Chapter 171 – Lonely Garp
"Sorry, Luffy!"
Hearing his little brother's last desperate cry, Ace's heart ached—but he didn't regret his choice.
"I hope this incident helps you grow up quickly. I will rescue Sabo," Ace said firmly.
The Straw Hats' sudden arrival had shocked everyone, and their disappearance was just as sudden. Many had been baffled by Bartholomew Kuma's actions, but in the midst of this war, no one had the time to question where Kuma had sent them.
Because the battle was still raging.
---
"Fire Emperor!!"
On the battlefield, Ace once again unleashed his Entei form, his blazing sun-like firestorm forcing back Akainu and Kizaru with a single devastating blow. Then, in a burst of heat, he shot straight toward the execution platform.
"Why would we let you get through so easily!" Kizaru muttered lazily, his body transforming into light as he flashed ahead, appearing before Ace. His glowing leg swung in a kick toward Ace's head.
"Get out of the way!!" Ace roared, his flaming fist colliding with Kizaru's kick. The clash erupted in a shockwave that swept the battlefield, forcing Kizaru back—but he had still managed to block Ace.
"The hound bites: Red Lotus!!"
Behind Ace, Akainu's magma fist roared forward, searing the air as it struck at his back.
"Rising Sun Fist!!"
Ace spun and countered with a blazing punch of his own. The two fists collided, and the violent explosion of magma and fire blasted apart the air itself. Using the recoil, Ace rocketed forward once more, eyes locked on the platform.
Not even two Admirals could stop his desperate charge.
---
"Oops, he actually forced his way through us. This is embarrassing," Kizaru muttered, his voice drawn-out and lazy as always, though his eyes followed Ace's flight with a sharp glint.
Akainu, however, didn't move to pursue. His gaze remained cold, locked on Ace's back.
"This war isn't over. As long as we take his head—and Whitebeard's—the face we've lost will be reclaimed in full."
"That's true…" Kizaru admitted, then tilted his head toward the platform. "That kid thinks charging straight up will save his brother. He doesn't take Sengoku-san seriously at all. He's about to learn the hard way…"
"Enough talk." Akainu's tone was like molten stone, absolute and merciless. "Leave it to Sengoku. We'll clean up the pirates on Whitebeard's ship."
He turned coldly toward the square. Kizaru glanced once at Whitebeard, still unmoving aboard the Moby Dick, then shrugged and followed.
---
"Ace!!"
Just as Ace was about to leap onto the execution platform, a booming, gravelly voice cut through the chaos.
Ace froze instantly. His eyes widened, then shifted downward.
There—beneath the platform—stood a towering old man with a broad chest, square jaw, and white hair like steel. His fists were clenched, his presence immovable.
Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp.
The Hero of the Marines.
---
"Oh no…!"
"That's the legendary Marine hero—Garp!"
The pirates cried out in alarm. The sight of the old man standing there, unflinching, sent a chill through their hearts.
"Lieutenant General Garp!!"
"The strongest guard! With him here, we don't have to worry about the platform!"
The Marines erupted with renewed morale, their confidence soaring at the sight of the man they trusted most.
---
"Old man…" Ace's voice trembled slightly, but he steadied it. "Are you going to stop me too?"
"I… am a defender of justice!" Garp bellowed, leaping upward with the strength of a cannon shot, his iron fist aimed straight at Ace.
"Smelly old man!!" Ace's eyes burned. Flames erupted around his fists as he met the strike head-on.
"I don't care about justice—I just want to save Sabo!! He's my brother!!"
BOOOOM!!
Their fists collided with the force of a mountain collapsing. The execution platform trembled under the impact. Ace's knuckles split and bled against Garp's hardened Armament Haki. Even though Ace hadn't used his Purple Flame against his grandfather, he had fully clad himself in Haki—yet still, Garp's punch overwhelmed him.
"Stand aside, old man! I don't want to fight you!" Ace shouted.
"Don't delude yourself, brat!" Garp roared back, his fist swinging again. "I'm a Marine! If you want to save your brother, you'll have to defeat me first!!"
"I don't want to!!" Ace's voice cracked, grief in his eyes. "You're the elder I respect most in this world! I won't fight you!!"
Garp's fist halted for an instant—but then he forced himself forward again.
"Stop talking, Ace!! You're a pirate now! I'm a Marine! That makes us enemies!!"
"No!! We will never be enemies!!"
Ace's arms blazed as he forced his fire outward.
"Flame Ring: Fire Prison!!"
The roaring inferno rose like a cage, encircling Garp in walls of searing flame.
---
"Hmph. Do you really think this can hold me?" Garp snorted, drawing back his fist. "Naïve brat!"
"Please… just stay in there. Don't come up here again… Grandpa!!"
At that desperate cry, Garp froze. His fist, raised high, trembled. His eyes widened as memories surged—Ace's laughter as a child, the years he had raised him, the stubborn but warm bond between them.
"…Damn it all." His clenched fist lowered. Tears slipped down his weathered face as he smiled faintly.
"I… have I grown old after all?"
For decades, he had carried the weight of justice on his shoulders. But now, in the midst of war, he chose to set it down—for something even heavier.
Something called family.
With a quiet sigh, Garp sat down inside the wall of fire, his broad back illuminated by the flames.
---
"…So even you, Garp, cannot cut away your family ties," Sengoku muttered from atop the platform, his expression grave as he looked down.
"Old man… thank you," Ace whispered hoarsely, relief flooding his face as he looked up toward the platform again.
Both he and Sengoku knew the truth: no fire prison could bind Garp. Only his heart had kept him inside.
Now, only one obstacle remained.
The last, greatest wall.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha.
Looking up at the towering figure staring down at him, Ace clenched his burning fists.
"As long as I can defeat him… I can save Sabo!!"
---