dmims Chapter 37 Undercurrents, The Fall of the King
Chapter 37 Undercurrents, The Fall of the King
"General Kuzan! Lieutenant General Garp!" Smoker's voice was filled with suppressed anger.
"The target has appeared! And he's swaggered into Loguetown, wandering around aimlessly! Shouldn't we make our move?"
Aokiji yawned and said slowly, "Smoker, calm down. Action? How? Arrest?"
"Use what to arrest them with? Your subordinates who can be stunned by Conqueror's Haki? Or...us?"
He glanced at Garp: "Besides, is that 'Roger'... really the Roger we know?"
"The 'Holy Grail War' and 'Heroic Spirit Summoning' mentioned in the intelligence report sound like a fantasy, but there are real-life examples right in front of us."
Garp stared intently at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure on the screen, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
He witnessed Roger's execution and personally buried that era.
Now, Roger has reappeared, and he's even getting involved with his grandson!
Last time, he was about to rush up and find out what was going on, but that wretched Dilt ruined everything.
"That bastard... even after he's dead, he still comes out to stir up trouble!" Garp's voice was deep and rumbling like thunder.
"Whether he's a ghost or some kind of heroic spirit, anyone who disrupts the order of the sea will not escape my fists!"
He slammed his fist into the wall next to him, and the solid rock wall collapsed instantly.
The marines in the corridor were so terrified that they instantly collapsed to the ground: "Vice Admiral Garp!"
Garp smiled nonchalantly at the Marines before turning his head back.
"That brat Luffy... we're definitely going to bring him back this time!"
Kuzan stretched: "Ugh, Mr. Garp's grandson... what a nuisance. His first bounty has already exceeded 100 million."
After speaking, he glanced at the latest bounty poster with his blurry eyes, which clearly showed a photo of Luffy and Roger standing side by side.
Smoker said urgently, "Lieutenant General Garp! So, what do we do now...?"
"Wait!" Garp interrupted him, forcibly suppressing his anger, his eyes regaining a trace of the composure of a veteran.
"Wait until they reach the center of the square, to the execution platform! Our ambush will be concentrated there. Kuzan, blockade the port and the skies; don't let them escape by sea!"
Aokiji nodded, an invisible chill emanating from him. "Understood. But... Mr. Garp, are you really going to harm your grandson?"
Garp's eyes flickered with a complex expression for a moment, then hardened with unwavering resolve: "It's my duty! I am a Marine! Luffy... this time I must teach him a lesson he won't forget! As for Roger..."
He recalled the figure of himself striding confidently toward the execution platform many years ago, a glint of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes.
"This will give me a good look at how much the 'Pirate King,' who's been dead for over twenty years, still has left as a heroic spirit!"
Aokiji walked to the doorway, then suddenly stopped and turned to look at Smoker.
"Oh, right. Smoker, you've already had that force field device that Dr. Vegapunk was researching deployed, haven't you?"
Karp scratched his head: "What device?"
Aokiji sighed deeply: "I mean, Mr. Garp... when Fleet Admiral Sengoku gave the order, you didn't listen, did you? What a hassle..."
Smoker spoke for him, saying, "The solidified space force field device was developed by Dr. Vegapunk to deal with Dilt's arrival for rescue."
Garp's eyes lit up: "Oh! With this, that big bird won't be able to fly over, right?"
Aokiji clicked his tongue: "Big Bird... he's much more troublesome than Big Bird..."
Smoker stood up and secured the jib behind his back.
"Yes, Lieutenant General Garp. With this device, Dilt cannot use the Gates of Heaven within a certain range, which greatly delays his speed in arriving at the rescue."
Garp and Aokiji both looked disdainful upon hearing this, and Aokiji touched his fluffy hair.
"Although it's an order from the Warring States Marshal, why bother with such troublesome and useless deployments?"
Garp nodded in agreement: "Yeah, if he wants to come, nothing can stop him... but I guess he probably doesn't want to come this time."
Smoker frowned. "Why do you say that?"
Karp tore open the scallop packaging, put it in his mouth, chewed it vigorously, and answered incoherently.
"No reason, just a feeling. Alright! Chatting time's over, everyone get back to your positions! Hahaha!"
A hint of anticipation flashed in Garp's bright eyes: "Hey Roger. It's time for another great battle with you."
Rogge Town.
The rest of the Straw Hat crew split up to buy the supplies they needed.
Roger then led Luffy toward the plaza.
The execution platform still stands tall, casting long shadows in the sunlight, bearing witness to the passage of time.
Roger looked around at the familiar streets, the shops, the hawkers' cries—they all seemed the same as they had been decades ago.
But upon closer inspection, the owner has changed, the pedestrians have aged, everything has changed, yet it seems that nothing has changed at all.
This perspective of a "returnee" stirred a peculiar feeling within him.
Luffy followed Roger, walking through the increasingly sparse crowd.
"Hey! Look! That person... looks just like the guy on the wanted poster..."
"It's Straw Hat Luffy! And the one behind him... oh my god! That smile! That beard! Is it... is it Roger?!"
"Impossible! Roger is long dead! It's...it's a Heroic Spirit! A Heroic Spirit from the Holy Grail War!"
The surrounding crowd began to stir, and people started to move away. The whispers grew louder, and shocked, fearful, and curious glances were cast their way.
However, despite the commotion they caused, not a single navy officer dared to stand in Roger's way.
Roger's steps slowed unconsciously as he entered the square.
The clamor of voices seemed to fade away, his gaze fixed on the high platform, and the signature hearty smile on his face vanished.
Instead, there was a calm, a turbulent tension in his deep eyes.
"Hey, Roger, what's wrong?" Luffy noticed his unusual behavior and stopped to ask.
Roger did not answer immediately.
He walked to the foot of the execution platform, looked up, and the sunlight was a bit dazzling.
He reached out, his rough fingers gently stroking the rough wooden stake of the execution platform.
It seemed to carry a trace of lingering warmth—was that a mark left from the last moments of his life?
As a heroic spirit, he could feel a strange resonance, as if the platform itself "remembered" him.
"It's nothing, kid." Roger withdrew his hand, a smile returning to his face.
"I just feel... fate is such a strange thing. I ended up here back then, and now I'm starting all over again here with you. Hahaha! The legacy of the sea is truly exhilarating!"
Luffy stood beside him, also gazing up at the execution platform, unusually quiet. He subconsciously touched the little thing Dilt had given him in his pocket.
"Hey, Roger..." Luffy's voice broke the silence, carrying the straightforwardness unique to young people.
Were you scared when you stood there back then?
Roger snapped back to reality, looked down at Luffy, and his unrestrained smile remained unchanged.
He ruffled Luffy's hair vigorously: "Scared? Hahaha! Maybe a little, a little disappointed..."
Roger saw Rouge's silhouette in his mind's eye.
He changed the subject, his eyes sparkling like stars.
"But mostly, I'm happy! Kid! Because my death has ignited this era!"
"Countless men like you, carrying dreams and a thirst for freedom, have rushed towards this sea! Isn't that something to be happy about? Hahaha!"
His laughter echoed at the edge of the empty square, sending chills down the spines of the navy soldiers lying in ambush nearby.