Chapter 358: Luo Jie's Three Sons

"My father is not Gol D. Luo Jie, but Whitebeard!"

"I will make Whitebeard the King!"

Ace lifted his head, his voice revealing a firmness never seen before.

Even Garp fell silent for a moment; he had never seen such a thing in Ace's eyes, even though Ace had grown up under his Iron Fist education.

The pirates surrounding them, who had originally closed their eyes in silence, all opened their eyes upon hearing Luo Jie's name, focusing their gazes on Ace.

Surprise, shock, hatred, fear...

Various complex emotions intertwined, finally transforming into exclamations of utmost shock.

"That bastard Luo Jie actually has bloodline descendants?"

"This is impossible!"

"After Luo Jie's death, the World Government even killed every pregnant woman suspected of carrying Luo Jie's bloodline during that period; how could he possibly have left any bloodline behind?!"

"Wait..."

"The Navy Hero, Garp?!"

"That makes sense!"

"Hahahahahaha~~~~~"

Impel Down's Level Six instantly became noisy.

Amidst countless voices.

A muscular man sitting alone in a corner slowly raised his eyes to look at Ace.

He wore loose and thin prison garb, yet it still failed to hide the explosive muscles beneath; even while sitting, he was taller than most people standing.

After a long while.

The man shook his head, his eyes holding nothing but unspeakable disappointment:

"Luo Jie's leftover bloodline, huh?!"

"What a pity."

"He inherited neither that man's powerful strength nor his spirit."

Hearing this, Garp turned his head, and upon seeing the man's face, his expression sank slightly:

"Barrett?!"

Looking at Barrett before him, a sense of unspeakable solemnity permeated Garp's eyes.

This man, known as the Devil's Heir, possessed the power to fight evenly with Pluton over twenty years ago.

Originally, Garp thought that after being imprisoned in Impel Down for more than twenty years, his body would have long been overwhelmed, and his combat power would inevitably have declined.

At the very least, he wouldn't be like he once was, requiring an Admiral's intervention and a Buster Call composed of dozens of warships to capture him.

But now it seemed that not only Garp, but the entire Navy, had been ridiculously wrong.

Even after being imprisoned for over twenty years, even facing imprisonment in endless darkness, the Haki throughout Barrett's body had not only not declined but had grown even stronger with the passage of time.

The only thing worth celebrating was that Barrett could never leave this Impel Down; that immensely powerful strength was utterly meaningless.

Recalling Barrett's past experiences, Garp turned his head again to look at Ace, his gaze somewhat complex.

In a certain sense, one could say Luo Jie had three children.

Shanks, who inherited his will; Ace, who inherited his bloodline; and Barrett, who inherited his fighting spirit.

The three had different personalities and different circumstances, ultimately walking toward different paths.

Shanks followed in Luo Jie's footsteps, still pursuing the One Piece, and now stands as one of the Emperors of the sea.

Barrett stubbornly chased the title of the World's Strongest; furthermore, after Luo Jie's death, he stirred up wars everywhere and challenged the powerful, all merely to chase Luo Jie's shadow.

The time spent on Luo Jie's ship was perhaps the only warmth he had ever felt in his life.

Surpassing Luo Jie to become the World's Strongest had also become an obsession he could not shake off.

Even within Impel Down, he cultivated day after day for decades, only waiting for that sliver of a faint chance to break free from his cage and challenge the entire world once more.

And as for Ace...

All he felt was the pain brought by Luo Jie's bloodline.

It was precisely because he understood this that Garp, facing Ace's fiery eyes at this moment, found himself with nothing to say.

It was also only now that Garp finally understood.

If he had been able to see Ace's confusion and loneliness a little earlier, perhaps things would not have developed to this point.

As a grandfather, as a relative, he was truly unqualified; as family, Whitebeard was far more competent than he was.

Garp opened his mouth, but it ultimately turned into a long sigh:

"You..."

"Old man!"

The corner of Ace's mouth curled into a slight smile, still as unruly as ever:

"I do not regret my life, and you need not feel sorrow for me; I only ask that you stop that guy Luffy from knowing about this no matter what."

"Knowing his personality, he would probably risk his life to come save me."

"Over a month ago, I met him in Alabasta; he was still that same carefree, heartless figure."

"Luffy is much stronger than before, but as you know, the New World is not yet a stage he should be interfering in."

"I have already lost one younger brother; I do not want to lose a second."

Ace already had the will to die.

Garp could see this, but the more so, the more tormented he felt; he looked into Ace's eyes again:

"So your choice is to let Luffy become your second older brother?!"

Ace shut his eyes, his teeth clenched so tightly that his cheeks bulged high, as a stubborn voice squeezed out from his throat:

"This is my adventure, my choice, my will."

"That brat..."

"Tsk!"

The murmurs in the cell block gradually died down.

Garp sat blankly before Ace's cell for a long time, until Bogart, who was accompanying him, could not help but remind him, whereupon he departed with heavy steps.

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

The sound of footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Level Six of Impel Down was once again shrouded in darkness.

Amidst a rustling commotion, a dry, hoarse laugh rang out, exceptionally grating to the ear.

"Ha... Ha... Ha..."

Lying flat on the ground, Crocodile stared at the ceiling, his entire body surging with Haki.

Luo Jie's lingering bloodline, Garp's grandson, the state of the world—complex pieces of information flashed through his mind, until finally what emerged was a massive war that might alter the course of the entire world's history!

The grandest and most brutal war since the dawn of the Great Pirate Era!

And also the moment when the gates of Impel Down were most likely to be forced open!

A long while passed.

Crocodile's laughter ceased; his low murmur stirred the hearts of every serious criminal on Level Six of Impel Down:

"I have a premonition."

"The time when we leave this place will not be too far off."

"Hey~"

"When that time comes, what do you want to do?!"

"Seek revenge against the Marines? Or set this world ablaze? Or perhaps become the strongest in the world?!"

In a corner.

Barrett opened his eyes and looked in Crocodile's direction.

More than twenty years ago, he had crossed blades with Crocodile, so he naturally knew that the most dangerous thing about this man was not his strength, but his brain.

Barrett already vaguely knew what Crocodile intended to do.

But he had little interest in it.

All his life, he had pursued only one thing: surpassing Luo Jie and claiming the title of the world's strongest!

As for what would become of this world because of it, he did not care!

But the group of pirates imprisoned here, seeing no sunlight for years, or even decades, did not think the same way.

The desires for revenge and destruction had been pent up in their hearts for a long time.