"Garp, you should think this through carefully."
The Fleet Admiral spoke with a serious tone.
"If you miss this chance… you may never get another one."
After all—
Countless people spend their entire lives without ever reaching the rank of Admiral.
And yet—
Garp was rejecting it outright.
"I won't regret it."
Monkey D. Garp smiled lightly, his answer firm and unwavering.
"...Sigh."
The Fleet Admiral let out a deep sigh.
He didn't try to persuade him further.
A Few Days Later
Even though the newspapers declared that both the Roger Pirates and the Rocks Pirates had been destroyed—
Is didn't relax.
Instead—
He pushed himself even harder in training.
On a Remote Island
Aurelius D. Virel ·Is stood alone.
His fists moved relentlessly—
"BOOM!!"
"BOOM!!"
Each punch struck with terrifying force.
The mountain before him was already riddled with cracks and craters.
After finishing physical training—
He shifted focus.
This time—
He coated his weapon with Armament Haki and walked toward the sea.
"Slash! Slash! Slash!!"
Each swing—
Split the ocean.
Massive fissures tore through the water, waves violently surging.
From morning—
To sunset—
He didn't stop once.
Then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
"Ding! Armament Haki proficiency maxed. Advance?"
"Ding! Conqueror's Haki proficiency maxed. Advance?"
Is froze.
Then—
A smile slowly appeared.
"Advance."
"Ding! Advancement successful."
A flood of knowledge surged into his mind.
Moments later—
His eyes widened.
"What?!"
"Conqueror's Haki… can be infused into weapons?!"
His voice carried genuine shock.
He had believed he understood all three types of Haki.
But this—
This was new.
"Not just Armament Haki…"
"Even Conqueror's Haki can be coated onto attacks…"
"This changes everything."
He released his Conqueror's Haki.
An invisible wave of pressure exploded outward.
But this time—
It wasn't just intimidation.
It caused physical destruction.
The ground trembled.
The air itself seemed to crack.
Even in the original world—
Only a few had reached this level.
Figures like Shanks.
As for Armament Haki—
Its advancement unlocked internal destruction.
That part—
Didn't surprise him.
He opened his status panel and glanced at it briefly.
Then closed it again.
Looking at the setting sun, he muttered:
"It's getting late… time to head back."
His wings unfolded.
In an instant—
He vanished into the sky.
Mary Geoise – Nightfall
As soon as Is landed—
Roz·Minian hurried over.
"Master, you're finally back!"
He frowned slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"There's an old man who came looking for you this afternoon."
"He's been waiting for hours… and you didn't bring a Den Den Mushi."
"He seems very anxious."
"An old man?"
"Gorosei?"
Is paused—
Just as he was about to confirm—
A bald elder stepped out.
"You finally decided to return?"
It was indeed one of the Five Elders.
Gorosei
"Why are you here?" Is asked calmly.
The old man didn't answer directly.
He walked past him.
"Follow me."
"We'll talk on the way."
Is narrowed his eyes slightly but followed.
"What's going on?"
"What's so urgent?"
The elder spoke—
His tone unusually serious.
"Imu wants to see you."
"…Imu?"
Is stopped for a split second.
Shock flashed across his face.
The hidden ruler of the world—
The true figure behind the Celestial Dragons—
Wanted to meet him?
"Why?"
He asked immediately.
But—
The elder simply shook his head.
His expression grave.
"I don't know."