Chapter 6: The Chaos of Distraction
The sun beat down on the floating wreckage, but the mood was anything but warm. For hours, Garp spoke, weaving eight centuries of history into a cohesive, if unbelievable, narrative for the man who had slept through it all. He began with the recent past and worked backward, trying to explain the world's bizarre status quo.
"The world you woke up to isn't one of kingdoms, Ancestor," Garp began, leaning back to ease the discomfort in his ribs. "It's defined by one man: Gol D. Roger."
Garp explained the Great Pirate Era—how Roger's execution and his final words ignited a global fervor for the hidden treasure, One Piece. He described the chaotic explosion of power that resulted, the endless flow of pirates challenging the sea.
Kelean listened, his eyes narrowed at the mention of the Will of D. in a pirate. "Roger," Kelean murmured, rolling the name on his tongue. "Another D., seeking the Dawn, but failing to unite. He scattered the flame instead of controlling it. Noble, perhaps, but strategically weak."
Garp moved on to the present balance of power, describing the Four Emperors—Shanks, Kaidou, Big Mom, and recently, the rising threat of Blackbeard, the same coward Kelean had just swatted.
"They are the cornerstones of the New World," Garp explained. "They carve out territories, fight each other, and keep the Marines and the World Government too busy to truly stabilize the seas."
Kelean's reaction was devastatingly simple. "They are not cornerstones, Garp. They are managed distractions."
He waved a hand dismissively. "The original war was a contest for the right to define history. The enemy won by making the descendants of D. forget what history they were fighting over. Now, the strongest men in the world fight over treasure and territory, over shadows, while the true enemy remains untouched."
"The true enemy," Garp repeated, his tone darkening. "You mean the World Government… and the Celestial Dragons."
Kelean finally showed genuine emotion—a flicker of pure, searing hatred in his eyes. "The Twenty Traitors. They established the Red Line and Mariejois, elevating themselves above all life. Tell me of Imu. Is the power still wielded by a single figure, ruling from the dark?"
Garp hesitated, choosing his words carefully. He described the Celestial Dragons' untouchable status, their control over the Marines and the Seven Warlords system, and the secret, ancient power they wielded from the shadows—the existence of Imu, something only the highest echelons and a few D.s truly suspected.
"They are stronger, Ancestor," Garp admitted, bowing his head slightly in defeat. "In your time, they were rulers. Now, they are gods. They have sealed the truth of the Void Century entirely, and the majority of the world believes they are divine protectors."
"Gods," Kelean scoffed. "A common fallacy of the deeply fearful. They merely perfected the art of isolation. They made themselves physically unreachable and historically incomprehensible."
Garp then revealed the core conflict of his own life: serving the Marines to preserve a semblance of order and protect the world from the chaos of the pirates, while secretly holding the truth of the D. lineage and nurturing the seeds of resistance.
"I tried to find a balance, Ancestor," Garp said, his eyes pleading. "I fought pirates—my own grandson is one!—to save the innocent people the Celestial Dragons exploit. It's a futile tightrope walk, but I couldn't just sit and watch the world burn."
Kelean looked at Garp, understanding the generational struggle. The original fight was grand and clear; Garp's fight was messy, compromised, and perpetual.
"So the World Government created a problem—chaos—and then offered the solution—the Marines," Kelean summarized, a cold smile touching his lips. "An effective, self-sustaining loop of control. And you, the proudest of my bloodline, served as their greatest soldier. The limitation is deeper than Haki, Garp. It is a limitation of vision."
Kelean stood up on the crimson platform. He now had the context he needed. His task was not just to defeat a handful of rulers; it was to shatter eight centuries of systemic illusion and manufactured chaos.
"I will not attack the fortress of the gods yet," Kelean announced. "A single blow, no matter how powerful, will be absorbed by the chaos you describe. Before I cleanse the head, I must find the scattered hearts of my lineage."
He looked at Garp, a hint of something resembling fierce pride replacing the disappointment. "You are broken, but you are not defeated. Your grandsons—Luffy and Ace—tell me their names and their paths. Where do the true flames of the D. burn?"
Kelean is now moving from the historical to the personal! The next logical step is for Garp to reveal the current status of his grandsons, which will give Kelean his first real target in the New World.