When everyone heard this, they were immediately confused.
According to the captain, the "big fish" still hadn't taken the bait?
How was that possible?
"We trust the captain. He's never let us down in things like this," Gojo Satoru said with a smile.
At that moment, a large number of Marine warships began speeding toward Honeycomb Island.
This time, it wasn't just Akainu taking action—veterans like Garp were also on the move.
It was only that Akainu, arriving first, had engaged Uchiha Madara ahead of the others.
Despite the distance, the news of the battle had already reached Garp.
The moment he learned Akainu was fighting against the Kamui Pirates, Garp's expression grew tense.
He knew better than anyone just how powerful the Kamui Pirates were—especially Kronos.
After all…
Garp had once suffered defeat at Kronos' hands himself.
How strong was Kronos?
Garp knew the answer all too well.
That memory of defeat burned in his mind. Because of this, he had no reason to doubt the reports that Kronos had even bested Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world.
If Kronos could defeat him, then an aging Whitebeard was no impossible opponent.
And Kronos wasn't even the only monster in his crew.
The Kamui Pirates were filled with terrifying beings—each one capable of wreaking havoc on the world.
Just the thought of them moving early, overwhelming Akainu before Marine Headquarters' full force could arrive, made Garp's heart sink.
The impact would be disastrous.
Although Garp often looked down on Akainu, he could not deny the man's value.
For the Marines, Akainu had accomplished much. Many hard-fought victories were secured because of his personal might.
Without him, countless battles might have ended in failure.
For that reason, Akainu had earned high prestige within the Marines.
There were even many who quietly supported him—believing that sooner or later, he would surpass Sengoku and rise to the position of Fleet Admiral, leading the Marines into a new era of glory.
Garp exhaled heavily, pulling himself from his thoughts. A deep unease gnawed at him, as though events were about to unfold far worse than he had anticipated.
Just then, a voice interrupted his brooding.
Smoker, standing nearby with a cigar between his teeth, spoke casually:
"Well, this is rare. I've hardly ever seen you look so nervous."
"The man famous for never fearing even the Pirate King himself… nervous? If people heard about this, the whole world would be in shock."
Garp let out a long sigh.
"You don't understand, Smoker. You truly underestimate the Kamui Pirates. Maybe you've never dealt with them directly, so you don't know just how terrifying Kronos really is."
Whenever he spoke of the Kamui Pirates, the same image haunted Garp—his own bitter defeat at Kronos' hands.
That battle…
The humiliation of being crushed so decisively…
It was something Garp could never forget.
A scar carved not just into memory, but deep into his very soul.
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