Marine Headquarters, Roy's Office
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the room, casting mottled silhouettes on the floor. Roy gently closed the shell of the Transponder Snail, his gaze on the distant sea horizon, a slight smile on his lips. "Shusui is in hand. That kid Zoro... should be satisfied."
At the long table, Garp was crunching on rice crackers with a "crack, crack," accompanied by a large gulp of hot tea, still managing to laugh and curse. "Three-Sword Style? The moss-head kid has a lot of ambition. Hahaha—"
Roy chuckled lightly but didn't respond. He just walked to the window and quietly stared in the direction of the Marineford port, his thoughts like a churning tide.
Garp put down his teacup, the smile on his face gradually fading. His deep gaze fell on Roy, and after a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "Roy, you... are you moving too fast?"
The air in the room seemed to freeze at that moment. Roy had his back to the old man, his figure slightly pausing, his tone calm. "Grandpa, what... what are you referring to?"
Garp's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, fixed on Roy's back. "Luffy, Kuina, and even Ace... the fruits you prepared for them are not ordinary abilities."
"Mythical Zoans are not a dime a dozen. And you... it's as if you've planned everything in advance." He paused, a hint of complexity in his eyes. "What you're cultivating is no longer as simple as the Navy's 'new generation'... your attitude is a bit too obvious."
Garp stood up and walked to Roy's side, looking out the window together, his voice even lower. "The Marines cannot be too strong. At least... not now."
Roy was silent for a long while, then finally sighed lightly. "That's why I didn't force Instructor Zephyr to eat that fruit." He turned his head and met Garp's eyes, a tired yet clear sharpness on his brow. "To be honest, the powerful physique and endurance of the 'Vampire Fruit' are too suitable for Instructor Zephyr."
"But if he had eaten it, he wouldn't just be an 'old veteran of the Marines,' but a 'banner of declaration of war against the old order'."
"In that case, our attitude would really be too clear—so clear that we would be instantly 'liquidated'."
Garp looked at Roy deeply, his face grim, and slowly nodded. "So you've noticed it too."
Just then, on the sofa, a lazy voice slowly sounded. "Arara... I actually overheard such a serious topic." Kuzan had sat up at some point, casually took off his eye mask, and scratched his head. His face looked scattered, but his gaze was colder than the setting sun outside. He strode over and stood beside the two of them, his tall figure like a wall, directly blocking half the light coming through the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Senior brother," Roy smiled faintly. "What do you think?"
Kuzan looked out the window and was silent for a long time. It was not until the wind blew his crisp yet messy military coat that he slowly spoke. "The World Government will not allow the Marines to have too many 'high-end combat forces'." His voice was low but as cold as a frozen deep sea. "Especially those powers that are unwilling to stand under the 'Hall of Gods'."
Garp snorted coldly. "Those old guys only know how to calculate 'balance' all day. Each one is better at manipulating people's hearts than a pirate."
Roy's gaze was still deep, as if he could see through the distant sea where a storm was about to rise. "So—we need to 'grow reasonably'." He turned to look at Kuzan, his voice calm. "Senior brother, your 'laziness'... is also a kind of protective coloring, right?"
Kuzan didn't respond but just let out a light "arara" sigh, as if in tacit agreement. He slowly turned and walked towards the door. And the moment he held the doorknob, he suddenly stopped and said in a low voice without turning his head, "Roy, be careful... 'they' have already noticed you."
As his words fell, the door gently closed. After Kuzan had left, the room fell silent for a moment. Garp walked to Roy's side and silently patted his shoulder, signaling him to sit down and continue talking.
Roy smiled slightly, turned back to the table, personally refilled Garp's hot tea, and poured a cup for himself. The fragrance of the tea curled up, and the steam slowly rose between the two of them, like the unspoken words in their hearts.
Garp picked up the teacup, his rough fingers gently rubbing the rim, but his gaze never left Roy's face. Finally, he said in a low voice, "What is your reason for doing this?"
"Is there still something... that can threaten you now?"
Roy didn't answer immediately but just gently picked up his teacup and looked at his reflection in the clear tea, saying in a low voice, "Grandpa, you should have felt it too, right?"
"The era is about to run wild."
Garp's brow suddenly furrowed, and his teacup was placed heavily on the table with a "thud." "Don't play riddles with me, spit it out."
Roy was not scared but instead smiled and tapped his fingertip on the table, as if placing a piece on a chessboard. "The map of the New World has basically been drawn. Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido—the three sea emperors are in a three-way standoff."
"The Beast Pirates have already begun a full-scale military expansion, 'Totto Land' is swallowing up small islands, and the commanders under Whitebeard are also becoming more and more active."
"But that's not all," Roy suddenly looked up, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "Soon, the fourth 'sea emperor' will appear."
Garp's face changed drastically, his pupils constricting, and he almost blurted out, "You mean... Red-Hair? Shanks?"
Roy didn't answer directly but just swirled his teacup and continued lightly, "Starting this year, promising new pirates will spring up like mushrooms after a rain—"
"The Supernovas, the Worst Generation, underground organizations, defectors, avengers... this sea is about to change."
"A storm is coming, and... it's the kind that will sweep across the entire world."
Garp fell silent, the smile on his face long since gone, replaced by a heavy gravity. He stared at Roy's face, his voice extremely low. "You... do you know something?"
Roy gently lowered his eyes, avoiding the old man's gaze, and just calmly put down his teacup without giving an answer. Seeing this, Garp did not press the matter further. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh, his brow full of a heaviness and fatigue that only an old soldier would have.
"Forget it! You can do what you want. As long as we old guys are still here—"
"Even if the sky falls, we'll hold it up." He paused, took a sip of tea, but his gaze had returned to the sharpness of a hawk's. "Sengoku over there has actually noticed something too."
"Don't underestimate that guy. Although he looks calm on the outside, the abacus in his head is more complicated than yours and mine combined."
Roy nodded with a smile. "I've never underestimated the Fleet Admiral."
"It's just that... he considers the bigger picture."
"And I just want to ensure one thing—" His gaze looked out the window. On the training ground, the sun was slanting down, and the figures of a few boys were sweating as they trained—Luffy, Ace, Kuina, Law...
"I just want these brats to have the ability to 'protect themselves' before that great tide of the era arrives..."
Hearing this, Garp was also a little lost in thought for a moment. After a long while, he laughed loudly, as if he had thought of something. "Don't be fooled by that guy Zephyr's stern face all day. His hot blood... hasn't cooled down a bit."
"The fruit you took out that day really touched his heart..."
Roy showed a cunning smile. "Don't worry, I won't let Instructor Zephyr retire so early."
Garp was taken aback for a moment, then he reacted and pointed at Roy, laughing and cursing, "You brat! You're still hiding something, aren't you?!?!"
Roy smiled without speaking and raised his teacup in a silent toast. Garp shook his head with a wry smile but did not press the matter further. He looked out the window at the "Justice" flag that was fluttering in the wind, which was flapping loudly in the afterglow of the setting sun. The orange-red glow dyed half the sky and also fell on his face, which was full of the marks of time, as if re-illuminating a long-lost memory.
He slowly exhaled, and that familiar yet strange light ignited again in his eyes—"It's really... been a long time since I've felt this hot-blooded." His fist slowly clenched unconsciously. In that moment, he seemed to see himself fighting side-by-side with Zephyr and Sengoku in his youth, the cannon fire, the waves, and the roar of justice intertwined into a hot-blooded, burning youth.
"I'm actually a little... looking forward to it," the old man murmured to himself, as if he had a new fighting spirit for this world that was about to be reshaped.
Roy, who was standing to the side, watched Garp's expression at this moment. A slight smile suddenly appeared on his lips, and a hint of a teasing light appeared in his eyes. He gently got a little closer, leaned in to Garp's ear, and asked with a wicked grin, "Grandpa, if there was a fruit—that could increase the power of your Fist Bone a hundred times after eating it..."
"Would you eat it? Or not?"
Garp was still immersed in his hot-blooded memories. Hearing this, he was taken aback for a moment and subconsciously asked, "A hundred times stronger? For real?" The moment he said that, he realized something was wrong and suddenly turned to glare at Roy. "Are you trying to trick me, you brat?!?!"
But at this time, Roy was already standing with his arms crossed, a wicked smile on his face. "What? Don't you hate Devil Fruits the most? You're hesitating now?"
Garp was at a loss for words for a moment, his mouth twitching, and he fell into a brief moment of self-doubt. He murmured, "A hundred times stronger Fist Bone, I could blow up Kaido with one punch... it's not like it's out of the question..."
Before he could finish, he suddenly slapped his head and roared, "To hell with your bastard goading!!!" He swung his old fist at Roy, his laughing curses exploding in the office. "My, Garp's, iron fist doesn't need any fruit to enhance it!!!"
Roy had expected this and dodged, peeking out from behind the sofa and teasing, "Oh, then what were you hesitating about just now? Were you tempted~?"
"You bastard kid!!!"
Amidst the sound of chasing and hitting, the figures of the two generations of Marine heroes were in a boisterous mess in the office.
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