Chapter 658: Heroes Never Die
"Old man! Can I...can I still call you that!"
Sensing Garp's breath, Vic turned into lightning and came down from the mountain to the village. Looking at the still tall but gray-haired figure, Vic felt choked up in his heart!
He hadn't contacted Karp in the past few years out of an escapist mentality. Even though Karp had comforted him in the beginning, he couldn't let go of the guilty feeling, just like a student who failed to meet his parents' expectations!
Garp had helped him so much, but he failed at the most critical moment. How could he not feel guilty? He dared to come to see Garp only after he got the treasure of pure gold that could delay aging.
He didn't want to see Garp become like Whitebeard during the Marineford War, unable to maintain peak combat power and physical strength due to injuries and aging, and being washed up on the beach by the waves. This was a pain that Wick could hardly accept.
The reason he originally ordered Ben to find pure gold was for Garp, and later on there was another reason as practicing in the illusion cost him his life. Now that he got the pure gold, he sent it to Garp the first time. Only pure gold can barely repay part of Garp's kindness!
"Hahaha! I'm really happy that you can still call me that! I couldn't help you with that incident, and I was really depressed. I even lost my sense of justice. I've lived in Windmill Village for more than half a year, and even Luffy despised me!"
"The trouble I caused was too big, and the entire navy couldn't handle it. I have let it go. I have justice in my heart and I can carry it out no matter what my status is! There is no need to dwell on these things anymore, we must all look forward!
Hahaha! Luffy dislikes his grandfather, that must be because his grandfather has been training him all the time. Which child can stand your training method? Fortunately, it's Luffy. If it was another child, he would have been beaten to death by you long ago!"
Vic felt guilty, and Cap also felt guilty for not being able to help Vic in that incident. Now, hearing what Vic said, he was extremely happy.
Like him, Victor never blamed the other party for what happened back then, but instead fell into self-blame. Now the depression in his heart has dissipated. Although their identities are different now, they can still get along with each other as before. Garp even happily talked about his grandson Luffy.
"Yes! We must all look forward. Dwelling on the past is a sign of weakness. You have grown faster in the past few years since you left, which shows that your heart has not changed. You are still the same passionate heart that is brave and forward-looking!
I have thrown Luffy into the mountains and he lives with Ace. Ace even complained to me, saying that you have tortured him frequently in recent years. This guy really doesn't know how to appreciate what he has. How many people dream of such a training method? But he said it was torture. He really doesn't know what's good!"
In the past few years, Garp returned to Windmill Village at least once a year. He also learned from Ace that Vic often came to train him. Although there is no time in the mountains, Ace, who has experienced illusions many times, still noticed something wrong.
Ace couldn't figure it out, but Garp was knowledgeable and knew that Vic must have used some ability to change the time Ace was in. A few days were equivalent to several months for others. What a miraculous ability!
Why are the Sea Emperors and the Navy's top brass all older guys? Because strength is accumulated over time. Without special opportunities, it is difficult for young people to cross this accumulation gap.
Only a few people have actually made it across, such as Shanks, Blackbeard and Luffy, so Garp knows the value of Vic's ability. Using this ability to help Ace practice is an opportunity that many people would love to have, so in Garp's eyes, Ace is just a silly boy.
"It doesn't matter! I won't argue with a child. When he grows up, he will understand our good intentions. No matter which path he chooses to take in the future, as long as he is strong, he will be safe enough. We can't tie them to our belts, nor can we protect them for their entire lives. What we should do is to guide them to become stronger consciously!"
It took Vic only three or four years to comprehend the illusion, and he only spent a few days each year on Ace. This meant that Ace had grown a few months longer, and the impact on Ace's body was not very big.
Now Vic has found a way to control the growth of his body over time in the illusion, and no longer has to worry about burning their lifespans to speed up their practice. Vic already has the ability to create a large force, and in a short period of time.
"You're right, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Last year, Luffy was influenced by that red-haired guy and kept clamoring to go out to sea and become a pirate when he grew up. At that time, I wanted to correct him and let him become a marine!
But after seeing you, I no longer think so. The navy is not as good as I imagined, and not all pirates are bad people. They are all labeled by the World Government. How to deal with it depends on the individual. Is there something important that you asked me to do this time?"
Originally, Garp would have continued to correct Luffy and Ace's desire to become pirates in the next few years, but now with the example of Wick, he no longer forces it.
After so many years in the navy, he naturally knows the true face of the navy and the World Government. Given Luffy and Ace's personalities, they will most likely end up leaving the navy. Even their biological son Dragon and godson Vic can't stay in a place, so Luffy and Ace have even wilder personalities and can't stand it any more.
"I wonder if you have ever heard of the legend of pure gold?"
Seeing that the old man had come to his senses and asked about serious matters, Vic also became serious.
"I've heard that, although the World Government tried its best to block the news, the pirates who stole the pure gold had no obligation to keep it secret for the government, so the news still got out.
The Navy also recorded the legend of pure gold. It is said that pure gold can buy all the wealth in the world and has the power to control time forever. Is the ability you used on Ace the power of pure gold? Can pure gold really control time?"
Although pure gold disappeared immediately after it first appeared in the world nearly two hundred years ago, the legend of pure gold was still spread by the pirates who killed Olga's mother.
However, after Olga and her daughter and the island were eaten by the giant lantern fish, pure gold never appeared again. The pirates who survived by chance had no evidence to support what they saw and heard.
So over time it became a legend, just like the treasures buried by those great pirates. The treasure still has a treasure map, but all clues to the pure gold have been lost. Where can one find a lantern fish that can eat an island?
They didn't know that this lantern fish liked gold, so there were basically no clues. Legend has it that pure gold has the power to control time. Garp thought that Wick used that power to help Ace speed up his training. However, legends are just legends, and there are always some discrepancies between them and the facts.
“I do have pure gold, but I just got it. It doesn’t have the power to control time. Its real function is to help organisms slow down their growth and prolong their lifespan!
As long as you wear an appropriate amount of pure gold on your body, you can stop your body's functions at that moment. Children will no longer grow and adults will no longer age. Perhaps this is another way of understanding how pure gold controls time!
This time I came to see the old man just to give you some pure gold, so that you can maintain your peak combat power. Maybe one day a war will break out!"