Evening arrived.
In the backyard of Garp's home, a campfire crackled, surrounded by an array of food.
Creed and Garp were grilling meat—because Garp didn't like eating proper meals, only meat.
In that respect, Luffy was just like him.
"Creed, brat, where'd you learn Busoshoku Haki?" Garp asked.
Creed kept his head down, chewing on the meat—gotta admit, Garp's cuts were delicious. Without even looking up, he said, "That day, I saw you use it once… then I could do it."
Garp: "…"
Saw me use it once… and learned it???
You swing a sword for fun and end up matching swordmasters, with one foot into the realm of the Great Swordsmen.
Now you watch me use Busoshoku Haki once… and you learn it!???
This brat's a damn monster!
Garp stared at Creed like he was some strange beast.
"Hahaha, just kidding," Creed smirked—he knew it sounded too shocking. He tore off a mouthful of meat and said, "I sparred swords with Shanks once, and he gave me a Busoshoku Haki training method. On the warship, I practiced it out of boredom, and learned it."
Garp nodded. From Windmill Village to Marineford, he'd taken two months—delayed by other business.
Two months to learn Busoshoku Haki and refine it to this level?
How long had it taken him to learn it?
Hmm…
About three months. Sengoku and Zephyr had each taken four months, and reaching Creed's current proficiency had taken them over half a year.
Even with Creed saying two months, it was still shocking.
This talent was truly monstrous.
That night, Garp was in high spirits, hugging a huge wine jug and drinking endlessly.
Leaning drunkenly against a rock, tongue thick, he slurred, "I… I'm happy."
"I was scared that when I retire, old and weak, no one will protect you all."
"That bastard Dragon became leader of the Revolutionary Army—World Government wants to tear him to pieces. Some idiot even suggested using Luffy as bait to draw Dragon out."
"I went and beat that bastard half to death."
"But I can only protect for a while, not forever. My body's failing—one day I won't be able to lift a fist."
"That old coot Sengoku—he and I wear the same pants—he'd never listen to those idiots' suggestions."
"But he's old too. The future Marines belong to Akainu and his lot. Akainu's more pirate than pirate—he'll use any means. I'm afraid one day he'll harm Luffy just to force Dragon's hand."
"But… but… but now… I'm not worried. If you get as strong as me—or stronger—Marines won't dare touch you."
Drunk, Garp rambled on, then fell asleep, snoring, nose bubbling, drooling.
Hearing those words, Creed stayed silent.
Garp was old now; fame and fortune meant nothing to him.
Family was what mattered most.
At Marineford…
The one who hurt most wasn't Whitebeard or Luffy—it was him.
He'd wanted to save Ace, but as a Marine, he could only watch Ace be executed before his eyes—white hair sending off black hair.
He couldn't even collect Ace's body.
When Akainu's fist pierced Ace, Garp, in fury, nearly struck him down.
Sengoku had slammed his head to the ground, shouting, "Are you crazy? You're a Marine!"
Tears welled in Garp's eyes, veins bulged, and he roared, "Hold me back, or I'll kill Sakazuki!"
Sengoku knew Garp had already lost one grandson.
When Luffy rushed the execution platform to save Ace, Sengoku turned into a Buddha and struck.
But he'd held back—Garp couldn't lose another grandson.
Otherwise, how could a Luffy with neither Busoshoku nor Kenbunshoku survive that strike?
From the moment Ace died before him…
He'd regretted his identity as a Marine.
And using Luffy to lure Dragon wasn't impossible.
Once Garp and Sengoku retired, with Akainu in power, it could easily happen.
Marineford had been the same—using Ace to lure Whitebeard into the Navy's home ground.
That was Akainu's idea.
For his warped justice, Akainu could slaughter civilians alongside pirates—and even strike his own comrades.
And Monkey D. Dragon—the World Government's most wanted—was a far bigger threat than the Yonko Whitebeard!
…
"Don't worry. I'll grow to the point no one dares touch me."
Creed murmured to the sleeping Garp.
He quietly kept eating, while also scanning the Marines nearby.
After extracting B-rank Busoshoku Haki earlier, his overall strength had reached A-/rank.
His detection range was now twenty meters.
All around Garp were Marine officers.
He found one that fit his extraction criteria.
At A-/rank, extracting an A-rank ability took twelve hours.
Extracting B-rank abilities—
Depending on the ability—
Took around two to four hours.
But that was for extracting alone.
That night, Creed extracted a B-rank Kenbunshoku Haki.
(End of Chapter)
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