There was a brief moment of silence in the entire New Year's event hall.
"Vice-Admiral Garp!!"
The villagers instantly erupted in excitement.
This Marine Vice-Admiral was the pride of their entire Windmill Village. All the young people practically worshiped him as an idol.
The sniper from the Red-Haired Pirates, Yasopp, was caught off guard and started coughing, "Why is the legendary Marine hero here?!"
This was the legendary figure who had forced the Pirate King into countless corners and defeated the Rocks Pirates on God Valley, the true marine hero of the seas, a legendary figure without question!
"This is his hometown. Ace and Luffy are his grandsons. It would be strange if he didn't come back," Ben Beckman said indifferently.
When they first learned that Luffy was the grandson of the Marine hero Garp, they were also shocked.
Although they knew from the start that this was Garp's hometown, they hadn't expected to encounter Garp's grandsons by such a coincidence.
Luffy and Ace both stared in shock at the Marine hero, their grandfather.
However, the difference was that Ace was simply stunned, while Luffy's face was filled with dread.
Dadan's face instantly changed.
Garp had asked her to take care of Ace. If that old bastard found out she'd been taking care of Ace to the point of almost sending him to the Golden Dragon ship, she would definitely be beaten to death!
"Just now, I was wondering why that old bastard hasn't come back, and now he's back!"
"Is this some kind of magic or what?"
"Boss! What should we do now?"
The fat guy, Lucky Roux, was chewing on a piece of meat, grinning, but beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. "The opponent is that Marine hero."
Lucky Roux's eyes widened.
Another figure descended from the sky, lightly landing behind the hero, Garp.
"Ah, Garp-san, you never told me you had two grandsons," Garp's top disciple, Kuzan, slowly observed Ace and Luffy.
But soon, his gaze shifted to Red-Haired Shanks and Mihawk.
Garp having two grandsons and not mentioning it was something Kuzan could understand.
After all, the tragedy of Zephyr-sensei still sent chills down the backs of many Navy officers to this day.
What he couldn't understand, though, was why these guys were here.
Shanks, Mihawk, and Ian—weren't these all renowned monsters?
For these figures to gather in this small, ordinary village felt… strange, to say the least.
"Hero Garp and the admiral candidate," Jack said in a low voice, "Brother Ian, do we fight?"
The expressions of the crew became serious.
Although technically their side had the advantage, considering they had Red-Haired Pirates and Mihawk, just the name of "Marine hero" was enough to make anyone in the world take precautions.
Ian waved his hand, "It's a good holiday, no need for fighting. Let's observe first."
He didn't think there would be a fight.
"You two damn brats!"
Vice Admiral Garp strode towards his two grandsons, completely ignoring Ian, Shanks, and the others.
"I heard you two have been hanging out with pirates lately!"
Without mercy, the legendary Marine Hero slammed his fists into the heads of his two grandsons.
Luffy screamed in pain, holding his swollen forehead, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.
Ace's reaction was much more intense. He roared, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Uta, Zoro, and Kuina, who were sitting nearby, exchanged glances before quietly shrinking back.
Even they had heard of this Marine hero's infamous reputation.
After all, he was Ace and Luffy's grandfather, so they probably wouldn't be in too much trouble, right?
"You two are going to become the finest Marines!"
Garp scolded loudly, "How can you be hanging out with pirates?!"
"I don't want to be a Marine!!"
Luffy shouted back defiantly, "I want to join Shanks' crew and become a pirate!"
Garp's face turned beet red with anger.
But before he could vent his fury, Ace, still holding his swollen forehead, growled with determination.
"I want to be a pirate too!"
He suddenly turned to look at Ian, smirking mischievously. Then, he turned back to glare at his grandfather. "I want to join Ian's crew and be a part of the Beast Pirates!"
Kuzan scratched his head, letting out a bemused sigh.
This is quite something.
It seems that Vice Admiral Garp has never been very good at teaching people.
"What! Ace! What did you say! Wahhh!!"
The Marine hero roared in frustration.
The pitch-black lightning jumped across his arms, and the air itself trembled.
"Two damn fools! You actually corrupted my precious grandson!!"
He glared fiercely down at Ian and Red-Haired Shanks, his fists already darkened, pitch-black lightning leaping across them.
"Kuzan! Let's take these two bastards and send them straight to Impel Down!!"
Yamato had already gotten excited, gripping the iron rod tightly.
Kuzan exhaled slowly, a cold mist escaping from his lips.
Directly engaging in battle might not be the best option.
Not to mention Red-Haired Shanks and Mihawk, the members of the Red-Haired Pirates and their crew were also monstrous-level beings.
Compared to them, the Navy commanders accompanying them seemed a bit lacking.
"Mihawk," Kuzan said, "As one of the Seven Warlords under the world government's banner, now is the time for you to play your part."
"Sorry," Mihawk responded calmly while sipping his drink, "I haven't received any official government notice. Show me their orders first, then we'll talk."
Kuzan clicked his tongue.
At the end of the day, what use were these Seven Warlords?
"Since that's the case, can I ask you to remain a bystander?"
Kuzan said, "If you oppose the Navy, then your Warlord status will be revoked."
Mihawk's lips twitched slightly.
Kuzan scratched his head.
Even without Mihawk, this battle wouldn't be easy.
Garp didn't care about any of that, striding forward toward Ian and Red-Haired Shanks. "So, you're the ones who've corrupted my adorable grandsons?"
"Don't misunderstand, Vice Admiral Garp,"
Shanks waved his hand, "Luffy and I are indeed friends, but I never agreed to let him board my ship. He's still just a kid."
Luffy yelled in frustration, "Let me on the ship!!"
Shanks shook his head firmly.
Luffy immediately collapsed onto the table, as if he were a wilted cabbage, motionless.
"As for me," Ian smoothly took over the conversation, "I did indeed extend the invitation to Ace. If he chooses to accept, that's great."
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