Even though he was already old, Garp still displayed the might of an Admiral-level fighter.
The moment Garp stood in the middle of the battlefield, the eyes of the entire world were drawn to him.
The Marine's legendary veteran, the Hero Garp, had arrived.
To this day, his only ever recoded loss was against the Emperor Roy.
Now, on Karai Bari Island, his opponent stood before him.
"Kuzan!"
Garp raised his head to look at the man walking step by step toward him. A familiar face, though clad in different attire. The two locked eyes.
"Garp-san!" Kuzan replied.
"Former Marine Admiral Kuzan!"
Everyone watching the broadcast via Den Den Mushi fixed their eyes on him. The former Marine Admiral, who had lost the position to Sakazuki and left the Navy two years ago, had now joined Cross Guild.
"Vice Admiral Garp! Mr. Kuzan!" Koby, hanging from a flagpole, watched as the two drew closer.
"Kuzan… give me a reason." Garp's voice was heavy.
"I'm searching for the future of the world," Kuzan replied calmly.
"The future of the world? Joining a pirate crew is for the world's future? Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"I'm searching in my own way."
"Have you found it?"
"Not yet… but I'm close. What I sought, I couldn't find within the Navy."
"Since you've taken action against the Navy, I cannot let you off."
With those words, Garp launched his attack. Kuzan, naturally, retaliated, instantly freezing Garp. But Garp quickly broke free, shattering the ice, and the two engaged in a fierce battle.
Meanwhile, Fujitora also made his entrance, summoning a meteor that descended from the sky straight toward Karai Bari Island.
Buggy, seeing the meteor above, was terrified out of his wits and only wanted to flee.
'So this is the new Marine Admiral? They're all monsters! He can even summon meteorites?! Buggy screamed in his mind
Everyone around him fled in terror, desperate not to be crushed by the incoming disaster.
But then, Mihawk stood up. From his back, he drew the Yoru and swung.
Shing!
The meteorite was cleaved in two. Then into four. Then eight. Then sixteen…
In the end, Mihawk's single strike reduced the meteor into countless evenly-sized fragments, an unbelievable feat.
"Is this the world's greatest swordsman? With just one slash?" Makugai, standing beside Roy, exclaimed.
As a swordsman himself, he gasped in awe. The difference was overwhelming. Against a Vice Admiral, he might stand a chance, but if he faced Mihawk… he would likely die in a single blow.
"The transponder snail broadcast is accurate… you just didn't see clearly. He swung dozens of times just now," Roy said, squinting.
"Not just once?"
"What you saw was one strike, but that's because your eyes couldn't follow his speed. The transponder snails can slow playback."
Sure enough, when the live feed was replayed in slow motion, several afterimages appeared. Mihawk had not swung only once.
When the broadcast returned to live footage, Mihawk was already dueling Fujitora, former Warlord vs. current Admiral.
In Dressrosa, Fujitora had seemed unimpressive, but that was only because he had been restrained. An Admiral could never truly be that weak.
Just as Kuzan could easily have killed Doflamingo in seconds, so too could Fujitora.
But against Mihawk? It was different. Even without a Devil Fruit, Mihawk's swordsmanship equaled Fujitora's might.
Elsewhere, Crocodile clashed with the Vice Admiral Tokikake. Crocodile possessed the Sand-Sand Fruit, while Tokikake coincidentally had the Earth-Earth Fruit, allowing him to control the power of the earth.
As for Momousagi, her opponent was Gecko Moria. Over the past two years, Moria had regained much of his confidence and even demonstrated Haki. Through his awakened ability, he managed to control Momousagi's shadow, rendering her immobile.
Other Marine soldiers descended and engaged in battle with the Cross Guild members.
The four main battlefields remained untouched by others, while Buggy, the leader of Cross Guild, sat firmly on his throne.
The Den Den Mushi was focused on him, capturing Buggy seated high on his throne like a king overlooking the entire scene.
The Den Den Mushi at his feet had been pointing downward but suddenly looked up at Buggy. At that moment, Buggy, who had been gazing into the distance, happened to look down at the Den Den Mushi.
The scene froze at that exact moment.
Buggy's calm and composed expression, his invincible aura, was transmitted to the entire world through the Den Den Mushi. Countless people screenshotted this moment, printing it in newspapers distributed globally.
"So this is the President of the Cross Guild… the Emperor, Star Clown Buggy!!"
"So imposing!"
"His subordinates are fighting below, yet he remains unmoved. The entire battlefield is under his control."
"If he joined the battle, it would be completely one-sided. The Marine didn't send their fleet admiral, so he isn't making a move either, right?"
"This man is terrifying!"
All across the world, the name Buggy spread like wildfire.
Meanwhile, Buggy himself sat frozen, gripping the arms of his throne tightly.
The entire island was quaking from the battles, he was terrified of standing up and falling over.
"Good thing I bolted the chair to the platform… otherwise I'd have fallen too," Buggy thought, heart pounding.
In front of him, Kuzan and Garp fought. To his left, Mihawk and Fujitora. To his right, Crocodile and Chaton. Behind, Moria and Peach Rabbit.
If he dared step down, those monsters might tear him apart.
His followers, however, saw only his stillness and composure.
"Captain Buggy is watching over us! Crush these Marines! Let's make Captain Buggy the Pirate King!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
His fanatical crew erupted with renewed fervor, their morale so intense it actually overwhelmed the Marines.
To outsiders, it seemed as if Buggy possessed the same power as Eastern Army Commander Belo Betty, whose Pump-Pump Fruit made her one of the most dangerous Revolutionaries.
Her ability to inspire turned ordinary civilians into warriors capable of defeating pirates worth tens of millions. In terms of support, her fruit was considered one of the strongest in the world, even stronger than the Tontatta Princess's Healing Fruit.
And now, Buggy seemed to be achieving the same effect, simply by existing.
A Marine, realizing this, threw a boomerang.
It spun through the air, and sliced Buggy's head clean off his neck.
"Success!!"
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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