Inside the Marine warship prison at Loguetown Port, Teach was tightly bound in Seastone chains and shackles, completely immobilized within his cell.
His body was soaked, his expression grim and defeated.
How did things end up like this?
The Dark-Dark Fruit, which he had already secured, had somehow been taken from him.
Still, Teach was not someone who gave up easily.
He quickly shifted to his backup plan, to seize the Munch-Munch Fruit and use its power to devour Light, allowing him to indirectly obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit.
If that succeeded, everything would fall back into place.
Originally, his plan had been simple.
Follow Ace, locate Light, kill him, then eliminate Ace.
After that, he would hand Ace over to the Marines, become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and begin his grand scheme.
Using the Marines, he would crush the Whitebeard Pirates, seize Whitebeard’s Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and stand at the top of the world.
Everything had been carefully arranged.
He had even successfully tracked down Light.
So why had Garp suddenly appeared?
In terms of raw strength, Teach did not fear Garp.
He believed he could still fight him.
However, battle was never that simple.
Strength alone did not determine victory.
The combined strength of himself and Ace had not been enough to overpower Garp, Smoker, and Light.
Worse still, Garp had attacked without hesitation.
He went all out from the very beginning, catching both Teach and Ace off guard.
Teach had not expected Garp to be so ruthless toward his own grandson.
At the same time, Ace had not expected Garp to prioritize capturing Teach.
One mistake led to another.
Their already slim advantage disappeared instantly.
Ace was heavily injured by Garp in the opening clash, then swiftly subdued by the combined efforts of Smoker and Light.
Even then, Teach had believed he still had a chance to escape.
But what kind of situation was this?
Light had not given them any opportunity at all.
The entire battle, from the moment they stepped into the Marine base to their complete defeat, lasted less than half an hour.
Even someone like Teach could not help but wonder if fate was turning against him.
Ever since he killed Thatch, nothing had gone his way.
Now, sitting in chains, he could only hope that Whitebeard would come and save him.
Not far away, Ace was imprisoned in a separate cell, restrained by Seastone just like Teach.
Unlike Teach, however, he had a visitor.
Garp stood outside the cell, his body wrapped in bandages, yet his posture remained upright and imposing.
His gaze was fixed on his grandson.
“Hmph.
Now that it has come to this, are you still going to be stubborn, Ace?” Garp said, his tone carrying both authority and frustration.
Beside him stood Light, a cigar between his teeth, arms folded across his chest.
He watched Ace with a faint, amused look.
His eyes locked onto Light, filled with hatred.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Ace growled.
“My father will kill you sooner or later, you bastard.”
Light let out a quiet sigh and shook his head.
“You really are a fool.
Even now, you still think I killed Thatch?”
“If it wasn’t you, then who?” Ace snapped.
“Your crewmate, Teach,” Light replied coldly.
“He was after the Dark-Dark Fruit from the start.
He ambushed and killed Thatch to take it.”
Light briefly explained what had happened, omitting certain details.
When he finished, Ace stood frozen in his cell.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then his expression hardened.
“That’s impossible.
You’re lying.”
Light shrugged.
“You’re already locked up.
What would I gain from lying to you?
Believe it or not, it doesn’t matter to me.”
To Light, the truth behind Thatch’s death no longer held any importance.
Ace had been captured.
Teach had been captured.
The fuse for a greater conflict had already been lit.
The Whitebeard Pirates, the strongest crew on the seas, would not remain untouched.
Once Whitebeard fell and the crew collapsed, what difference would the truth make?
From the beginning, Light had never feared them.
Whitebeard himself must have understood the state of things.
His era was ending.
A man who had ruled the New World for over twenty years was growing old, and countless challengers were waiting to take his place.
The moment he showed weakness, they would tear everything apart.
Kaido would not submit.
Big Mom would not yield.
Others were watching as well.
This was the natural flow of the era.
Light glanced at Ace, a trace of pity in his eyes.
Whitebeard had lived as a legend, but he had made one critical mistake.
He chose Ace as his successor.
He could inspire loyalty and bring people together.
But his flaws were just as obvious.
He was reckless, impulsive, and most importantly, not strong enough to carry the weight of Whitebeard’s legacy.
With that thought, Light turned and left the prison, leaving the rest to Garp and Ace.
After Light departed, the tension in Garp’s expression eased.
He looked at Ace and sighed.
“Ace, your time as a pirate is over.”
“The Whitebeard Pirates won’t let this go, Grandpa,” Ace replied firmly.
“Exactly.
That’s why I came personally,” Garp said.
After a brief pause, he continued, “From the moment you left the New World, the Marines set things in motion.
The plan to bring down the Whitebeard Pirates has already begun.”
Ace’s eyes widened.
“You want to start a war?”
Garp shook his head.
“War never stopped.
You’re just too naive.”
He slowly crouched down, the weight of exhaustion finally showing.
For a moment, he looked like nothing more than an old man.
“The only way you survive this is if you join the Marines, Ace.”
Before he could finish, Ace cut him off.
“That’s never going to happen!
I will never betray the Whitebeard Pirates!”
“You’ll die, Ace!” Garp snapped, anger and frustration breaking through.
“If you keep this up, the best you can hope for is rotting away in Impel Down for the rest of your life!”
Ace did not respond immediately.
Before leaving Marineford, Sengoku had informed Garp that Ace’s lineage had been exposed.
The Marines knew he was Gol D.
Roger’s son.
Sengoku had offered a possibility.
If Ace joined the Marines, there might still be room to negotiate.
Turning the Pirate King’s son into a Marine would deal a far greater blow to pirates than executing him.
Even so, Ace’s resolve did not waver.
He met Garp’s gaze directly.
“Impossible.”
Pain filled Garp’s eyes.
Seeing that expression, Ace’s own resolve trembled.
Tears welled up, but he clenched his teeth and forced himself to hold firm.
He did not dare look at his grandfather for too long.
Because he knew that if he did, he might not be able to refuse.