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Once, it had been unthinkable that even if all the powerful pirates of the New World joined forces, they would still be powerless before a single man—Garp the Fist. Yet now, that unshakable truth had been overturned.
"Although we've grown stronger... that guy Ayr has surpassed us all. I'm not his match," Garp admitted heavily, exhaling as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. His words cast a suffocating silence over the room. Even now, no one could fully comprehend what Ayr had become, and Sengoku's grim tone only deepened the unease as the Marines present recalled that terrifying truth. Just imagining it made chills crawl up their spines; their bodies tensed instinctively.
"Could Ayr have used an ability to forcibly enhance his strength again?" Zephyr finally asked after a long pause, disbelief flickering in his eyes. But then, his expression hardened. "No... we're not dealing with someone from our time anymore." Rage trembled in his voice as he slammed his fists together. "Damn it, I just don't understand! Why did the Celestial Dragons at Mariejois let a threat like Ayr live?"
Kong intervened sharply, "Speculating on his motives is meaningless. What matters now is figuring out how to deal with Ayr—and how to manage Gol D. Roger's upcoming execution." With that, they boarded the Marine flagship, heading straight for Mariejois to consult the World Government's highest authorities. The air aboard was tense, every man haunted by the same thought: they were facing a power that defied reason.
"No," Sengoku muttered darkly, "Ayr didn't even use that overwhelming power he unleashed in the Holy Land—the power of the Ten Tails Jinchūriki. But he has others... many others. Each one terrifying." The idea that all the New World monsters had rallied under Ayr sent a cold realization through them. If every pirate of the New World truly stood with him, not even the Five Elders could stop them. "They've really done it," Sengoku said bitterly. "All of them have gathered under Ayr."
Yet even then, Im—the hidden sovereign of the world—had only managed to fight Ayr to a draw. During the Holy Land incident, Ayr, wielding the might of the Ten Tails, had fought four of the Five Elders simultaneously and killed three. "Garp, Sengoku, Kong—what the hell happened back there?!" Zephyr demanded from the bow, his voice thick with anxiety.
"There was nothing we could do," Garp replied quietly, eyes distant. "We were overwhelmed." And now, with Roger's execution drawing near, the world teetered on the edge of chaos. The pirates of the New World were already moving; this could not be coincidence. "Their timing was perfect," Sengoku said coldly. "Right when we left our positions... they struck."
Crane, deep in thought, spoke slowly, "Ayr may be a monster to us... but to her, he might be nothing at all." Even after years of growth, Garp and Sengoku both knew that in a one-on-one battle, Ayr still held the advantage. They had misunderstood earlier when Garp said Ayr's forces had invaded—believing it was an entire army. But in truth, only three had come: Ayr, Shiki, and Kaido.
As for what was left of Naval HQ in Shen Hai, that could wait. The true horror lay in Ayr's incomprehensible power. They had witnessed it before, at Mariejois, when he unleashed the full fury of the Ten Tails, yet none could fathom the depths of his strength now. No one understood why Im allowed someone so dangerous to live—not even the Five Elders had answers. All they knew was that Ayr had grown beyond pursuit.
"He's simply too fast," Sengoku murmured. "Too far ahead." From the dying words of the Five Elders, they had learned that Ayr had survived for more than eight hundred years. His abilities, already godlike, had continued to evolve. "Garp... are you saying just those three could destroy the entire Naval HQ?" Zephyr's voice trembled.
"No," Garp replied grimly. "He didn't rely on the Ten Tails this time. He used other powers... and still overwhelmed us." When Ayr fused with the chakra of the Sage of Six Paths, his power soared to a divine level, and with Roger's execution looming, his return was inevitable. Unless the Marine top brass united completely, they would stand no chance.
If Ayr could defeat Garp without the Ten Tails, the threat was beyond anything they'd ever imagined. Roger's execution would serve as bait, drawing every major power to one place. "They came here," Garp whispered. "Ayr... Shiki... and Kaido." "That's it?" Kong asked, his voice shaking. "Only those three?" Garp nodded silently. "Even so, we were crushed."
Even without the Ten Tails, Ayr had wounded Garp, Sengoku, and Kong. The revelation sent shivers down every spine aboard. The Five Elders' dying words confirmed it—Ayr had endured across eight centuries, growing stronger still. During the Holy Land conflict, it was Ayr who had turned the tide, not his allies. Now, the surviving Admirals were broken and bloodied, their fleet shattered.
No one blamed them. Three men could not stop an empire. Even Golden Lion, with all his might, wasn't one to follow orders, and Kaido's power—though immense—lacked restraint. Yet together with Ayr, they became unstoppable. "These damned pirates..." Akainu growled, clenching his fists. "When we enter the New World, we'll make them pay."
But Garp trained relentlessly now, driven by failure and vengeance. The question that haunted them all was simple: how did three men—Ayr, Shiki, and Kaido—sink Marineford? Kaido was strong, yes, but not the strongest among the New World titans. Ayr, however, was something else entirely. Even Im, an immortal who had ruled for eight centuries, seemed to exist on a plane beyond human comprehension—yet she had let Ayr live. Why?
"If we go ahead with Roger's execution... there will be chaos," Sengoku warned gravely. "We need to meet with the World Government," Crane added. "It may be time to postpone, or at least rethink our strategy." If Im ever joined forces with Ayr, there would be no hope for the world.
"W-what?!" someone gasped on deck. The thought was absurd—yet not a single soul laughed.
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