One Step Closer!

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Excitement reached unprecedented levels among manga readers in the world of seas, levels not seen for a long time.

The world was literally boiling at this moment. With each additional scene reached in the escalating summit war, excitement was nearly reaching saturation!

This was even before the end of the war... and readers had yet to uncover most of its secrets and what was brewing beneath its surface.

After Whitebeard ordered his sons to provide all possible support to Luffy, Luffy's steps quickened and became smoother, managing to get just one step away from his brother Ace.

At this moment, when Garp stood in Luffy's way, readers held their breath as if they themselves had collided with this formidable wall, not Luffy.

…

"Is that true?"

Roger and Rouge were shocked upon hearing what Rob said, to the extent that they momentarily forgot about the One Piece manga that had reached unprecedented thrilling events.

Rouge felt her husband knew much more than he should, yet he was still utterly shocked by what he just heard.

"Even I won't be spared from the impact of my strict power... My power won't tolerate mistakes. Thus, Imu, the beautiful woman today, might become a demonic man tomorrow..." Rob explained.

"Does that mean... the world corrects itself based on the One Piece manga? Does it mean my illness might return to end my life before Luffy's birth?" Roger wondered with a bright smile on his face.

"No... It's not that strict. My power doesn't tolerate the loopholes I filled with my mind when I awakened in this world. What I did to change fate has nothing to do with what shouldn't be in the first place and appeared only because I imagined it that way."

"For example, Jewelry Bonney, the adopted daughter of Bartholomew Kuma, is actually…"

Rob paused for a moment when he saw the shocked expressions of Roger and Rouge, then continued.

"... She is actually a non-existent entity, her entire existence is based on my assumption that she existed at this time... But the truth is, she wasn't supposed to be born now at all."

"The same applies to many characters but to varying degrees and much less extreme than Bonney's case."

"I don't understand why you're telling us this..." Roger retreated and sat down with a depressed smile.

"You must feel it already... With each chapter of the One Piece manga you read, that feeling must grow and become more real than before, right?" Rob said with a smile.

"You don't know what's in Laugh Tale, do you?" Roger asked with certainty.

Lost between what she heard and what she couldn't believe, Rouge became more confused than necessary. She even began to doubt her own existence, no, the existence of the entire world.

Her gaze fell on the One Piece manga, a living world of colors and expressions full of vitality, each character embodying emotions with a kind of genuine echo.

"I'm not moving an inch, Luffy!!! I'm a vice admiral of the marines!!!"

This is what Garp said to his grandson when he blocked his way to Ace.

The old man in the manga was still completely committed to the marines even if it was at the expense of his family.

'Is this the real world?' she wondered internally.

…

•———•———•———•———•

*Chapter's Events:*

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"Uwaaah, what's that!!?"

Caught off guard, the marines trying to stop Luffy from advancing further saw Inazuma use his ability to cut a straight path from the Marineford tiles, connecting it to the platform's end.

"Crab man!!" Luffy was also shocked to see this.

"That's…"

"Inazuma the revolutionary!!!"

Some marines recognized the scissor man who appeared suddenly.

"Luffy, go!!"

After preparing the way, Inazuma urged him to go.

"Got it!! Thanks!!"

Without hesitation, Luffy jumped onto the path connecting the ground to the platform, remembering to thank Inazuma for his help.

Ace couldn't believe what he was seeing. His foolish brother was really one step away from reaching him in this war full of major figures.

"I'M HERE!!! ACE!!!" Luffy's shout snapped Ace out of his shock.

"Don't let him get there!!!"

A marine officer rushed to attack Luffy with a portable bazooka.

But Vista intercepted and cut the projectile with his sword, "Go, Strawhat!!!"

"…" Sengoku frowned upon seeing this; everyone was helping Straw Hat.

"I won't let you go."

Kizaru turned into light threads, preparing to appear swiftly above Luffy.

But Whitebeard's weapon intercepted him.

"Go, Strawhat!!!"

"Go release Ace!!!"

"Ace's brother!!!"

The pirates' cheers grew at this moment, and Luffy's smile widened with each step closer.

"Haa… Haa…"

"Captain Buggy!! Strawhat's getting to the platform!!"

"Nuooooh!! That bastard standing out!!!" Buggy exclaimed.

"Stay back!!! Hiihaa!!!"

At the path's bottom, Ivankov and Inazuma prevented the marines from chasing Luffy.

Boom!! Suddenly, dust scattered as a muscular figure appeared in the middle of the path between Luffy and Ace.

"Ah!!!"

Garp stood with a gloomy expression, blocking Luffy's path.

"Grandpa!!! Please move!!!" Luffy didn't slow his running pace but tried to persuade his grandfather to step aside.

"I'm not moving an inch, Luffy!!! I'm a vice admiral of the marines!!!" he exclaimed.

•———•———•———•———•

…

..

The chapter ended with this dramatic scene between the grandson and his grandfather, making readers hesitate slightly before turning to the next chapter.

Among the readers who hesitated too long was Garp himself.

Sorbet Kingdom:

At this moment, Garp had almost the same expression as his counterpart while reading this scene.

"Is he serious...?" Garp wondered, questioning if his counterpart was serious about blocking his grandson's path.

"What do you think?" Dragon asked.

"Of course, he's serious... He explicitly said he is a vice admiral of the marines..." Kuma replied.

"Even if that's the case... this is his grandson..." Garp was deeply affected.

"Stop whining and go to the next chapter..." Dragon said with a smile, having already read what happened in the first scene of the next chapter.

"If only... This is frustrating. Well, I can predict what will happen next." Garp gave in and turned the page with a big smile on his face.

"That's the spirit."

Unconcerned with what was happening between Luffy and Garp in the manga, Crocodile's main focus was still on the scene of his counterpart clashing with Mihawk.

'Amazing! I want to get into this mood quickly.'

Crocodile was highly impressed by the demeanor and character of his counterpart in this war.

"Inazuma, your counterpart did a great job! Hiiha!"

Ivankov patted young Inazuma on the shoulder, who also had a big smile on his face while reading the events and what his counterpart had done so far.

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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):

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Chapter 739: The Fall of Garp! Reaching Ace's Side!

Chapter 740: Freeing Ace!

Chapter 741: Whitebeard's Final Order!

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