After escaping the coverage of the Seastone Powder, Ivan and Tanuki wasted no time. With a flash, they vanished completely, leaving no trace behind.
Garp stared in the direction they had disappeared, the Conqueror's Haki Lightning around him lingering for a long time.
He punched the ground, his heart filled with fury.
Watching two criminals escape right before his eyes, even with his temperament, it was difficult to suppress the anger in his heart.
What made him feel even more guilty was that he had failed a young man like White Dove, who had risked his life to protect his comrades.
Taking a deep breath, Garp suppressed his rage and turned to quickly head toward White Dove.
He wanted to see how the young man's injuries were.
A young man with such a sense of justice couldn't be allowed to fall here!
When he reached Ivan's side, he saw that Ivan's breathing was steady and he had already recovered somewhat.
This relieved him. Ivan's Life Return training was quite good—even with such severe injuries, he could recover quickly.
With this level of recovery ability, he wasn't far from becoming a true monster!
Garp turned and noticed Vice Admiral Gumir beside him, his eyes red and filled with self-blame. He walked over to Gumir and gently patted his shoulder:
"Don't be too disheartened, Gumir. If you feel you owe Ivan too much, then join the Burning Justice and kill more pirates.
I think as long as you do that, this kid will be very happy!"
Ivan also nodded with a smile: "That's right, Vice Admiral Gumir. As long as you take out a few more scumbags, that will be the best thanks you can give me!"
Hearing Ivan's words, Garp looked at the young man before him and nodded with satisfaction.
He gazed at the churning sea and sky in the distance, his heart suddenly clear.
Even though there were powerful rebel organizations like Shadow Garden on these seas, the Navy was never short of new talents willing to step forward.
White Dove Ivan, this young man who upheld Burning Justice, was destined to shoulder the Navy's future, replacing him as the most brilliant banner of justice in the new era!
Beside him, Vice Admiral Gumir's heart also stirred. He tightened his grip on his sword hilt, his conviction growing clearer.
To repay Ivan for saving his life, he would not let any evil pirate escape!
At that moment, Garp and Gumir exchanged a knowing glance, both seeing satisfaction with Ivan in each other's eyes.
"Ivan is truly an outstanding junior in the Navy!"
Ivan took in their expressions, maintaining the reliable demeanor of a junior on the surface, but inwardly, he was overjoyed.
His carefully orchestrated performance had not been in vain. Not only had he blatantly displayed Shadow Garden's formidable strength and deep resources before the major powers, paving the way for recruiting new allies in the future, but he had also won the favor of high-ranking Navy officials like Garp and Vice Admiral Gumir.
With this, as long as his true identity remained hidden in the future, the position of Navy Admiral was practically within his grasp.
By then, who could guess that Shadow, the leader of Shadow Garden, whom the World Government feared, and White Dove, the Navy Admiral who upheld Burning Justice, were actually the same person!
Just thinking about it excited Ivan. The feeling of manipulating everyone like puppets was truly wonderful!
For a moment, the three of them wore bright smiles, though the reasons for their joy were somewhat different.
However, this rare moment of ease was abruptly shattered by a discordant presence.
Onigumo's brows furrowed deeply as he strode over to Ivan, looking down at the blood-soaked young man with an undisguised, accusatory tone:
"Ivan, why did you deliberately give up on stopping Tanuki just now?
If you hadn't been soft-hearted, that guy would never have broken through the line, and Fox would never have been rescued so smoothly!
As a Marine, how can you neglect your duty like this? Do you deserve the Justice Cloak on your back?"
As his words fell, the surrounding air instantly grew tense.
The smile on Garp's face faded once more, his expression darkening slightly, clearly displeased with Onigumo's ill-timed questioning.
Gumir immediately frowned, his face showing clear dissatisfaction.
What did this guy mean? Was Ivan wrong to come and save him?
Did he, Gumir, deserve to be killed by Fox?
Onigumo's words were undoubtedly a denial of Ivan's efforts, and an accusation of selfishness against him, a Marine Vice Admiral!
Hearing this, Ivan raised his head slightly, his voice resolute:
"I never abandoned my duty. It's just that in my heart, comrades and elders are far more important than any mission.
Vice Admiral Gumir is an elder I respect, a comrade who stands shoulder-to-shoulder with me in defending justice. At that moment, he was in grave danger. If I had focused only on stopping Tanuki and watched him fall into peril, that would have truly made me unworthy of wearing this Marine uniform!
If I had to choose a thousand times over, I would still rush to save Vice Admiral Gumir first, every single time.
Justice is not some cold mission; it's about protecting every person worth protecting by your side!"
Onigumo's temple veins bulged upon hearing this.
He took a fierce step forward, pointing at Ivan's nose as he roared angrily:
"Nonsense! Utter rubbish!
A Marine's duty is to carry out missions, to capture pirates! How dare you use comrades and elders as excuses to let criminals escape? This isn't upholding justice—it's dereliction of duty!
Vice Admiral Gumir may be important, but the mission takes precedence over everything!
Because of your personal feelings, you let two dangerous pirates escape, planting a hidden danger for the Marines. What right do you have to speak of justice?
I say you don't deserve to wear this Marine uniform, much less be called Burning Justice!"
Before Ivan could even respond, an angry shout suddenly erupted.
Garp's eyes widened, Conqueror's Haki Lightning surging around him once more. He strode forward, shielding Ivan behind him, glaring fiercely at Onigumo:
"You shut your mouth! 'Mission over everything'? What utter crap!
Justice has always been about protecting those worth protecting by your side, about guarding the comrades you fight alongside!
This kid Ivan, covered in blood, risked his life to save Gumir. What did he do wrong?
All you see is that he let pirates escape, but you don't see how he fought to exhaustion, covered in wounds, to protect his comrade!
In my view, his choice is the true justice of the Marines, and it deserves the title of Burning Justice!
I'm standing right here. Anyone who dares criticize Ivan again will have to get through me first!"
With that, Garp didn't spare Onigumo another glance. Wrapping a large arm around Ivan, he half-supported, half-shielded him at his side:
"Come on, I'll take you to get your wounds treated. Don't waste time with someone who can't tell right from wrong."
Vice Admiral Gumir coldly glanced at Onigumo, snorted heavily, and then followed the other two.
Scolded by Garp, Onigumo stood frozen in place, his face ashen.
Though he was seething with rage, he dared not step forward to stop them under Garp's imposing presence, and could only watch helplessly as the three figures gradually faded into the distance.
After a long while, under the gaze of the other vice admirals, Onigumo finally snapped back to reality. He then dialed a Den Den Mushi and said to the other end:
"Admiral Akainu, White Dove is not what we imagined. His so-called Burning Justice is nothing like the justice we uphold!"
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