New World.
New Marine Headquarters — New Marineford.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, the atmosphere was heavy.
Sengoku looked at the ever-slouching Kizaru and asked in a deep voice, "Borsalino, have you found the user of the Op-Op Fruit?"
After a brief pause, he added, as if remembering something,
"And what about the user of the Heal-Heal Fruit? Any news?"
Before Kizaru could respond, Sengoku continued, half to himself, half to him:
"Garp… must be saved. We cannot abandon him."
Kizaru's face twisted into a mixture of resentment and speechless exasperation.
Saving him was one thing—
But did they have to treat him like a pack mule?
Sengoku only had to move his lips.
He, on the other hand, had to run around and actually expend energy!
Why is every troublesome errand dumped on me?
Was it just because he ate the Glint-Glint Fruit and was fast?
Unfortunately, as an Admiral, his position still ranked below Sengoku's.
He could only sigh inwardly and report:
"We've located the Op-Op Fruit user — the 'Surgeon of Death,' Trafalgar Law~"
Thinking back to where he had captured him, Kizaru couldn't help but feel amused.
"The kid's got guts. His crew was operating near the waters around the former Marine HQ."
Maybe it was because the Heart Pirates were skilled in underwater combat.
They were seriously drifting.
But so what if they were good in water battles?
Did the Marines lack aquatic specialists?
A few Vice Admirals proficient in sea combat were more than enough to handle Trafalgar Law.
The "invitation" process had been smooth.
Faced with overwhelming force and the Marines' "sincere invitation,"
Law had thoughtfully "weighed the pros and cons"—
And generously accepted.
With a dark expression, he was escorted to New Marineford.
Upon hearing this, Sengoku formed a suspicion about how Whitebeard's condition had improved earlier.
But Whitebeard was dead now.
It didn't matter.
Unaware of Sengoku's thoughts, Kizaru continued reporting:
"As for the Heal-Heal Fruit user… intelligence suggests they were seen in Dressrosa."
After speaking, he found a chair and began trimming his nails.
Judging from Sengoku's expression, the old man clearly needed time to think.
Indeed, Sengoku tapped his fingers against the desk, face complicated.
He remained silent for a long while.
Was he thinking about Law's connection to Donquixote Rosinante?
Or was it because Law was the only available Op-Op Fruit user?
"…Since we've found him, let him examine Garp first," Sengoku finally decided.
Kizaru shrugged. "Understood~"
Soon, Law—bound in Seastone cuffs—was brought in.
The three of them headed toward Garp's hospital room.
On the way, Kizaru seemed hesitant to speak.
There's clearly a more reliable method…
Instead of relying on an Op-Op Fruit pirate,
Wouldn't it be better to let Vegapunk modify Vice Admiral Garp?
Or better yet—
Clone a younger, stronger body and transplant Garp's consciousness into it.
No matter how he looked at it, that seemed more dependable than trusting an unknown pirate.
Unfortunately, Sengoku had rejected that proposal with various reasons.
Kizaru could only sigh inwardly.
If he didn't know Sengoku and Garp were close friends,
He might've thought Sengoku didn't actually want Garp to recover.
Soon enough—
They arrived at Garp's heavily guarded hospital room.
Several elite Rear Admirals stood watch, giving the Marine Hero his due respect.
As for Law—
From initial resistance to complete acceptance,
It took him exactly one minute.
This wasn't his first time in such a situation.
Whitebeard had pulled something similar before.
His current predicament wasn't any better than back then.
As long as he had a brain, he wouldn't try anything stupid.
Besides—
The Marines were holding his crew's lives in their hands.
Moved?
No.
Dare not move.
Inside the room, Law saw Garp lying motionless, connected to life-support equipment.
The wound inflicted by Leno's Split-Split Fruit ability still emitted a tearing aura.
It prevented full healing.
It continuously consumed Garp's vitality.
Even after treatment, the damage persisted.
Law's expression remained neutral.
It wasn't his father.
And he had seen countless patients.
He stepped forward, examined Garp carefully, and extended his hands.
"ROOM."
A hemispherical, transparent space expanded, enveloping Garp.
Law activated the Op-Op Fruit and began a detailed examination.
As the inspection deepened, his previously calm face gradually grew serious.
Minutes later, he withdrew his ability. The space vanished.
"Well?" Sengoku stepped forward immediately.
Law shook his head. "He can be saved… but not fully."
He pointed to Garp's chest.
"I underestimated Leno's ability."
"The power of the Split-Split Fruit has embedded itself deep within the wound. It keeps tearing his body apart."
"Even the Op-Op Fruit can't completely eliminate that damage."
As he spoke, genuine fear flickered across Law's face.
The moment his ability came into contact with Leno's residual power—
His own surgical space had begun destabilizing and fragmenting.
It was terrifying.
He had no intention of ever crossing paths with Leno again in this lifetime.
Suppressing his fear, Law continued:
"Conventional treatment—including surgical healing—can only maintain his life temporarily. It can't cure him."
"The splitting force will continue draining his life until…"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
Sengoku's face darkened.
After a pause, Law offered another solution.
"There's only one way to ensure survival."
His gaze swept across the Marine high command without fear.
"Give him a new body. My Op-Op Fruit can perform a perfect transplant."
Silence filled the room.
Kizaru raised an eyebrow.
After going in circles, we're back to body replacement.
Could've just gone to Vegapunk from the start.
Would've been safer.
More reliable.
Instead of relying on this pirate brat.
As expected… I, Kizaru, have seen through everything.
Sengoku's expression shifted as he looked at Garp, who lay weakly on the bed, eyes faintly open.
He didn't immediately agree.
This wasn't a decision he could make alone.
Still, he asked:
"What do we need?"
"A sufficiently powerful body," Law replied simply.
"The stronger the body, the closer he'll return to his peak."
He added,
"A cloned body won't work. It would need to be trained from scratch, and compatibility issues could cause rejection or injury."
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