"Thump!"
A fist of love directly smashed onto Ace's head, instantly knocking away the familial affection that had just surged up in him. He looked at Garp with resentment.
"What was that for!"
"Nothing. This is a grandfather's love for his grandson!"
Garp laughed loudly. "You've become stronger, Ace! Your head has gotten much harder!"
Everyone: "…"
The people nearby all looked at this bizarre scene of grandfatherly love and filial piety with black lines across their faces.
Especially Sengoku. Although he had already known before that this high-ranking member of the Umbrella Corporation was the grandson of this old guy, Garp, seeing this scene still filled his heart with emotion and complexity.
One grandson had become the captain of the Blood of Rocks, another grandson followed the world's most evil criminal, and then there was his son…
What exactly was Garp trying to do?
Someone who didn't know might even think that this old guy was the mastermind behind the resistance against the World Government!
But looking at Zephyr's grandson and Garp's grandson in front of him, for some reason, Sengoku suddenly seemed to recall something.
A trace of reminiscence and sorrow unconsciously appeared on his face.
But at this moment, a cold voice suddenly came, making Sengoku abruptly come back to his senses.
"Mr. Ian."
A figure wearing a spotted hat appeared before his eyes, someone who felt both familiar and unfamiliar to him.
And after that figure greeted Ian, his gaze also fell on Sengoku. He seemed somewhat hesitant, but in the end still showed a helpless expression and gave Sengoku a salute.
"… Good afternoon, Mr. Sengoku!"
…
It was called a banquet, but strictly speaking, it was just a small gathering meal.
Zephyr seemed extremely happy to be able to see his former comrades at this time.
He directly dragged Garp and Sengoku to one side, drinking large mouthfuls of wine while chatting about past events from their time at Marine Headquarters.
Of course, it was basically Zephyr and Sengoku doing the talking. Compared to chatting, Garp was far more interested in food and fine wine.
Only when embarrassing stories were mentioned would he occasionally interject with a few punchable remarks.
But it was precisely this old fellow and his grandson who added a bit of joy to this small gathering.
As for Sengoku, after stepping down from that position, he seemed to have relaxed a lot. When seeing Zephyr again, he no longer shouted things like, the disgrace of the Marines, or, I'm going to arrest you, as he used to when he was still Fleet Admiral.
Although the three had met several times before, this time they were like comrades who had reunited after a long separation.
As time passed, the gathering gradually came to an end. Those who were drunk were already lying on the ground asleep, while those who were not drunk were slowly sipping small cups of wine, leisurely gazing at the night.
As for the children, halfway through the gathering, they had been taken away by Ain, who had come over to carry them back to rest.
However…
"Where did that old fellow, Sengoku, go?"
With a smile on his face, Zephyr took a sip of wine and only then noticed that aside from Garp, who was lying on the floor asleep with his limbs spread out, Sengoku, who should have been drinking slowly with him here, had already disappeared somewhere.
"Him?"
Upon hearing Zephyr's question, Ian said calmly beside him, "He probably went to see his grandson."
"Oh, so he went to chat with his grandson…"
Zephyr looked enlightened, but just as he finished speaking, he seemed to react.
He stared at Ian with a confused expression. "That guy's grandson came here? Wait, what the hell, when did that old fellow's grandson even come here?"
"It's Law."
Ian did not hide anything and spoke casually. "Strictly speaking, he's not his biological grandson. You should know that Sengoku once adopted a child, right?"
"I do know about that. I even met him before. A very quiet child. But later I heard that the child died during a mission."
Zephyr nodded. Then, as if realizing something, he looked at Ian in surprise. He seemed unsure why this kid would know about such things, but he suppressed his curiosity and pondered for a moment before saying, "So, Law is the son that child left behind?"
"Not exactly his son. It's more or less the same as how Sengoku adopted him."
Ian thought for a moment and continued, "In Law's heart, he's also like family."
"Is that so?"
Although it sounded somewhat messy, Zephyr roughly understood. Then he seemed to recall something and glanced at Garp, who was still sleeping soundly nearby.
Shaking his head, he said with a grin, "That old guy hid it pretty well. Before, whenever he saw me, he would make a huge fuss. Too bad, if I'd known earlier, I would've definitely beaten his grandson right in front of him!"
Ian: "…"
Ian looked speechlessly at Zephyr, who appeared delighted at others' misfortune, his eyes gleaming as if he were thinking about something.
But before he could say anything, Zephyr's eyes rolled slightly, and he stood up directly, curiosity written all over his face. "What do you think Sengoku would talk about with his grandson? I'll go take a look."
After saying that, before Ian could respond, this former Chief Instructor of Marine Headquarters, now the fleet commander of the Umbrella Corporation, sneaked off to the side with a gossiping expression on his face.
"These old men…"
Ian could only look speechless and shake his head.
"Forget it, I won't bother with them."
If he really wanted to know, he could just ask Enel later. Why make it so troublesome?
Of course, he had no interest in such matters. Seeing that it was about time, he glanced at the people lying on the ground and ignored them, then he patted the dust off his clothes before walking toward home.
Unlike these single dogs and lonely old men, a beautiful wife was still waiting for him at home.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sengoku, who had found a quiet place with Law, had not yet noticed that an old bastard was quietly sneaking over.
No, more precisely, two of them.
Another one had just woken up and was equally puzzled about where his two old comrades had gone.
At this moment, Sengoku and Law were quietly looking at the night sky on the continent of Ohara.