Chapter 1: Monkey D. Garp
In the final moment before his consciousness plunged into eternal darkness, Sunny saw the blinding glare of headlights.
Regret.
Endless, suffocating regret..
Regret that Ace had to die. Regret that Whitebeard fell...
Regret for that old man named Garp.
An old man torn apart between loyalty and kinship, left with nothing but old tears and a powerless wail.
If only... if only I could do it all over again...
"BOOM!"
The deafening roar of cannon fire yanked him violently from the chaos of the void.
The freezing sea breeze poured into his nasal cavity, carrying the pungent sting of gunpowder and the salty tang of blood.
Sunny struggled to open his eyes.
Before him stood the towering execution platform.
Below, a crushing sea of black heads, the gathered masses of the world and beside him stood a man with a seagull on his hat, delivering a passionate, thunderous speech.
Sengoku the Buddha.
And directly in front, kneeling on the execution stand, the young man about to be executed...
Fire Fist Ace!
"Don't..."
The word had barely squeezed out of his throat when a torrent of memories, complex enough to shred a soul, flooded his mind.
The life of the Marine Hero, Monkey D. Garp.
Like the most violent of tidal waves, it smashed Sunny's twenty-something years of insignificant memories into foam..
Finally, the images froze on a scene from a future that had not yet come to pass.
Akainu's magma fist piercing through Ace's chest.
And himself, pinned firmly to the ground by Sengoku, letting out the howl of a wounded beast.
That heart-rending regret and agony.
In this moment, it was no longer a memory of a bystander, but a visceral reality carved into his very soul.
"I... am Garp."
Sunny—no, Garp—muttered in a low voice.
The regrets of his past life and Garp's lingering obsession fused perfectly in this instant.
Never!
I will never let that tragedy repeat itself!
Just as this will roared within him, a brisk electronic voice chimed in his mind.
[Ding! Detected the Host's intense desire of "I'm done playing, time to flip the table." Congratulations, your late cheat: The "Justice Dictionary" has been activated!]
[Newbie Welfare: A Choice of Two. Please make your first decision to change the world!]
Garp's heart trembled, a wild joy nearly breaking through his weather-beaten face.
A Golden Finger! System!
He forcibly suppressed his emotions, focusing his attention on the two luminous options floating before his eyes.
[Option 1: The Justice of Order.]
[Perform your duties faithfully, maintain the face of the Navy, and witness the conclusion of the Summit War. You will receive the World Government's highest praise and become the unshakable symbol of Justice.]
[Option 2: The Justice of Family.]
[Betray the Navy and save your family. You will immediately become an S-Class criminal with a starting bounty of 3 Billion Berries, becoming an enemy of the entire world.]
[Reward: You will gain power surpassing your physical peak and unlock the exclusive ability— The Unbreakable Fist!]
Garp looked at the first option.
On that face weathered by wind and frost, a smile of extreme danger suddenly pulled at the corners of his mouth.
Highest praise?
Symbol of Justice?
"Using my grandson's life in exchange for a pile of hollow titles?"
Would you want this kind of blessing?
"To hell with it!"
He roared internally, without a shred of hesitation.
"I choose Option Two!"
"I quit!"
The moment the words fell, a majestic power, unlike anything he had ever experienced, surged from the depths of his soul, pouring madly into his limbs and bones.
His tendons and bones cracked with the sound of being overburdened, and beneath every inch of skin, it felt as though magma was rushing.
At the same time, Sengoku's impassioned speech reached its climax.
He raised his arm high, using all his strength to issue the cold-blooded command to the world.
"Execution!"
Two executioners raised their long blades, a high-pitched scream rising in their throats.
"This aura... what is this pressure? My legs are going soft! I can't move!"
"He smiled... He's smiling at the executioners! What is he planning to do?!".
The murmurs in the plaza instantly transformed into a tidal wave of terror.
Ignoring Sengoku's roar behind him, ignoring the countless gazes of horror, Garp moved.
He took a step forward.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a dull "THUD."
centered on his right foot, the incredibly hard surface of the execution platform...
As if struck by an invisible, gigantic hammer, it was forcibly depressed by half a foot!
Web-like cracks spread madly outward!
A terrifying aura, condensed to the extreme, one that felt as though it could crush souls, exploded outwards!
"This... This is Conqueror's Haki!"
Sengoku's heart skipped a beat, an unprecedented premonition of doom seizing him.
"Monkey D. Garp!"
On the Admirals' dais, Akainu(Sakazuki)—shot up, the muscles on his face twisting with rage.
"Are you finally going to reveal your filthy criminal bloodline?!"
"Oh my... this is truly... quite scary," Kizaru pushed up his sunglasses, though the gaze behind the lenses was incomparably grave.
Aokiji (Kuzan)—exhaled a breath of cold air, muttering to himself, "The troublesome thing has finally happened, hasn't it..."
Facing everyone's questions and shock, Garp finally spoke.
His voice wasn't loud, yet it cut clearly through the noise of the entire battlefield.
He looked at the two executioners, who were already frozen stiff with fear, and spoke word by word.
"Put. The blades. Down."
Four simple words.
Yet, they caused the executioners' hands to go limp.
The heavy long blades fell with a clang to the ground, ringing crisply.
Having done this, Garp slowly turned half his body. With eyes no longer cloudy with age, but sharp as an eagle's, he looked at his old friend.
"Sengoku."
"You're too noisy."
( To be Continued)
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