"Wow! Grandpa! What is that place? Are there really gates that huge in the world? Are they for giants?"
"Ahahaha! Those are the Gates of Justice, connecting Marineford and Enies Lobby!"
"I see... But I've never seen them on any nautical charts before."
"Well then, little Nami, why not draw them onto the charts yourself?"
"Yeah! One day, I'll definitely draw the most detailed nautical chart in the world!"
"In that case, you'll have to study navigation hard! And you'll have to become a Marine to explore all those unknown seas!"
"Mm! Grandpa Garp, I'll do my best!"
Before the Gates of Justice, Garp carried Nojiko and Nami—two little girls accompanying him—on his shoulders.
Meanwhile, he grumbled inwardly...
That useless son of his!
After fathering Luffy, he never contacted him again!
And why couldn't he have given him ten or eight granddaughters instead?!
The guards stationed at the Gates of Justice exchanged puzzled glances...
Just who were these two girls, to be personally looked after by the Marine Hero himself?
Of course, they couldn't have guessed that Garp had volunteered for the job.
Ever since the number of grandsons in his household increased from one to three, he had grown increasingly fed up with the rowdy little boys.
Thinking of his grandsons, who were always causing chaos, and then glancing at the two well-behaved little girls on his shoulders...
His resentment toward Monkey D. Dragon deepened another layer.
He had already decided on the exact stance he would take when beating up his unfilial son the next time they met.
Just then, a loud noise echoed from beyond the Gates of Justice.
The massive doors, towering over the sea, slowly began to open.
In an instant, the divided currents surged together once more.
Following closely were several official ships of the World Government, along with the exclusive flagship of the Five Elders.
Garp frowned slightly.
Although Michael had already informed him that this Judgement would be a pivotal moment in the changing relationship between the Marines and the World Government, he couldn't help but instinctively furrow his brow at the arrival of the Five Elders.
And most importantly, this flagship carried a scent he disliked the most...
"You are... Monkey D. Garp? The so-called 'Hero of the Marines'?"
A figure leaped down from the flagship and landed right in front of Garp.
"Your tone makes it sound like you've never met me before... Figarland Garling."
The newcomer was none other than the Supreme Commander of the God's Knights—Figarland Garling.
The two were old acquaintances, but they hadn't seen each other since the incident at God Valley all those years ago.
Though time had changed them both into old men now, they could still recognize each other at a glance.
"You're really going all out... even mobilizing the God's Knights."
"There's no helping it. After all... they are the Five Elders," Figarland Garling shrugged.
"Even among the Celestial Dragons, there are hierarchies of nobility."
"Hmph."
Garp didn't continue the conversation, turning instead to walk toward the open-air Judgement grounds.
"Grandpa Garp... who are those people?" Nojiko asked curiously.
"His eyes are so strange... as if he doesn't see us as humans, but some other kind of 'creatures'."
"Nojiko, you must remember... these people consider themselves the most noble in the world, yet they're also the most corrupt."
...
"Honestly, infiltrating this company wasn't particularly difficult."
"If you ask me, we should just arrest all the employees, kill half of them, then interrogate the survivors one by one."
"Is violence the only thing in that brain of yours? Have you forgotten why we're undercover here?"
"The regular workers wouldn't know anything this important... we need to focus on the higher-ups."
"But they've already gone to Enies Lobby..."
"People may leave, but their homes don't. They wouldn't carry something as important as the Pluton Design Schematics with them, would they?"
Thus did CP9, led by Rob Lucci, boldly scheme aloud in their assigned quarters without concern.
As for whether someone might overhear...
First, Tom's Workers Company's new dormitories were quite remote.
Second... they could always silence any eavesdroppers.
Besides, who would expect elite World Government spies to be hiding in a place like this?
Just then, a group of shipwrights from Tom's Workers Company happened to pass by outside.
"The World Government grows more absurd by the day! Framing Master Tom as an accomplice to the Pirate King Gold Roger... what are they thinking?"
"Everyone in Water 7 knows the Pirate King's ship was built by Master Tom, but that was a straightforward business transaction. Gold Roger didn't become Pirate King because of that ship!"
"Still, let's hope the World Government shows some discretion... we've been taking plenty of their naval contracts lately."
"Calm down! What you're implying would ruin our reputation!"
Rob Lucci, being one of the World Government's most loyal dogs, couldn't tolerate such talk.
Were it not for their mission, he would have stormed out and slaughtered every last one of these disrespectful commoners.
Even someone as extreme as Sakazuki would consider such lapdogs beneath notice.
Mere butchers, nothing more.
Kaku noticed the look in Rob Lucci's eyes.
He reached out and grasped his shoulder.
"Hey, Lucci, don't go on a killing spree here... we're undercover, remember."
"I don't need your reminders, Kaku," Rob Lucci glanced at Kaku's hand before meeting his eyes.
"And I don't like your tone."
"Right, right." Kaku immediately released his grip.
He'd always harbored some fear of Rob Lucci.
After all, the man was a certified monster.
Both in terms of strength and cruelty.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Suddenly, the sound of a blind man's cane tapping the ground came from outside the door.
The members of CP9 immediately fell silent.
They all knew there was a liaison for this operation—someone the World Government held in high hopes: current Marine Vice Admiral "Fujitora" Issho.
"Excuse me, is that you, Issho-san?" Kaku called out through the door.
There was no verbal response from outside.
But Rob Lucci and Kaku noticed that the furniture around them had begun floating in a state of weightlessness.
This was undoubtedly a clearer answer than words.
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