'Maybe… it was all my fault from the very beginning?'
That thought made no sound—but it landed in Garp's chest like a cannonball.
His once-proud beliefs—his ironclad "Justice"—shattered completely under Lucian's words.
The wind stilled.
The coat emblazoned with "Justice" drooped lifelessly at his back.
His tightly clenched fists loosened—finger by finger—until there was no more strength left in them.
Garp's mountain-like figure collapsed.
For a long time, nothing but silence.
Then—
"Sigh..."
A long, hoarse breath escaped the mouth of the Navy's living legend.
That sigh carried too much.
Resignation.
Guilt.
And a trace of relief.
"I've… failed them… too much…"
Garp's voice was dry and ragged, like sand had lodged in his throat.
He didn't look back. His eyes stayed fixed on the battlefield of ice and fire, but they were unfocused, drifting somewhere far away.
He had accepted it.
He accepted everything Lucian said.
He accepted how much he had failed—as a father, and as a grandfather.
Lucian looked at the old man's slumped shoulders.
Done.
That steel heart—impossibly hard—had finally cracked.
Now…
Now it was time to show him the light inside those cracks.
"You don't have to blame yourself like that, Vice Admiral Garp."
Lucian's voice was soft, no longer pressing or confrontational.
Instead, it had the calm warmth that could bring peace to a storm-tossed heart.
"Dragon seeks to overturn this world. Luffy wants to become the freest king on the sea."
"They didn't follow the path you paved—but that doesn't mean you failed them."
Garp's shoulders trembled.
Lucian went on:
"They both inherited what's in your bones—that pure yearning for freedom. That soul that refuses to be chained by anyone or anything."
"They're just… living it differently."
"You guarded the Navy's version of 'justice'—stood by what you believed in."
"They're each chasing their own. One seeks fairness for all. One seeks personal freedom."
"By that measure—you're the most successful father. And the most successful grandfather in the world."
That wasn't flattery.
That was a judgment from someone who stood above this entire era—offering the fairest, most honest verdict to a man both admirable and tragic.
You didn't fail.
Neither did your son or your grandson.
You each just chose different paths to answer the same calling.
BOOM!
Those words hit Garp like divine thunder cracking open his skull.
He whipped around—
And in his aged, murky eyes exploded a light so sharp it could cut steel.
He stared at Lucian, his body trembling.
Successful…? As a father? As a grandfather?
He had never heard those words.
Never even dared imagine them.
His entire life, he'd been tormented by guilt—shamed by his family's "betrayal."
His comrades never understood.
Sengoku had screamed at him.
The World Government distrusted him.
Everyone saw him as a failure.
Even he thought so.
A good Marine?
Sure.
But never a good family man.
It was a burden he'd carried for decades.
Yet here—this young man, branded a criminal by the World Government—was telling him… he had succeeded?
A flood of indescribable emotion erupted from deep within Garp's chest.
All the guilt, regret, and pain he'd buried for decades found an outlet—
And poured out in one great surge.
His eyes flickered wildly.
From shock—
To confusion—
To something he'd never felt before.
Peace.
'So that's it…?'
'I wasn't a failure?'
'Dragon and Luffy… they inherited my soul…?'
That idea took root.
And then spread like wildfire.
He felt the chains on his back—the ones that had weighed him down for so long—
SNAP.
They cracked.
Then disintegrated into dust.
Garp opened his mouth.
No words came out.
His eyes burned.
This iron-blooded hero—a man who never cried even when bleeding—felt his heart catch in his throat.
And at that exact moment—
Lucian's system erupted in his mind.
[Ding! Target 'Monkey D. Garp' has fully released his inner burden. Host now receives deep recognition from the target's very soul!]
[God-Tier Analysis Progress Rapidly Advancing!]
[Progress: 55%… 65%… 75%…]
[The progress bar surged beyond all expectation!]
[85%… 95%… 100%!!!]
[Legendary Template Unlocked: Peak Garp (Marine Hero)]
[Analysis Complete!]
Success!
A wave of elation surged through Lucian's chest—but his face remained calm.
He watched the old man—so shaken, so moved.
But this…
This was only the beginning.
As soon as the Peak Garp template completed, Lucian's system panel underwent a monumental change!
He focused.
And saw—
Amid the sea of glowing templates, a massive, ancient golden door trembled violently.
A door formed from starlight and myth, covered in glowing faces:
Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King.
Edward Newgate, the Strongest Man.
Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King.
All connected to that apocalyptic battle from thirty-eight years ago.
And now—
At the very top of the door was a final empty slot, waiting for one last face.
As the Garp template finished, a new golden portrait formed:
The cheerful, heroic figure in a dog-head cap and "Justice" coat—Monkey D. Garp.
WHIRRRRR!
That image streaked through the stars like a shooting comet—
And locked precisely into place!
The last piece of the puzzle—set.
BOOM!!!
The massive golden gate erupted in blinding divine light!
A light not of this era—
Ancient.
Majestic.
Dominating.
Tragic.
It carried the cries and fury of an age long buried.
And then—
A chorus of solemn, world-shaking system messages echoed through Lucian's soul:
[WARNING: Legendary Time-Gate 'God Valley' Fully Unlocked!]
[Historical Anchor Point Stabilized!]
[Final Temporal Lock Complete.]
[Time Coordinates: 38 Years Ago, God Valley!]
[Site of the Fall of the Rocks Pirates!]
[Activate Temporal Reversion Now?]
[Caution: This is a Special Legendary Dungeon. Entering will alter the flow of real-world time in unpredictable ways! Proceed with care!]
God Valley.
Thirty-eight years ago.
Lucian's heart pounded fiercely!
Even now—with all his strength—this moment stirred something wild and restless inside him.
This was the goal.
The moment he'd been building toward since the beginning.
To uncover the truth buried by the World Government.
To witness with his own eyes—
How Rocks D. Xebec, the man called "King of the World," fell.
To witness how Roger and Garp joined forces—
And brought down the most terrifying tyrant of their age.
And beyond even that…
Imu.
The Celestial Dragons.
The vanished truth of God Valley itself.
The answers to everything…
Might lie within that gate.
Lucian clenched his fists.
Steady. Not yet.
Not now.
He raised his head.
The gold in his eyes flickered and faded.
Calm returned to his gaze.
He looked past the stunned, silent Garp—
And turned his eyes once more toward the battlefield.
The clash of ice and fire had weakened.
The two Navy titans had drained the last of their power.
The duel was nearly over.