Time rewound—back to the very same night Gern Reginald Sigmar arrived alone on Baterilla Island.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The lights in the Fleet Admiral's office blazed brightly against the darkness outside.
Sengoku stood by the window, a freshly delivered intelligence report clenched in his hand, his brows drawn tight in a deep frown.
Suddenly—
Bang!
The office door was thrown open with a deafening crash.
Sengoku turned around to see Garp striding in with heavy steps. His Marine coat was still damp with the salty tang of sea wind—clear evidence that he'd rushed back through the night.
"Still working this late, Sengoku?" Garp grinned broadly.
He casually pulled out a bag of senbei he'd apparently stashed in Sengoku's office long ago and tossed it onto the desk."Eat something. Keeps you awake."
Sengoku shot a glance at the senbei but didn't reach for them. His voice was low and grave.
"Garp. You're finally back."
"Mission's been terminated," Garp shrugged as he dropped onto the sofa and crossed his legs."Heard there was an emergency at HQ, so I sped back. What happened?"
Sengoku took a slow breath and handed him the report.
"Read it yourself."
Garp accepted the document, his eyes quickly scanning the contents—information gathered over the past few days by CP units and the Marine intelligence network.
The grin on his face gradually froze.
His fingers tightened unconsciously, the paper crinkling faintly in his grip.
"…Roger.""The Roger Pirates… disbanded?" His voice sank, disbelief heavy in every word.
"That bastard…""What the hell is he thinking?"
"That's exactly what concerns us," Sengoku said as he stepped closer, his gaze behind the lenses sharp as a blade."A man who has just become the 'Pirate King'—why would he suddenly disband his crew?
"The World Government suspects he's uncovered some kind of extremely dangerous secret. Something that could threaten the very balance of the world."
"No," Garp said after a brief silence. He tossed the file back onto the desk and snorted."Those old fossils in the World Government always love to overthink things.
"The guy might just be tired. Maybe he wants to settle down somewhere and retire."
"Retire?" Sengoku's brow furrowed deeply."Garp, you know Roger better than anyone. Does he look like the kind of man who would just give up?"
Garp's eyes flickered for a moment—then he burst out laughing.
"Who knows? Maybe he achieved his dream and decided that was enough!""Didn't Zephyr do the same?"
"How is that the same thing?!" Sengoku snapped, his pupils shrinking sharply."And even after retiring, Zephyr stayed behind to train the next generation!
"Are you saying Roger plans to retire and cultivate the next age of great pirates?!"
"Hey, hey, Sengoku," Garp waved his hand casually."I was joking!
"But honestly… based on what I know of Roger, he really might retire."
Sengoku stared at him, trying to read something—anything—from Garp's face.
But there was only the same old carefree expression.
"…Sigh." After a moment, Sengoku exhaled deeply."No matter what, the Marines must locate Roger as soon as possible.
"If he truly holds some kind of secret, we can't afford to ignore it."
"Alright," Garp said as he stood and stretched lazily."Since you're this worried, I'll help out—reluctantly.
"I've been chasing that guy for half my life anyway! Hahahaha!"
He paused, a complicated look flashing through his eyes.
"But… if you do find Roger, what are you planning to do with him?"
Sengoku's reply was cold and absolute.
"Kill him on sight."
Garp's smile stiffened for an instant—then quickly returned.
"Damn cold, Sengoku."
"It's our duty," Sengoku said, turning his back to him."Garp, I hope you understand. No matter what the past was—right now, we are Marines.
"And Roger… is a pirate."
Garp didn't answer.
He walked over to the window and gazed out toward the distant horizon.
In the darkness, waves battered the reefs below, producing dull, rhythmic echoes.
"Sengoku," Garp suddenly spoke, his voice low."Let the kid—Gern—come with me."
"That brat's got nothing to do at HQ anyway."
"…G-Gern."At the mention of Gern, Sengoku stiffened, rubbing his temples.
Garp blinked, frowning as well."What? You don't want him to?"
"It's not that I don't want to—" Sengoku's voice turned weary."You're the one who came back in his place!"
"Huh?!" Garp froze, momentarily dumbfounded—then suddenly panicked."Wait, wait! He didn't beat my son half to death and run away, did he?!
"That bastard didn't say we'd gang up on Kong together—?!"
Seeing Garp's frantic expression, Sengoku tugged at the corner of his mouth and cut him off.
"It's not that complicated. That guy just disappeared somewhere.
"On the returning warship, he even had Ribo and the others claim he was on board!
"Kong nearly lost his mind over it! That's why he had no choice but to urgently recall you!"
"…Is that so?" Garp scratched his head and chuckled."Yeah, that really does sound like something he'd do."
As long as his son was fine, he wasn't particularly worried about anything else.
"Garp," Sengoku said solemnly."Roger's situation is in your hands.
"You're the only one in the Marines who stands a real chance of finding him. And…"
"It won't be like that," Garp interrupted, his gaze deep, as if piercing the night itself."That guy might be a pirate—but he's not some power-hungry schemer."
Sengoku's frown deepened further."Garp… just how much do you know?"
"I don't know anything," Garp shook his head, a faint, bitter smile appearing."It's just… intuition.
"When it comes to Roger."
Silence fell over the office.
Outside, the wind picked up, whipping the curtains into a sharp flutter.
"Garp," Sengoku finally said, breaking the quiet."I'm counting on you.
"And I suspect that Gern is still somewhere in the first half of the Grand Line—or maybe even in one of the Four Seas.
"That guy's actions are always too reckless," Sengoku said heavily."If you run into him along the way and discover that—"
"Discover what?"
"—that he's secretly fooling around with the Snake Princess of Amazon Lily—then throw him straight into the sea for me!
"Knock some sense into that bastard!!!"
"Hahahaha!" Garp burst out laughing."Sengoku, you really do love the gossip columns!"
He clapped his hands together."Fine. It's been a while since I stretched my muscles anyway.
"But—" He pointed at the senbei on the desk."You'd better finish those. Don't waste food.
"You're already this busy. I can't even imagine how insane it'll be once you officially become Fleet Admiral."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sengoku sighed helplessly and finally reached out for a senbei."Just hurry up and get going. Time won't wait."
"Then I'll go get ready!" Garp laughed loudly as he turned and strode toward the door.