Windmill Village dock.
"I'm back."
Without taking much time, Kai had returned here.
"Kai! How did the battle go?"
Yamato jumped down from the deck excitedly, very curious about the outcome.
Everyone on the Rayquaza also looked on expectantly.
Kai chuckled lightly: "Ace can come with us."
"Oh!"
The ship instantly erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
Although Kai didn't say it explicitly, the result was obviously that Kai had gained a slight advantage.
Some were happy, others sad.
The Marines on the dog-head warship, seeing only Kai return alone, were both anxious and angry.
"Natural Disaster Kai, what did you do to Vice Admiral Garp?"
Bogard gripped his sword hilt, clearly ready to draw at the slightest disagreement.
"Relax, he's fine, just injured a little."
Kai shrugged casually.
Hearing this, Bogard couldn't be bothered to fight with Kai and immediately ordered the ship's doctor to follow him to retrieve Garp.
The remaining Marines were also given strict orders by Bogard not to attack Kai.
"Boys, let's set off!"
Kai paid no more attention to the Marines, turned back to the Rayquaza, and commanded loudly.
This time, no one stopped him.
When Bogard brought people to Garp's side, they found the old man lying on the ground sleeping soundly.
Seeing this, Bogard breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Garp's injuries were serious, he was obviously not in mortal danger.
"Quick, feed the Vice Admiral." Bogard commanded.
"Yes!"
The marines followed orders.
They split into two teams... one to bandage Garp, one to feed him food.
Garp wasn't idle either, blowing snot bubbles while sleeping and instinctively eating based on subconscious reflexes.
The next day.
Garp had completely recovered his energy and spirit.
The first thing he did was...
"No! Let go of me! I don't want to be a Marine! I want to become Pirate King!"
Luffy was like a bristling kitten.
Garp grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, walking all the way toward the dog-head warship.
Luffy, caught by the scruff of fate's neck, desperately resisted but still couldn't escape Garp's iron fist suppression.
"Fist of Love."
Garp struck down without mercy.
Children who don't listen are usually lacking in discipline... one punch should fix that.
Sure enough, Luffy immediately fell into baby-like sleep.
As Luffy's fate diverged onto another path, the seas were also stirred by today's news.
""SHOCKING! The Pirate King's Successor Appears?""
On the Rayquaza's deck, Kai looked at the freshly printed World Economic News, his face darkening halfway as his teeth ground audibly: "Morgans, you damn bird!"
This headline was slandering him!
In the actual report, Morgans didn't claim he defeated Garp, only that he escaped unscathed from Garp's hands.
But this bird actually compared his yesterday's achievements to the historical feat of Garp chasing Roger around.
The impression given was:
Roger escaped unscathed from Garp's hands.
Kai also escaped unscathed from Garp's hands.
Therefore, Roger = Kai.
Kai finally understood what was meant by "a blade that kills without drawing blood."
At the same time, Kai's bounty began to skyrocket, jumping directly to a massive 1 billion berries.
Completely surpassing Queen.
Queen would probably throw a tantrum for several days.
"Damn it!"
The newspaper in Queen's hand was completely crumpled into a ball, the fat on his face trembling.
"How did this kid's bounty rise so fast!"
This was the only area where I could find superiority over that brat!
No way, I need to work harder to develop more and more terrifying virus bombs.
King showed no surprise: "Given that Kai can stand toe-to-toe with Garp, this bounty makes perfect sense."
Being part of their crew, he naturally had access to the real details of what transpired during the fight.
It was that title that drew glances toward Kaido.
"Worororo..."
Kaido drank while crying dramatically: "Garp, you old bastard, have gotten weak!"
Well, Mr. Kaido apparently didn't mind.
Somewhere in the New World.
The increasingly powerful Red Hair Pirates began large-scale territorial conquest.
This was one such battlefield.
"Divine Departure!"
A fierce, massive slash instantly cleared the battlefield.
Shanks swung his final strike, ending this war.
During the rest period, Beckman approached Red Hair, who was sitting on a rock resting, with a newspaper.
"That young man from the Beast Pirates has caused another commotion."
Shanks took it and looked. Just seeing the headline, he burst into laughter: "Hahaha, Morgans is as good as ever at writing headlines."
But as he continued reading, his expression grew serious.
Not because of the so-called Pirate King successor, but because he saw the battlefield where Kai fought Garp.
"Windmill Village?"
Shanks frowned.
Luffy, Roger's successor he had his eye on, was right there.
Beckman immediately sensed his captain's thoughts and exhaled a smoke ring: "Should we contact Windmill Village? We'll keep it hidden... the Marines won't know."
Shanks was silent for a moment, his gaze turning toward the distant sea, finally shaking his head slowly: "The main battlefield wasn't in Windmill Village, plus with Garp there, Luffy and the others should be fine."
Besides, contacting them now would be too late.
If Luffy truly was the person the captain was waiting for, naturally nothing would happen to him.
Better to wait and see.
Somewhere in the New World seas.
Moby Dick.
The Whitebeard Pirates' members were also discussing today's news.
"Morgans is getting more and more unreliable, calling out 'Pirate King successor'... only our Pops can become Pirate King!"
"That's right! I think he should just be called 'Mor-Nonsense'!"
The deck was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Whitebeard sat majestically in his giant exclusive chair, an IV drip in his arm, holding that same newspaper, a barely perceptible sadness flashing across his face.
Garp was beginning his curtain call.
His turn was coming soon too.
He knew his own body... peak condition was getting further and further away.
These past few years, Whitebeard could feel his increasing powerlessness.
Old injuries from his youth were beginning to recur, even forcing him to start using medication to maintain his body.
But how long he could maintain it, he didn't know.
How much longer could this ship of the old era continue sailing?
Marco, who was examining Whitebeard's body, seemed to sense his old man's melancholy and called out worriedly in a soft voice: "Pops?"
"Hm? What is it, Marco?"
Whitebeard instantly buried his sorrowful emotions deep in his heart, putting on his usual heroic smile.
"Nothing, I wanted to say, Pops, your body is recovering well."
Marco smiled after finishing his examination of Whitebeard's body.
"Gurarara! Of course it is!" Whitebeard laughed heartily: "I still need to see you all get married!"
"Marco would have to get married first!"
"Is there really someone who'd like that pineapple head?"
The division commanders immediately started joking, and the ship was filled with laughter again.
Back to the Rayquaza.
"I have to train with them?"
Ace pointed at Sanji and Zoro, hands on his hips, somewhat proud: "I don't need those childish exercises."
"I want to get stronger quickly!"
Although he was only fifteen this year, he had already defeated every opponent throughout the mountains of the Goa Kingdom.
Those fierce wild beasts were no match for him at all, only becoming food for his belly.
This seemingly boring basic training before him made him feel like he was wasting time.