Garp strode into the Fleet Admiral's office with a bag of donuts clutched in his massive hand.
Pushing the door open, he found Cain kneeling quietly to one side, Sengoku massaging his throbbing temples and Kizaru reclining in a chair, casually trimming his nails.
"Garp, are you really eating right now? I heard about the mess at the port. Dragging your grandson into a raid is pure madness," Sengoku muttered, not even bothering to look up.
"Bwahaha! Don't be so stiff, Sengoku! We didn't just capture Caesar Clown. We made a massive discovery. You are going to be shocked." Garp waved a hand, his chest puffed out with pride.
At the word 'discovery,' Sengoku finally glanced up.
His hand darted out, snatching the paper bag right out of Garp's grip.
"Hey! My donuts!"
Garp lunged to snatch them back, but Sengoku shoved him aside and stuffed a whole pastry into his mouth.
"That's your penalty for destroying my roof. Now talk. What did you find?" Sengoku chewed, glaring.
Garp cleared his throat and leaned in close.
"My grandson awakened Conqueror's Haki."
Conqueror's Haki was the mark of a true monster.
It was a talent far too rare within the Marines, meaning Cain was practically guaranteed to become a core combatant for the Marines in the future.
Garp waited eagerly for Sengoku's jaw to drop, expecting absolute awe from him.
Instead, Sengoku just frowned. "And? Kizaru and I already knew that."
"Huh..."
Garp's giant grin vanished, and his shoulders slumped.
He wanted to blow their minds, but he had no idea Sengoku was the one who helped train Cain to control it behind his back.
After a moment of stunned silence, Garp sighed. "So, I guess you also know the kid ate a Devil Fruit?"
"Hmm? A Devil Fruit? Which one?" Sengoku's eyes lit up.
A powerful fruit could forge a strong fighter, and knowing Garp, he would never let his grandson eat a garbage fruit.
Realizing Sengoku was actually out of the loop this time, Garp waved his hand.
He didn't even try to build tension anymore. "It's nothing crazy. Its Kaido power, A Mythical Zoan : Azure Dragon."
"What!? You didn't..." Sengoku shot out of his chair and grabbed Garp by the collar, his face pale with horror.
Devil Fruits only respawned when the user died.
Did this old fool actually kill Kaido?!
"Kaido's power and Conqueror's Haki... to have that combination at such a young age. Kids these days... Kowai ne," Kizaru drawled, setting his nail clippers down. "He might just be the next King of the Beasts."
"I didn't kill Kaido!" Garp barked. "It's an Artificial Devil Fruit made by Vegapunk!"
The lazy demeanor vanished from Kizaru's face.
Vegapunk was his old friend, and the World Government considered the artificial fruit project a complete failure.
If they found out a perfect copy existed, the fallout would be catastrophic.
"Grandpa, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, please calm down. Let me explain," Cain interjected, smoothly recounting the entire story.
He explained how he befriended Kizaru to get close to Vegapunk's research, eventually figuring out that the fruit's only real flaw was its color.
"So... that's how it happened. Did Vegapunk tell you that?" Kizaru asked, stroking his chin.
"So the only difference is the color. Everything else is identical to Kaido's Azure Dragon Fruit," Sengoku muttered.
Cain nodded.
Sengoku broke out in a cold sweat. He knew that fruit was sealed away on Punk Hazard, but he assumed it was destroyed in the gas explosion.
This could never leak to the outside world!
If the World Government found out Vegapunk could replicate Kaido's power, they would demand mass production!
Vegapunk would be crushed under the pressure, and Cain would be locked in a lab as an endless experimental subject.
The office fell dead silent, the atmosphere growing unbearably tense.
Suddenly, Garp slammed his hands on the desk.
"Kizaru! Go stop Morgans!"
Morgans' News Coo had been flying right over Punk Hazard.
If a picture of a giant pink dragon hit the papers, Cipher Pol and the World Government would put the pieces together.
Before Garp even finished his sentence, Kizaru transformed into a flash of light and vanished from the room.
If the Government held Vegapunk accountable for this, the chaos would be unimaginable!
...
Ten minutes later, the Den Den Mushi on Sengoku's desk rang.
As soon as he answered, Morgans' furious voice blasted through the speaker.
Kizaru had intercepted the bird and destroyed all the film, leaving only the blurry selfie Garp had taken.
The immediate crisis was averted, but everyone in the room understood Cain was still a walking target.
After pacing the room and weighing the Marine's future plans, Sengoku made a final decision.
Cain had to completely sever all ties with Punk Hazard, Vegapunk, and the artificial Azure Dragon Fruit.
Sengoku stopped and walked right up to Cain.
Ignoring Garp's burning gaze, he spoke with a dead-serious expression.
"Cain. You have to become a pirate."
"Pfft—!" Garp sprayed his tea across the room, his face twisting into pure rage.
"Sengoku, are you picking a fight with me?!" Garp roared, the air pressure in the office plummeting.
The word 'pirate' was a curse etched into Garp's entire life.
He spent his youth hunting Roger.
His own son defected from the Marine to run the Revolutionary Army. His grandson Ace was sailing under Whitebeard, and Luffy was out there in a straw hat shouting endlessly, wanting to become the Pirate King.
Cain was his final hope—a grandson who actually listened to him, joined the Marines, awakened Conqueror's Haki, and gained a god-tier fruit.
He was destined to be the Marine's ultimate pillar!
And now the Fleet Admiral himself was telling him to become a pirate?!
The two legendary old men immediately began brawling in the middle of the ruined office, their fists clashing as roars echoed through the halls.
"My mind is made up! There's no room for negotiation!" Sengoku yelled, throwing a punch.
"Made up, my ass! If you want my grandson to be a pirate, you might as well try convincing Roger to join the Marines!" Garp roared, throwing one back.
"That makes no sense! Roger is already dead!"
"Exactly! Making Cain a pirate is impossible! So drop it!"
"Grap! I'm the Fleet Admiral!"
"You'll regret this, Sengoku!"
Cain stood in the corner in sheer panic.
He watched the two old men tear the cramped office apart, his voice trembling as he tried to intervene.
"Grandpa! Fleet Admiral! Please stop!"