Sengoku looked at his old friend Garp speechlessly. This man was truly bold—he had no manners at all toward him, the Fleet Admiral of the navy.
It had always been this way. Even though Sengoku was the admiral, Garp never took him seriously.
This made Sengoku both angry and helpless, and he explained:
"This is the rule of the navy. Even if a captain is at fault, he should be dealt with by us, not killed casually. If this happens, the justice of the navy will be gone.
Of course, I know she did the right thing, so she only needs to be arrested and sentenced to three months in prison—a symbolic punishment. Then Xiaohe will step in and handle the matter."
Vice Admiral Tsuru supported this approach.
"If we allow others to kill marines, then our navy will truly lose face, and this will make us powerless. After all, we are the enforcers of the sea, and the power of law enforcement must remain in our own hands.
But Sengoku, who can deal with that little girl? There aren't many in the East Blue who could defeat the Arlong Pirates. Do you want to send a vice admiral from headquarters?"
When Garp saw that Tsuru also supported the plan, he stopped objecting.
It was only a symbolic sentence, and with Tsuru's involvement, the detention time would likely be short.
This was acceptable.
Although Garp still felt that Mina was innocent, the situation reminded him of his grandson, Luffy.
That stubborn boy needed to be kept in check—otherwise he would surely set out to sea as a pirate like Ace, and that would be a headache. Garp resolved that when he returned, he would suppress him with the "fist of love."
Meanwhile, Sengoku was considering Tsuru's words. He was unwilling to send anyone from headquarters, because although the navy had many vice admirals, their duty was to protect the entire world.
It would be wasteful to dispatch such high-level combat power to a small place like the East Blue.
He said with a smile: "Go and inform Smoker in Loguetown. If he encounters Mina, he should capture her. He is one of the few Logia-type Devil Fruit users in the navy. In the East Blue, even if this girl is strong, she likely hasn't mastered Armament Haki. Against a Logia user, that should be a guaranteed victory."
When facing a Logia user, if one does not possess Armament Haki, resistance is impossible. Logia abilities allow the body to become intangible, and without Haki, attacks are completely ineffective.
Upon hearing this, Vice Admiral Tsuru immediately agreed. "Alright, I'll inform that kid Smoker. He was originally a disciple of Admiral Zephyr. It's a pity about Zephyr."
Zephyr was a retired admiral. Unfortunately, one of his arms had been severed by pirates, leaving him unable to serve in active duty. He now worked as the instructor of the navy's recruit training camp, raising new talents.
Still, he had many disciples—not only the three current admirals, but also numerous elite vice admirals at headquarters.
After saying this, Tsuru withdrew.
As Chief of Staff, she certainly had the means to contact Smoker.
Of course, Tsuru also instructed Smoker to treat Mina carefully—at the very least, to be gentle in his actions. After all, this girl was her future beloved disciple.
After Tsuru left, Garp stuffed the remaining senbei into his mouth and muttered: "Sengoku, it's time for me to leave too. I shouldn't be on the Grand Line right now—I'll head back to my hometown in the East Blue."
Sengoku grew angry when he saw that Garp had eaten all of his favorite delicacy, the senbei. "How could you eat all the senbei?"
But his anger vanished almost instantly. He knew Garp's temperament well. Especially when dealing with his old friend, Garp never showed him any respect.
Adjusting his glasses, Sengoku said: "If I had known you were going back, I wouldn't have needed to tell Smoker. With your help, we could have captured that little girl easily."
Garp's Armament Haki was ranked first in the navy—even Sengoku himself might not be as strong. A vice admiral who had once fought Roger was more than capable of capturing a little girl.
But Garp frowned with disdain. "Sengoku, what do you take me for? That little girl is innocent. I don't want to arrest her. It's shameful for me to go after a child. I want to arrest big pirates, not little girls."
Sengoku didn't look disappointed. Instead, he calmly proposed a deal: "If you capture her, you can come to my office anytime and eat senbei."
With his salary, Sengoku could afford to keep buying senbei—even with Garp's enormous appetite.
When Garp heard this, his eyes lit up.
"Then it's settled. If I come across her, I'll capture her and hand her over to Tsuru for judgment."
It was just a matter of arresting a little girl—simple and easy.
Garp was naturally pleased to see that the navy had such an outstanding successor.
The new generation of the navy was not strong enough.
To be honest, the older generation was formidable, and the middle-aged generation had the support of the three admirals and several top vice admirals.
But the generation after them had no true successors—no one worth watching.
After saying this, Garp left the marshal's office. He needed to return and board his dog-headed warship.
He was accompanied by his trusted deputy, Bogard.
As he walked away, a thought gnawed at him: he didn't know if that kid Luffy had already snuck out to become a pirate.
If Luffy had gone to sea as a pirate, then Garp would have no choice—he would have to throw him in jail.
Garp left Marineford and boarded his iconic dog-head warship, accompanied by his loyal deputy, Bogard. The sea breeze carried a salty chill, but Garp's mind was far from calm.
He leaned against the railing, arms crossed, staring out at the horizon. "Mina is innocent… but rules are rules. And then there's Luffy…"
The thought of his grandson gnawed at him. Luffy was stubborn, reckless, and far too much like Ace. If he had already slipped away to become a pirate, then Garp would have no choice but to throw him in jail.
Bogard approached quietly, his sword at his side. "Vice Admiral, you seem troubled. Is it about the girl… or your grandson?"
Garp grunted, stuffing another senbei into his mouth. "Both. Mina's strong, stronger than anyone expected. She could be the navy's future. But Sengoku wants her punished, even if it's symbolic. And Luffy… that boy's spirit is too wild. If he's gone to sea, I'll have to stop him myself."
Bogard studied his commander carefully. "You've always believed in justice, but you also believe in family. Isn't it possible that Mina and Luffy represent something new? A generation that doesn't follow the navy's rules, but still fights for what's right?"
Garp's eyes narrowed. "Justice without discipline is chaos. If the navy loses its authority, the seas will drown in pirates. But… maybe you're right. Maybe these kids are the spark of something different."
He clenched his fist, the legendary "fist of love." "Still, if Luffy's a pirate, I'll knock sense into him. And if Mina resists, I'll capture her myself. That's my duty."
Bogard gave a small smile. "Duty and love, Vice Admiral. You carry both heavier than anyone else."
The warship cut through the waves, heading toward the East Blue. Garp's heart was torn between justice and family, between the navy's rules and the future of the next generation.