Chat Group Escanor 29 (Patreon)

Garp stared at the tiny object on Escanor's fingertip, his brow furrowed into a tight knot. He had seen countless strange and bizarre things in his life—Devil Fruits, rare beasts from Impel Down... but an eye?

"Is this... an eye?"

Escanor nodded. "Yes. I picked it up in a place called the Ninja World. I saw that no one wanted it, so I just brought it back."

The Ninja World?

Garp had never heard of this name. But that didn't matter. What mattered was—no one wanted it? How could anyone not want something like this?

"Ah, no one wanted it..."

He gave a perfunctory reply, but his eyes remained locked onto the eye.

"So, what does this eye do?"

Escanor replied, "Hmm... it can alter another person's will for an entire lifetime."

"!!!"

"What?!"

Garp's voice echoed through the empty corridor, startling the sentry standing guard in the distance.

"Are you saying—this eye can change a person's will? For a lifetime?"

Escanor nodded. "Yes. For a lifetime."

Garp's breathing grew heavy. Countless thoughts raced through his mind, finally landing on the most direct and heart-racing possibility.

"Then you... are you going to use this eye to control Ace?"

If that was the case, wouldn't Ace be as good as dead?

Though that brat was stubborn, refused to listen to advice, and had become a pirate, if this eye truly changed his thoughts and turned him into a puppet...

That would be no different from Ace being dead.

Garp's heart pounded wildly, he had never been this panicked in his entire life.

Escanor realized Garp's thoughts and said, "No, it's not."

Garp froze.

Seeing his expression, Escanor offered a bit more explanation, "This eye can cast a type of genjutsu called Kotoamatsukami. It can alter Ace's thoughts—changing his mindset of 'becoming a pirate' into 'becoming a Marine' or something else."

"Furthermore, he will work toward it from the bottom of his heart. It's not being manipulated, nor is it being controlled, but he will truly believe that becoming a Marine is what he wants most in his life."

Garp opened his mouth, momentarily speechless.

Countless images flooded in his mind.

A young Ace chasing after him, shouting, "Grandpa, I want to be a Marine too!".

A grown Ace stubbornly stiffening his neck, saying, "I'm going to be a pirate!".

Ace's defiant face when he was escorted to the execution platform.

If that eye could really do it...

"Maybe in the future, Ace can even become an Admiral."

The more he spoke, the more excited Garp became.

"If Ace has the desire to be a Marine, with his abilities, he will become an Admiral sooner or later. That brat has the talent."

Escanor had thought Garp would be very resistant to this method of altering his grandson's thoughts. After all, this was manipulation, not normal persuasive education.

What grandfather would want his grandson treated this way?

As it turned out, this old man was more excited than anyone.

Escanor fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, "You don't dislike this method of using genjutsu to hypnotize him?"

Garp was taken aback. "Dislike?"

He looked at Escanor with wide eyes, as if he had heard an unbelievable question.

"Why would I dislike it?" He spread his hands, completely unapologetic.

"If it can change his thoughts for a lifetime, then it means it won't be exposed. This genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, is way more useful than my fists. Ahahahaha!"

Ace was so stubborn that he wouldn't beg for mercy even when beaten. If he hadn't been afraid of accidentally beating Ace to death with his fists, he would have educated him long ago.

Escanor: "..."

"As long as you don't mind."

Having laughed his fill, Garp suddenly remembered something and grabbed Escanor's arm.

"Ah, right! I still have another grandson—"

Just as he was about to say more, Escanor raised a hand to interrupt him.

"We can talk about other things later. Let's resolve the matter at hand first."

He looked at the Sharingan in his hand, then at Garp. "I need an animal. A chicken, duck, cow, or sheep will do, to serve as the medium for casting the genjutsu. I don't want to implant it in myself. It feels disgusting."

Garp was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look to his side.

A low-ranking soldier was standing there. It was the one who had led the way earlier, not daring to make a sound, just standing silently in the shadows.

When Garp's gaze swept over, the soldier immediately stood at attention and gave a standard military salute.

"Yes, sir! I will see to it immediately!"

Before his voice had even faded, he had already vanished in a flash.

Garp withdrew his gaze in satisfaction, turned to Escanor, and waved his hand.

"Let's go, we'll head in first. That brat is locked up in the innermost cell."

Escanor nodded.

The two walked side by side toward the iron door at the end of the corridor. The light inside was even dimmer than in the corridor, and the air was thick with the smell of dampness and rust.

In the innermost cell, a figure leaned against the corner. His hands were bound by Sea Stone chains, and heavy shackles weighed down his feet.

When the iron door opened, his eyes turned to look at the entrance. When he saw Garp, Ace's eyes flickered slightly.

Then, his gaze fell upon the blonde stranger beside Garp. It was someone he had never seen before.

Golden hair, golden-colored eyes, wearing no Marine uniform, nor any insignia. Yet he walked in side-by-side with Garp, his posture as casual as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.

Ace narrowed his eyes.

Escanor walked to the center of the cell and stopped.

"Ace. You killed someone, did you know that?"

Ace looked at Garp, his lips curling into a mocking sneer. "Old man, before you execute me, did you really have to find someone to frame me? There's no need for such pointless theatrics."

Garp opened his mouth to say something, but realized he had absolutely no idea what Escanor was planning. He could only close his mouth awkwardly and stand aside, watching to see how Escanor would handle it.

Escanor said, "Since you're going to die anyway, let me tell you a story."

Ace stared at him for a few seconds before looking away, his tone indifferent. "Whatever."

Escanor nodded. "Once upon a time, there was a man who heard the words spoken by Pirate King Roger before his death."

"He set out on a journey to find the One Piece and became a pirate. But he wasn't as capable as you, nor as resilient, and he wasn't determined enough. Yet, he envied those famous pirates. In his journey out to sea, in order to survive, to climb up, and to obtain more treasure, he and his 'companions' killed and plundered."

Ace's brow furrowed.

"Many people died because of this. At the same time, after this man left his hometown, his elderly parents, his wife, and his children lost their support. Later, they were killed by other pirates."

"Countless tragedies like this happen every day, in every sea, on every island."

"Tell me, who is to blame?"

Ace was stunned. He opened his mouth, wanting to answer, but found himself choked up by the question.

Who was to blame?

Blame the pirate who killed and plundered? Of course he was to blame.

But that wasn't what Escanor was asking.

"This..." Ace's voice became hesitant.

"Because of that man himself, he..."

He couldn't go on. He vaguely sensed what Escanor was trying to ask, but the answer made his chest feel tight and made him instinctively want to avoid touching upon it.

Escanor spoke it aloud for him, "It's because of Roger. Because of his words, countless people went out to sea. Countless families were torn apart. Countless acts of killing and plundering were born from it."

Escanor took a step forward, looking directly at Ace. "And you are doing the exact same thing as Roger."

Ace's pupils contracted sharply.

"Not just you. Your Pops, Whitebeard, is too. And so are all of your brothers and sisters. Every single one of you is monstrously sinful."