Luffy practically crawled to Garp's side, lifting his head to gaze at his grandfather's face, which was shrouded in shadow. His voice trembled as he spoke.
"Grandpa…"
The restrained Bogard cried out in anguish.
"Vice Admiral Garp!!!"
Lindbergh surveyed the devastated surroundings, his eyes filled with sorrow as he took in the countless Revolutionary Army soldiers lying in pools of blood.
They had initially planned to develop their strength in the East Blue under the radar, but things had turned out like this instead.
Gildeo spoke solemnly.
"Lind, we can't stay here any longer. Garp's status in the Navy is too important. If word of his death reaches them, they'll send more than one Admiral to the East Blue. With our current strength, we can't stand against them!"
Lindbergh understood the gravity of the situation. He had never intended to fight Garp in the first place because, no matter the outcome, the Revolutionary Army would gain nothing from it.
Now, even after throwing everything they had at him, they had only eked out a bitter victory. And despite winning, they still had to flee—what kind of victory was that?
The frustration in Lindbergh's heart was almost unbearable.
Up ahead, Luffy remained frozen, staring blankly at Garp. Nami ran over and pulled him into an embrace.
Luffy finally came back to his senses slightly and asked in a low voice,
"Nami, how are Chopper and the others?"
Nami softly reassured him,
"Don't worry, they're not in danger. They just passed out from their injuries."
Luffy gave a small nod but then choked out,
"But my grandpa… he…"
Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed uncontrollably down his face.
Seeing Luffy drowning in grief, Nami felt both heartache and relief—an odd contradiction. Because to her, Luffy's pain proved that he was still himself and not merely a laughing Joy Boy. Even when that smile appeared on his face, it only unsettled her.
At that moment, Lindbergh walked over and repeated Gildeo's words to Luffy, emphasizing that they needed to leave immediately.
Luffy, however, remained silent, simply staring at Garp. Lindbergh seemed to understand what was on his mind and said,
"This is your grandfather's homeland. Let him rest here. There will be people to take care of his body. We don't have time—we have to go now, Luffy!"
Nami tugged at Luffy's sleeve. He turned away, his movements sluggish and unsteady as he stumbled toward the retreating Revolutionary Army forces.
Just as he reached them, Bogard suddenly struggled and shouted at him in fury,
"You bastard! How could Vice Admiral Garp have a grandson like you?! Even now, you're still this blind?!"
Luffy's vacant eyes met Bogard's, but before he could respond, Lindbergh swiftly stepped in, striking Bogard on the back of the head and knocking him unconscious.
Then, with a heavy heart, Lindbergh gave the order for a full retreat.
After some time had passed, the younger residents of Foosha Village, led by Mayor Woop Slap, cautiously approached the site of the battle.
When they saw the devastation before them—corpses littering the ground like the aftermath of an earthquake—their faces turned pale with fear.
Suddenly, one of them pointed ahead with a horrified expression.
"Look! Isn't that Vice Admiral Garp?!"
At those words, Woop Slap rushed forward with his group. Staring at Garp's unmoving body, an ominous premonition filled his heart. Trembling, he reached out to check Garp's breath.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.
A few young men stepped forward, intending to move Garp's body, but Woop Slap shouted at them in alarm,
"Don't touch him! Quick! Go get the Navy!"
The villagers immediately grasped the severity of the situation. Some fell to their knees, wailing,
"Mr. Garp!!!"
Others sprinted off in different directions—some to the nearest Marine base, others back to the village to call for help.
Before long, the entire village had gathered at the scene. The moment they saw Garp, drenched in blood, cries of anguish filled the air. The elderly, the women, the children—all of them wept.
Even though Garp was a high-ranking Vice Admiral, he had never put on airs. Thanks to his presence, Foosha Village had enjoyed decades of peace, even amidst the chaos of the Great Pirate Era.
Even after being sent to Impel Down for his connection to Dragon, the people of Foosha Village had never stopped respecting him.
Among the crowd, Makino clutched her mouth tightly, her eyes brimming with tears as her entire body trembled.
She couldn't accept it. Just moments ago, that old man had been sitting in her bar, drinking. That hero of the Navy—the pride of Foosha Village—was now nothing more than a lifeless corpse.
Not long after, a large Marine force arrived, led by a Marine Colonel from a nearby branch.
When he and his men laid eyes on Garp's body, their reactions mirrored those of the villagers. None of them could believe, or accept, that Garp was truly dead.
The Colonel, forcing himself to stay composed, ordered his men to photograph the scene and record evidence. Then, with his own hands, he tried to gently lay Garp's body flat.
Four medics rushed forward with a stretcher and carefully lifted Garp onto it before draping a white cloth over him.
Every Marine present saluted in unison. And at that sight, the men who had been holding back their tears could no longer restrain themselves. They wept like children.
...
Marineford
Sengoku had just finished teaching a class on naval warfare strategy. After dismissing the cadets, he stepped out of the classroom alone.
These days, Sengoku served as the director of education at the Naval Academy. Compared to his days as Fleet Admiral, he looked drastically different now.
His hair had turned gray, and he wore a light blue short-sleeved shirt, his Marine cloak draped loosely over his shoulders. Paired with his knee-length shorts and sandals, his entire demeanor screamed nonchalance.
Standing outside the classroom, Sengoku furrowed his brow. A sudden, inexplicable unease washed over him.
Shaking his head, he muttered to himself,
"Tch. I must be getting old. Still some time left before the day's over—I'll go visit Zephyr."
With that, he set off toward Zephyr's office.
Reaching the door, he didn't bother knocking and simply pushed it open.
Zephyr, still occupied with paperwork, glanced up at him and instinctively pulled out two bags of rice crackers from his drawer, tossing them over.
Sengoku grinned, catching the snacks as he strolled toward the couch and sat down.
"Now, that's what I like about you, Zephyr. Unlike that old bastard Garp—he always steals my rice crackers! Hah, but for some reason, these don't taste quite the same."
Zephyr chuckled wryly.
"They're the same ones from the logistics department. What's the difference? I think you just miss Garp."
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