In Sugarcane Town, Rum Kingdom, the local residents were throwing spontaneous celebrations, filling the streets with excitement.
The Navy escort fleet, arriving from Oykot Kingdom with several other kings, was surprised to see the port decorated with colorful lanterns and banners.
On the deck, Garp stood munching on a donut, his Observation Haki sweeping over the port. He didn't sense anything unusual.
Next to him, his aide Bogard quietly pulled out a report and spoke in a low voice:
"Three days ago, Rum Kingdom had a major internal conflict. The Prime Minister teamed up with pirates and massacred many nobles in Sugarcane Town. They even tried to assassinate King Rum VIII."
Garp listened while glancing over at the dock, where King Rum VIII—actually Joseph in disguise—stood calmly.
Joseph saw Garp looking his way but remained unfazed. He was confident that Garp wouldn't be able to see through him. Haki powerful enough to read minds, like the Red Count's, was rare. And even those who had such skills were unlikely to serve the World Government.
Besides, Joseph had a special gem marker from Ari. In an emergency, Ari could teleport him out of danger instantly.
"Hmm, this king has some strength," Garp muttered.
Bogard nodded. "According to the intel, he's a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user. He can transform into a silverback gorilla."
Garp laughed as he shoved the rest of the donuts into his mouth. "Hahaha! Well, it's not our problem. We just need to deliver these kings and their Heavenly Tribute to Mary Geoise."
________________________________________
Meanwhile, Noah and his group were sitting in a restaurant overlooking the port, enjoying a meal in a private room with a perfect view of the Navy fleet.
Noah had no intention of approaching Garp.
They were on completely different paths.
To Noah, Garp was of no use. His stance during the God Valley Incident made it clear that his idea of "justice" was a joke.
It wasn't just that. Noah didn't look down on people simply because they had different beliefs—he respected people like Sakazuki, even if they were on opposite sides. Sakazuki was consistent. He believed in the World Government and acted on those beliefs without hesitation.
But Garp was different. He was a hypocrite.
He claimed to despise the Celestial Dragons, yet he protected them at God Valley.
He pretended to be loyal to the World Government, yet secretly raised Roger's son. His own son was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and his grandson became a major pirate.
In the South Sea Baby Incident, Garp's double standards were obvious. He did nothing while the World Government slaughtered babies, all to protect Roger's son. How was he any different from the World Government or the Celestial Dragons?
Garp was just another selfish man, looking out for his own. As long as it didn't affect him or those he cared about, he didn't really care—he'd just shout some slogans about justice.
If Garp was truly loyal to the World Government, he should have reported Roger's wife and son. And if he truly despised the Celestial Dragons, he should have stood by and let Rocks have his way at God Valley—or even helped him.
Instead, he did the opposite every time. And then, during Marineford, he acted heartbroken. But wasn't all of this his own fault?
From the moment he secretly adopted Ace, Garp should have known Ace's existence was forbidden. He had two choices: hide Ace's identity and let him live as a regular person, or reveal it and resign from the Navy to stand by him.
Instead, Garp took the worst possible path—he told Ace the truth, stayed in the Navy, and then watched as Ace was executed. Afterward, he threw a fit as if it wasn't his fault.
Was Sakazuki wrong at Marineford? No, he wasn't.
Noah had no interest in Garp's family.
Garp was a hypocrite.
Dragon was an idealist who lacked real power.
Luffy was a reckless fool who thought freedom meant doing whatever he wanted.
If the Gorosei weren't so incompetent, the Monkey family would have been wiped out long ago. Counting on them to save the world? That was a joke. Even Buggy would make a better Pirate King. At least Buggy was a true pirate.
The real danger wasn't people who openly did evil. The real danger was those who committed evil without even realizing it.
The world wasn't just black and white. It was a delicate balance of gray. Most people hated the ones who pretended to be righteous but were secretly corrupt.
Noah's goal was clear: overthrow the Celestial Dragons and build a new world. He wasn't interested in fixing the old one.
Now that he had started gathering strength, his plans were in motion.
Taking control of Rum Kingdom was just the beginning.
________________________________________
As the sun set over Sugarcane Town's port, the Navy escort fleet sailed into the distance, disappearing into the horizon.
Noah and his crew watched until Joseph's ship vanished from sight. Then they turned their attention to their next steps—consolidating control over Rum Kingdom.
With Barton as their figurehead and the decrees left by King Rum VIII, the Noah family quietly established an underground base in the northeastern part of Rum Island. Ari set up a spatial marker in the base for future use.
The group split into two teams.
Ari, Vic, and Anthony were sent to Oykot Kingdom to track down the Sound-Sound Fruit rumored to be there.
Meanwhile, Noah and the rest stayed behind to strengthen their grip on Rum Kingdom. Mary, with her emotional-sensing Observation Haki, was vital to recruiting new members. No one with bad intentions could escape her detection, ensuring the loyalty of the Noah family's core members.
Even within the army that Barton now controlled, there were spies from all kinds of factions—CP agents, nobles, revolutionaries, pirates, and members of underground organizations.
Without Mary's abilities, finding these hidden spies would have been nearly impossible.
Those who were identified as spies were quietly reassigned to jobs in Sugarcane Town and Rum City, while the towns of Bamboo Cane and Bluefin were "purified," allowing the Noah family to secretly develop them.
The enormous fortune that Barton had hidden away—over 200 billion Berries—was also taken over by the Noah family.
Instead of returning the money to the victims, Noah decided to use it for large public works projects. Giving handouts would only make the people dependent and ungrateful.
The money was better spent on projects that would employ people and rebuild the kingdom's infrastructure.
Of course, those who were too sick or injured to work would be supported through charitable institutions.
At this stage, the internal changes in Rum Kingdom hadn't drawn much attention from the outside world.
This was part of Noah's strategy. He wasn't going to rebel openly until he had enough strength.
As long as he didn't cross the World Government's red lines and paid the required Heavenly Tribute, the government—distracted by the chaos of the New World and powerful pirate crews—would leave them alone.