The Navy warship finally approached the massive stronghold of the East Blue Marine Branch.
From the deck railing, Kai leaned forward with curious eyes.
Before him loomed a colossal fortress of steel and stone, like an immovable bastion.
Easy to defend, impossible to breach.
Even if a hundred thousand pirates besieged it from the sea, they would never bring it down.
The architects had clearly prepared for every scenario—
impenetrable from the outside, inescapable from the inside.
"This is the East Blue's largest Marine base?"
Kai's interest was piqued.
Soon the warship dropped anchor at the port.
He followed the marines off the ship, boots hitting the stone docks.
All around, eyes turned toward them—curious, reverent, wary.
"Move all prisoners off the ship. Secure them for transport."
Bogard, Garp's trusted adjutant, barked at the orders, taking charge in place of his superior.
Paperwork and grunt work like this, of course, were far beneath Vice Admiral Garp himself.
And sure enough—
A man was already rushing over.
He was rotund, with a huge belly and round face, wrapped in a Marine cloak of Justice.
At first glance, he looked nothing like a vice admiral.
But this was Rost, the Marine Vice Admiral who commanded the East Blue branch fortress.
Though not on the same level as a Navy Headquarters vice admiral, here in the East Blue his strength was unmatched save for a few hidden monsters.
"Vice Admiral Garp! You've worked hard."
Rost arrived, bowing deeply with a nervous smile.
The title "Hero of the Marines" carried weight far beyond rank.
Even the current Fleet Admiral, Kong, could not boast the same legendary prestige as Monkey D. Garp.
"Vice Admiral Rost."
Garp's voice was calm, steady. "Have your men lock all these pirates in the base prison."
"Yes, sir!" Rost quickly nodded.
Orders flew. Marines surged forward, taking over the battered pirate ship, escorting the shackled prisoners toward the cells.
Watching Garp, the nearby marines began whispering—
"So it was Vice Admiral Garp who annihilated the White Ostrich Pirates."
"That explains everything."
"With Garp himself moving, what's a mere White Ostrich crew worth?"
"I knew it. No way the East Blue spawned some kind of monster overnight—it was Garp all along."
Nods of realization spread.
Even Ensign Darmes sighed in awe.
The Hero's name resounded across every sea.
No one could match his reputation.
So of course—
Who else but Garp?
But just as Rost was about to leave, satisfied—
"Hold on."
Garp's voice cut through the bustle.
Rost blinked, turning back. "Vice Admiral, what other orders do you have?"
"Didn't I just say?"
Garp's lips curled strangely as he gestured toward the boy beside him.
"The one who wiped out the White Ostrich Pirates…"
"wasn't me."
"It was my grandson. Kai."
"He single-handedly slaughtered the entire crew, and personally killed their captain, White Ostrich Kukari—the Zoan user worth over eleven million Berries."
"This is his achievement, not mine. Make sure your report is accurate."
The dock fell into dead silence.
Every head turned.
The marines who had been whispering stopped cold, staring.
That boy?
That small, lean child standing at Garp's side?
Rost gave an awkward chuckle, scratching his round face.
"Vice Admiral Garp… surely you jest."
A four-year-old child?
Annihilating a pirate crew worth over twenty million?
Killing a Zoan fruit user with his bare hands?
It was absurd! Impossible!
Even if Garp wanted to elevate his grandson, this was too much.
If Rost reported that up the chain, who would ever believe it?
"Do you think I'm joking?"
Garp's eyes gleamed with amusement as he patted Rost's shoulder heavily.
"If you don't believe me, ask around."
He pointed at the hundreds of marines on the dock, and at the terrified pirates being dragged away in chains.
"They all saw it. They were there. They witnessed it with their own eyes."
"The survivors… they were the victims."
Rost froze. His pupils contracted.
He turned his head slowly.
Every marine in sight…
was looking at the boy with undisguised awe and respect.
Not at Garp.
At Kai.
A chill ran down Rost's spine.
"…Could it be?"
"What Vice Admiral Garp said… was the truth?"
"A four-year-old… wiped out an entire pirate crew worth millions?!"
"No… that's insane!"
And yet, looking into the eyes of the marines and prisoners alike—
he could no longer dismiss it as a joke.
This child was real.
This monster… was Garp's grandson.
Visit my patreon for more chapters
Advance 30+ Chapters Available
patreon.com/ZeusOp