Chapter 44: Deal Struck

Ian rubbed his ears, thinking he might be hearing things, and cautiously asked, "What... what did you just say?"

Garp took a sip of his tea and replied, "You heard me right. The pirate you're supposed to capture is my grandson, a brat named Ace!"

Ian looked around at the surrounding Marine soldiers. Was it really appropriate for Garp to reveal this in front of everyone?

"Don't worry! It's no big deal," Garp reassured Ian with a hearty laugh. "They are my subordinates; it won't be an issue."

Indeed, Ian realized that he had misunderstood. Garp was the type to talk openly about his grandson becoming a pirate, even in front of the Marine Fleet Admiral, Sengoku. However, Garp had kept Ace's true identity a secret.

Seeing the nonchalant expressions on Bogard and the other Marines, Ian decided not to dwell on it and curiously asked, "You are a Marine, so why don't you catch him yourself? Why involve an outsider like me?"

Upon hearing this, Garp became visibly frustrated. He exclaimed, "Of course, I want to bring him back and make him a Marine! But that stubborn kid is resolute. I heard he recently set sail and formed some 'Spade Pirates.' Can you believe that ridiculous name?"

Ian was speechless. What did it matter to Garp what name Ace chose for his crew? But from Garp's tone, Ace had indeed set sail recently. So, if Zoro was 16 now and Luffy was 14, that meant Ace, being three years older than Luffy, would be 17 this year. The timing matched up!

Unbelievably, Ian's time to set sail coincided with Ace's.

Ace, Luffy's brother, set sail this year, and Zoro's senpai, Ian, also set sail this year. What a coincidence! Should they call it the "Big Brothers Set Sail" year?

Garp looked at Ian and continued, "If I were to catch him and make him a Marine, he'd definitely resist. But you are different! You're around the same age, and if you defeat him, capture him, and make him realize the difficulties of being a pirate, he might change his mind!"

Ian stared blankly at Garp, thinking, "You must be kidding me! Your reason sounds strong and all, but... isn't it unreliable?"

"Do you really think he'll change his mind if I catch him?" Ian asked back. "If I capture him, I can't hand him over to other Marines; I'll have to bring him to you. When he sees you, he'll immediately know it's your idea. Won't that blow our cover?"

Garp nonchalantly scratched his nose. "If one attempt doesn't work, we'll try dozens of times! After being caught so many times, he'll get tired of being a pirate!"

Ian couldn't help but burst into laughter. "What did you say? Catch him dozens of times? So you plan to release him if he doesn't surrender?"

Garp laughed heartily. "Well, what can I do? He's my grandson. I can't really throw him in jail for real, can I?"

As expected, while Garp talked about making Ian catch Ace, he cared deeply for his non-blood-related grandson. He was willing to go to great lengths to change Ace's fate, even using an outsider's hand. Ian couldn't help but feel envious of such affection.

But, envy aside, this deal was simply impractical. Ian shook his head and said, "Catching him dozens of times? Old man, are you joking? It's not only laborious with no bounty reward, but it's also just a small boat. The reward is too low; it's not worth it for me!"

"Well, maybe a small boat is indeed a little lacking," Garp pondered, rubbing his chin. "What do you want then?"

"Money!" Ian said concisely.

"But I don't have money either!" Garp spread his hands. "How about this, since you're a pirate hunter, I'll give you a pair of Sea Stone handcuffs! With those, you can easily capture Devil Fruit users without fear of escape!"

Ian's eyes lit up. Sea Stone handcuffs? That's a great item!

Sea Stone was a unique mineral that only existed in certain areas of the Grand Line. It emitted energy waves similar to the sea, negating the powers of Devil Fruit users. Due to its special properties, the Marines strictly regulated this stone, using it to build prisons or handcuffs to deal with Devil Fruit users among pirates.

It couldn't be called regulation, though, as Sea Stone wasn't a finished product readily available. It existed in various underwater volcanic rock formations, and the extraction method was only known to the Marine's scientific department. Therefore, only the Marines could use it.

Refined Sea Stone was extremely tough and couldn't be destroyed by ordinary means. When someone was shackled with Sea Stone handcuffs, they had to get the key to unlock them.

Ian knew of its existence, and that's why he asked Morgan if there were Sea Stone handcuffs when he captured Buggy. But since Base 153 was small and located in the East Blue, where there were very few Devil Fruit users, they didn't have Sea Stone handcuffs. Otherwise, Buggy wouldn't have been so easy to escape.

Without waiting for Ian to respond, Colonel Bogard suddenly interjected, worried, "Admiral Garp, you can't just give away Sea Stone handcuffs so casually. They are strictly regulated, and you'll have to explain it to the higher-ups."

Garp glared at him and retorted, "What's the big deal? Don't listen to them. Strictly regulated? Crocodile begged the government, and in the end, they gave him plenty!"

Hearing a familiar name, Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai, Ian recalled that he tried to get Sea Stone from the World Government to build a Sea Stone prison. If he remembered correctly, the Shichibukai had permission from the World Government to capture other pirates and lock them up, similar to private prisons...

Ian kept his composure, not showing any other expression, as he continued to listen, he then said to Garp, "But it's not enough, a ship, a pair of handcuffs, how much can it be worth?"

"Kid, don't get ahead of yourself!" Karp glared at Ian this time.

"It's just as you said!" Ian smirked. "You're asking me to catch Ace dozens of times. Putting aside whether I can defeat him or not, if he runs to the Grand Line, I'll have to follow him and spend both time and energy. So, tell me, is this reward enough for all that?"

Dealing with someone as laid-back as Garp was truly fantastic! Hearing Ian's words, he also felt that it was indeed the case. He hesitated and said, "But I don't have anything else to offer... Ah, I know! How about I introduce you to someone?"

"Huh!?" Ian was taken aback. Old man, what are you talking about?

"A beautiful woman!" Garp patted Ian's shoulder, looking lecherous as he raised his eyebrows. "And she's a Colonel in our Marine Headquarters!"

Upon hearing this, Colonel Bogard suddenly felt uneasy. He hurriedly asked, "Vice Admiral, you don't mean..."

Garp looked up at him and said, "Yes, it's Hina, that little lass! What's the matter?"

"What!?" Bogard and the other Marines all shouted in unison. They glared at Garp and scolded, "Please don't make such jokes!!"

All the Marines on the ship were indignant. Vice Admiral Garp, you've taken this joke too far! You want to introduce our goddess to this kid as a potential partner? Are you out of your mind!?

Ian, too, was sweating profusely as he looked at Garp. This old man's name sounds like "reliable," but his words and actions are far from it!

Ian knew who Hina was. The moment her name was mentioned, an image of a pink-haired woman wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigarette appeared in his mind. But if he remembered correctly, this woman was an alluring and imposing lady who could be described as the dream girl of all men within the Marine Headquarters! And now you're throwing this Marine Headquarters' goddess into the mix just to get me to catch Ace!?

Aren't you afraid of a Marine mutiny?

Seeing Garp still looking confused, Ian realized that the old man had no idea what mistake he had made. With the Marines on the ship likely to direct angry glares at him, Ian quickly changed the subject, "Let's forget about that. I have a proposal. Tell me what you think."

"Sure, go ahead!" Garp crossed his arms. "As long as it doesn't involve money, I'm all ears."

"Cough," Ian cleared his throat, trying not to choke on the irony of Garp's statement. "Catching Ace dozens of times is impossible, and I don't know where he is right now. But I can promise you this: whenever I encounter him, I'll try my best to catch him. Consider this small boat and Seastone handcuffs as the first reward for this commission. If I catch him again and bring him before you, we can continue discussing the reward. How does that sound?"

"So, you mean a reward for each capture?" Garp rubbed his chin, pondering. "That's acceptable. But let's make it clear: the reward has to be something I can provide!"

"Deal!" Ian reached out his hand to Garp, indicating the agreement. Garp laughed and extended his large hand to shake with Ian...