Marineford.
The entire Marine Headquarters had never been so abuzz.
In the corridors, soldiers ran to spread the news, officers looked excited, and even many Vice Admirals couldn't help but bang on tables and laugh.
"Did you hear?! Vice Admiral Gern really arrested Roger!"
"He's not a Vice Admiral anymore! With this kind of merit, he's definitely getting promoted to Admiral!"
"Admiral?! In that case, wouldn't he surpass Instructor Zephyr and become the fastest and youngest Admiral in history?"
"No choice, that's the 'Pirate King' with a bounty of 5.5 billion!"
"Enough, I heard Vice Admiral Gern will personally escort the Pirate King back to Marineford!"
Cheers, exclamations, and disbelieving discussions intertwined, shaking the glass of the Marineford building.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Kong slammed his fist on the desk, and the thick solid wood surface cracked with a spiderweb-like pattern.
"Immediately block all these miscellaneous news channels!" He roared, his eyes flashing with unconcealed joy.
There's no way around it; just imagine, as you're about to retire from your position as Fleet Admiral, you suddenly have the achievement of arresting the Pirate King.
At this point, Kong was certain that his next step would definitely be the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's entire military!
"Sengoku, tell me... Admiral is one thing! But when did I say I was going to retire for Gern?"
"Fleet Admiral Kong, it's normal for everyone to be excited." Sengoku stood by the window, his gaze behind his glasses fixed on the port direction.
The warship escorting Roger was slowly entering the inner harbor, and the figure draped in a coat of justice on the deck was clearly visible.
"However, Fleet Admiral Kong..." Sengoku's voice was hoarse, "We might have... underestimated him."
"Underestimated?" Kong chuckled, picking up his cup and taking a sip.
"The widespread destruction of 'God's Fall Ruins' in the South Sea is still unapproachable! You call this 'underestimated'?!"
At this moment, outside the window, another wave of cheers, like a mountain tsunami, erupted again.
"Heaven Quake!!!"
"Marine Legend!!!"
The sound waves penetrated the walls, making the office's chandelier sway slightly.
At the port, new recruits crowded by the railings, frantically craning their necks to look.
"Is that... Heaven Quake, who arrested the 'Pirate King'?"
At the forefront of the crowd, young Smoker bit his cigar, completely unaware of the falling ash.
His pupils reflected this scene:
Gern walked slowly through the central plaza, black blade eight desolations hanging diagonally at his waist, the bandage on its scabbard already shattered, revealing the dark blade patterns underneath.
His Marine uniform jacket was casually draped over his shoulders, and the black shirt underneath clung to his lean, powerful body.
Most suffocating was the invisible oppressive aura around him.
Even without releasing Haki, he instinctively made the Marine officers along the way step aside and clear a path!
"Hey..." Someone swallowed, "His eyes..."
Under the sunlight, Gern's pupils glowed with an eerie pale white, like the lingering aftershocks of a tremor.
"Gern, why did you insist on making this trip?" Libo watched Gern, who was struggling to hold himself up, a little confused.
"Your injuries are too severe, and my Devil Fruit ability can only keep you conscious..."
"Libo, you don't understand." Gern said softly, "Everything I've done was for this moment."
After speaking, Gern endured the intense pain throughout his body, once again raised his left arm high, and shouted, "Justice!!!"
In an instant, from a distance, a new wave of cheers surged like a tide.
Inside the office, Kong looked out the window. Gern was surrounded by enthusiastic Marines, the sunlight casting a dazzling golden edge around him.
"This prestige... he's simply the embodiment of the 'Marine's Spiritual Pillar'!
No one can easily touch him now, not even the World Government."
...
Three days later, Impel Down, Level 6, Infinite Hell.
In the dim cell, only the flickering light of torches illuminated the damp walls.
The heavy sound of chains was particularly grating in the dead silence.
Roger leaned against the cold stone wall, his hands and feet bound by special Sea Stone handcuffs.
The once spirited "Pirate King" now resembled a lion stripped of its fangs, left with only weary gasps.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
"Vice Admiral Garp!... Vice Admiral Garp! Why are you here?" The guard's voice was filled with reverence, "Wait, the Fleet Admiral has orders, you can't..."
"Less nonsense!" Garp's deep voice resonated within the cell, "I'm just going to say a few words to him from outside the door!"
The guards exchanged glances, then finally gritted their teeth and opened the gate leading to the deepest part.
Garp strode in, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.
He finally stopped in front of Roger's cell, but instead of opening the door, he simply sat cross-legged on the ground and pulled out a bag of senbei from his pocket.
"Want some?" Garp shook the bag, a wide grin on his face, "Might be the last meal."
Roger slowly raised his head, and beneath his messy hair, his eyes were still clear.
"Heh heh..." He chuckled hoarsely, "You're still the same, Garp."
Separated by a Sea Stone barrier, one sitting, one leaning, they seemed to return to their days of chasing each other on the sea.
Garp took a bite of senbei, the chewing sound clear in the silence.
"Why?" He suddenly spoke, his voice low, "Why did you let that kid Gern arrest you?"
Roger was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"You saw through it, after all..."
"Nonsense! We've been fighting for almost a lifetime!" Garp suddenly crushed the senbei in his hand.
"Even if you're dying, in a full-out deathmatch, there's no way you'd lose to a kid who hasn't fully grown yet!"
Roger didn't answer immediately, instead looking down at the handcuffs on his wrists, the cold gleam of the Sea Stone reflecting on his haggard face.
"Garp..." He said softly, "What do you think the 'King's' demise should look like?"
Garp's fists clenched, cracking.
"At least not like this!" He roared, "No matter what, you're..."
"The Pirate King?" Roger suddenly burst into laughter, yet there was a sense of relief in his mirth.
"Actually, I didn't want this either. My original plan was to turn myself in, haha."
He looked up, his eyes shining with a light Garp had never seen before.
"But never mind, no matter what... now I've lost!" Roger smiled slightly.
"You lost..." Garp's pupils suddenly constricted.
He knew that Roger's words were not just about the "battle" with Gern.
In that instant, Garp suddenly understood something, stood up abruptly, and slammed his fist hard on the bars!
"Roger, what are you trying to do?!" His voice was almost squeezed through his teeth.
"You're definitely not just trying to use your death to make that brat a legend?!
What exactly did you see on that island?!"
Roger didn't answer, just calmly watched his old friend's furious expression.
"If you get the chance, go see for yourself..." He chuckled, shaking his head, "However, you got one thing wrong."
The Sea Stone handcuffs clanked dully with his movements.
"Gern, I didn't make him..." Roger's gaze pierced through the cell, "On the contrary, I went all out in that battle with him.
I can only say that in his state at the time..." Roger's gaze penetrated the prison wall, as if he saw that world-destroying scene again.
The awakened Devil Fruit ability shattered the sky, and that young man stood in mid-air like a "God."
"Anyone else besides me would have lost or... died.
In any case, a guy with that kind of power is probably destined to end my era and draw a close to it."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Garp's breathing hitched.
"Garp, whether it's Rocks or Gern." Roger refocused his gaze on Garp's solemn eyes.
"That 'blade' will never choose the wrong master."
The two fell silent again, only the crackling of the torches echoing in the darkness.
After a long while, Garp suddenly grabbed the remaining senbei, stuffed it all into his mouth, and chewed loudly.
"Crazy." He mumbled, "You two are both crazy."
Roger burst into laughter, his laughter echoing in the deepest parts of Impel Down, startling countless sleeping criminals.
"Yes!" He laughed until he coughed, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, "But an era like this... is interesting!"
Garp stared at him for a long time, finally sighed, and turned to walk towards the exit.
"Hey, Garp." Roger suddenly called out to him.
The Marine hero stopped, but didn't turn around.
"I'm going to be a father..." Roger's voice was softer than ever before.
"What's the use of telling me this? I'm a Marine, Roger.
And that's your bloodline, a woman connected to you, the World Government will never allow her..."
"That's why I don't trust them, I trust you more!
After all... we're friends who've fought for many years!
You protect him!"
Garp's shoulders stiffened slightly, then he waved his hand.
"Annoying."
The heavy gate slowly closed, separating the two legends into light and darkness.