Dragon, for reasons no one could fully explain, had chosen the road of opposing the World Government.
Ace went to sea… and became Whitebeard's "son."
And Luffy—misled by that red-haired bastard—had walked the path of becoming a pirate.
At last…
Just when Garp had stopped expecting anything…
Raifeng appeared.
Whether it was talent, temperament, or sheer potential—Raifeng matched everything Garp had ever wanted in a successor.
No.
He exceeded it.
So Garp had absolute confidence.
Within ten years, Raifeng would become an Admiral.
"Garp—give me a second. Let me calm down!"
Sengoku's voice practically cracked.
"I didn't mishear you, right?!"
"Your grandson Raifeng… is seven?!"
Sengoku was stunned.
What?!
In his wildest dreams, he never imagined the "heir" Garp was bragging about would be seven years old.
And yet Garp still dared to claim—without blinking—ten years to Admiral?
What did that mean?
It meant—
A Marine Admiral at seventeen.
That was a joke.
A bad one.
Sengoku's first reaction was immediate rejection.
Because if it wasn't wrong…
Then it was terrifying.
The Marines had never had a seventeen-year-old Admiral. Even Admirals under twenty-five were exceedingly rare.
An Admiral under twenty?
Impossible.
"Sengoku, that's why I said it," Garp replied, tone full of awe.
"If you haven't seen my grandson with your own eyes, you'll never understand."
"This world really does have talents that defy all logic."
"No…"
"Not talent."
"A monster. A genuine monster."
Garp sounded almost breathless—like even he still couldn't fully believe what he'd witnessed.
"S-So you're serious?"
Sengoku drew in a deep breath.
Even knowing Garp—his long-time comrade, the Marines' pillar, the legendary Hero—
Sengoku still couldn't accept it.
"Seven years old. Admiral in ten years…"
"You realize what that implies, right?"
"A Marine Admiral at seventeen!"
"What kind of insane joke is that?!"
Sengoku couldn't stop himself from challenging it.
Seventeen-year-old Admiral?
Absurd.
"No, you're misunderstanding me," Garp said.
Sengoku exhaled slightly, as if expecting Garp to finally walk it back.
"Good. At least you still have some sanity—"
But then—
Garp continued.
"What I said is within ten years, not after ten years."
"In other words, he'll reach Admiral-level before he turns seventeen."
"To put it plainly…"
"He could reach that level at sixteen."
"Or fifteen."
"Or even fourteen."
Sengoku went blank.
…What?
Sixteen?
Fifteen?
Fourteen-year-old Admiral?!
Was he hallucinating?
Or had Garp finally developed some kind of delusion?
"Garp," Sengoku said after a long pause, voice dead serious,
"are you out of your mind?"
He truly suspected something had happened that struck Garp so hard it broke his common sense.
Otherwise, how could Garp say something so outrageous?
"I've never been more calm," Garp snapped back.
"And I'm not joking. Not even a little."
"This time, my judgment won't be wrong."
"My grandson Raifeng has the capital to become a Marine Admiral within ten years."
"You might not be able to understand it yet…"
"But once I bring him back to Marineford, you'll understand."
"You'll see for yourself…"
"This world really does have monsters like that."
Garp's tone was unusually serious.
His confidence in Raifeng was absolute.
So were his expectations.
Maybe it was because his son had disappointed him.
And his grandsons had disappointed him too.
And then—
He saw Raifeng.
Like… hope, reborn.
And with Raifeng's terrifying talent as proof—
Garp believed it even more.
Before seventeen, Admiral-level.
If it were anyone else, Garp couldn't guarantee it.
But Raifeng?
Raifeng made him believe.
"Other people trying to do this…" Garp said slowly,
"would be nearly impossible."
"But if it's Raifeng…"
"He will do it."
A short silence.
Then Sengoku finally let out the only thing he could.
"…Then I'm looking forward to the day you bring him back to Marineford."
Garp's eyes gleamed.
"When you see him, you'll realize I haven't exaggerated anything."
"If anything…"
"I might still be underselling him."
The Den Den Mushi call ended.
Back in Marineford—
Sengoku set the Den Den Mushi down on his desk and leaned back in his chair, staring out the window at the sky beyond the railings.
Thoughts drifted.
In all the years he'd known Garp—
This was the first time Sengoku had heard him speak with such weight and certainty.
Garp's claim sounded outrageous.
But Sengoku knew him.
Garp wasn't the type to hype something for no reason.
If Garp was this confident…
There had to be a reason.
"So what is it…" Sengoku muttered, eyes narrowing,
"that makes you believe this much?"
"Your seven-year-old grandson… Raifeng."
"I don't know when you got another grandson."
But from your tone…
He really might be something terrifying.
Otherwise you wouldn't sound this… shaken.
Sengoku's expression shifted into genuine expectation.
Raifeng.
He couldn't wait to meet him.
He wanted to see what kind of kid could make Garp—of all people—declare:
"Admiral within ten years."
Seven years old.
Admiral before seventeen.
Was it even possible?
Right now, Sengoku still couldn't imagine it.
It was too far beyond common sense.
"Fine."
"Then let's wait and see."
…
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