Ch281 Justice Fails : The New Era Begins

CH281 GARPS LAST STAND

Atop the mighty Red Line, within the hallowed grounds of Mary Geoise, the sacred Holy Land...

Inside a grand and imposing office, shadows stretched long across polished floors as tension thickened the air.

"Damn it… Could Fire Fist Ace still be alive?"

Kong's voice rang out, heavy with frustration and disbelief. Entrusted with the temporary oversight of Marine affairs, his days had been consumed by chaos. Now, his furrowed brow and clenched fists betrayed the weight he bore. His usually calm demeanor was marred by a storm of anxiety.

Moments earlier, he had returned from a grueling meeting with the Five Elders, emerging with verbal wounds from their scathing reprimands.

The loss of Sengoku— a trusted, long-serving Marine and former Fleet Admiral— still loomed large. The blame for recent failures had fallen squarely on his shoulders in death.

"What did you say?"

Kong's words, murmured in the aftermath, found their way into the ears of those present.

Garp, the legendary Hero of the Marines and Admiral Aokiji had just stepped into the room. The statement hit them like a thunderclap.

"Ace… can he still be alive?"

Garp staggered, his composure unraveling. The revelation struck deep, shaking him to the core.

---

The room fell into stunned silence.

"Marshal Kong… this has to be a joke, right?"

Aokiji's voice broke through, laced with disbelief. Even he struggled to grasp the idea. He had seen it with his own eyes— Ace, struck down by Akainu, a fist through his chest, flames consuming his insides.

Survival was impossible. Or so they thought.

"CP has uncovered something..." Kong said, calm yet grim. His eyes flicked toward Garp, who stood stiff, his face darkened with worry.

Kong exhaled, steadying himself.

"Recently, a fisherman— bearing a striking resemblance to Ace— was abducted. Around the same time, the life card of Fire Fist, held by Whitebeard's former commanders, ignited and burned… but not completely."

He paused.

"There were signs of tampering. Naval surveillance went dark briefly. Just long enough to spark suspicion."

He looked around the room.

"Which led to one conclusion— Ace may still be alive."

A heavy silence followed. Then came the final blow.

"And the mastermind? All signs point to 'Blood Demon Ren'. He surfaced during the last war, flawlessly imitating the techniques of legendary figures like— Roger, Rayleigh. If anyone could pull off a deception like this… it's him."

---

"He must've made a deal with Rayleigh," someone muttered. "Silvers… that name again. He pulled Fire Fist Ace out from right under the Navy's nose."

Kong didn't deny it. "Shanks' identity— Rayleigh probably told him everything."

The weight of the news was too heavy to carry in silence. Kong laid it out for Garp and Aokiji— plain and direct.

Aokiji's eyes narrowed. "Then Ace… might've survived?" He exhaled sharply. "This changes everything. And not for the better."

Garp stood frozen. "Ace…"

Hope, once buried, began to rise.

"If this is true," someone added, "then from Sabaody to the Summit War… that timing—"

And then came the real bombshell.

"In under a month, he mastered the Sword techniques of Roger and Rayleigh. Two legends. Two monsters. That kind of growth… it's terrifying."

---

It was easy to imagine the threat that lay ahead.

Give Ren's crew a few more years, and they wouldn't just rival the powerhouses of the sea— they will surpass them.

Blood Demon Ren. A name already whispered with fear. A prodigy, a storm brewing on the horizon. If left unchecked, he could become Marines' greatest nightmare.

His crew had already proven themselves. Their rise echoed the early days of the Red Hair Pirates.

"Enough, Garp," Kong muttered, the tension in the room crackling.

Kong turned to Garp, his tone low but firm. "I would have accept your resignation… but you know the state we're in. I need you to remain. Keep your rank. Train the next generation. The Marines need you."

He paused, the weight of failure written across his face.

"The war left scars. The sea is unstable. Our forces… weakened. We've lost too much, and we've gone quiet when we should've fought back."

Running a hand over his mohawk hair, Kong sighed. "World conscription might fill the ranks fast, sure. But it won't be enough. Not in the long run."

He looked out, voice steady. "We need more than numbers. The new age of Marines must rise. That's the only way forward."

And with that, the call was made—

For world conscription.

---

Kong: he stood in agreement.

While he supported strengthening the Marines, he was uneasy about drawing warriors from civilian life— men with no formal allegiance— into the ranks. Granting them rapid promotions without regard for Marine tradition? It went against everything he stood for.

As a former Fleet Admiral and now the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government Army, Kong knew well the risks such reckless decisions posed. Experience had taught him that shortcuts in command often led to long-term chaos.

But even he couldn't oppose the will of the Five Elders.

Still, there was a growing concern gnawing at him.

The new generation of Marines… they lacked spark. Lacked brilliance. There was no standout— no rising star who could rally the troops or inspire fear in the enemy. And that absence weighed heavily on him.

Meanwhile, the pirates— supposedly fractured and disorganized— were thriving. New blood was flooding their ranks, strengthening them with each passing day.

Young terrors like Blood Demon Ren had emerged, bringing with them a wave of chaos. And this year alone, a dozen new supernovas had risen to infamy, each more dangerous than the last.

Kong sighed.

"The one I had the most hope for… killed by that madman, Akainu," he muttered. "Such a waste..."

---

Garp didn't hesitate— his refusal was absolute.

"I never imagined I'd grow so fond of Koby," Garp thought to himself. "I was even beginning to wonder if he could be like a second son to me..."

Those words— so deeply personal— he had spoken them amidst the chaos of Marineford , the heart of the battlefield. But fate is cruel. He was a moment too late.

A shining hope for the Marines had been snuffed out— killed by that reckless fool, Akainu.

Now, Garp questioned everything. If he remained in the Marines... who was left for him to guide? To mold into something greater?

Sengoku— his closest companion, brother not by blood but by bond— was gone too.

The weight of it all... it was too much. His heart had left the Marines long before he did.

"Garp, wait—" someone began.

But Garp cut them off, voice sharp and final.

"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."

He gave Aokiji a glance— brief, knowing— then turned and walked away.

Changes were stirring. In the Marines, in the world… and in Aokiji too. Garp didn't speak it out. But deep down, he sensed it.

Something was shifting. And he was no longer part of it.

---