The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Silence is more suffocating than any heated argument.

Karp's complex gaze was filled with struggle, pain, and a hint of... barely perceptible plea.

Guern's gaze, however, was calm as still water, unfathomable, and no one could fathom the true turmoil within him.

After a long while, Garp finally spoke, his voice low and strained, as if he had used up all his strength.

“Gern…” He paused, “Come with me to see him.”

"Just...just the two of us."

Upon hearing this, Gern fell silent.

What could he say when he looked at Garp in front of him?

Comfort? Promise?

He gave Ace a choice, because of the promise he made to Roger back then, and even considered Luffy, Ace, and Sabo.

One pirate, one marine, one revolutionary army member—that's a good idea, but Ace is still Ace after all...

And it's impossible for Gern to shamelessly beg him to join, right?

Now every step he takes is crucial; he no longer has that kind of boring mindset.

And to be honest, during his brief time with Ace, Gern felt that he had already taught him a lesson!

In the end, Gern said nothing.

He simply took a step, slowly walked up to Garp, raised his hand, and patted the 'hero' heavily on the shoulder.

Karp felt the pressure on his shoulder, looked into Gern's calm eyes, and his complex emotions turned into a sigh filled with helplessness.

Without saying anything more, he silently turned around and followed Gern's steps.

The two left the Naval Headquarters building in silence, one after the other, boarded a small dedicated ship, and sailed toward the giant gate that symbolized absolute justice.

The ships sailed along a specific ocean current route toward the world-famous impregnable city of Impel Down.

Moreover, the Marine Headquarters is not far from Impel Down. Using the special passage of the Gate of Justice, the prison appeared on the horizon in just two hours.

..........

When the small warship carrying Gren and Karp slowly docked at the Impel Down port, the entrance was already under heavy guard.

Magellan, the warden of Impel Down, Hannibal Lecter, the vice warden, and Domino, the warden, were all ordered by the World Government.

Leading a large number of fully armed prison guards, they stood in neat rows, forming a wall of people to block the way.

Impel Down is directly under the World Government, so the orders from above are very clear.

Before the official announcement of the public execution, the Navy is strictly prohibited from taking Portgas D. Ace away, and Garp and Guern are especially forbidden from approaching him!

The reason is self-evident: one is Ace's grandfather, with whom he had a deep bond.

The other is "Skyquake" Gern, who completely disregards the rules and acts unpredictably!

So, when Gern and Karp walked down the gangway of the warship one after the other, the invisible pressure instantly made all the prison guards present feel breathless.

Looking at a naval hero, a naval legend

Director Magellan swallowed hard, steeled himself, stepped forward, and raised his hand.

"General Gern! Lieutenant General Karp! Halt!"

As he spoke, the venom began to spread around him, attempting to fulfill his duty and stop the two evil spirits.

"By order of the World Government, no one is permitted to approach the notorious criminal Portgas D. Ace before the official order is issued!"

"Especially you two! Please stop immediately, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Gern didn't even look up, his gaze calmly sweeping over Magellan before landing on the entrance to Impel Down.

"If the two of us really want to do something here..."

"Before your venom touches us..."

"This Impel Down, along with you, has truly sunk to the bottom of the sea. Magellan."

The calm tone conveyed a chilling truth.

The destructive power that Gern and Garp could unleash together

The so-called impregnable Impel Down is nothing but a joke.

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, Magellan raised his hand, froze on the spot, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead, his mouth agape but unable to utter a sound.

There was no threat in Gern's words, only a statement, and that was far more intimidating than any roar.

Even Hannibal behind him gripped his trident tightly, his body trembling slightly, while Domino adjusted his hat to conceal his inner fear.

All the jailers stood frozen in place, watching helplessly...

Looking at Gern and Karp, he walked straight past Magellan, who was still in a gesture of prohibition, without pausing.

No one dared to stop them.

No one could stop them.

Chapter 449 Gern, what should I do?

Impel Down, the lowest level, Level 6, the Infinite Hell.

The cage that once held Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, has now welcomed his bloodline.

Portgas D. Ace's hands were suspended high by heavy seastone chains, and his feet were also shackled.

The wounds he sustained in the fierce battle with Blackbeard Teach were not properly treated; they were only given a cursory treatment.

He hung his head dejectedly, his orange cowboy hat nowhere to be seen, his messy black hair obscuring his expression, only the slight rise and fall of his chest proving that he was still alive.

Immediately afterwards, a clear sound of footsteps broke the silence, approaching from afar.

Ace, who had been held in solitary confinement for about a week, heard the noise and subconsciously raised his head slightly.

Outside the cage, under the dim, swaying lantern, two tall figures stood silently.

Upon seeing the person's face clearly, Ace let out a hoarse, soft call.

“Old man…Gern…weird uncle…”

Upon hearing this address, Garp's fists clenched instantly. He stared intently at the disheveled Ace in the cage, his eyes uncontrollably reddening, and he forced out a sound through gritted teeth.

"asshole……"

Unlike Garp, Gern didn't show his emotions. He just stood there quietly, his gaze sweeping over Ace's shackles and wounds, finally settling on his eyes that had lost their former brilliance.

He pursed his lips, unsure what to say, and finally let out a sigh.

"It seems... you still haven't been able to decide your own fate, Ace."

Faced with Garp, Ace was speechless.

What could he say? An apology? Or an explanation?

In the face of the debt of gratitude for being raised, any words seem pale.

He hated his father, who gave him his bloodline, and missed and was grateful to his mother who risked her life to bring him into the world...

But, from childhood to adulthood, although he was always called "old man"... his true family member was Garp! His grandfather!

So Ace bit his lip and reluctantly looked away, turning his gaze to the relatively calm Gern beside him, and asked in a dry voice...

What... will happen to me?

Gern did not shy away from the question, stating bluntly, "The World Government wants to execute you."

“Is that so…” Ace repeated in a low voice, a bitter smile of relief appearing on his face instead. “Well, after all, I am a pirate.”

Seeing his seemingly resigned expression, Gern's next words were like a bucket of ice water: "It's a public execution, in Marineford. The World Government is already putting pressure on the Navy."

"Public execution?!"

Ace's pupils contracted, and he abruptly raised his head, the chains screeching as he moved.

"The Navy wants Daddy!!"

"It's not what the Navy wants!" Gern interrupted sharply, his voice echoing in the empty cell.

"It's the World Government that wants it! You need to understand that, Ace!"

You were captured by Blackbeard and handed over directly to the World Government, not the Navy!

We haven't all gone mad yet, launching a full-scale war against one of the Four Emperors without any reason!

"Whitebeard is very strong, but he is old and doesn't have much time left!"

Why would the Navy go to such lengths to start a costly war in the final stages of his life? It's simply not worth it!

Upon hearing Gern's analysis, Ace fell silent.

It wasn't that he didn't understand these principles; it was just that when this cold reality was laid bare before him, the suffocating sense of despair overwhelmed him once again.

He realized that his identity and his bloodline were the weapons the World Government truly wanted to use.

At this moment, Garp, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke, his voice hoarse, each word seeming to be squeezed out from his chest.

"You're a pirate... You chose this path yourself... You have no chance to regret it..."

Looking at Kapna's face, which seemed to have aged several years in an instant, Gern suddenly chuckled, easing the heavy atmosphere.

With a hint of mockery, he looked at Ace and brought up the old matter again.

"Yeah. So, wouldn't it have been great if you had just called me 'Dad' back then?"

He tilted his head, his tone half-serious and half-joking, "At least, if you follow me, no one on this vast ocean will dare to touch you."

Despite hearing Gern's seemingly joking words, Ace knew exactly what was going on.

He knew that Gern wasn't truly expressing regret, but rather using this method to tell him...

The seeds of all this ending were sown when he insisted on choosing the path that belonged to "Fire Fist Ace".

Every choice has led to today's prison and the inevitable end.

Inside and outside the cage, the three fell into a deathly silence.

.......

Gern and Karp left.

On the way back, Garp remained silent the entire time, his dog-head hat pulled low, obscuring all his expressions.

Only after stepping onto the deck of the warship, far from the outline of that deep-sea hell, did the Gate of Justice slowly close behind him, isolating him from everything.

He took off his hat, turned his back to Guern, and faced the sea. His hunched back looked exceptionally lonely in the sunlight.

Gern stood behind him, watching as this iron-willed man, hailed as a "naval hero," trembled slightly and uncontrollably on his broad shoulders.

"He was so heartless just now..."

Finally, Garp couldn't hold back any longer, his voice choked with sobs.

"Gern...a pirate...not worthy of sympathy..."

This statement seemed to be addressed to Guern, but it also appeared to be a desperate attempt to convince himself.

“But, although he doesn’t deserve sympathy.” Garp’s voice trembled even more violently, making it almost impossible for him to form a complete sentence.

"But... family... is different..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around abruptly, tears streaming down his face.

"What...what should I do?!" Karp looked at Gern, his eyes filled with unprecedented confusion, pain, and struggle.

Like a child lost in a storm, he uttered an almost pleading question.

"Gern... tell me... okay!!"

At this moment, he was no longer the legendary naval hero.

Just watching helplessly as his grandson walked towards the execution platform.

An ordinary elderly person, heartbroken, feels powerless to do anything due to their own position and responsibilities.