One Piece: From Picking Up Red Hair's Broken Arm

Chapter 311 Luffy Can't Believe
That evening.

The Holy Land, Mary Geoise, Between Powers.

Four elderly men, some standing and some sitting, were passing around a newspaper by the sofa, their faces looking rather grim.

"You mean, right now, not only in the lower realms, but even in the Holy Lands, many people are talking about it?"

"Yes, sir, even among the World Nobles, many younger members are privately gossiping about Lord Garin, saying he was originally the father of a great pirate..."

"Useless trash! Scoundrel!"

Sacred Vocuri interrupted in a fit of rage:
"He can't even handle this small matter! Garin has only just taken office and he's already facing this kind of public opinion crisis. Where do you expect him to put his face?!"

"Sir, please calm down."

The CP-0 members below broke out in a cold sweat and cautiously advised:

"We've done our best, but the World Economic News Agency's entire headquarters is currently hiding in the territory of the Fallen Ones. We simply can't do it..."

"When it comes to the Figarando family's reputation, there's nothing we can't do!"

Nassuro Seiya also shouted sternly, "If it doesn't work, then mobilize the entire army and spare no expense to capture this bird!"

"Ming, understand, sir..."

Several CP-0 agents trembled with fear.

Garin Sheng watched this scene with cold eyes, then suddenly let out a sneer.

"enough."

He slowly stood up, looking down at the two CP0 members. "This matter is no longer your concern. You may leave now."

Eh?
The CP-0 agents exchanged glances, their astonishment mixed with a surge of joy.

"Yes, Garin Sei!"

They bowed repeatedly as if granted a pardon, their foreheads still damp with cold sweat, before hastily retreating from the halls of power.

Only after the heavy doors closed behind them did the agents breathe a sigh of relief, and they saw in each other's eyes the relief of surviving a disaster.

"Great."

One of the agents, wearing a lion mask, swallowed hard and said, "At least we don't have to go to that hellhole..."

Another agent subconsciously touched his mutilated left ear.

Five days ago, during a mission to capture Morgans, I was cornered by that guy named Shiliu and sliced ​​off with a single stroke.

If it weren't for his teammates sacrificing themselves and risking their lives to save him, he would probably be a corpse by now.

Even so, all seven members of his team perished there, causing him immense grief.

The territory of the curtain falls...

This is far too dangerous for their CP agents!
Not only are there many powerful individuals, but they have also established a very strong intelligence network within the organization.

They had just infiltrated the territory and hadn't even had a chance to scout the area when they were immediately discovered.

This level of vigilance is on a completely different level from that of other sea emperors!
Originally, judging from the resolute and strict attitude of the two Elders, they were already prepared to go and die.

Unexpectedly, Garin Satoshi took the initiative to call off the mission.

"Compared to those two lords, Lord Garin is truly merciful..." the lion-masked agent murmured with admiration.

"Hush, be careful what you say."

Another agent glanced around nervously before shaking his head and sighing, "That's true. I just don't know how Saint Garin plans to handle this. It's really tough on him..."

……

Within the realm of power.

Once only the Five Elders remained in the room, Saint Garin's gaze swept back and forth between Saints Vochuli and Nassuro, a mocking smile playing on his lips:

"You two 'senior actors,' aren't you tired from acting so hard?"

"What do you mean?"

Saint Vochuli was puzzled.

“From the very first day I took office, you have been targeting me at every turn.”

Garin slowly picked up his teacup. "Now they're making a big fuss about Shanks again, trying to elevate my old man's status..."

He suddenly looked up, a cold glint in his eyes: "Do you really think I can't see that you're using this as an excuse to deliberately embarrass me?"

In an instant, the temperature in the room seemed to drop sharply.

Nasujiro Sei gave a cold laugh, no longer bothering to pretend, and held Kitoki, closing his eyes and remaining silent.

Pittor cleared his throat to smooth things over: "Garin, you're overthinking it. We're just trying to save face for the World Government..."

"Shut up too!"

Garin Sheng interrupted sharply: "Stop pretending! To put it bluntly, you old fogies are just jealous that our master values ​​me more now, aren't you?"

He slammed his hand on the table, and the solid wood surface shattered into countless fragments with a loud crack.

"Let me tell you, I will handle this family scandal myself! There's no need for you to put on this fake show! If you dare to cause any more trouble behind my back, even if you are all members of the Five Elders..."

Garin Sei unleashed a terrifying killing intent, uttering each word with deliberate emphasis:

"Don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

With that, he snorted coldly, turned around and strode away, leaving the three of them behind, exchanging a glance with uncertain expressions.

the other side.

After leaving the Hall of Power, Garin Saint went straight to the headquarters of the Knights of God.

As the former commander and the father of the current commander, this place remains his home turf.

He walked through the corridor with a gloomy expression. The knights of the gods on both sides bowed their heads in respect, but none of them dared to look directly into his cold eyes.

"Shamrock".

Garin stood in the center of the courtyard and called out coldly.

A figure appeared in an instant, red hair fluttering in the wind, a face identical to Shanks's, filled with respect, and a slight bow:
"Father."

"How dare you! Just because you're not home doesn't mean you can act like a proper official!"

"Yes, Lord Five Elders."

Galin Saint stared at his son, at the identical face, and a nameless anger rose within him. He slowly took the newspaper from his pocket and tossed it to Shamrock:

"check it out."

Shamrock took it, glanced at it a few times, and was immediately taken aback:
"Has news of Shanks already spread?"

"Yes! It's all over! I, a dignified Five Elders, have suddenly become the father of a pirate! What a disgrace!"

Galin Sei grew increasingly furious, kicking a nearby stone pillar to pieces and gritting his teeth as he said:
"Back when that brat returned to the Holy Land, I was too soft-hearted to finish him off myself. Now look what's happened! He's become a laughingstock for the Figarando family, a laughingstock of the whole world!"

He originally thought that the pentagram emblem bestowed upon Shanks by his master would be enough to restrain him and prevent him from leaving the Knights of God.

Who could have imagined the result.

That kid actually chopped off his entire arm in order to regain his freedom. He's got guts!

"I think I understand what you mean, sir."

A cold glint flashed in Shamrock's eyes. "I'll take men right now and bring that guy Morgans back. We can't let this kind of public opinion spread any further!"

"Morgans is now in the territory of the Fallen Ones."

Garin Sheng squinted at him:

"If I remember correctly, the last time you faced that Xia Nuo, you abandoned your subordinates and fled back to the Holy Land. Do you really have the guts to face him again?"

Where is it with Shano?
Shamlock's eye twitched, and his previous ruthlessness and decisiveness vanished instantly, replaced by a hesitant and troubled expression.

I knew this would be the reaction!
Garin Sei sneered. His two sons had indeed inherited the inferior bloodline of that vile woman, God Valley!
One of them, instead of being a proper knight of the gods, ran back to being a pirate;

The other one went down to the mortal realm and was beaten so badly by pirates that he was terrified and still has psychological trauma.

Two good-for-nothings!

“Since you know this, then you came to me because you want to…” Shamrock asked tentatively.

"Public opinion is beyond repair, what's the point of catching a bird?"

Garin Sheng sneered, "Why not solve the problem at its root!"

Shamlock's pupils contracted: "You mean..."

"That unfilial son Shanks betrayed the family and should have paid the price long ago! We only turned a blind eye before because he didn't reveal his identity!"

Garin Sei remained expressionless. "And now, things have developed to this point, he must be erased from this world."

"I understand, I'll do it now..."

No, you alone are not enough.

Garin interrupted coldly, “Although that rebellious son is useless and insists on being a pirate, his strength is indeed above yours. This time, I will personally take action, bringing you along with the six most elite knights of the God's Knights.”

"Then find a reason to contact that kid and arrange a private meeting with him. His crew members are still a bit troublesome, so it's safest to leave him alone. Since we're going to clean house, we need to make sure everything goes smoothly!"

Upon hearing this, a complex look flashed in Shamlock's eyes.

Although he and Shanks had long since become estranged and had no feelings for each other, they were still brothers by blood.

However, this slight hesitation was quickly replaced by reverence for his father.

"Yes, my lord."

He bowed respectfully, "Please rest assured, I will arrange for people to help immediately."

Garin nodded in satisfaction. After Shamlock withdrew, he stood alone in the middle of the empty courtyard, watching the sky gradually darken.

"My choice was right."

Garin murmured softly.

Would you feel any reluctance if you killed your own son?

I don't know, maybe there's a little bit.

But it's insignificant!

Just like back in God Valley, when he killed that woman with a single sword strike, he felt virtually no emotional turmoil.

After all, whether for public or private reasons, Shanks is someone who must be eliminated!

Making him lose face is one thing.

On the other hand, he also realized it.

This kid has been secretly plotting to rebel against the World Government all along, but he's just a bunch of pirates, a rabble, and doesn't amount to anything.

Now that they finally have a reliable leader, they're betting everything on that Xia Nuo!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically met with Shano in Blackrock City last year, nor would he have repeatedly led his subordinates to try to rescue Shano!

"Since that's the case, I might as well end all of this myself."

Garin's gaze grew increasingly cold and sharp:
"First, we'll settle this family disgrace with Shanks, cut off a major ally of the Fallen Ones, and then concentrate all our efforts on dealing with Shanno!"

…………

Meanwhile, in the East China Sea, at Windmill Village.

Makino covered her face, her shoulders trembling slightly as she cried, tears seeping through her fingers and soaking the newspaper below.

"How could this be..." she choked back tears, "How could this be? Waaah, Shanks... he's a Celestial Dragon..."

The patrons in the tavern were mostly local villagers, and they were all sighing and complaining.

"Not only is he a Celestial Dragon, but I've also heard he's the son of the World Government's leader."

"The most powerful second-generation official, the kind of person who makes ordinary people behave themselves in front of him."

"I really can't believe it. He stayed in our windmill village for a year back then, and I thought he was a really nice guy. I even helped set him up with Makino..."

"What a load of rubbish! He's just putting on an act to pick up girls, huh? What Celestial Dragon would ever respect a commoner like him!"

"Shh! Shut up, you two idiots, why are you bringing this up? Didn't you see how heartbroken Makino was?" An older villager immediately glared at them.

In the past.

In these remote rural areas, people still regard the Celestial Dragons as high and mighty figures from afar, descendants of gods.

They should absolutely not be provoked.

I don't actually know much about it.

It's different now.

After repeated revelations in the newspapers, everyone learned about the Celestial Dragons' brutality and evil deeds, and mentioning these people only evoked physical disgust and aversion.

In the corner, a boy wearing a straw hat suddenly stood up and slammed his fist, which was shackled with sea stone, heavily on the table.

"What a joke!"

Luffy grabbed the newspaper, tore it to shreds, and yelled angrily, "How could Shanks be that kind of trash! The newspaper is talking nonsense!"

He worked at a restaurant in the shopping street for several months and listened to a lot of customers' conversations. He was no longer a kid who knew nothing about the outside world!
He knew exactly what kind of scum the Celestial Dragons were!

But that doesn't make any sense...

I finally got a holiday and went back to my hometown to visit relatives and relax for a few days, but I had barely settled in when I saw this shocking news!
"Luffy……"

Makino looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, at her younger brother who had grown up in the tavern.

"It's very clear in the newspaper, and there are photos to prove it."

A villager nearby sighed, "Shanks is indeed a Celestial Dragon; there's no denying that."

"So what!"

Luffy ripped off his straw hat, clutching it tightly in his hand, his eyes burning with fury.

"Shanks is Shanks! He saved my life, he's the best person in the world! I don't care if he's a Celestial Dragon or the Pirate King!"

The pub suddenly became quiet.

Everyone stared in disbelief at this usually carefree kid, who now displayed an unprecedented determination.

"But Luffy."

Makino wiped away her tears, her voice still choked with emotion, "If he really is a Celestial Dragon, then was everything in Windmill Village just an act...?"

"impossible!"

Luffy interrupted decisively, "Shanks' promise to me was true! He said he would wait for me to set sail and watch me become the Pirate King! This straw hat is proof!"

He hugged the somewhat worn straw hat tightly, as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.

"Besides, he lost an arm to a sea monster while saving me! Think about it carefully, who would go to such lengths for acting!"

Luffy's voice echoed in the tavern, silencing everyone.

Makino stared at him blankly, her tears gradually stopping.

Yes, everyone in the village knows about this.

How could the man who could stand in front of a ferocious sea monster to save Luffy and sacrifice his arm without hesitation be a hypocritical Celestial Dragon?
"Nothing is impossible! In my opinion, that red-haired brat is just putting on an act, Luffy!"

Just then, the tavern's shuttered door was pushed open, and an exceptionally tall figure walked in.

That familiar, loud voice drew everyone's attention, and many patrons immediately showed expressions of surprise and delight.
"Huh?! Mr. Garp!"

(End of this chapter)