One Piece: The True Codex

"Monkey D. Garp?" William asked.

"Who else could it be?" Gin replied with a grin.

Aramis, standing nearby, asked curiously, "The same Garp who cornered the Pirate King multiple times? Did you meet him? What's he like?"

Gin's expression turned a bit peculiar as he answered, "How should I put it... he's quite eccentric? And his way of thinking is completely out of the ordinary."

Gin then recounted to William various bizarre and seemingly unreliable things this legendary Marine hero had done aboard the ship. For instance, Garp would stand while sleeping, nap while hugging rice crackers, steal snacks from his subordinates, and during meetings, while others were seriously reading reports, he would be digging in his nose with great concentration.

When Gin described the nose-picking, he couldn't hide his disgust. To Gin, Garp seemed like an old man with the soul of a child. Such behavior might be perfectly normal for a young child, but when displayed by someone who was supposed to be a revered elder, it created a stark and jarring contrast.

Aramis was left speechless, seemingly unable to reconcile this image of Garp with the "Marine Hero" who had repeatedly pushed the Pirate King Roger to the brink.

"Eccentric? That sounds about right," William nodded. "Otherwise, how could a Marine Vice Admiral entrust his grandson to a group of mountain bandits for upbringing?"

Before his transmigration, William had only seen a few scattered episodes of the One Piece anime on television. When he first encountered the seven-year-old Luffy, he wouldn't have recognized him without the iconic straw hat and Yasopp's subsequent confirmation of Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit abilities.

After all, the difference between 2D and 3D characters was significant, and the gap between a seven-year-old Luffy and a seventeen-year-old Luffy was even more pronounced.

William had initially attempted to gather more information about Luffy, but he had called off the investigation as soon as he learned Luffy's full name: Monkey D. Luffy.

The moment he heard the name, William immediately associated it with the famed Marine Hero from the East Blue, Monkey D. Garp. The connection between their names was obvious to anyone paying attention.

A bit more digging confirmed their familial relationship, which only strengthened William's suspicions. Such a dramatic backstory was undoubtedly fitting for a protagonist.

Regardless of whether Luffy was the protagonist or not, once William discovered his connection to Vice Admiral Garp, he decided to avoid getting too involved with him at this stage.

However, William had always been puzzled as to why Garp would choose to have his grandson raised by a group of mountain bandits. After all, the Marines had their own academies, which had produced many renowned Marine officers.

But if Garp was truly the kind of person Gin described, then his actions made sense. With his unconventional way of thinking, perhaps Garp himself had grown up in a similar environment and wanted to provide his grandson with the same kind of childhood.

"Regardless, he's still Monkey D. Garp. Now that he's back in the East Blue, you should be more cautious," Gin advised.

Aramis, unwilling to back down, retorted, "What's there to be afraid of? We took control of this country through legitimate and legal means."

"But the matters involving the Morgan Pirates are ultimately tied to us," Gin countered.

William nodded in agreement. "You're right. I'll remind Harden to keep the pirates low-profile until you report that Garp has left the East Blue."

Due to their collusion with Nezumi, the Morgan Pirates currently had only a modest bounty. As the true mastermind, William didn't even have a wanted poster. Only Harden, officially listed as the captain of the pirate crew, had a bounty of 17 million Beli, while Selkirk, with his past exploits in the North Blue and the Grand Line, had a bounty of 23 million Beli.

Seeing William's contemplative demeanor, Aramis grew concerned and asked, "Do you think Garp came back specifically to deal with us?"

"We're not significant enough yet to warrant the Marines sending someone like Vice Admiral Garp after us," William replied, lighting a cigarette and frowning. "He's probably just visiting home, or it could be related to the Celestial Dragons. Staying alert is prudent, but there's no need to be overly afraid. If he were truly that capable, the pirates of the East Blue would've been wiped out long ago."

After pondering for a moment, William added, "Still, we should take some precautions. I'll have someone keep a close watch on the Tequila Wolf bridge kingdom. If there's even a hint of trouble, we'll stir up chaos there first. That's a project ordered by the Celestial Dragons and the World Government. If something happens there, the Marines won't be able to ignore it, which could buy us some time."

William furrowed his brows. Time was the one thing he lacked. If he had just a few more years to complete his plans in the East Blue, he wouldn't be in such a passive position now.

At this point, Gin pulled out a few notebooks from his coat. "These are the training manuals for the Rokushiki. I haven't mastered any of them myself, so I can't offer much guidance beyond the notes."

During his nearly year-long tenure at Marine Headquarters, Gin had taken a different approach from most other Marines. Instead of focusing on mastering one or two "Rokushiki" techniques he deemed practical, he had studied all six techniques in detail. This approach, while comprehensive, had led others to view him as overly ambitious. As a result, despite his talent and hard work, Gin had yet to fully master even a single technique.

Gin and William then discussed Gin's time at Marine Headquarters. Following William's advice, Gin had avoided joining the internship ship led by the renowned instructor Zephyr. William preferred that Gin remain at Headquarters, hoping he could eventually secure a position at a base near Water 7.

After carefully placing the Rokushiki manuals in a drawer in his study, William instructed Aramis to keep Gin company while he attended to other matters.

Over the next few days, William arranged for Gin to tour Kalmar City and Maple Leaf Village. Though William tried to make time to spend with his old friend, his responsibilities left him with limited opportunities.

Gin didn't mind. He, William, Aramis, Edmond, and their other companions were all young and ambitious. They hadn't yet reached the age where reminiscing about the past took precedence over their careers. For now, their focus was on their respective endeavors.

During this time, no significant news came from Monkey D. Garp. Based on the limited information William received, the Marine hero seemed to be staying within the Goa Kingdom and showed no signs of heading toward the Navia Kingdom. This led William to occasionally wonder if the aging Marine hero had simply returned home out of nostalgia.

As Gin eventually followed Garp back to Marine Headquarters, the day of the Celestial Dragons' arrival in the East Blue drew ever closer.

For someone like William, the main concern was whether the royal family and the city's nobles would cause trouble. However, other rulers in this world might have different priorities. They were likely preoccupied with presenting their kingdoms in the best possible light to the exalted World Nobles.

Some blemishes that had previously been tolerable were now deemed unacceptable by these rulers, who saw the Celestial Dragons' visit as the perfect opportunity to erase such stains.

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