"In any case…"
Garp brushed the remaining crumbs of rice crackers from his hands and clapped them together before continuing.
"Even though the official story later claimed that the pirate incident at God Valley began because of Shakky—Shakuyaku—from back then, and because the mountains of Celestial Dragon treasure piled up on the island attracted the Rocks Pirates…"
He shook his head firmly.
"But I'm absolutely certain that man—the one who dreamed of conquering the world—didn't go to God Valley for either of those reasons."
His voice gradually lowered, carrying the heavy pain of a realization that had taken decades to surface.
"Because of the look on his face back then…"
"That silent crying… the sorrow and despair that seemed ready to spill out of his eyes… and even a trace of pleading…"
Garp paused.
"Thinking about it now… I'm almost certain."
His voice caught slightly.
For a moment, a scene flashed before his eyes—the battlefield of Marineford, the moment Portgas D. Ace's life finally faded away.
That unbearable grief, the kind that ripped through one's heart while leaving them utterly powerless…
It overlapped perfectly with the memory of Rocks D. Xebec—his tear-streaked face, screaming silently in agony.
That expression…
It was the face someone made only when watching the people they loved most—or the things they cherished most—collapse and vanish before their eyes.
It was precisely this personal experience that allowed Garp, decades later, to finally understand the depth of the pain hidden in Rocks' eyes back then.
That pain had been far deeper than the humiliation of defeat.
"No…" Garp slowly shook his head. His voice grew hoarse as he voiced a chilling speculation.
"Or rather… what Rocks was suffering through might have been even worse than what I felt when I lost Ace…"
"Because his grief might not have been just about watching someone he loved die…"
Garp swallowed hard before forcing out the cruelest possibility.
"His sorrow felt more like…"
"…he had personally killed the person most important to him."
"Or…"
"…personally destroyed the very thing he had sworn to protect with his life."
"!!!"
The words struck Gern Reginald Sigmar like a bolt of thunder.
If Garp's intuition was correct…
Then Rocks' madness, his tears, and his final uncontrollable rampage…
All of it might have been caused by a far more sinister ability wielded by Imu.
Not simple control.
But something far more twisted.
Something that warped a person's will—forcing them, while fully conscious of their suffering, to destroy everything they held dear with their own hands.
That would also explain why a man as ambitious and overwhelmingly powerful as Rocks had shown such profound sorrow and despair during that battle.
That wasn't the expression of someone merely facing defeat.
It was the wail of a soul shattered after killing the person they loved most.
And that so-called loved one…
Could it have been Marshall D. Teach's mother and child?
After all, based on what Whitebeard, Shiki the Golden Lion, and Big Mom had all mentioned about "that face"…
It seemed likely that Rocks had believed he had personally killed his own wife and child.
That belief alone could have been enough to drive him into madness.
As these threads connected in his mind, Gern felt a chill crawl slowly up his spine.
His understanding of Imu's threat had suddenly become far more concrete.
This wasn't merely a powerful enemy.
It was something far worse.
A being capable of manipulation, domination, and psychological cruelty on an unimaginable scale.
A devil.
Garp watched the darkening expression on Gern's face and let out a heavy sigh.
"Now you understand, don't you, brat?"
"That… is the thing you're going to have to face."
After saying that, Garp pushed himself up to his feet.
The setting sun stretched his silhouette across the ground, long and lonely.
"That's all I can tell you."
"The rest… you'll have to uncover yourself."
"What this old man can do…"
Garp paused.
"…is throw one more punch when you truly need it."
"Vice Admiral Garp…"
Gern suddenly called out to stop him.
"When you learned the truth back then… why did you still—"
Garp halted mid-step.
His back remained turned toward Gern.
He didn't look back.
But his voice drifted back slowly.
"Because of ignorance."
"And because of arrogance."
"Kid… do you know something?"
"Both Sengoku and I…"
"In a certain sense…"
"…we're both failures."
Gern listened silently.
"Heh." Garp let out a self-mocking chuckle.
"I had all this strength… but stubbornly believed that as long as I stayed at the bottom of the 'Marine' structure—like a reef standing in the front lines—protecting the soldiers who genuinely fought for the civilians, that would be enough."
"I thought that by staying far away from the center of power, refusing promotions, and hiding behind the title of 'Marine Hero'…"
"I could preserve the purity of justice."
He shook his head.
"Now it just seems like childish escapism."
"And that old bastard Sengoku…" Garp's voice grew complicated.
"He chose the opposite extreme."
"He believed that only by climbing to the top of power—grasping the highest authority—could he enforce his 'Justice that reigns over the world.' Only then could he decide the direction of the seas."
"So he exhausted himself balancing every faction… trying to control everything within the system."
Suddenly, Garp turned around sharply.
His gaze was like lightning as it locked onto Gern.
"But we were both wrong!"
"And we were wrong by a mile!"
"Because power and authority were never meant to be two separate paths!"
"They're meant to walk the same road together!"
"Only with overwhelming strength capable of shaking the world as your foundation—"
"—and the supreme authority to mobilize resources, shape rules, and influence the world itself—"
"—can someone truly stand against the colossal machine of the World Government!"
"Only then will they hesitate before doing whatever they want!"
"Only then can a sky be held up for the weak voices of this world—one that won't be crushed so easily!"
Garp took a deep breath.
Then his gaze softened as it settled on Gern.
There was satisfaction there.
Recognition.
"Gern…"
"You're the one who truly understood this."
"And you're already walking the only path that leads forward."
"You possess terrifying strength—perhaps even beyond what Rocks once had. That's your fist."
"And now you hold the authority of the Marines in the New World. Your influence spreads across the seas. Even the World Government can't ignore your existence anymore."
"That's your momentum."
"It's just like the combat techniques I taught you."
"When fist and momentum combine…"
"Only then do you gain the leverage to pry open this twisted world."
"And the strength to smash it apart."
After saying this, Garp gave Gern one last long look.
Then he turned around and walked away without another word.
Gern remained standing there.
The sea breeze lifted the edges of his coat and rustled through his hair.
Perhaps this…
was the greatest advantage he possessed as a traveler from another world.
Compared to men of the old era like Garp, Sengoku, or even Rocks…
Gern had a perspective none of them ever could.
And now—
his path forward had become clearer than ever.
Sharing an image of Rocks.
This was his original hair color—white mixed with blue.
…Which raises an interesting mystery.
Could Buggy's father still be unknown?