"..."
Ace, drenched in sweat, suddenly fell silent.
After a moment, a look of innocence crossed his face as he stammered, "I... If I said you've got the wrong person, would you believe me?"
"..."
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Garp smiled, unphased, as he quietly placed his other hand on Charizard's shoulder.
Instantly, Charizard's body trembled. With the instincts of a beast, it sensed a terrifying aura from Garp, like a demon from the abyss.
"Mind stepping aside, little guy? I want to have a private chat with my grandson," Garp said, patting Charizard on the shoulder.
Each heavy pat on Charizard's red-orange skin sent chills through its fiery heart.
"Roar... (If I back down now, wouldn't that be embarrassing!)"
Charizard grumbled softly, but while Garp didn't understand Pokémon language, Charizard quickly moved aside, making room for him.
"Not bad."
Garp smiled approvingly at Charizard before sitting down next to Ace.
"..."
As Garp approached, Ace couldn't help but recall the days when he was under the iron fist of his grandfather. He shuddered, deep fear filling his eyes.
Even the members of the Spade Pirates, who were seated nearby, noticed something was off with their captain and turned their attention away from the battle.
Taking a deep breath, Ace mustered the courage to ask, "Old man, what are you doing here?"
"What do you think?"
Garp grinned mysteriously.
"Of course, I'm here to participate in the Pokémon League's ranking competition!"
"Why, does the dimensional merchant have a rule that only young brats like you can participate, and an old man like me can't join in on the fun?"
"You..."
Seeing Garp's smug expression, Ace's fists clenched, and he briefly considered standing up to him.
But years of experience reminded him of the strength of the old man before him.
Ace sighed and said reluctantly, "Fine, but let's get one thing straight—I'm not going back to become a marine with you!"
Ace's eyes were firm as he gestured towards the Spade Pirates behind him.
"I have my own crew now, my own adventure..."
Taking a deep breath and shaking off the fear, he declared boldly, as always:
"I'm going to be the Pirate King, no matter what!"
"You little..."
Hearing Ace spout the phrase that always angered him, a vein popped on Garp's forehead.
His fist, now coated in Armament Haki, was immediately raised, ready to strike Ace on the head.
But Ace, sensing the impending danger, closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the iron fist of love.
A terrifying pressure loomed above his head.
Even though Ace had grown so much, in front of Garp, he could only act like a child, silently enduring what was to come.
The wind from Garp's fist ruffled Ace's hair like a wave.
But just as Ace thought he was about to be hit...
Everything went still.
The fist, like a cannonball, stopped just above his head.
"..."
The scene grew quiet.
The members of the Spade Pirates, who had been intimidated by Garp's earlier display of power, remained silent, too scared to speak.
After a while, Ace cautiously opened one eye, only to find his grandfather, who had been about to strike him, sitting back down, arms crossed, quietly watching the battle between Eevee and Slowpoke on the battlefield.
"Old man, you..."
Instead of the beating he had expected, Ace felt strangely uneasy.
But before he could say more, Garp let out a long sigh.
"Alas..."
He shook his head slightly and smiled helplessly, "I guess your wings have grown, and I can't control you anymore!"
"But Ace..."
Garp's voice grew serious as he continued, "The arrival of dimensional merchants is going to have a huge impact on our world."
"Don't underestimate the people of this world. With your power, you're still far from achieving true freedom in this world."
"At the very least..."
Garp turned, his expression shifting between pride and exasperation as he pointed to himself with his thumb.
"At the very least, you'll need to reach my level of strength before you can be considered truly powerful."
"..."
Ace was speechless, muttering under his breath, "You stubborn old man."
The two of them fell silent after that, tacitly agreeing to focus on watching the battle unfold.
...
In the past, Garp had always wanted Luffy and Ace to become marines and follow in his footsteps.
It wasn't because he was old-fashioned and didn't want his children to choose their own paths.
But one was the son of the Pirate King Roger, and the other was the son of the Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon...
No matter who they were, in the eyes of the World Government and the Navy, they were top targets.
By joining the Navy, Garp could at least protect them by clearing their identities.
But if they insisted on forging their own paths, Garp could only let them seek their own fortunes.
However...
That was Garp's thinking before.
Now, with the arrival of dimensional merchants, the world's trajectory had gone beyond ordinary comprehension.
No matter what the world governments did, their regimes were bound to be challenged.
In the past, everyone believed the World Government to be the world's most powerful organization.
But as dimensional trading became more widespread, everyone would come to realize...
Above the World Government, there was the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce, controlling the entire pirate world!
No one knew what the world would become.
But Garp, enlightened by Leo, understood better than most...
The purpose of the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce was to preserve the diversity of the world.
To save the world, one must bring about more change.
What does change mean?
Garp might not fully grasp it.
But he knew that a stagnant, unchanging regime like the World Government was definitely not what the dimensional merchants had in mind.
On the contrary, energetic young people like Ace, who were full of life and adventure, were likely to be favored by the dimensional merchants.
It was this realization that led Garp to abandon the idea of dragging Ace back into the Navy.
Young people should be allowed to walk their own paths!
...
...
The conversation between Garp and Ace did not disrupt the other spectators.
While only traders were allowed to stay in the Pokémon Center, the battles were visible to everyone!
Soon after the Pokémon Center's appearance, traders began selling information to the World Economic News Agency.
Within days, newspapers had spread, and a large crowd had gathered around the Pokémon Center.
Some came to try their luck and see if they could become traders, while others were simply curious to witness the authenticity of the reports.
In just a few days, the trading center had seen over 500 visitors!
And at this moment, the public battle between Cobra and the mysterious girl in the Kingdom of Alabasta became a focal point, instantly capturing everyone's attention.
Those who had gathered here were already intrigued by Pokémon.
Now that a Pokémon battle was taking place, how could they not watch?
(End of this chapter)