One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

Rayleigh, whose entire body was buried underground, raised his right hand, his two fingers together along with half of his palm, and stabbed into Garp's throat.

Blood, like a waterfall and a fountain, gushed from Garp's throat and Rayleigh's heart, instantly staining the ground beneath them a dark red.

"Cough cough..."

Rayleigh is still alive.

He coughed twice, expelling the fragments of internal organs and blood that were blocking his mouth. His aged face showed no fear of death; instead, he smiled at Garp.

He said softly in an old and hoarse voice, "Garp...cough cough...I told you long ago...cough...Being a hero is tiring. Back then, you should have accepted Roger's invitation to become a pirate. Being a pirate is so much better; you can be carefree, heartless, enjoy fighting at will, and protect your family without any constraints."

Garp remained silent for a long time, like a statue, before finally saying in a hoarse voice, "That was Roger's wishful thinking. I am a marine, how could I possibly become a pirate?"

“Yes, you’re a Marine. If you really agreed to Roger’s offer, you wouldn’t be yourself…”

Blood continued to gush from Rayleigh's mouth. His voice grew weaker and weaker, his eyes glazed over as he stared at the sky, murmuring softly, "Anyway, thank you, Garp, thank you... for raising Ace..."

His voice gradually weakened until it disappeared completely, and the light in his eyes dimmed as well.

“Rayleigh…”

Hancock, who rushed over to check on the situation, froze on the spot when she saw Rayleigh, whose life force had completely dissipated.

Rayleigh, he's dead.

Chapter 694 Garp on the Verge of Death

Looking at Rayleigh, who died with a smile on his face, Garp's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

He slowly pulled his fist out of Rayleigh's chest, and his body seemed to lose all strength as he collapsed to the ground beside Rayleigh.

As Rayleigh pulled his fingers out of Garp's throat, more blood began to gush from his throat, staining his neck and shoulders red.

"Lieutenant General Garp!"

Bogart's eyes reddened as he rushed over, pulling out a Den Den Mushi to make a call while quickly taking out a bandage and wrapping it around the bloody hole in Garp's throat, trying to stop the gushing blood.

Garp lay motionless beside Rayleigh, staring blankly at the sky above, clearly feeling his life force dissipating little by little as his blood flowed out.

Am I going to die?

Perhaps, dying like this wouldn't be so bad?

Karp thought to himself.

As a veteran, he has been fighting pirates on this chaotic sea for fifty or sixty years in order to uphold justice.

Fifty or sixty years—what a long period of time!

He dedicated his entire life to the navy and to justice without reservation.

From a passionate and energetic youth, to a spirited young adult, to a vibrant middle-aged person, and finally to an elderly person with declining physical strength.

Along his journey, he witnessed countless joys and sorrows, experienced a multitude of emotions, fought against numerous formidable enemies, and personally witnessed the rise and fall of countless powerful figures.

After experiencing so much, Garp thought he had seen through everything.

But now, looking back, he realizes that he has always been trapped in the quagmire of life from which he can never escape.

At first, he believed that pirates were the greatest evil in the world. To make the world a better place, he had to eliminate pirates. So he led the navy into battle countless times, fighting against notorious pirates and capturing countless pirates who were ravaging the seas.

But gradually, he witnessed the brutality of the Celestial Dragons, the cruelty of the World Government towards non-member states, and the tragedies caused by the rampant plundering of the Celestial Palace by Kintoki.

Whitebeard, Bartholomew Kuma, Douglas Bullet, Kaido...

These powerful figures who ravage the seas were once forced to become pirates because they suffered persecution from the World Government.

Their navy, on the other hand, is the sharpest weapon in the hands of the World Government, an accomplice to countless atrocities.

It turns out that the World Government is the greatest evil in the world, and the Navy is just a lackey who aids and abets the evildoer.

At that time, his aversion to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons had reached its limit.

Garp wanted to leave the Navy; he didn't want to be a scourge on the world.

But he stayed, continued to serve in the navy, and continued to hunt down pirates on the high seas day after day for ten years.

Because he cannot leave.

If he leaves, and Sengoku, Tsuru, and Zephyr all leave, the Navy will only get worse.

One cannot change this terrible world by relying solely on one person's courage.

Therefore, Garp decided to stay. He wanted to use his actions to influence the entire Navy's sense of justice, to influence more outstanding marines, and to gradually transform the Navy from an accomplice of the World Government into a true guardian of the seas.

However, while the idea is wonderful, putting it into practice is incredibly difficult.

Pirates, the World Government, and even the Navy itself—opportunities from all sides surged like a relentless tide, constantly preventing him and Zephyr from achieving their goal.

For this reason, he charged ahead countless times, fighting against Rocks, Roger, and Whitebeard.

He repeatedly declined the promotion to Admiral, not wanting to become a tool in the hands of the World Government.

However, when you're at sea, you're not in control of your own destiny.

As long as you're in the Navy, you're forced to obey the World Government's orders and do things against your conscience.

The God Valley Incident, the Buster Call of Ohara, the Baterila Island Incident in the South China Sea—one after another, these appalling events shattered the mental defenses of these naval personnel.

After experiencing all of this, even someone as resolute as him began to waver.

Can they really achieve that goal?

Can the Navy's justice truly become pure justice?

Karp lost confidence.

Absolutely not.

Because he saw that all the high-ranking naval officers, including himself, had changed after experiencing those events.

The Warring States period became overly rational; it could make the most correct, but not necessarily benevolent, choice between the interests of the majority and the interests of the minority without hesitation.

Akainu became extreme, Kizaru became lax, and Aokiji became lazy.

Even he himself became lazy and stopped going out to catch pirates as often.

Zefa, however, hasn't changed.

But perhaps it was precisely because he remained unchanged that all the misfortunes befell him.

And there's Doraga...

He was once proud of this and often boasted to Sengoku that he would definitely be able to defeat Akainu and Kizaru and become the strongest admiral in the Navy, or even become the son of the Fleet Admiral. However, after experiencing those things that he had already experienced and even become numb to, he resolutely chose to betray the Navy and form the Revolutionary Army, which opposed the World Government.

Now, after experiencing this war, Garp can roughly guess the future direction of the Navy.

Although Sengoku recommended Aokiji to become the new Fleet Admiral, the World Government and most of the Navy Admirals supported Akainu.

Given the rift that arose between the two during the Buster Call incident in Ohara, they will definitely not peacefully elect the marshal position this time.

Once the fight begins, how could Aokiji, who is confused and uncertain, possibly be a match for Akainu, who is ruthless and decisive?

If Akainu successfully becomes Fleet Admiral, then the justice that he, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru have painstakingly cultivated over decades will likely be completely wasted, and the Navy will once again become a lackey of the World Government.

And it will become even more thorough.

The only variable Garp could think of was Rorschach.

If Rorschach can stick to his principles and not be influenced by Akainu's extreme justice, then perhaps in the not-too-distant future, the Navy will still have a chance to get back on track and continue to uphold justice, instead of becoming henchmen, accomplices, and executioners.

At the edge of the sunken sinkhole, a large number of Kuja Pirates warriors wielding bows and arrows were in a tense standoff with the hundreds of marines brought by Bogart.

At the bottom of the pit, Granny New and Mary Grood, among others, looked sadly at the dead Rayleigh and wept.

For Marie Gruud, Raleigh was always her and the three Hancock sisters' savior.

Back then, the three sisters escaped from Mary Geoise because of Tiger's forced entry into the Holy Land to release slaves. They were pursued and captured by the Navy, but thanks to the help of Rayleigh and Shakky, they were able to escape back to the Land of Women.

If Rayleigh hadn't intervened to stop the pursuers, they might have already been captured and taken back to that nightmarish place, Mary Geoise.

With a frosty expression and eyes full of murderous intent, Hancock looked at Garp, who was being protected behind Bogart and was on the verge of death due to excessive blood loss, seemingly about to die like Rayleigh at any moment.

"Pirate Empress! What are you doing?" Bogart drew his long sword and held it horizontally in front of him. If Hancock took another step forward, he would not hesitate to slash with his sword.

"What do I want to do?" Hancock's eyes were icy. "Your Navy has trespassed into the waters of Amazon Lily without permission, not only destroying my kingdom like this, but also killing... Rayleigh! Even if he is Luffy's grandfather, committing such a heinous crime is unforgivable."

Although Hancock is aloof and seems to never take others seriously, she is also very impolite when speaking to Rayleigh.

But deep down, she was still very grateful to Rayleigh for saving her and her two sisters' lives back then.

Now that her savior had died tragically right before her eyes, even knowing Garp's identity as Luffy's grandfather, Hancock felt a surge of resentment and murderous intent.

As she approached Bogard step by step, Marie Grund and the others said nothing. The surrounding marines raised their muskets, and the Kuja Pirates' warriors drew their bows, ready to fire at any moment.

Just then, Granny Niu arrived, panting. Seeing the two lying side by side on the ground, looking miserable, her wrinkled face showed sadness and pity.

Both Garp and Rayleigh were old acquaintances she had known for many years.

In the battle at God Valley back then, the Rocks Pirates, the Roger Pirates, and the Marine Headquarters led by Garp fought an earth-shattering battle at God Valley. It was a thrilling and evenly matched contest.

Later, the Rocks Pirates fell apart, Roger surrendered and died, and she, Rayleigh, and others all laid down their weapons and chose to retire. Therefore, Garp, the naval hero who hated evil, did not pursue them too relentlessly.

Granny New's real name is Glorious Osa, the former emperor of Amazon Lily, and a former member of the Rocks Pirates.

Although Garp and Rayleigh were her rivals and enemies back then, it did not diminish her respect for them in the slightest.

But now, these two old 'comrades-in-arms' who once fought side by side against the Rocks Pirates are now killing each other, resulting in a tragic outcome of one dead and one wounded.

How can one not feel a sense of regret?

Seeing Hancock approaching Bogart with murderous intent on her face, and the Kuja Pirates and Marines in a tense standoff, Granny New rushed in front of Hancock and blocked her way.

Hancock raised an eyebrow, looking displeased at Granny New who was blocking her way. "What are you doing?"

Grandma New, panting, cried out, "Snake Princess, stop! You can't attack Garp!"

"Why? He killed Rayleigh! Get out of my way, you old hag!" Hancock shouted angrily.

"No way! I will absolutely not allow you to lay a hand on Garp!" Granny New shouted. "Putting aside the fact that Garp is Luffy's grandfather, if you really kill his grandfather, will he still accept you? Furthermore, think about Garp's status in the Navy! He is a Navy hero, an object of worship and admiration for countless marines, while you are a Shichibukai, a pirate. Just imagine, if you, a pirate, openly kill a figure who is considered very important in the Navy, what kind of disaster will the Kuja Pirates and Amazon Lily face?"

Hancock's eyes turned cold, and she wanted to refute, but upon closer thought, she realized that what Granny New said did make sense.

She wasn't afraid that the navy would come looking for trouble because of this.

Hancock was worried about the former, that Luffy would hate her because of it.