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Of all the things Garp expected to happen after he sacrificed himself to save Luffy and Ace, he certainly didn’t expect this.
While he had never been too sure about the existence of Heaven or Hell, he didn’t think he was in either of them. Instead, he found himself in a vast room, far bigger than any of the meeting rooms he’d ever been in, yet giving off much the same air. Murals covered the walls, depicting scenes from what he could only assume were ancient history. A large round table sat at the very center surrounded by seven chairs, four of which were occupied.
“Hello, brother,” said a man with glittering white skin and dark hair, dressed in a grey shirt and black pants. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Come take a seat,” added a woman with long rose gold hair and eyes that were somewhere between green and blue, wearing a red sundress and a silver necklace with a pearl heart shaped charm. “I know you have a lot of questions, and we should be able to answer at least some of them.”
While they did seem to be friendly, Garp was still hesitant, so to buy himself a little time, he glanced down at himself. His Marine uniform had been replaced by a more casual outfit, the sort he’d worn when visiting Luffy during his grandson’s childhood. Considering how he’d died defying the World Government, it felt comforting to be out of that uniform.
“Nice to see you out of that stuffy Marine suit,” chuckled one of the others at the table.
Garp looked up, his eyes widening when he saw the man with wild dark hair and a familiar mustache, clad in a dark blue and silver version of the captain’s outfit he wore so often in life.
“Roger?!?”
“It’s Dream, now,” the First King of the Pirates said with a laugh. “After my death, I was given the position--the last guy who held it actually said I was perfect for the job.”
The last of the four—a woman who strongly resembled the current princess of Alabasta, attired in a dusty gold robe with a hood and a large book attached to her via a chain—nodded, a slight smile gracing her features. “Yes, there is no better position for the man who ignited an era and encouraged others to dream, and in doing so, paved the way for the collapse of the Empire of Lies and the birth of a world of hope, dreams, and freedom.”
“Ah, but where are our manners?” the man in grey said, turning to look at Garp as the Hero of the Marines took a seat. “We should introduce ourselves properly to our new brother. I doubt you would recognize my old name, so I won’t bother with it. My name now is Despair.”
“You knew me as Portgas D. Rouge, but now, I am Desire.”
“I was once known as Nefertari D. Lili, and now I am Destiny.”
“No need to introduce myself again,” said Dream. “As for you, Garp, you are the new Destruction.”
“All Ds, I take it.”
“Such is the potential fate of all who bear that initial,” said Despair. “When our mortal lives end, we are judged for our worthiness, and if we pass and there is a suitable position open, we become something more.”
“Mind you, there are those who don’t qualify for reasons other than being unworthy,” Dream put in. “Your grandson Luffy would have made an excellent Delight, had Nika not called dibs on him first.”
“And Ace was claimed by Mera,” added Desire, smiling lightly.
“So when their respective times come, they will undergo an Ascension, becoming a type of deity known as Dreamchildren,” finished Destiny. “Just like all Devil Fruit users who prove themselves worthy of that blessing.”
Garp couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, I have no doubt they’ll be worthy.” He frowned. “What about Teach?”
“Teach lost any chance at becoming one of us when he became a kinslayer, even without becoming Oscuro’s newest puppet.”
“Being favored by fate is not a right, even for the Ds,” said Desire. “It is a privilege, one that Teach has been abusing. So it’s only a matter of time before it bites him in the rear.”
“Not unlike with Rocks D. Xebec,” agreed Despair. “Even if the Demiurge hadn’t inflicted such a horrific transformation upon him, he still did too much evil to be worthy of a place among the Endless.”
“I’m sorry, the who?”
“A being who puppeteers the Celestial Dragons as well as the World Government,” said Despair. “He feeds the Dragons lies about them being gods, when in truth they are nothing but his cattle, being fattened on sin before they are taken to the slaughter.”
“We call him the Demiurge, partly because he has all the characteristics of one, and partly because using his actual name implies we have any respect for him, which we don’t,” scoffed Dream.
“It’s not clear if he was a human who made a deal with the Ruinous Powers or if he’s one of them who was sent here,” Desire added. “Only Destiny knows, and she isn’t saying.”
“You know I only reveal such things when they are supposed to be revealed,” Destiny said simply.
Rolling her eyes, Desire went on. “He has ruled over much of the world for centuries, though not as much as he thinks, and has been using that rule to fuel his death-cheating, among other things.”
“Death’s eagerly waiting for the day the bastard’s luck finally runs out completely, which shouldn’t be long now,” Despair said, folding his arms.
“More importantly,” added Dream. “The Demiurge’s rule wouldn’t be complete even if he had control over the lands currently held by others. After all, people still believe in the gods, which is part of why he’s been trying to control all knowledge of the past.”
“He thinks that if he erases all knowledge of the gods, and by extension all worship of them, then they will cease to exist, and thereby cease to be a threat to him,” explained Destiny. “But it doesn’t work that way—regardless of where they came from, true gods can survive and maintain their powers without worshippers.”
“So he’s doomed to fail no matter what.”
“Yes, exactly,” chuckled Dream. “And I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he realizes everything he did was pointless.”
“But enough about that,” said Destiny. “No need to overwhelm our newest brother.”
Garp, or rather, Destruction let out a deep sigh as he leaned back. “Still have a lot to learn about this whole being Destruction thing, though.”
Dream laughed again. “Indeed you do. Now, where to start?”