The Grand Line was a tapestry of contradictions, a place of breathtaking beauty and unspeakable danger. On a relatively calm stretch of sea, a Marine battleship cut through the waves, its white sails bearing the insignia of justice. On its deck, two figures stood in silence, their minds worlds apart despite their proximity.
Vice Admiral Garp, the "Hero of the Marines," leaned against the railing, his weathered face turned towards the horizon. He had read the newspaper that morning, just like everyone else.
The headline had felt like a physical blow, a sucker punch to the gut. He had crushed the paper in his grip, the image of his son's face, now labeled the world's most wanted terrorist, burning in his mind.
Beside him, Admiral Kuzan, known to many as Aokiji, stood with his hands in his pockets, his usual lazy posture belying the sharp intellect working behind his half-lidded eyes.
He, too, had seen the news. He had read it with a growing sense of unease, a feeling that had only solidified his recent, life altering decision.
Their destination was Water 7. Their mission, as per their orders from Sengoku, was to apprehend the Straw Hat Pirates. The crew that had declared war on the World Government at Enies Lobby.
A straightforward task, on the surface. But the news about Germa and Dragon had cast a long, dark shadow over their assignment.
Garp finally broke the silence, his voice a low grumble. "Three and a half billion berries... Hah! They've really outdone themselves this time."
Kuzan didn't turn, but his voice drifted over, cool and measured. "It's a statement, Garp san. Not just a bounty. They're not just trying to capture Dragon. they're trying to erase his ideology."
"Don't talk to me about ideology," Garp snapped, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the railing. "I know what that paper says. 'Reign of Terror.' 'Annihilated.' It's a pack of lies. All of it."
Kuzan finally turned his head, looking at the legendary Marine with a curious expression. "You don't believe Dragon is capable of this?"
"Capable? Maybe," Garp admitted, his voice heavy. "My boy... he's always had a fire in him. A conviction that could burn the world down if he let it. But willing? Never. Dragon doesn't slaughter kingdoms for show. He undermines them. He exposes their corruption. He turns their own people against them.But This... this is a butcher's work. It's messy, loud, and serves no purpose but to make people afraid."
He slammed a fist on the railing. "It is not his style. It is the style of World Government."
Garp's inner monologue was a storm of conflict. 'Dragon, my son... a terrorist king? The boy who cried for the slaves he saw in the Holy Land, who raged against the nobles who treated human life like a commodity? They're painting him as a monster to justify their own monstrous plans. They want everyone to look at Dragon and see a demon, so they won't see the devils sitting on the on top of the world. And I... I'm supposed to be their loyal dog, hunting down my own grandson's crew while they drag my son's name through the mud. What a sick joke.'
Kuzan listened to Garp's outburst, his expression unreadable. He had always respected Garp's moral compass, even if he didn't always agree with his methods. This raw, paternal anger was something new, something that cut through the layers of Marine bureaucracy and right to the heart of the matter.
'So Garp san sees it too' Kuzan thought, his gaze drifting back to the endless blue sea. He knows this is a fabrication. The question is, what will he do about it? He's a hero, a symbol. Can he turn his back on that, even for the sake of his own blood? I did. I walked away because I couldn't stomach the "Absolute Justice" that was becoming anything but. But Garp... he's been fighting this fight for longer than I've been alive. Is it even possible for him to walk away from this?
"The world is changing, Garp san," Kuzan said softly. "Faster than any of us can keep up. The lines are blurring. Pirates, revolutionaries, Marines... it's getting harder to tell who the real enemy is?"
"The enemy is anyone who hurts the innocent!" Garp roared, turning to face Kuzan, his eyes blazing. "That's the one constant! That's what justice is supposed to be! Not this... political gamesmanship! Not framing your enemies for crimes they didn't commit to start a war!"
He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm himself. "They're using this as a pretext, Aokiji. A pretext to crack down on anyone who disagrees with them. To tighten their grip on the world."
"And what are we, if not their enforcers?" Kuzan asked, his question hanging in the air between them, heavy and dangerous. "We're sailing to Water 7 right now to capture a group of pirates who, for all their faults, saved a country from a corrupt government. Are we the heroes in this story, or are we just the villains in a different chapter?"
The question struck Garp like a physical blow. He had no answer.
The Straw Hat Pirates... Luffy's crew. They were everything the World Government feared: unpredictable, powerful, and loyal to a fault. They had declared war on the Government to save one of their own. Was that so different from what Dragon was fighting for? The methods were different, the scale was different, but the core... the core was the same. Defying a corrupt, absolute power.
'Luffy...' Garp thought, his heart aching. 'What am I supposed to do when I see you? Drag you in chains to Impel Down? Or turn a blind eye and let you sail on? Dragon fights the system from the outside. Luffy... he just breaks the system by existing in it. And I'm caught in the middle, a Marine who loves his pirate grandson and his revolutionary son more than the justice he's supposed to uphold.'
Kuzan watched the turmoil play out on Garp's face. He saw the weight of decades of service, the burden of a family legacy that stood in direct opposition to his career, and the crushing moral dilemma that the Germa situation had thrown into sharp relief.
Kuzan realized. 'The same one I was at. He can either be the Marine the World Government wants him to be, or he can be the man his family needs him to be. He can't be both anymore. Not after this.'
The battleship sailed on, the silence between the two powerful Marines more profound than any conversation. They were heading towards Water 7, towards a confrontation with the Straw Hat Pirates. But both men knew that the real battle, the battle for the soul of justice and the future of the world, was happening right here, right now, on this very deck.
Finally, Garp spoke, his voice quiet but resolute, filled with a weariness that went deeper than bone. "We have Finally reached Water 7."
He paused, looking out at the horizon again, his eyes filled with a complex mix of duty, regret, and a father's unwavering, impossible love.