Claudius ended up staying at Naval Headquarters for seven days, though six and a half of those were spent in the hospital. By the third day, Gion, the beautiful Commodore who had been injured alongside him, was discharged. She was growing impatient in the high-end ward.
There were three people sharing the ward Claudius, Dragon, and Gion—but Gion felt out of place, like an outsider. Claudius and Dragon seemed to hit it off immediately, spending most of their time deep in conversation about ideas that Gion had little interest in. She often found herself rolling her eyes as the two exchanged thoughts, feeling left out and somewhat ignored.
Wherever Gion went, she usually attracted attention. After all, she was the Marine's renowned beauty, and admirers followed her everywhere. Even the second-in-command at the officer training camp, a man destined to be an Admiral candidate, was practically her biggest fan, visiting her four times in the three days she spent in the hospital.
But here? It seemed Claudius and Dragon barely noticed her. They might exchange a few polite words when they were all resting, but that was it. As if that wasn't enough, Nia, Claudius's butler, didn't hide her disdain for Gion, constantly giving her cold glares, likely blaming her for Claudius's injuries.
Feeling humiliated by the cold treatment, Gion had had enough. Her Zoan fruit ability had already sped up her recovery, and as soon as she was well enough, she signed her discharge papers and left, no longer willing to stay in the ward where she felt so unwelcome.
As for Dragon, his injuries had healed days ago, but he deliberately stayed in the ward longer to engage Claudius in more philosophical discussions. Dragon was at a crossroads in his life, and though he had a budding sense of rebellion, he still hadn't fully formed his ideas. The things Claudius talked about resonated with him in a way that few other things had.
Though Dragon already had strong opinions about the injustices in the world, Claudius had access to ideas and philosophies far beyond what Dragon had been exposed to. Claudius, having come from an era of information and diverse political thought, was familiar with theories and movements that had no counterpart in Dragon's time. Even if Claudius wasn't a master of these philosophies, they were more than enough to open Dragon's eyes to new possibilities.
By the end of the seven days, Dragon had developed a deep respect for Claudius not for his strength, but for his ideas and his way of thinking.
Just as Claudius and Dragon were wrapping up one of their discussions, an unexpected visitor arrived at the ward.
It was none other than Garp, Vice Admiral of the Marines and one of its strongest combatants. His arms were crossed, and his nose was tilted up arrogantly as he sat on Dragon's bed, clearly there to reprimand his son.
"You idiot! What kind of injury do you have? You should've been discharged from the hospital five days ago! But here you are, loafing around for another five days. What are you trying to do, dodge your duties as a Vice Admiral? How am I supposed to face the world if my son acts like this? You're getting out of this hospital today, whether you like it or not! There's a mission waiting for you."
As Garp said this, he glanced over at Claudius on the other bed, deliberately avoiding mentioning the specifics of the mission. It wasn't that Garp was worried Claudius might leak the information; after all, Claudius was Celestial Dragon, a position that came with access to far more classified details. No, Garp didn't want to risk Claudius showing too much interest in the mission and deciding to tag along. The last thing Garp wanted was to babysit a Celestial Dragon on a dangerous operation.
There was also another reason for Garp's reluctance: his long-standing disdain for the Celestial Dragons. After the God Valley Incident, Garp's contempt for the world nobles had only deepened. While Zephyr Admiral had vouched for Claudius, saying he was different from other Celestial Dragons, Garp wasn't quick to change his mind. At best, he thought Claudius was a decent fighter tough enough to stab himself to defeat Gion.
"I'm not going," Dragon said bluntly, rejecting his father's proposal without hesitation. "I'm not the only Vice Admiral in the Marines. Someone else can take care of it. You seem to have plenty of free time, so why don't you handle it yourself and leave me out of it?"
Garp's temper flared, and he slammed his hand against the bed. "Do you even know what's going on in the New World right now? Golden Lion Shiki just took down Ochoku! Now's the perfect chance to hunt Ochoku down and lock him up in Impel Down. This is a big deal, and you're sitting here slacking off? You've got to come with me. Let's catch him together."
Hearing this, Claudius's curiosity was piqued. He knew of Golden Lion Shiki, but Ochoku wasn't a name he was too familiar with. He knew that Ochoku had once been part of the Rocks Pirates, just like Shiki, but the details of his story were murky. Judging by Garp's reaction, Ochoku must've been one of his old rivals.
"I've got more important things to do than that," Dragon said, clearly irritated.
"What could be more important than upholding justice as a Marine? More important than wiping out evil?" Garp demanded, his frustration growing.
"Ochoku is already weakened by Shiki. You don't need me for this you can handle it on your own. This is a trivial matter for me. What's important right now is that I'm at a critical point in my life, figuring out my beliefs. I'm finally starting to see through the confusion I've been feeling. That's far more important to me than chasing some pirate."
"You idiot! I'm your father!" Garp shouted, his patience wearing thin.
Watching the heated argument, Claudius couldn't help but reflect on Garp's skills as a mentor. Garp was strong, legendary even he had power, fame, and experience. But in one area, he struggled immensely: raising the next generation.
Marine had two prominent figures when it came to training future leaders. One was Zephyr, who was practically the "headmaster" of the Marines. He had trained many of the Navy's top officers, including the future Admirals. He was a respected teacher who produced disciplined, formidable Marines.
Then there was Garp.
Garp was a different story. His intentions were good, and he genuinely wanted to raise great Marines, but the results spoke for themselves. He had raised his own son, Dragon, to become the world's most notorious criminal. Strike one.
Then, after realizing he'd botched his son's path, Garp turned his attention to Ace, Roger's son, hoping to mold him into a top Marine. That didn't go so well either Ace ended up becoming Whitebeard's adopted son and a pirate through and through. Strike two.
Lastly, there was his grandson, Luffy. Garp had tried to raise Luffy to be a strong Marine, but the boy had also gone off to become a pirate, charging headlong toward the same rebellious path as his father and brother. Strike three.
If it weren't for Garp's incredible reputation and accomplishments, Claudius figured the World Government would've come after him, maybe even demoting or punishing him for being a terrible influence.
Now, watching Garp and Dragon argue, Claudius could clearly see why Garp's mentorship hadn't panned out. Garp was too overbearing. He wanted his son and grandson to follow the paths he had laid out for them, never really considering their desires. No wonder they had all rebelled.
It was time for Claudius to intervene. If he didn't step in, Garp and Dragon might end up in a full-blown argument, and Garp could easily find out that the real reason Dragon didn't want to leave the hospital was because of Claudius's discussions with him. Claudius didn't want to end up being the scapegoat for their fight.
Also, if Garp and Dragon started brawling here, Claudius didn't want to be caught in the crossfire his injuries still weren't fully healed, after all.
"Dragon," Claudius said, trying to calm the situation. "Don't be too quick to dismiss your father's suggestion. There's value in theory, but you also need practice. You need to see the world with your own eyes, experience it. That's how you refine your ideas. Vice Admiral Garp's mission might be the perfect opportunity for you to do just that."
Dragon paused, turning to listen as Claudius continued, "The conversations we've had ideas are important, but they need to be tested against reality. You might find new inspiration, or see things from a different perspective while out there. Consider it part of your journey."
Dragon hesitated. He respected Claudius's opinions, and it was true that he had learned a lot from their talks. After a moment, he finally nodded. "Fine, I'll go with you, then."
Garp was a bit stunned at the moment. He knew just how stubborn his son was—how could he not? Yet, watching Claudius sway his son's resolve with just a few words left Garp genuinely surprised.
As a result, his impression of Claudius shifted slightly.
"It seems… maybe Zephyr was right. This Claudius might be different from the usual spoiled, arrogant Celestial Dragons," Garp thought to himself.
After Dragon agreed to Garp's mission, he turned and looked at Claudius with a smile. "Mr. Crowe and I hit it off right away. We'll be parting ways for now, but who knows when we'll get to meet again? Why don't we exchange contact information? If I find myself confused in the future, I might reach out to have a chat."
Naturally, Claudius wouldn't refuse such an offer. He nodded and called out, "Nia."
Nia knew what to do. She immediately took out a phone transponder snail from her bag and handed it to Dragon. The two exchanged signals, ensuring they'd be able to communicate in the future. With that settled, Dragon followed Garp to begin the formal discharge procedures.
As they walked down the corridor of the Marine hospital, Dragon remained silent for a while before finally speaking up. "Who is that Mr. Crowe? I get the feeling he's more than just a CP-0 agent, right?"
Garp glanced at Dragon with a complicated expression. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "If he didn't tell you himself, then it's not my place to say any more.".