CHAPTER 30

"Indeed... By normal standards, it might seem like an overreaction."

"But... what if I told you that Garp wasn't defeated by a veteran commander of the Rocks Pirates, but by a young pirate who had only recently joined their ranks?"

"And… the battle ended in complete domination!"

"Or, worse yet—what if this wasn't an isolated case? What if the Rocks Pirates have recruited multiple individuals with this level of strength?"

The moment these words fell, the entire highest meeting room erupted in disbelief.

"What did you just say?"

"Garp wasn't defeated by a Rocks commander?"

"Are you joking, Kong? Garp is a once-in-a-century genius in our Naval Headquarters! You're saying a pirate younger than him completely crushed him in battle?"

"Kong, is this intelligence accurate?"

"Kong! Presenting false information in a meeting of this magnitude would be enough to have you removed from your position!" a senior World Government official shouted.

"What I've said… is the absolute truth." Kong's expression remained serious, unwavering.

Silence fell over the conference room, the gravity of the situation settling in.

"Damn it! Just how far has the Rocks Pirates progressed without us realizing it?"

"This young man who defeated Garp is already a massive threat to our Marines, but the bigger concern is… if what Kong said is true, then the Rocks Pirates may have gathered several more individuals like him!"

"If that's the case… the Rocks Pirates must be eliminated at all costs! A single young man with this level of strength could create chaos if left unchecked. But if there are multiple… then the Rocks Pirates could pose an existential threat to the World Government itself!" one of the senior officials stated gravely.

Meanwhile, in the Holy Land of Mariejois, Pangaea Castle—the Highest Temple

This was where the highest authorities of the World Government, the Five Elders, convened.

Only top government officials and the Fleet Admiral of the Marines were granted an audience with them.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Fleet Admiral Brownie's footsteps echoed through the corridors of Pangaea Castle as he approached the grand doors of the highest hall.

Creak—

As the doors slowly opened, Brownie stepped inside.

The Five Elders were already seated, their piercing gazes falling upon him the moment he entered.

"You should know we are very busy, Brownie," spoke the Elder with white, curly hair, dressed in a black suit. "We made time to listen to your report, so I hope you're not here with trivial matters."

"The New World is chaotic, as always. Isn't handling that supposed to be your Marines' responsibility?" said the Elder with long, straight hair, legs crossed as he spoke indifferently.

"Get to the point," the blonde Elder ordered flatly.

Brownie stood firm before them, his voice unwavering.

"The Rocks Pirates… have birthed a new threat. Perhaps even more than one. Their power is growing at an uncontrollable rate."

"And?" scoffed the Elder with a scar on his forehead.

"Brownie, have you been Fleet Admiral for too long? Have you grown soft? Are you really wasting our time with something this trivial?" The Elder wielding the First Generation Kitetsu narrowed his eyes coldly.

As the supreme leaders of the World Government, the Five Elders had far greater matters to attend to.

They had given Brownie an audience, expecting something of true significance.

But this?

They already knew the Rocks Pirates were one of the most dangerous crews in the New World. They knew it was a haven for the world's most powerful and ruthless pirates.

Did he think they were unaware of how many monsters the crew had?

Now, Brownie was wasting their time by claiming another dangerous person had joined Rocks?

"You've wasted enough of our time, Brownie. If this is all you have to report, leave now. There won't be a next time for nonsense like this," the blonde Elder dismissed him, waving a hand impatiently.

"No! This isn't just any threat!" Brownie's tone turned sharper. "This individual is unlike the others. In fact… I believe his potential danger may be comparable to Rocks himself!"

Silence.

The entire room froze.

As absurd as it sounded, the Five Elders knew Brownie would never risk his position by lying to them.

"What happened, Brownie?" the Elder with the scar finally asked.

"We dispatched four of our rising stars—Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru—to investigate the Rocks Pirates. While gathering intelligence, Garp encountered a pirate who was younger than him, someone who had just joined the crew."

"There was a confrontation… and the result was complete domination. Garp was utterly crushed."

"Huh? What's this pirate's name?"

"Ayr."

"You're saying this 'Ayr' is younger than Garp… yet completely overwhelmed him?" The long-haired Elder's brow furrowed in genuine surprise.

Even as the highest-ranking figures of the World Government, they were well aware of Garp's potential.

They had personally reviewed reports on him, had seen glimpses of his monstrous talent.

Garp was, without a doubt, one of the greatest prodigies the Marines had produced in a century.

His rapid growth, his physical strength, his combat instincts—everything about him screamed that he was destined to be the strongest Marine in history.

And yet… he was utterly crushed by a pirate younger than him?

"Brownie, is this information reliable?"

Previously, some of the Elders had dismissed the report about this new Rocks Pirate recruit.

But now?

Hearing that this young man had crushed Garp, they couldn't ignore it.

"The information comes directly from Sengoku and the others. There is no mistake. But… that's not the real issue," Brownie took a deep breath. "I suspect Ayr is not an isolated case. The Rocks Pirates may have recruited multiple individuals with similar potential!"

The atmosphere in the room turned heavy.

"More of them?"

"The Rocks Pirates already give us enough trouble. If they truly have multiple rising stars of this caliber, this is no longer a simple problem."

"We cannot allow the Rocks Pirates to continue expanding their strength unchecked. If they truly have multiple young monsters among them… when they fully mature, they could become an unstoppable force."

"The order is clear. Begin a worldwide hunt for the Rocks Pirates."

"Focus our primary forces on eliminating Rocks himself."

"But assign secondary forces to track down this 'Ayr'—and any others like him!"

"We must identify every young talent they have… and wipe them out!"

"Understood!"

---

The Next Day, Aboard the Rocks Pirates' Ship

The Rocks Pirates' ship remained as lively as ever, filled with laughter, drinking, and reckless energy.

Overhead, a newspaper delivery bird fluttered down, dropping several new bounty posters onto the deck.

Ochoku glanced up, catching the falling papers in one hand.

He flipped through them lazily—bounties for various crew members—until one, in particular, caught his eye.

His lips curled into a smirk.

"Ayr… looks like you've finally made a name for yourself."