Onigumo's mouth hadn't closed since he saw Garp.
How should he describe what had just happened?
Absurd? Or just a coincidence?
"You mean to say that Vice Admiral Garp came to Baterilla Island mainly to pick up his daughter? That he only took charge of the search operation because it was convenient, since he happened to be here?"
"Vice Admiral Onigumo is absolutely right."
Michael nodded.
He truly hadn't expected Onigumo's ability to jump to conclusions to be even sharper than his own blade!
Michael didn't even need to waste any breath to mislead him—Onigumo had already managed to fool himself!
Suddenly, Michael felt a little empty inside.
He'd spent the whole night polishing dozens of flawless lines of dialogue, and in the end, hadn't used a single one...
Garp, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, walked out from the guest room.
"Oh, Onigumo, have you guys finished your search for the night?"
"Yes. We've already gathered information on every pregnant woman on Baterilla Island who's due soon," Onigumo said as he gestured, "As for the CP spies, I've had people watching them closely. They haven't dared cause trouble for the civilians."
After speaking, he handed the compiled documents over to Garp.
Could Garp even read this stuff?
Normally, all the reports from the G3 base he was stationed at were handled by his adjutant, Bogard.
So Garp quickly waved his hand, signaling Onigumo to put the documents away.
"I know everyone's worked hard on this. This mission is extremely important. We have to complete it while preserving the Navy's reputation..." he said, then turned and shouted toward the master bedroom, "Rouge, are you ready? If you are, come out and register with the Navy."
Onigumo was stunned on the spot. After a long pause, he finally asked:
"V-Vice Admiral Garp, are you saying… your daughter is also pregnant?"
"Yep. Rouge is already eight months along! She used to live with Dragon, but some scumbag tricked her into coming to Baterilla Island!"
Michael quickly chimed in.
Half-truths are the most convincing lies.
A brute like Onigumo, who only knew how to fight, was completely at a loss for words.
At that moment, the door to the master bedroom slowly opened.
A woman with hair exactly the same shade as Michael's stepped out gracefully, clearly eight or nine months pregnant.
Onigumo's first thought was…
What a beautiful woman. Too bad she's already pregnant—and Vice Admiral Garp's daughter at that...
His second thought was that she looked remarkably similar to the late Pirate King's widow, based on the information provided by CP.
But upon closer inspection, her facial structure was slightly different, and her features even more refined.
Most importantly...
How could Vice Admiral Garp possibly allow his daughter to marry the Pirate King!
That thought alone was enough for Onigumo to dismiss all suspicion.
He didn't notice the sly curves tugging at the corners of Michael and Garp's mouths.
They'd pulled it off!
...
Three days later, Marine Headquarters.
"Garp! The search on Baterilla Island ended this quickly?"
"What else did you expect?" Garp glanced unceremoniously at Sengoku, who'd come to the dock to receive him, digging in his nose with one hand.
"It was just about finding a pregnant woman. If we didn't find her, we didn't find her... Besides, they're not stupid. Roger may be dead and the crew disbanded, but would Rayleigh and Gaban really leave Roger's widow unprotected?"
Garp didn't hesitate to pin the failure of the operation on Rayleigh and Gaban.
Anyway, those two probably wouldn't mind taking the blame for their captain!
Sengoku had already received the report that Onigumo had sent him ahead of time.
It seemed Roger's widow wasn't a fool. The moment she saw the Marines land, she likely fled with Rayleigh's help.
But Sengoku hadn't come to the dock just to ask about the mission.
He was curious about Garp's allegedly pregnant daughter.
"I heard from Onigumo that you had another reason for going to Baterilla Island besides overseeing the operation..."
"You already heard from Onigumo?" Garp slowly withdrew his hand, sighed, and looked utterly helpless.
"Sigh, kid's got no mom—it's a long story."
"Then keep it short!"
"Basically, my daughter Rouge had always been living with Dragon. But some time ago, she got in touch with me. That's when I found out she'd moved to Baterilla Island... and had been abandoned by some bastard!"
"...Wait, hold on—how did things turn out like this?" Sengoku rubbed his temples. "And then?"
"And then I decided to go bring my girl back! I even talked with Michael about finding that scumbag and smashing his head in! Just then, you contacted me through the Den Den Mushi to have me go to Baterilla for the search mission! So I figured I'd hitch a convenient ride."
After finishing, Garp turned to look behind him at Michael, who was helping Rouge disembark from the Vice Admiral's flagship.
"Easy, easy! Michael, be careful with my grandchild!"
"Enough, old man! Don't you think you're overreacting!? You already made us avoid full speed at sea, and now I'm practically moving in slow motion to support Rouge! And you're still telling me to slow down!"
Michael rolled his eyes. Hearing Rouge's soft laugh next to his ear only made him feel more exasperated.
A while later, Michael finally helped Rouge over to Sengoku.
Even under Sengoku's discreet scrutiny, Rouge remained composed and elegant the whole time, betraying not a single flaw.
Especially when she addressed Garp as "Father"—there was no hesitation, no guilt, just calm assurance.
Garp smiled so hard the wrinkles nearly swallowed his eyes.
"Don't tell me this is really your daughter—Dragon's sister!" Sengoku shook his head in disbelief.
"Impossible. How could you have such a pretty daughter!?"
"That's none of your business. Anyway, you know I'd never lie to you." Garp was as shameless as ever.
"Nice to meet you, Admiral Sengoku. My name is Monkey D. Rouge. I've been raised by my brother since I was born."
Compared to Garp, Rouge was far more courteous.
"Still... Rouge, how far along are you?" Sengoku glanced at her belly. "While living on Baterilla Island, did you ever come in contact with the Pirate King's widow?"
"Of course. That family's surname was Portgas. As for her first name, I don't know. Our relationship was too superficial for us to exchange names."
Rouge's answer was flawless. Even Sengoku couldn't find a single fault in it.
"Old man, aren't you talking a bit much?"
Michael, standing to the side, muttered:
"Bombarding Rouge with questions when she's pregnant—careful I report you for misconduct!"
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