Chapter 84: Open Invitation and Decisions
_________ POV Narration_________
Garp pondered on the question for a while, seemingly caught in a pinch by said question.
'Really... What do I do now?'
The old Vice Admiral didn't know if he still had a home with the marines.
He didn't know what the World Government was doing behind the scenes and whether or not returning would actually cause harm to the marines.
There were also threats from that government agent. Garp had somewhat brushed it off, as he wasn't exactly about to be intimidated by some random agent, but he still needed to take them seriously...
So, the question remained... 'What to do next?'
"... I think I should lay low for a while..." Garp said as he clenched his fist for a bit, looking at the clouds around them with frustration.
"That might be the best choice for you, old guy..." Francisco said as he scratched his chin for a few seconds.
"Most likely. The world government still can't really afford to announce your imprisonment to the world, they were desperate enough to bring out one of their secret weapons here..." Enel said as his earlobes swayed in the wind.
"I'm aware of that as well, but there is also the fact that I'm technically supposed to be on vacation according to what Magellan said..." Garp said as he stretched his legs a bit and smiled.
"I'm sure Sengoku and Akainu wouldn't let the World Government harm people that are associated with me so brazenly. As long as they aren't pirates, of course..."
Garp's smile seemed to become energized as he thought more and more about the situation.
"To be fair, I heard about your imprisonment from Aokiji. I think the marines, at least high-ranking ones, wanted me to break you out of prison." Enel said with a laugh.
"Well, I guess it would make sense for them to leave it up to you... Otherwise, Sengoku would have come by himself, I'd hate for him to get in trouble for me."
Garp laughed a bit as well as he remembered Sengoku's enraged face when the Agents were apprehending him.
If Akainu hadn't held him back, the old Fleet Admiral would have likely fought the CP0 agents then and there, which would've likely caused even more problems...
"Well... There's always the option of staying on the Sky islands for a while... There will be plenty of activities to keep you two occupied, I'm sure of that... Some work will also help " Enel said with a bit of a sly smile on his face, as Garp refrained from slapping the smile off his face.
"Heh... Of course, you do." Francisco said as he laughed a bit, he was planning to spend the rest of his days on the Sky Islands anyway, getting to do some work there wasn't exactly what he expected, but it was a million times better than just rotting in a jail cell...
"What? You want me to start working for you now?!" Garp squinted at his former student as he ground his molars together, feigning anger as he usually did.
"Well, not working for me directly... But you'd be helping me achieve a few goals..." Enel said his resolute gaze peering into the two old men in front of him.
Francisco merely laughed as he felt that gaze.
'Ambitious people will exist in every generation... Huh?' The old man had thought he'd live the rest of his days peacefully... But he had never been a peaceful person.
He was a follower by instinct, his loyalty unshakable and his power growing to be more useful to the person that was leading.
Taking fate into his own hands and leaving that life simply wasn't in his nature. He enjoyed the action, he had enjoyed befriending the people that Xebec had gathered.
'Maybe Enel will also be like that... Hopefully not as big of an asshole...' The old man couldn't help but smile internally.
Although Xebec was a cruel man, he had his moments as well. Which was why Francisco had stuck with him till the end.
Now, Enel didn't seem to be similar in any way to Xebec... But Francisco got that feeling from him, the same one that he received when meeting Xebec, the legendary captain of the Rocks Pirates...
The feeling that he'd be able to follow the man in front of him till his breath stopped.
'I don't have a lot of time left anyway... Why not spend it meaningfully? Let's hear his motivations though...' Francisco asked himself as he eventually also opened his mouth and asked Enel.
"I'll agree... On one condition." Enel perked up at that answer.
To Enel, even though Francisco wasn't in his prime anymore, he could still prove to be a powerful ally.
There was also Bonney... Who he would hopefully be able to convince to work for him.
If Bonney could bring Francisco back to his prime, well then Enel would've gained an ally just as powerful as Kaido, probably even stronger.
"If your motivation and goals are ambitious enough... Then I will follow you for as long as I have left..." Francisco said as he crossed his arms and tilted his head.
Garp looked at the old pirate with narrowed eyes.
'Figures... Someone like him would never be able to just rest... At least he is going to be Enel's follower from now on, not another Xebec...'
Garp himself didn't know of Enel's motivations, but he knew that Enel was strong, absurdly powerful even. A person that achieved that much power couldn't be a normal individual at all.
He also knew that Enel was a good person, so he knew that Francisco was not going to misbehave while under him.
"My motivation is rather simple..." Enel said as he smiled.
"To reveal the truth of the world to the public... To unveil all of the World's Government dirty secrets and break them down at the same time..."
Francisco released a small humming sound when hearing that, and Garp raised an eyebrow, it was also the first time he had heard about it.
"Don't get me wrong... I couldn't care less about who gets to lead the world... But the current leaders are nothing more than parasitic worms to me... I need powerful allies, people that I can trust will have my back... Are you willing to join me?"
Enel finished his pitch, extending an arm to Francisco, going for a handshake.
"Gihahihahi... Fine kid." Francisco seemed satisfied enough with Enel's motivation.
Enel blinked a few times as he registered Francisco's odd laughter, before simply smiling, happy that he had gained another ally.
"I'll stick around for the few months I have left... Don't expect me to do a lot of work though, these old bones get tired really fast..." Francisco said as he stretched his skinny arms a bit.
"You'll probably just be a teacher for a bit... I have a few prospects that you might find interesting as well..."
"Good enough! I don't think I'll be all that useful in a fight with how quickly I tire out..."
Francisco then continued to enjoy the air and sunlight, as Garp and Enel looked at each other for a while.
"... Soo, I guess you're really becoming a pirate, huh?" Garp said as he crossed his arms and looked at Enel with a complicated gaze.
"Not really." Enel simply smiled at that. "The world government has already titled me one, but I've no plans of sailing the seas and pillaging islands..."
Garp simply nodded at Enel's words, expecting no less from him, a former marine that had hunted down hundreds of pirates.
"Just so you know, Garp... My invitation extends to you as well..." Francisco whistled to the side when hearing that.
'Is he seriously inviting the Marine Hero to join his 'Pirate' crew?' The old pirate thought to himself as he tried to make himself less noticeable, just in case, a fight between the two broke out...
Surprisingly though, Garp didn't seem mad at the suggestion, nor did he seem all that angry in general. Rather, he simply sighed a bit and started thinking about his options.
Enel noticed his conflicted emotions rather easily, and decided to not press the old man already, he seemed to have plenty on his mind anyway...
"No need to rush into things. You can live with us for a while on the Sky Islands. Regardless of what you choose, you are still my teacher and friend. And that won't ever change."
The honesty in Enel's voice made the old marine smile widely.
"Fine, you brat! I'll consider joining your little band of misfits!"
"Hey!" Francisco said from the side, feeling offended at being called a 'misfit'.
In the end, Enel just laughed a bit as well, and the three of them continued their journey in high spirits.
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Heyy, a bit later than usual today, ik.
Had to look after my smol cousin, so didn't get to do a lot of writing :))
Next chapter will be the World Government's reaction to this whole fiasco, among other things...
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster on Patre_on, you'd also get 10 chapters in advance (or 5 depending on tier)