One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 249 If the cliff exists, I will fill it in!
As mentioned before, it is one of the three major maritime powers alongside the 'Four Emperors' and the 'Navy'.

Although recently, the entire ocean has known that the Seven Warlords of the Sea have encountered some problems.

Crocodile, Gecko Moria, Edward Weevil, Bartholomew Kuma, and now Doflamingo—a total of four Shichibukai have been killed and one removed from the list.

The prestige of the entire 'Seven Warlords of the Sea' on the high seas began to crumble.

Even so, no one expected this.

Such a major event actually happened so suddenly.

The Seven Warlords system was officially abolished, and all the Seven Warlords were stripped of their titles.

Instead, a special force called the 'Star Hunting Force' was formed.

The World Government and the Navy's objectives are obvious to everyone—or rather, judging from the name 'Star Hunt,' they have never intended to hide them.

The twelve constellations.

This organization, which only officially appeared a year ago, has now truly become the 'most evil organization' on the high seas, surpassing even the Emperor of the Sea.

The Starhunter Force was clearly established to counter them.

"Garp, that Marine hero? I remember he's always kept a low profile since the Pirate King died."

"Yes, and there's also 'Black Xie' Roy—I heard not long ago that he was demoted after getting involved in the affairs of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Edward Weevil. I didn't expect there was this other purpose behind it."

"Will two generations of naval legends join this force? It seems the government and the navy are taking this very seriously."

"It's said that the specifics haven't been finalized yet, and there seem to be other opinions from the Five Elders' side."

"Really? If the Five Elders don't agree, who made the decision?"

Such discussions were quite a stir on the sea.

Countless people are secretly inquiring about information regarding the 'Star Hunting Force' and what happened to them after their Shichibukai titles were revoked.

Many member states, upon hearing the news, have begun applying to their governments for investment in the Star Hunting Forces' weaponry and equipment, hoping that they can be stationed in their countries regularly to ensure that their countries are not threatened by the Twelve Constellations.

The entire ocean became turbulent and surging once again.

However, as the source of this surging wave.

Few people know that the commander and deputy commander of the Star Hunting Force are actually gathered together at this moment.

Donghai, Rogge Town.

"."

In Smoker's office, standing against the wall, Smoker picked up a cigar.

"Hey, you there—didn't I tell you not to smoke in the office?"

"Hey, you chain smoker, I'm eating senbei and chewing away. You should put out your cigarette."

Two voices came one after the other.

Smoker, his hands trembling, put the cigar back.

He was furious—no, even more furious than before.

This is clearly his office, and he recently bought a comfortable sofa here because some shameless guy was lingering here.

But why did another guy suddenly appear, causing him to still be able to stand up?

"So, Vice Admiral Garp, when exactly are you going back to headquarters?"

He took a deep breath and asked this question.

"Hey, hey? Why are you only asking about Vice Admiral Garp? What about me?"

Smoker completely ignored Roy's question, which was slammed on the table. His gaze fell on Garp, who was sitting on the sofa eating senbei, and he hoped that the lieutenant general would immediately give the order for Roy to return to headquarters.

But
"what?"

But at that moment, Garp, who was chewing on a senbei, exclaimed, "Huh? Go back to headquarters?"

Smoker was taken aback upon hearing this: "Didn't you come to the East Blue this time to deliver the order for Roy to return to headquarters, and to take him to Mary Geoise to discuss matters concerning the 'Starhunter Force'?"

He had already received orders from headquarters.

But Garp thought for a moment and said, "Hmm, Sengoku seems to have told me that, but—I have no such intention."

He grinned: "I'd rather not go to meetings and wrangling. Especially not with those trash from the World Government, pshaw!"

He spat.

"I'm here to relax and have a vacation. Hmm, I've finished my senbei. Do you have any more?"

Smoker: "."

It felt so familiar; it was as if he had heard those words not long ago.

It’s hard, the fist is hard!
He just couldn't understand it—could it be that he had offended some bigwig in the Navy by being unruly in the past? Why was he always running into these kinds of guys causing him trouble lately?
But then...
"No, but—I'll have someone buy it right away."

Faced with Garp's unreasonable request, Smoker remained silent for a moment before giving this unexpected reply.

This reaction made Roy raise an eyebrow.

He knew Smoker well—as far as he knew, Smoker wasn't the type to be so subservient, even when facing superiors.

"This guy"

Roy glanced at Smoker, secretly guessing what was going on in his mind.

And after Smoker left.

Karp then turned his gaze to Roy: "Roy, I've heard about it."

"You beat up a God Knight to help Zephyr, didn't you?"

he asked.

Upon hearing this, Roy was stunned again.

But then he didn't hide it and nodded directly: "So that guy's name is 'Knight of God'. That's true."

Then he saw Karp give him a thumbs up.

The old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of tooth splinters.

"Good beating!"

"I've wanted to beat those bastards up for ages, hahaha!"

He laughed heartily.

As rumored, this old man has absolutely no respect for the Celestial Dragons.

But then, Garp changed the subject and said seriously, "But Roy, don't you find it strange?"

"I can tell you that the guy you attacked was a 'Celestial Dragon,' and he was a very high-ranking one among the Celestial Dragons."

"But instead of being punished, you've been made the deputy commander of the Star Hunting Force."

He grinned, not finishing his sentence: "What do you think is the reason?"

Upon hearing this, Roy instantly realized that this naval hero, with whom he didn't usually have much contact, seemed to be giving him some pointers.

And this is indeed the case.

Because at this moment, Garp continued, "It is your reputation and power."

As he picked his nose with his finger, he said, "You're just like me—a hot potato for the government."

“I’m not entirely sure what exactly happened in Dressrosa, but I’m certain that what happened there was significant for the government, so ‘The World’ decided to throw us two hot potatoes to the front lines.”

"The reason I came to the East China Sea this time is to make you understand—this is not a good thing."

He emphasized the word 'world'.

Roy's expression turned serious.

He could certainly understand what Karp was saying.

Both he and Garp were 'naval legends' promoted by the government in two different eras, wielding considerable influence and possessing intricate networks of relationships within the Navy.

This means that if the world government were to eliminate them through internal means, it would have to pay a huge price, and could even lead to instability in the world and the navy.

Therefore, the purpose of establishing the Star Hunting Force is quite clear.

Sending one old and one young, both strong and troublesome troublemakers to deal with the twelve constellations, and using their reputation and power to eliminate powerful enemies for the government—regardless of which side wins, the government will have less trouble.

And the meaning behind Garp's words at this moment is quite clear.

As someone who experienced the Valley of the Gods, he had faced Im directly—although he never truly knew Im's name or origin, he could vaguely sense that the truth of the world was not so simple.

Therefore, he hoped to point out the dangers involved to Roy, this 'young man'.

“If you do not wish to hold this position, I will work with Zephyr and Sengoku to report the situation to the government.”

Garp said in a deep voice, "How about it, kid?"

His usually nonchalant expression was tinged with a rare seriousness.

After the God Valley incident, Garp, who witnessed the darkness of this world firsthand, had a heated discussion with Sengoku.

"This world is a huge, precarious cliff—good people have fallen into the darkness below and can no longer move."

"Without protection, a single careless move by those in power on the cliff could send falling stones shattering them to pieces." Both agree that this situation is an unshakeable fact of the world.

However, Garp and Sengoku disagreed on how to deal with this cruel world.

The Warring States period believed they should be patient until they reached the top of the cliff.

Once he's positioned on the edge of the cliff, he can turn a blind eye to government orders and use his power to reduce the falling stones, thereby protecting more people.

Karp, however, believed they should stay below the cliff and stay true to themselves.

That way, at least when rocks fall from the cliff, he can step forward to protect what he wants to protect.

This disagreement ultimately led to their diverging paths.

Navy hero Garp chose to remain at the rank of Vice Admiral, refusing to become an Admiral to avoid being directly assigned by the Celestial Dragons.

He had freedom of movement within the system and directly protected the vulnerable and soldiers at the grassroots level whom he could see.

During the Warring States period, he chose to continue his promotion until he became a marshal.

Garp even made a promise to Sengoku that if Sengoku ever lost his conscience and became corrupted, he would kill his friend with his own hands.

At that time, the Warring States period readily agreed.

It is under this relationship that the two have fought side by side to this day.

But
They are getting old.

The Navy needs a next generation, a next generation that is equally strong, stays true to itself, and does not collude with the government.

obviously.

After what happened with Zephyr, Garp has come to acknowledge that Roy is the backbone of the next generation of the Navy.

He possessed sufficient strength, and more importantly, he possessed that will.

That's the courage to directly attack the Knight of God for the sake of his mentor, disregarding the threats from the World Government.

In Garp's eyes, that was something more precious than power.

Therefore, he chose to say these words today—this was also a tacit understanding he had reached with the Warring States period.

If Roy refuses to become the deputy commander of the Star Hunting Force, then he and Sengoku will do everything in their power to force the World Government to compromise!

After hearing Garp's words, Roy fell silent.

He could sense the seriousness and sincerity in Karp's words.

But
"No, Lieutenant General Garp."

He was looking at Karp at that moment.

"My view is exactly the opposite of yours."

"Oh?"

Karp raised an eyebrow and looked at Roy with a puzzled expression.

“I don’t think this responsibility is dangerous; quite the opposite—I think it is.”

Roy said calmly.

Unlike Garp.

The information that Roy possesses is the most extensive across the entire ocean.

Therefore, he can naturally analyze some things from the slightest clues.

For example, the Star Hunting Force – the entire operation of the force has already been finalized and will be completed in at most two months.

However, it is said that within the government, the Five Elders have expressed a cryptic attitude that "the establishment of the Star Hunting Force can be postponed, and the specific details may still be discussed."

This is very special.

Overall, it seems as if the Five Elders didn't want to establish the Star Hunting Force, but were forced to do so.

This is a joke to most people—after all, the Five Elders are the 'world's highest authority,' and their will should be everything.

But for Lloyd, who clearly knows the truth of this world and what happened in Dressrosa, he can directly see the essence of it.

The Starhunting Force was probably established at Im's request!
Having grasped the concept of 'Creator', Roy could naturally imagine what the Knights of God's defeat in Dressrosa symbolized for Im.

He probably can no longer fully trust the Knights of God—and as Doflamingo said, most of the Knights of God are indeed just trash who have mastered power.

Im likely wanted to consolidate his forces to target the Twelve Constellations, even ignoring the opinions of the Five Elders and the Celestial Dragons.

The Five Elders, of course, could not openly disobey Im's orders.

But
The fact that Satan secretly preserved the ancient robot 'Em' for Vegapunk to study makes it clear that the Five Elders' 'loyalty' to Im is not absolute.

They clearly did not want the Star Hunters, a force that was too powerful and beyond the control of the Celestial Dragons, to emerge.

The two have already developed a 'disagreement'.

Disagreement symbolizes chaos, and thus symbolizes...
"Chance."

Roy chuckled softly as he finished speaking.

"If the world is already a precipice, and all kind and innocent people are below it—then whether you choose to stay on the precipice or below it, you are making a mistake!"

He raised his hand and looked at it.

"If it were me, I would gather and accumulate enough power and influence, then pull the people up from the bottom of the cliff, and then fill the entire cliff!"

He looked at Karp.

"To restore the sea to a flat and peaceful paradise—that is what the 'navy' should be doing."

He said so.

Today, aside from his roles as the Star Lord and one of the Twelve Zodiac Signs, he no longer needs to hide his thoughts.

Like Garp—his status and influence are enough for him to clearly express his likes and dislikes.

And without a doubt—he has been dissatisfied with this world for a long time.

The Five Elders and Im have some disagreements, and some of the power they wield is showing signs of being 'dispersed'.

So naturally, he should take this opportunity to gain more initiative and prepare for the future.

Of course, Roy still held back and didn't say the last sentence.

That is—when the people below the cliff are pulled up, when the cliff is filled in.

Those in power on the precipice will be brought to justice by the people.

"As for the danger of directly confronting the twelve zodiac signs..."

As Roy spoke, he felt a little strange.

"I do not care."

"."

And looking at Roy's 'determined' eyes.

At this moment, Garp raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise.

then
"Wow, filling in the cliff, that's really something."

This was something that neither he nor Sengoku had ever imagined.

It wasn't that they didn't want to do it, but rather that they knew far too much about how dark the abyss below that cliff was.

Therefore, even during the Warring States period, the only thought was to gradually change the foundation of the world and erase some of its sores during their lifetime.

But
"Youth is truly wonderful!"

He grinned, revealing a hearty laugh once more: "Hahahaha—I underestimated you, kid!"

His smile was full of joy and happiness.

That's it!

That's how it should be!

Compared to these old guys, the Navy needs a new generation like this; only then will the world have 'hope'!

"It's a pity that Luffy is disobedient because of that Shanks, otherwise you would have been a really good candidate to teach him!"

Thinking of this, Garp clicked his tongue a few times with a hint of regret.

He then dropped the subject and looked at Roy, saying, "Roy, since you were able to hurt that guy, it means you've mastered 'Conqueror's Haki Entanglement,' right?"

Upon hearing this, Roy was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in agreement with Garp's words.

Garp's smile widened even more.

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular arms.

On his arm, intense black and red lightning flashed continuously.

That was his second purpose for coming here.

"Then—let this old man see your spirit!"

(End of this chapter)