Renji Kai strode out confidently past Garp and Tsuru.
Crocodile, Douglas Bullet, and Bartolomeo shot Garp a glance—but quickly followed Renji outside.
"You could have stepped in before!"Tsuru's voice cut through the air after Renji and his crew exited. Her tone was not a question—it was an accusation.
"I considered it—I really did," Garp murmured after a moment, his gaze trailing after Renji. "No one has ever been this brazen in front of me. But in the end, I held back… because he's Renji Kai, someone I don't understand yet. And more importantly, he's hiding something. If I'd rushed in and failed to subdue him… it would've meant an outright confrontation."
Out on the street, Renji Kai drew in a deep breath of relief.
Inside that tavern, the tension had been suffocating. Even with the system's assistance, facing someone with Garp's strength—and exchanging words with him so boldly—it took real guts.
Fortunately, Garp showed restraint. If he'd attacked, Renji would never have walked away from here unscathed.
"Captain Renji," Bartolomeo said excitedly as they regrouped, "you were incredible—calling him out like that, and he couldn't do anything!"
Douglas Bullet and Crocodile wore expressions of respect and admiration.
They'd both crossed paths with Garp before—yet neither would have dared to swagger in front of him. A single punch from Garp would've been devastating.
"Captain, if a fight had broken out… could you have handled Garp?"Bullet pressed, cautious and curious. He knew Garp's strength—from first-hand experience—but he was still uncertain how high Renji's ceiling could go.
Remember Sakazuki's attack—he nearly lost the use of his limbs.
"You never know," Renji replied. "But frankly, the most terrifying person in HQ isn't Garp."
"...Are you talking about Sengoku?" Crocodile interjected.
"No—it's Sakazuki we faced today."
"What? Sakazuki? That guy couldn't even break Bartolomeo's barrier. How is he more dangerous than Garp?"
"Hmph—you still underestimate him. If he unleashed his full power, he'd be terrifying. And even if you trap him, your barrier drains your energy continuously. It's only a matter of time before it fails—and then what will you do?" Renji said with a knowing smile.
Indeed, Bartolomeo's barrier was overpowered—but its weakness was clear. Any fighter worth their salt would simply wait it out. Against a foe like Sakazuki, it's only a temporary delay.
And Sakazuki was the only pirate in One Piece history to break the leg of a Marine Admiral in direct combat. Not Gol D. Roger, not Rocks, not the current Emperors. If he fully unleashed… nobody wanted to find out just what that would look like.
"So the Navy's still formidable. What's our next move—should we go hunt down other Warlords?" Bullet asked.
"Yes," Renji said, turning to Crocodile. "Sa—I mean, if you can contact Morgan…?"
"Um? What do you mean? Morgan's a Big Mom headhunter from the underworld, nothing to do with the Warlords."
"That's fine. I want you to leak news: we intend to challenge the Warlords. I want the Government and Navy to know we're serious."
"What? You want to leak that? That doesn't benefit us. The Warlords will dig in or form an alliance if they learn of us."
"Even better. Let them press together—it'll save me a trip to round them up."
Crocodile frowned. "Won't that piss off the World Government?"
"Ha! They begged us to take a position in the first place. And if they created a system called the 'Warlords,' they won't blink at a little pushover leaking intentions."
Renji knew the Government wouldn't care—especially since they're demanding he eliminate the other Warlords. From the public's perspective, that's a noble favor. Even if the info leaks, most Warlords can only scowl—they know rebellion is a one-way street once you cross the WG.
"All right. I'll contact Morgan. But who do we strike first?"
"How many Warlords are left now?"Bullet asked—he was just emerging from Impel Down, and had no idea who the remaining Warlords even were.