Chapter 252: I Won't Rest

As soon as Shanks finished speaking, he noticed that all his crewmates were looking at him as if he were an idiot. Their expressions left him slightly embarrassed.

Beckman let out a puff of smoke and sighed helplessly. "It's just Garp's grandson. How does your brain even work?"

"If I remember correctly, doesn't Garp have a son?" Yasopp asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah. He was a Marine once, but then he disappeared. Supposedly retired," Shanks replied with a nod.

The truth about Dragon was a well-kept secret. The World Government had intentionally suppressed any information about him. After all, it was embarrassing enough that the son of the Marine hero, Monkey D. Garp, had not only left the Marines but also founded the Revolutionary Army to openly oppose the World Government. If that got out, it would be a complete humiliation.

"Anyway, Luffy shouldn't be Garp's son. He's his grandson," Beckman explained, stroking his chin as he worked through the logic. "I mean, sure, there are lots of people with similar names in this world, but when they're from the same kingdom, the same village, and share the same surname? That's not just a coincidence."

With that clarification, Shanks and the others pieced it together. So that's what had happened, they'd stirred up trouble in East Blue, messing around with Garp's grandson and even encouraging him to become a pirate.

Shanks had personally entrusted Luffy with the straw hat. He knew the kid well enough to be certain that, no matter what anyone said, Luffy wouldn't change his mind about becoming a pirate.

If Garp had found out that his grandson was determined to become a pirate and that Shanks had played a major role in encouraging him, it was no surprise that the Marine hero was furious. Now it made perfect sense why Garp wanted to capture him so badly every time they crossed paths in the New World.

---

Meanwhile, in the New World, a dog-headed Marine warship was docked at a port on an island. Garp himself stood aboard the ship, his expression grim.

"Report, Vice Admiral Garp. There's no sign of the Red Hair Pirates, and no trace of them in the surrounding area. It's possible the intelligence was wrong," a Marine Major reported.

Garp's scowl deepened, and he cursed under his breath. "Damn it! I lost that b*****d again. Where the hell did they go?"

At this point, Garp's hatred for Shanks was practically boiling over.

As Marine Vice Admiral, Garp's responsibilities kept him extremely busy. The last two years had been particularly chaotic, with the seas in turmoil. After the Big Mom Pirates were defeated, New World had been rife with upheaval, and the Marines had seized the opportunity to infiltrate and establish their presence. Now that Marine influence had grown, Garp had more freedom to move around New World without being discreet.

Because of his busy schedule, Garp hadn't been able to return to East Blue to visit Luffy for quite some time.

When he finally managed to take some time off and return to East Blue, he'd been looking forward to seeing his grandson.

But things had taken a turn for the worse.

To his shock, the kid had declared that he wanted to become a pirate! Garp couldn't believe his ears. He was a Marine hero, how could his grandson choose piracy over the Marines? It felt like a slap in the face.

Years ago, Garp had reluctantly let his son Dragon go his own way. But with Luffy, he had been determined to start over and mold him into an exemplary Marine. And now, this?

Adding insult to injury, Luffy was wearing that straw hat. Garp knew exactly what it meant. It had belonged to Roger, his old rival. And who had given it to Luffy? None other than Shanks, the former cabin boy on Roger's ship.

Shanks had waltzed into East Blue, charmed his grandson, handed over the straw hat, and encouraged him to become a pirate. In Garp's eyes, this wasn't a coincidence, it was a calculated move to humiliate him.

Did Shanks think this was funny? That it was revenge for Roger? Did he want to see the legendary Marine hero disgraced by his own family?

Garp was furious. He could barely contain his anger. After his vacation in East Blue, he'd returned to Marineford and mobilized every resource available to hunt down the Red Hair Pirates. He wouldn't rest until he caught that b*****d Shanks and put an end to this nonsense.

Unfortunately, Shanks had managed to evade him again, leaving Garp irritated and frustrated.

As Garp stewed in his thoughts, cursing Shanks under his breath, a Marine Rear Admiral approached him urgently.

"Vice Admiral Garp, we've just received a distress call. Zephyr-sensei from the Officer Training Camp is in trouble. He was leading recruits in a live combat exercise when they were ambushed by pirates. They're stranded on a nearby island, and the situation is critical due to the number of recruits!"

Garp's brow furrowed at the news. Without hesitation, he barked, "Set course immediately! We're going to help!"

Zephyr, an old comrade of Garp's, was in danger. And with no leads on the Red Hair Pirates, Garp decided to focus on this urgent matter instead.

---

Back on the Sabaody Archipelago, Shanks and his crew had finally pieced together why Garp was so determined to catch them. It turned out they had accidentally crossed a line by messing with Garp's grandson.

While Shanks found the situation a bit too coincidental, he had no regrets. He still believed in Luffy's potential and wouldn't have done anything differently. In fact, knowing that Luffy was Garp's grandson made things even more exciting. The sheer absurdity of it all was something only a pirate could truly appreciate.

After evading Garp's relentless pursuit in the New World, Shanks and his crew were mentally and physically exhausted. Now, on the Sabaody Archipelago, they saw an opportunity to rest, resupply, and regroup.

As they strolled through the illegal zone, Shanks observed their surroundings and remarked, "Things are getting chaotic again. Last time we were here, it was starting to stabilize, but now it's obvious the place is sliding back into chaos. Even the slave trade is rearing its ugly head again."

Claudius's earlier rampage on the Sabaody Archipelago had temporarily cleaned up the area, improving public safety and driving away many of the criminal factions. But the island's position as a gateway to the New World made it a breeding ground for trouble. Over time, chaos had crept back in.

Though slave-hunting teams had returned, they still operated cautiously. No one dared to touch the Red Line or do business involving Fish-Man Island. The fear of Marine and CP-X intervention was enough to keep them in check.

As the crew walked, a slave-hunting team passed by, parading a line of shackled captives. Shanks glanced at the scene with distaste. Although he was a pirate, he despised the slave trade. To him, it was the lowest and most despicable form of evil.

Despite his disgust, Shanks decided not to intervene. Causing trouble here could attract Garp's attention, and they couldn't afford that. So, after a brief glance, he turned away.

But after a few steps, Shanks suddenly froze. His expression shifted to one of shock and disbelief.

Turning back, he stared intently at the slave-hunting team. As his eyes locked onto one of the captives, realization hit him like a thunderbolt.

"Wait a second…" Shanks muttered, his voice filled with confusion and disbelief. "What the hell? Why is my deputy captain working as a slave?!"

Shanks was stunned, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. "What the hell is this!?" he murmured, completely dumbfounded.