"Same as last time?"
Many of the younger Marine officers froze in confusion, clearly unable to grasp the deeper meaning behind those words.
Only a few of the more seasoned veterans, and those like Tsuru, had their expressions shift instantly. They clearly understood the weight behind Garp's statement.
Sengoku's face darkened. His hand clenched the Den Den Mushi tightly, relaxing and tightening several times before he finally snorted coldly.
"Hmph, Garp, stop spouting nonsense. Everyone's seen the footage from the Transponder Snail just now."
"This incident was clearly provoked by CP0. It had nothing to do with Luoyu."
"Luoyu never laid a finger on the Celestial Dragon—CP0 was simply too weak to protect him."
"If anyone's to blame, it's that CP0 agent and his ridiculously mediocre strength."
The Marine officers glanced at one another, unsure how to react. Sengoku's tone had taken such a sharp turn, it almost felt like he was admitting—yes, the Celestial Dragon got beaten up for nothing.
"Hahaha, Sengoku, I knew you'd handle it this way! Those trash Celestial Dragons got what was coming to them. Nothing to fuss about. I'll go let Luoyu know the good news," Garp said cheerfully, clapping Sengoku on the shoulder.
"Good news?" Sengoku slapped Garp's hand away, glaring. "Sometimes I wonder if that brat turned out like this because of you!"
"I'll handle the Celestial Dragon incident. For now, Luoyu should stay away from the Red Line. Let things cool down."
"There's a mission that just came in—have him take it. As for escorting Crocodile, you'll take that over."
"Garp, I swear, don't drop the ball again. Now go!"
"You want Luoyu on that mission?" Garp frowned, clearly startled.
He knew exactly what mission Sengoku meant. It was the most dangerous situation since Red-Haired Shanks became a Yonko six years ago. The Rear Admiral originally tasked with it had already failed, and they'd been forced to escalate it to Headquarters and request an Admiral-level response.
Garp had never imagined this hot potato would land in Luoyu's hands.
"What's wrong, Garp?" Sengoku growled. "You questioning my judgment?"
"Ahem… Of course not," Garp coughed. "It's just… you know how that kid operates. This mission's high-risk. If we want him to cooperate, we'll probably have to promise some performance bonus."
"Performance bonus?" Sengoku's composure snapped. He crushed the armrest of his chair and roared, "That brat punches a Celestial Dragon and still wants a bonus?! Get out of here—NOW!"
The Next Day…
As word spread about the events at the Gates of Justice on the Red Line, the entire Grand Line was thrown into chaos.
Everyone knew how untouchable the Celestial Dragons were—protected by CP0 and Admirals at all times, feared across the seas like gods.
But one of them had been beaten.
And not just by anyone—but by the newly appointed Marine Admiral, Luoyu the Glutton.
Had the front page of the World Economy News not featured the brutal aftermath, no one would've believed it.
"Elder Sister, what are you thinking about?" Marigold asked sharply, slamming her naginata onto the deck. "Aren't we heading to Marineford to protest? That man—Luoyu—dared to strike one of the Seven Warlords in broad daylight! He broke the treaty between the World Government and the Warlords! We can't just swallow this!"
Beside her, Sandersonia hesitated. "…I'm not so sure anymore. Maybe we misunderstood."
"Misunderstood?!" Marigold flared. "He clearly attacked us! If it weren't for Elder Sister's strength, we'd have been forced to drink with that filthy Celestial Dragon! Have you forgotten what we went through back then?"
Sandersonia fell silent. She remembered everything vividly. But as she looked again at the headline and the photo of the bloodied Celestial Dragon, something didn't sit right.
"You fool," croaked a familiar voice.
A wooden staff smacked Marigold hard on the head.
Granny Nyon, leaning on her cane, stood on deck with a sour expression.
"Are you trying to ruin the peace we've worked so hard for on Amazon Lily?" she snapped.
"If that brat hadn't stepped in yesterday, you would've been the one on the front page—accused of attacking a Celestial Dragon."
"If that had happened, forget about your Warlord title—Amazon Lily would be swarmed by the Navy."
"In truth, that boy saved us. And when someone saves us like that—especially when he hits a Celestial Dragon so hard his head looks like a smashed melon—there's only one thing to do."
"In my day, we called that a marriage proposal."
A marriage… proposal?
The entire deck fell silent. Even the ever-calm Sandersonia looked stunned.
Marigold blinked blankly.
Thinking back on what really happened the previous day, everything suddenly made sense.
And when they looked down again at the newspaper, at that lone man standing defiantly beside a battered Celestial Dragon, they all felt it.
Who else in this world would dare do that?
"Actually… I think he really did it to protect us," Sandersonia murmured.
"I don't know why he went that far, but he didn't have to."
"He saved us. That's a debt I won't forget."
"Granny Nyon's right. Sister, let's not press charges. The Celestial Dragons will already be out for his blood—if we add to that, it'd feel like a betrayal."