The father and son wasted no time—within seconds, they were fighting.
Dragon struck first.
His self-developed Dragon Claw Fist was devastating—an ultimate refinement of finger strength. The thumb, naturally the strongest digit, worked in tandem with the index and middle fingers, while the ring and little finger reinforced structural stability. This configuration allowed him to channel denser Armament Haki into piercing strikes.
The technique was inspired by Finger Pistol (Shigan) of the Six Powers (Rokushiki).
Like Shigan, Dragon Claw Fist specialized in penetration—but exceeded it.
Truly worthy of Garp's bloodline.
But he was still young.
And his opponent—
Was Monkey D. Garp.
They held nothing back.
The playful tone had merely been an excuse.
The true source of conflict?
Garp still couldn't forgive his only son for killing Celestial Dragons and founding the Revolutionary Army instead of becoming a Marine.
Within a few exchanges, Dragon's head sported over a dozen lumps of varying sizes.
His monstrous durability meant nothing before the "Fist of Love".
"Damn it, old man! You're hitting way too hard!"
Dragon grit his teeth.
Unwilling to lose, a green gale began swirling in his palm—
A gathering storm.
"Oi, that's enough!" Roldy interrupted. "Break my hot spring and don't expect to skip the compensation!"
Pure hand-to-hand combat was manageable. Both controlled their strength well.
But Dragon's wind was different.
Like Crocodile's sandstorms, before awakening, such Logia abilities could escalate uncontrollably—into natural disasters.
"Friendly reminder—this hot spring cost me 3.8 billion Berries to build."
That astronomical number sobered both of them.
Dragon was dirt poor.
Even his development funds were Roldy 's investment.
Losing even a fraction would hurt.
As for Garp—
With the World Government's share of the Underworld reduced, Marine funding had been cut.
The higher the rank, the harsher the cut.
As a Vice Admiral, Garp's salary had nearly been halved.
"You brat! Grown some nerve, huh? I'll give Roldy face today! Otherwise I'd beat you until you kneel and call me father!"
"Hah?! Keep dreaming! If I back down today, I'm your son!"
Foreheads pressed together, faces distorted from mutual shoving.
What a headache.
"Alright, alright. Do me a favor and call it even."
Roldy offered the exit ramp.
"Hmph!"
They snorted simultaneously and returned to the water—though this time sandwiching Roldy between them.
Garp munched donuts.
Dragon angrily lit a cigar.
Roldy broke the awkward silence.
"Looks like the Marines are busy lately. Sending you personally, Vice Admiral Garp?"
"No helping it. The New World's stirring again. Pirates are flooding the first half of the Grand Line. Oh right—Sengoku mentioned something about the World Government planning to establish a group called… the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"…The Seven Warlords?"
Roldy blinked.
That was useful information.
Dragon perked up too.
This was clearly confidential Marine Headquarters material—but Garp showed no concern. If confronted later, he'd probably just say he "takes it back."
"Who knows what those five idiots in Mary Geoise are thinking?" Garp grumbled. "Grant pirates legal plundering rights. Erase their past crimes. Cancel their bounties. Use them to suppress rising piracy across the Four Blues. Madness. What good will that do?"
Donut crumbs scattered everywhere as he complained.
Roldy , however, began calculating.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea…
A new power structure.
Recruit powerful pirates under legal protection. Tie them to the World Government's warship. Use them to stabilize the Great Pirate Era.
"Old man, do they have candidates yet?"
"No idea! Sengoku didn't say. Probably a few names. Hahaha! Whatever. Zephyr was furious about it though!"
The topic drifted.
Roldy knew Zephyr's current situation well.
Fully retired from frontline duty, now serving as headmaster of Marine Headquarters' newly established recruit academy—a large-scale successor to the Marine Recruit Training Camp, though with lowered entry standards.
Seven Warlords…
Plans rapidly formed in Roldy 's mind.
He would absolutely insert himself into this matter.
"Are they recruiting only pirates? What about bounty hunters?"
"Of course."
Garp casually picked his nose.
Dragon's eyes flickered.
Was Roldy targeting the Seven Warlords?
Possible.
But what use would such an organization truly have?
The strongest figures of the sea possessed pride.
Accepting recruitment meant becoming the World Government's lapdog.
Top-tier powerhouses would never agree.
At best, it would end up being a handful of pirates with bounties over 100 million Berries.
Still—
If Roldy was interested, there had to be value.
Dragon knew Roldy 's mind well.
He silently made up his own decision.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 + chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789