Chapter 787 - 786: The Fallen Hero

Ten minutes later...

When everyone looked at Garp again, they could faintly see the bone structure and even bone fragments through his shredded flesh.

Throughout it all, Alucard remained like the Count within his castle; Garp had failed to force the vampire lord out from behind his defenses. Between the two of them stood a formidable wall of powerhouses, including Teach, the Gorosei, and the Celestial Dragon Patriarchs.

"G-Grandpa..."

"Vice Admiral Garp."

"Even the Hero of the Navy is..."

Aboard the Dragon, Aranea’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "He took so many of Alucard-sama’s ultimate techniques, and his bones are completely shattered, yet he’s still standing... especially at his age. The Hero of the Navy is truly incredible."

"But in the end, he will only become sustenance for Alucard-sama," Dr. Vegapunk said with a faint smile.

"So strong, so strong," Weevil added from the side, nodding blankly.

In the center of the battlefield, Alucard exhaled a long breath. The undead thralls released from the River of Death dissolved back into the crimson pool on the ground before floating up and re-entering his body.

There was no longer any need to continue the fight. Garp was at a point where a single step forward could cost him his life.

Alucard slowly walked down from his elevated stone platform. "The battle is decided, Garp."

"Sigh..."

Garp let out a long sigh and collapsed backward, his back hitting the earth. "Did it reach them? Did it get through?"

Kuzan and Sengoku rushed to Garp’s side. Sengoku tore off his own Marine coat and draped it over Garp’s body, covering the horrific, mangled wounds. He spoke softly, "Yeah. We just got word from the bases all over the world. It reached them."

Tears welled up in Luffy’s eyes, but for some reason, his feet felt as if they were glued to the ground, rendering him completely immobile. Perhaps the word "Justice" emblazoned on the Marine coat draped over Garp was too piercing, creating an invisible barrier that kept him at bay.

"That’s... good to hear. By the way, Sengoku..." Garp’s face relaxed into an expression of utter relief as he said casually, "Got any rice crackers left?"

"Uh..."

Sengoku’s throat tightened, choking up with emotion. He knelt down, reached into his uniform, and pulled out a single piece.

Because of the angle of the Visual Den Den Mushi, the world couldn’t clearly see the tears streaming down Sengoku’s face. They only saw the hunched Fleet Admiral gently placing a rice cracker into Garp’s mouth.

Crunch.

Garp bit into the cracker, but he didn’t even have the strength left to swallow, letting the crumbs rest in his mouth. The white Marine coat covering him was quickly stained with brilliant patches of crimson as blood seeped through his wounds.

"I’m leaving. Just how much longer do you intend to live?" Garp asked, forcing his head up slightly to look at Alucard.

Alucard grinned. "Until my future is grand enough to completely crush my past."

"Well, it shouldn’t take too long. Die like a human being, not like a dog," Alucard chuckled.

"Fair enough..."

Garp’s breathing grew faint, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Everyone... the road to upholding justice is long. A new era has arrived, and there is no ship capable of carrying me. But... the great ship of Justice will never sink..."

As the final words left his lips, Garp’s hand fell heavily to the ground with a soft thud.

"VICE ADMIRAL GARP—!!!"

In an instant, Marines across bases all over the world broke down into hysterical sobs. The sheer weight of their grief rivaled the profound sorrow felt by the Whitebeard Pirates upon the death of Whitebeard.

With that, the clash representing the absolute pinnacle of pirates and the marines finally came to a close after several hours of brutal warfare.

In the early days of the Year 1523 of the Sea Calendar.

Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, Monkey D. Luffy’s grandfather, Monkey D. Garp.

The man hailed as the "Hero of the Navy" and "Garp the Fist" ultimately met his end on the battlefield in his final clash against the world’s strongest power.

Following the battle, the Navy and the Immortal Pirates established a treaty that maintained a surface-level peaceful coexistence but practically signaled the Navy’s submission. As it stood, the only forces left in the world brave enough to defy the Immortal Pirates were the remaining Yonko factions, the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates, and a rare handful of independent pirates.

Kuzan raised a single hand, conjuring a solid coffin of ice to encase Garp’s body.

"So, what is Captain Alucard’s next move?" Kuzan asked with his back to Alucard, the light glinting off his small sunglasses.

Alucard put his own sunglasses back on, the lenses reflecting a sinister crimson light as he gave an evil grin. "A thrilling fight. Now, I’m going home to get some sleep."

As Alucard walked past the Straw Hat crew, Franky, Brook, and Usopp were doing everything they could to hold Luffy back. Luffy, meanwhile, glared sideways at Alucard, his eyes bloodshot with raw fury.

"Oh? Your spirit didn’t completely break?"

Alucard looked at Luffy with genuine curiosity, leaving the other three completely baffled by the remark.

Alucard recalled that during the original Summit War, Luffy had suffered a complete psychological breakdown after Ace’s death. Yet, now that Garp was dead, he managed to maintain his sanity. It seemed that Garp’s place in Luffy’s heart still lagged slightly behind that of his two older brothers.

As Alucard strolled away, Kuzan walked past them, lifting the ice coffin containing Garp’s body. "Find a quiet place to hide and change your names for the rest of your lives, and you’ll be fine. Until we meet again, Monkey D. Luffy."

With that, Kuzan and Sengoku departed, leaving the Straw Hat quartet standing alone on the ruined mountainside.

From the beginning to the end of this war, they had been entirely powerless to act. Rather than arriving to save Garp, they had essentially done nothing more than witness the tragedy unfold.