Garp's Concern

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Brontes's mansion in Marineford was still reserved for him. As soon as Brontes left Sengoku's office, a man wearing a dog mask began following him. It was clear who the man was without any need for explanations.

Turning around, Brontes asked the man: "You still enjoy wearing stuff like this?"

Garp, behind the mask, replied with a smile: "Don't you think it suits me?"

"It's alright, kind of reminds me of a Dalmatian." Brontes commented.

Garp burst into laughter: "Hahaha! That's the spirit! I think it looks quite stylish."

"As long as you're happy with it. But why are you following me?" Brontes asked curiously.

"I need to discuss something important with you. Kuzan already briefed me, and I thought we should talk." Garp's tone became serious.

"I see." Brontes responded, leading Garp to his mansion.

As the Fleet-Admiral of the World Government, Brontes's mansion was incredibly luxurious, surpassing even Sengoku's in grandeur, although he did not reside there. It was maintained and cleaned daily.

Inside, they sat down. Enel leaned to one side, closely watching the exchange between Brontes and Garp with keen interest.

Enel had not been allowed into Sengoku's office but had been brought here by a marine soldier.

"Who is this?" Garp questioned Brontes upon noticing Enel.

"Your grandson's enemy. I brought him from Sky Island. This is Enel, the user of the Purple Lightning Devil Fruit." Brontes explained.

"Sky Island?! Purple Lightning Fruit?!" Garp was visibly astonished.

"Yes." Brontes confirmed.

"You discovered Sky Island?!" Garp exclaimed.

"Yes." Brontes affirmed once more.

"Damn it! If I'd known about this, I would have gone there with you." Garp exclaimed, frustration and regret evident in his voice.

"By the way, didn't you eat the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?" Garp asked as he looked at Brontes.

"Yes." Brontes replied.

"Then, how is there another Lightning Logia Devil Fruit?" Garp asked, genuinely puzzled as he scratched his head.

"I'm not sure either, but his devil fruit power differs from mine." Brontes responded, shaking his head.

"Well, it's the first time I heard of something like this." Garp mumbled quietly, still trying to wrap his head around the concept of another Lightning Logia Devil Fruit.

"I actually don't care much about this matter." Brontes said internally.

He knew he couldn't reveal that the original Rumble-Rumble Fruit had belonged to Enel before he took it, and the fate tried to correct the original plot by giving Enel a weakened version of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

"Though he is a Logia user, he still lost to your grandson. Lightning doesn't affect rubber, so he was defeated by Luffy, hahaha! Just like Crocodile. Both were taken down in quite unique ways." Brontes laughed heartily.

"It seems you've seen a lot. How is Luffy doing now?" Garp asked, his concern for his grandson evident in his voice.

"He's actually doing quite well. I saw him in Alabasta, fighting Crocodile, and I witnessed him defeating Crocodile." Brontes chuckled, and said.

"As expected of my grandson, he defeated a Shichibukai all by himself." Garp said with a proud smile.

"The second time I saw him was on Sky Island, where he defeated Enel, this guy right here." Brontes pointed at Enel.

"Enel, this old man is the grandfather of the Straw Hat boy who defeated you." Brontes introduced Garp.

"Hmph!" Enel glanced at Garp and snorted disdainfully.

"Bang!"

In an instant, as Enel snorted, he was sent flying out of the mansion, crashing through the sliding doors and landing in the yard, knocked out cold with a fist mark prominently on his face.

"Garp-san, you didn't have to hit him that hard." Brontes commented casually, taking a sip of his tea.

"I just found him unpleasant to look at." Garp replied nonchalantly, as he retracted his fist and casually stuck his index finger in his nose, playing around.

"Fine." Brontes said, feeling a mix of amusement and resignation.

He owed Garp a lot, and teaching Enel a lesson was fine by him—it might at least make Enel realize the dangers of underestimating the forces in the Blue Sea.

Plus, if Enel knew that Garp was just a Vice Admiral, perhaps he would think twice in the future before he acts recklessly.

Unfortunately, Enel didn't realize that Garp wasn't just any Vice Admiral; he was one of the strongest marines, known as the Naval Hero.

Having been defeated by Garp, it seemed unlikely that Enel would ever get a chance for revenge in his lifetime.

"By the way, have you seen Fire Fist Ace?" Garp suddenly asked, changing the subject.

"I haven't personally encountered Fire Fist Ace, but I did come across another interesting figure." Brontes laughed, though his voice carried a note of seriousness.

"You've met Shiki, so who else could possibly catch your attention?" Garp wondered, his curiosity piqued.

Brontes put down his teacup and replied: "A pirate named Blackbeard."

"Blackbeard?" Garp echoed, reaching for his favorite beans.

"Yes, formerly a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. He murdered Thatch, the fourth division captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, to obtain a Devil Fruit, and since then, Fire Fist Ace has been pursuing him." Brontes explained.

"Oh, that guy, Marshall D. Teach, right? He's the one who hid within the ranks of the Whitebeard Pirates for many years. I know about the Whitebeard Pirates. Thatch wasn't weak, but he wasn't particularly strong either." Garp commented while munching on a bean.

"Yes, I almost killed Teach, but his fruit power is quite unusual. If Ace confronts him, it could be deadly." Brontes said seriously.

"Crunch!" Garp crushed a bean in his hand, pausing to look up at Brontes before tossing the bean into his mouth, remaining silent for a moment.

After sitting quietly and sipping some tea, he prepared to leave the mansion.

Before departing, he turned back to Brontes: "I'm heading to Water 7 in a few days, cover for me."

"You don't want Sengoku-san to know, so you want me to step up? Old man, do you always scheme like this?" Brontes joked, half-serious.

"Just say I'm escorting you to Mariejois." Garp responded, not looking back.

"Alright then." Brontes shrugged helplessly, resigned to playing along with Garp's plans.

Not long after Garp had departed, a marine officer came Brontes's mansion with a Den Den Mushi.

"Come in." Brontes said.

"Yes, sir!" The officer entered and placed the Den Den Mushi on Brontes's desk. Brontes picked it up, leaning against the wall with his hands clasped behind his head.

"You finally came back." A stern voice emanated from the Den Den Mushi.

"Why are you guys in such a hurry to find me? What's the matter, is there something even the World Government can't handle?" Brontes chuckled, his tone laced with disdain.

"Brontes, don't forget your responsibilities." The person on the other end snapped back. The commanding tone suggested it was one of the Five Elders.

"I'm a little busy right now, I'll return to Mariejois when I'm finished here." Brontes replied coolly.

"Click!" Brontes hung up abruptly, cutting off any further conversation.

"So, I'm heading to Water 7." Brontes mused to himself with a smile.

...

Two days had passed since Garp sought Brontes's help, needing to travel but constrained by Sengoku's orders. Sengoku would not permit Garp to leave on his own, forcing Garp to concoct a simple pretext: he was escorting Brontes to Mariejois.

With no other options, Sengoku reluctantly agreed to let Garp depart with Brontes.

To avoid raising any suspicions, Brontes and Enel left the airship docked in Marineford and boarded Garp's warship instead.

As the warship sailed away from Marineford, Garp signaled for Brontes to disembark.

"Hmph! Not scramming yet?" Garp looked at Brontes and asked with a mischievous grin.

"Are you really going to pretend you don't know me just because you're in this strange outfit, old man? Is this act really necessary?" Brontes asked, his tone a mixture of humor and exasperation.

Garp didn't respond with words but shot Brontes a cool look, then turned away to gaze out across the deck of the ship, his mind seemingly far away.

Enel, for his part, had become notably more subdued after his swift defeat by Garp.

The encounter had given him a firsthand understanding of the Marine's formidable power.

Now he is fully aware of Garp's connection as Luffy's grandfather, Enel chose to keep a low profile. He quietly recorded his grievances in a small notebook, no longer eager to provoke Luffy.

Meanwhile, on the warship, Brontes noticed two individuals observing him from a distance. Recognizing them, he gestured for them to come over.

The pair, taken aback, hesitated for a moment before approaching Brontes.

"New recruits?" Brontes asked.

"Marineford, Corporal Koby." Koby saluted sharply.

"Marineford, Sergeant Helmeppo." Helmeppo followed suit with his salute.

"Good, it seems not every strong marine is from the elite camp." Brontes noted with a smile.

"Y-yes, sir." Koby responded, his voice tinged with nervousness.

Koby looked up to Brontes with admiration. Known for his valor, Brontes was a hero to many young Marines like Koby, who had grown up inspired by stories of Brontes's deeds.

Dreaming of reaching the rank of Admiral, Koby had committed himself to the Marine path from a young age.

"I heard you know the Straw Hat Pirates." Brontes mentioned casually.

"Y-Yes, sir." Koby stuttered, his nervousness increasing.

"I've met him twice myself. What do you think of him?" Brontes probed.

"You've met Luffy-san too, sir?" Koby was surprised.

"I saw him not long ago." Brontes nodded.

Koby hesitated, wary of speaking too freely about a pirate. In the Marines, fraternizing with pirates was frowned upon and could lead to severe consequences if discovered.

"Never mind, it's not important. Now that you've joined the Marines, I hope you'll continue to uphold our values. Pirates are parasites, corrupting this world. Upholding the world's justice means we cannot allow the existence of pirates." Brontes said firmly.

"Y-Yes, sir." Both Koby and Helmeppo responded immediately, their voices carrying a mix of fear and determination.