"You just said it yourself—I'm only a Vice Admiral. I can't make decisions here!"
"So go and deliver the message yourself. I'll give you thirty minutes!"Renji Kai turned without a word and strode into a nearby tavern.
Douglas Bullet, Bartolomeo, and Crocodile exchanged looks—then quickly followed him inside.
Once they were all in, Garp faced Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"So what now? Do we report this to HQ?"Tsuru admitted, clearly uncertain.
"Tell Sengoku. If they plan to move against him, we'll have to stand and fight!"Garp sighed. He hadn't expected things to escalate like this.
If he'd known Renji Kai wouldn't be so easily subdued, he might have sided with Sakazuki long ago.
With Sakazuki and the three Vice Admirals, even Renji wouldn't have escaped.
But Sakazuki's suspension was already formal—and recalling him now would be absurd.
If HQ didn't agree with Renji's demands, Garp and Tsuru would have no choice but to confront him directly.
He still couldn't shake the shock—his punch only cracked Bartolomeo's barrier. He didn't want a full-scale war here.
Tsuru left to report. Reaching Marine HQ, he immediately contacted the Five Elders, the top authority of the World Government.
Meanwhile, inside the tavern, Renji Kai and his crew relaxed—rum glasses in hand.
They had just defeated a Marine Admiral's force and forced the legendary Garp into caution.
Bartolomeo—who'd been bitter earlier—leaned forward, ruffling Renji's shoulders in camaraderie.
Renji was pleased but annoyed—despite winning the battle, he'd gained zero reputation points. No real kills, no promotion.
Staring at his reputation count—just over 100,000—he decided next time he'd handle things himself.
Half an hour later, Tsuru returned with Garp, bringing news from HQ.
They lowered their rum glasses as Garp stepped in.
"HQ responded. They think your demands are excessive, but they're not unreasonable," he began.
"Oh? So you agree?" Bartolomeo blurted out.
Garp smirked but shook his head.
"Hmph. Not that easy. The Elders say: 'Unless you eliminate the other Warlords, we won't even sit down to talk.' You're smart—figure that out."
Renji nodded; he understood perfectly.
He might have taken Crocodile and Bullet, but six other Warlords remained scattered across the sea.
Unless he proved his might, the World Government wouldn't negotiate.
"That's easier said than done. If you wait for that to happen, you'll be waiting forever!"Crocodile scoffed.
"You got crushed in a day!"Tsuru shot back, mercilessly mocking Crocodile's defeat.
Crocodile had no comeback—he'd been beaten in 24 hours, after all.
Then Renji interjected, stepping up for his crew:
"Want to fight me, Crocodile? With your laundry-washing devil fruit? I'll floor you in three rounds—believe that?"
Renji made it clear—he was the absolute leader of this crew.
Tsuru stiffened, and even Crocodile felt the impact—regaining respect for Renji.
"Enough talk. Prove yourself by defeating three more Warlords. Then we'll personally escort you to Mariejois. After that, whether you rise or fall—that's on you," Garp laid out the terms.
It was a calculated challenge from the Five Elders, sent through Garp and Tsuru.
They hoped Renji would collapse the other six Warlords all at once—but they knew he wasn't stupid.
They'd never accept such a brutal condition.
"Hmph. Should have just said so earlier—would've saved us all some trouble. And spared your partner this public roasting!"Renji sneered, downing his rum in one gulp.