[Big Mom Charlotte Linlin: Mmmmm, what a cute pet, the one called Chopper! I've decided to make you my treasure.]
[Chopper who loves to eat: Wow, am I being targeted by an Emperor of the New World?! Luffy, help!]
[Straw Hat Luffy: Hey, Chopper is my crew member! You're not allowed to take him away, or I'll beat you up!]
[Big Mom Charlotte Linlin: Mmmmm, you're a brave one, Straw Hat Boy. I'll be waiting.]
Chopper was deeply moved by Luffy standing up for him, but he couldn't help feeling worried about his captain provoking a Four Emperor. Thankfully, the system's voice cut in and drew everyone's attention.
"Ding! The Easter egg playback ends, and the official video begins."
The chatter on the broadcast quieted down as the main video began to play.
The scene shifted to Marineford. Ace knelt on the execution platform, shackled. Marshal Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp stood beside him. Below, over 100,000 elite Marine troops, the three admirals—Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji—and the five Warlords of the Sea—Boa Hancock, Mihawk, Moria, Doflamingo, and Kuma—waited.
Sengoku stepped forward. "Everyone, before the execution begins, I have something to say. It's about the significance of the man in front of me, Portgas D. Ace, dying here today!"
"Ace, say your father's name!"
"My father is Whitebeard!" Ace said calmly, taken by surprise.
Sengoku shook his head. "No! Tell me your real father's name!"
"My dad is Whitebeard!" Ace insisted.
Seeing that Ace would not reveal the name, Sengoku spoke directly to the masses. "At that time, we relied on a little intelligence and conducted a thorough investigation of newborn babies and their mothers, but we found nothing. This is normal, because your mother used her own life to keep you alive.
Your mother deceived the whole world! Your mother's name is Portgas D. Rouge. In order to keep you alive, she kept you in her womb for twenty months! So, the day you were born also became your mother's death day. And you have the most evil bloodline in the world. Because your biological father is the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
The entire world fell into a stunned silence.
[Queen: What?! That Fire Fist bastard who once caused havoc on the Ghost Island is actually the son of Pirate King Roger!]
[Buggy the Clown: Why? I've never heard that Captain Roger actually has a son.]
[Pluto Rayleigh: Roger's son? I can't just sit here and watch.]
[Big Mom Charlotte Linlin: Mmmmmmm, Pirate King Roger has a son? That Ace looks great. Do you want to marry my daughter?]
[Kaido: The son of the Pirate King will end up like his father. How sad. Ugh.]
[Civilian 1: It's terrifying that the blood of the Pirate King still exists in this world!]
[Civilian 2: This monster must be the next Roger! We can't let him survive!]
[Civilian 3: Admirals, you'll definitely win, right?!]
[Akainu Sakazuki: Pirates should not exist. Ace will definitely be executed.]
[Whitebeard Edward Newgate: Gurarara! That's impossible! I will take my son away!]
[Pirate King Roger: So, my son's name is Ace? Then, Rayleigh, Gaban... and Shanks, I'll leave it to you.]
The chat went from lively to dead silent. Everyone understood what Roger meant. He was calling on his former crew to rescue Ace. If that happened, the Marines would stand no chance.
The people Roger called upon immediately responded.
[Scopper Gaban: It's time to set sail.]
[Silvers Rayleigh: Do you still need to tell me this?]
[Colonel Mulian: Shanks, remember to pick me up.]
[Red-Haired Shanks: Don't worry.]
Seeing the former members of the Roger Pirates respond to their captain's request, the atmosphere at Marine Headquarters became grim. Sengoku glanced at the three admirals. "The situation is very serious now. The Whitebeard Pirates are already a difficult opponent. With the addition of Red-Haired and the legendary pirate group, I'm afraid our Navy will suffer a big setback this time."
"Kakararara," Kizaru chuckled. "Well, each of them is a famous pirate. It's truly scary."
Akainu snorted. "They are just a group of people who should have been eliminated by the times. There is no need to worry about them."
"That's enough, Garp. Stop eating your crackers!" Sengoku suddenly yelled. He looked at Garp with suspicion. "Oh, I remember. That Straw Hat Luffy seems to be your grandson. Is he going to save Ace too?"
Garp froze, but said nothing. Sengoku understood and punched him. "It's your bastard family again!"
The video continued to play. Sengoku finished his speech and announced that the execution would begin.
Suddenly...
"Ding! Question: Who saved Ace when he was a baby?"
"A. Scopper Gaban" "B. Colonel Mulian" "C. Rayleigh" "D. Garp"
"The quiz begins now!"
The answering system appeared again. Only a handful of people knew the correct answer. However, since the current punishment was not life-threatening, people's enthusiasm for answering was still high. After all, with a one-in-four chance of getting it right, many were willing to take the risk.
"Ding! The quick answer session is over. The candidates who have the chance to answer this time are: Vista, Garp, Marshall D. Teach, and Pudding."
[Coby: Wow, Vice Admiral Garp got the chance to answer the question!]
[Buggy the Clown: That's nothing. I just got second place. Hey, Vista, you'd better answer correctly!]
On the Moby Dick, Marco looked at Whitebeard. "Pops, do you know the answer? Who saved Ace?"
Whitebeard shook his head. "Vista," he said, looking at his subordinate. "You shouldn't be so impulsive. I don't know what the punishment will be if you're wrong."
"It's okay, Pops. I just want to see if this system is really that magical," Vista replied. "The people who got rewards and punishments haven't said anything. I want to verify it. If the system is telling the truth, then maybe your body can be cured, too."
Without a moment's hesitation, Vista gave his answer.
[Flower Vista: My answer is C, Rayleigh.]
"Ding! Vista answered incorrectly. Punishment: Lose one-fifth of your swordsmanship ability."
As the system announced the punishment, Vista felt a sudden emptiness, as if something had been ripped away from him. His understanding of swordsmanship felt weaker. He went to the stern of the ship and launched an attack at the sea, but as he expected, he only had half of his original strength.
Marco rushed over. "Vista, are you okay? I can't believe the system was telling the truth! It really punished you!"
The other crew members who witnessed the scene were silent, not knowing what to say. Vista shook his head. "I'm fine. My ability has just decreased. I can practice to get it back. But with my ability reduced, I'm afraid I'll be a drag on you in the next battle."
"What are you talking about, Vista?" Marco said. "We're brothers! How can you think you're a hindrance? You've helped us so much in the past!"
"Yeah!" others shouted.
"That's right!"
Vista was deeply moved by his crew's support. Whitebeard looked at all of his sons. "Gurararara! Alright, my sons. I only have one thing to ask of you. If you can ensure you answer correctly and get a reward, I hope you can ask the system to restore Vista's abilities."
"Pops! Thank you!" Vista said.
"We got it, Pops!" the crew said in unison.
"Don't worry, Pops!"
The atmosphere on the Moby Dick returned to normal. Now, all they cared about was finding a chance to answer a question to help their brother, Vista. They turned their attention back to the broadcast, waiting for the next answer.
It was Garp's turn to answer. He looked at the sky and slowly said his answer.
[Vice Admiral Garp: I choose myself. D. Garp.]
The broadcast chat erupted in shock.
[Coby: Did I hear that correctly? That Navy Hero, Garp... he chose himself?!]
[Civilian 1: This must be a mistake. How could it be Vice Admiral Garp?!]
[Civilian 2: But the one who answered was Vice Admiral Garp himself!]
[Civilian 3: What in the world is going on?]
The civilians couldn't believe Garp's answer and thought he had made a mistake. How could a Marine hero possibly save the son of the Pirate King? But the system quickly proved them wrong.
"Ding! Congratulations to Garp for answering correctly! Reward: Pegasus Meteor Fist."
Garp felt a surge of strength, and the description of the Pegasus Meteor Fist appeared in his mind. The move, a series of hundreds of punches a second that could eventually exceed the speed of light, had incredibly strong power.
Despite Garp's new power, Marine Headquarters was not happy. The officers never expected it was Garp who saved Ace. Pirates, on the other hand, burst into laughter.
[Golden Lion Shiki: Hahahahaha! Garp, you bastard! I can't believe you protected Fire Fist Ace!]
[Captain Wufeng Wang Zhi: Wuahahaha! That bastard Garp actually helped that bastard Roger raise his son! I'm dying of laughter!]
[Big Mom Charlotte Linlin: Mamamama! The legendary Navy hero actually helped the Pirate King! This is so funny!]
[Kaido: I say, Garp, why don't you just quit being a Marine and come work for me? Uh-huh-huh-huh.]
[Capone Bege: It's incredible that a Navy hero would save the Pirate King's son, maybe even raise him!]
[Doflamingo: Fufufufu, a dignified Navy hero helping the Pirate King raise his son! How interesting.]
[Golden Lion Shiki: Hahaha! Garp, you bastard, it seems you need to come out and explain why you did this. Oh, I suddenly remember that Straw Hat Luffy claimed to be Ace's younger brother... so he couldn't be Roger's son, could he?]
[Sky Island Monk Urouge: Oh my god! Is Straw Hat Luffy really Roger's son?]
[Marine 1: No wonder Vice Admiral Garp failed when he tried to capture the Straw Hat Pirates! Is this the reason?!]
[Pirate 1: Hahahaha! It's very possible! When he was chasing Roger, he was just pretending! Now he's arresting Straw Hat, he's still pretending!]
[Pirate 2: It seems his title as a Navy Hero is a lot of water.]
[Marine 2: Shut up! Don't you dare say that about Vice Admiral Garp! He is the hero of our Navy!]
[Marine 3: It's because of Vice Admiral Garp that this world is as it is now! Otherwise, pirates would have destroyed this world long ago!]
[Marine 4: But it's true that Vice Admiral Garp saved Fire Fist Ace and even raised him...]
[Marine 5: Vice Admiral Garp, why in the world are you doing this?!]
The broadcast was filled with questions from the Marines, who couldn't understand why their hero would do such a thing. Garp, however, offered no response.
At Marine Headquarters, Sakazuki glared at Garp. "Hmph, as a Marine, he helps pirates. How foolish," he growled. "But now that Fire Fist Ace has been captured, he should be executed as soon as possible. But just in case, don't let Garp get close to him."
Sengoku sighed. "No, the news of the execution has already been released. If we change it hastily, it may affect the credibility of the Navy."
Sakazuki sneered. "Didn't that thing just disappear? A hero of the Navy helps pirates. Who will still believe in our Navy now?"
Sengoku sighed, lost in thought, and looked at Garp, who remained silent, wondering what was going through his mind.
Suddenly, the broadcast began to play the answer to the quiz question.
The screen flashed through a series of rapid cuts, showing Garp and Roger fighting dozens of times over a short period. The battles seemed to build a strange friendship between the two men.
The scene then changed, shifting to the deep-sea prison of Impel Down twenty-two years ago. Garp, holding a kerosene lamp, entered a cell. He crossed his arms and looked at the man inside. "I don't understand why you chose to surrender."
Roger laughed. "I have my own reasons, but there's one thing that's been bothering me. Garp, can you help me?" Without waiting for an answer, Roger continued. "My child is about to be born. Unfortunately, I won't be in this world by then!"
Garp frowned. "I'm a Marine. There's no point in you telling me this. Roger, any woman who gets involved with you will never have a good ending."
Roger ignored his words, stood up, and looked at him. "They'll definitely track my whereabouts over the past year, but my child is innocent. Garp, save him. I believe in you."
"Don't dream! I won't help you!" Garp shouted, raising his voice in feigned anger.
"No, you will. Please."
Garp left without a word. For the next ten months, the Navy searched for the child, but they found nothing and had no choice but to give up. What they didn't know was that a mother had kept her child in her womb for twenty months to keep him alive. That mother was Ace's mother, Portgas D. Rouge. On the day she gave birth, Garp came to her. After giving birth, Rouge had just enough time to name the child "Ace" before she passed away.
[Civilian 1: How could she keep the child in her belly for twenty months? How could she do such a thing?]
[Civilian 2: She is so great. Even if she gave birth to the Pirate King's son, I cannot blame her.]
[Civilian 3: The power of a mother's love is truly amazing. This is simply a miracle.]
On the broadcast, many viewers praised Rouge's actions. Below the screen, Ace, in his prison cell, saw the video of his mother. Watching her deep love for him, he couldn't help but burst into tears. "Mother…"
After a while, the conversation on the broadcast shifted from Rouge to Garp and Roger.
[Civilian 6: Why are you all so moved? He is the son of Pirate King Roger! He has the worst bloodline in the world and shouldn't exist.]
[Civilian 7: That's right. And because of this woman, Batlila suffered. So many innocent pregnant women and children were killed.]
[Civilian 8: But that's clearly the fault of the Navy and the World Government. Why are you blaming a woman?]
[Civilian 9: But this is because she was pregnant with the Pirate King's child, and the Navy and World Government were only trying to ensure the world's stability.]
The broadcast was filled with different opinions, with each side convinced they were in the right. Some Marines watched the civilians' conversation and began to question their own actions, not knowing if they were right or wrong.
Then, some pirates started speaking.
[Big Mom Charlotte Linlin: Well, you Marines are no different from us pirates now, are you?]
[Charlotte Katakuri: Mom, I'm afraid even we pirates wouldn't do such a thing.]
[Kaido: That's right. And this time, it's just like the previous O'Hara incident. It's happened twice. I wonder if there will be a next time, uh-huh-huh.]
[Captain Wufeng Wang Zhi: Garp, that bastard, actually did this! I'm not surprised at all.]
[Doflamingo: Fufufufufu, interesting, truly interesting.]
[Golden Lion Shiki: Hahahahaha! Garp, you bastard, you Marines are really something else! Some of your methods are even more cruel than pirates.]
[Queen: What the Navy did was even more outrageous than what pirates do. Hahahaha! I'm dying of laughter!]
[Kizaru: I can't explain this clearly. What should I do now, Mr. Garp?]
[Aokiji: Okay, just shut up for now.]
[Squard: Ace is actually Roger's son! Ah, damn! Why is this?!]
On the Moby Dick, Squard rushed to Whitebeard, his eyes filled with anger. "Pops, you knew all along and didn't tell us anything! I watched the video before and thought the Navy was framing Ace. But this video proves he's really Pirate King Roger's son. Pops, why is this happening?"
"Squard, calm down! What's wrong with you?" Marco said, immediately stepping in to stop him. The other crew members rushed to separate the two.
"Squard, what are you doing?"
"This is Pops! How can you talk to him like that?"
Whitebeard motioned for his sons to step back. He told Squard to come forward. "Squard, you and Ace are both my sons."
"So you're going to treat me like this for your other son?" Squard's voice cracked. "Pops, you obviously knew that all my former crew members were killed by Roger's crew. You know how much I hate Roger. But why, why didn't you tell me that Roger's son was on the ship? And I was on good terms with him for two or three years! Why?!"