"Vice Admiral Garp, you've t Arton before?" Gion asked, her expression filled with surprise. "And what's this about Red-Haired Shanks' daughter? And if you knew that Arton had Shanks' daughter on his ship, why didn't you intercept them when you had the chance? If you had stopped Arton back then, not only could Shanks' daughter have beco a Marine, but Arton could have beco one too!"
Gion's tone was filled with disbelief, as if she was learning about Arton for the first ti. But then, her expression turned more wistful, a genuine look of regret crossing her face.
Her frustration wasn't just an act; she genuinely felt it. If Garp had managed to bring Arton in back then, she wouldn't have had to invest so much ti and effort in trying to recruit him, only to have him take advantage of her and even defeat her in battle.
"Ahem, it was all just a series of accidents, really," Garp said, trying to downplay the situation. "Gion, we're Marines, not bandits. Arton hadn't committed any cris at that ti. I couldn't just grab him like a bandit and force him into the Navy, could I? But speaking of which, you said that you've encountered Arton as well. You saw his potential and tried to recruit him into the Navy, but he refused, and you ended up fighting him. What do you think of his strength during that fight? Did he really have the power to defeat Shiki?"
Garp quickly waved his hand, attempting to steer the conversation away from his own missed opportunity.
"I believe that at the ti I fought Arton, he wasn't as powerful as he was when he battled Shiki," Gion replied, her tone serious. "Vice Admiral Garp, Arton's talent is overwhelming. I'm convinced that he will rise to power very quickly. To prevent him from becoming a true threat to the seas, we must stop him from fully embracing the life of a pirate."
Gion spoke with a serious tone. She understood that Garp didn't have a diary copy like she did, so she could comprehend why Garp might have let Arton go the first ti they t. Therefore, she didn't dwell too much on Garp's decision to let Arton slip away.
"It seems that even you see great potential in that boy, Arton," Garp said with curiosity. "Even though he's already ford a pirate crew, you still want him to beco a Marine?"
"If you had more interactions with Arton like I did, if you understood him better, Vice Admiral Garp, you would understand why I'm doing this," Gion replied, nodding. "Arton hasn't done anything irreversible yet; there's still ti."
Garp stroked his beard, pondering the implications of Gion's words. Just then, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
"Hello, this is Garp," Garp answered the call in his usual boisterous manner.
"Garp, you fool!" ca the slightly irate voice of Fleet Admiral Sengoku from the other end of the line. "Look at what you've done!"
"Sengoku, don't go throwing accusations around so lightly," Garp said nonchalantly, picking at his nose as he spoke. "Have I done anything particularly out of line lately?"
Although Sengoku couldn't see Garp in person, the transponder snail faithfully conveyed Garp's nonchalant expression, which only served to irritate Sengoku further.
"Do you even have the nerve to say that to ?" Sengoku retorted. "Not long ago, this 'hero of the Navy' was injured by a branch captain. Do you realize how much damage this could do to the Navy's reputation if word got out? Do you understand how confident this will make the pirates if they find out?"
Standing nearby, Gion couldn't help but show a conflicted expression upon hearing this. She rembered when she first learned from Arton that Garp would be injured by soone called the 'Axe-Hand,' and she had assud this 'Axe-Hand' was so formidable character. But now, hearing that it was just a branch captain—and a particularly weak one at that—left her feeling sowhat puzzled.
She was so shocked when she found out the truth behind it.
"However, while we female Marines know the truth, those female pirates have no idea about Axe-Hand's real story."
"Right now, they're probably still in shock that Garp was injured by Axe-Hand."
"I just hope Arton doesn't reveal too much about Axe-Hand."
"The Navy's prestige might take a serious hit in the eyes of those pirates if he does, especially after the hero of the Navy was injured by a re branch captain."
As Gion silently mused on these thoughts with so resignation, Sengoku's scolding of Garp continued unabated.
"We might be able to overlook this incident," Sengoku said, "but what about this Arton?"
"Did you read today's newspaper?"
"How did that Arton end up becoming a pirate?"
"Weren't you the one who swore up and down that this kid would never turn to piracy?"
"You even told to think of ways to recruit him into the Navy!"
"And now look what's happened—he's not only beco a pirate, but he's also taken Shanks' daughter with him!"
"Even worse, he's now defeated Shiki!"
"Do you have any idea what kind of impact this news will have once it spreads across the world?"
"At this rate, how am I supposed to even consider recruiting him into the Navy!"
Sengoku's face twisted with frustration as he spoke, his anger evident. The thought of Arton—a man with imnse strength, vast potential, and ties to the Four Emperors, Shanks—rising in prominence on the seas made Sengoku deeply uneasy. Knowing that Garp had once had a chance to stop Arton only made Sengoku angrier.
"But... we're not bandits," Garp said with a shrug. "Arton hadn't committed any cris at the ti. I couldn't just snatch him up like a bandit."
"You..." Sengoku gritted his teeth, about to continue his tirade when the strategist Tsuru, who had been sitting in his office, finally spoke up.
"Sengoku, let's focus on the important matters," Tsuru said. "We need to deal with Arton as quickly as possible."
Her eyes glinted with deep thought. She had already learned so details about Arton from Gion and had passed them on to Sengoku.
Even though Gion insisted on making Arton join the Navy, even after he had already ford a pirate crew, Tsuru was quite surprised by her determination. However, considering Gion's work efficiency and personal character, Tsuru still intended to support Gion's idea.
As a result, during her conversation with Sengoku, Tsuru insisted on seizing the opportunity to bring Arton into the Navy rather than treating him as just another pirate. When dealing with Arton, the approach should still focus on persuasion.
Sengoku nodded in agreent with Tsuru and then said to Garp:
"Garp, we'll let the earlier matter slide for now. Don't bother going back to Windmill Village. Instead, focus all your efforts on capturing Arton. He wasn't a pirate before, but now that he claims to be one, you can catch him, right? Once you've captured him, I need to have a proper talk with him. The marine branches in the East Blue will also be on the lookout for Arton. If there's any news about him, we'll notify you and Gion imdiately."
Upon hearing this, Garp had no objections. He, too, was now eager to catch Arton.
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