appeared, the world had already taken a definitive step forward, away from the old powers.
After a long silence, a final whisper was heard in the room.
"This time... I think I'll retire for good."
-----
East Blue - Foosha Village
Inside Makino's Partys Bar, the declaration hit like a cannonball.
"RETIRE?!"
Everyone in the tavern stared, mouths agape, at the man sitting at the bar.
"You're retiring? Vice-Admiral Garp, how is that possible?" the village mayor, Woop Slap, asked, hobbling forward with his cane. "You've been a Marine your whole life!"
"To hell with the Marines, Mayor," another man slurred, clearly drunk, as he raised his glass. "That grandson of his, Luffy, he showed the whole world the rot at the Navy's core!"
"And his father, Dragon, founded the Spark Alliance! Mr. Garp must be planning to leave the Navy and join them!" another villager shouted.
"That has to be it, right?!" a man yelled, throwing an arm around Garp's neck in his excitement.
The idea caught fire. Others raised their glasses, their voices rising in a chorus.
"That's right! Mr. Garp is going to join the Spark Alliance! He'll be their Commander-in-Chief!"
"It makes perfect sense! He never wanted to be an Admiral because of those Celestial Dragon scumbags!"
The atmosphere grew wilder, the speculation evolving from Garp joining the Alliance to him leading the charge to overthrow the World Government and personally bury the Celestial Dragons.
"Gahahahaha!" Garp roared with laughter, not even bothering to shrug off the man clinging to him. "No, no. This time, I'm retiring completely. I'm not joining the Navy, and I'm not joining the Spark Alliance."
"EHHHH?!" A collective groan of surprise and disappointment filled the tavern.
Just then, the door to the bar was kicked open with a loud BANG! A formidable figure stood silhouetted in the doorway.
"GARP, YOU BASTARD! YOU DARE SHOW YOUR FACE HERE?!"
The woman who had just called the Hero of the Marines a bastard was broad-shouldered, with curly orange hair, a white shirt, and dark green plaid pants. A cigarette dangled from her lips. From the unsteady way she held the bottle of booze in her hand, it was clear she was very drunk.
Behind her, several men appeared, frantically trying to restrain her.
"Boss Dadan, please calm down!"
"If you actually hit Vice-Admiral Garp, we'll all be thrown in jail! People die in there, Boss!"
"But... but I heard he retired..."
...
"SO WHAT IF HE RETIRED?! You think we're afraid of his Navy rank? THAT MAN'S FISTS CAN KILL PEOPLE!"
"So annoying!" Dadan roared, shaking off her men with a powerful shrug. She raised her bottle and pointed it at Garp as she staggered toward him. "You bastard! Not only did you let them take Ace to be executed, but you stood by and did nothing while Luffy tried to save him!"
"THEY ARE YOUR GRANDSONS!" she screamed, her voice cracking. "I'm going to teach you a lesson today, you miserable old man!"
"If it weren't for Luffy and Sabo..." At the mention of the name, Dadan's aggressive tirade suddenly froze. Her expression softened.
"Sabo's a bastard too," she mumbled, her voice thick with emotion. "He grew up so big and strong, and never once thought about coming home."
"And Luffy and Ace... those two heartless brats, they..." Her shoulders began to shake.
"It's so great that they're still alive!"
With that, Dadan collapsed onto the floor and began to cry, her tough facade completely shattered.
Looking at the strangely touching scene, Garp couldn't help but grin.
"Long time no see, Dadan."
"Those three little brats definitely learned a thing or two from you."