"Damn it, why did the Roger Pirates show up out of nowhere?"
Vice Admiral Brown Fox went pale, the pressure spiking.
"Roger! Let's see where you run today. Fist Bone Meteor!"
A howling gale of fist force ripped down from the sky as a figure hurtled in from above.
"Fist Bone Meteor!"
The voice landed with the man.
A massive, jet-black cannonball flew from Monkey D. Garp's hand.
Half a foot wide and heavy as sin, the oversized shell streaked across the sky like a falling star, the air screaming around it.
"Roger! You won't get away!"
"Garp, enough already. How long are you going to chase me?"
Gol D. Roger sighed, drawing the western blade at his hip. The man gave him a headache like no other.
"Heh. Roger, I won't quit until I've got you in cuffs."
Garp planted himself at a distance. The cannonball he'd thrown was already tearing across the air like lightning.
Roger lifted his arm. Cold light ran the length of his blade. With a single sweep, a crescent ring of blue sword aura blasted forth.
Clang.
The blue arc split the massive shell clean in two.
Boom.
Flame inside the shell flashed and detonated.
On already-shattered ground, a wall of heat bulged outward. Rolling fire surged like a roaring dragon.
"Repulsion Space."
Rakuya glanced at the onrushing blaze and calmly spread repulsion, a shell that kept the blast outside.
"What a pain," Roger muttered. His blade flashed again.
A surge of blue sword aura burst forth, radiant as a star. The entire Roger Pirates crew vanished within the flood of light.
Boom boom boom boom boom.
Explosions hammered the air. The ground trembled. Roger's slash cleaved the firestorm; the blazing wave split and rolled away to both sides.
One pillar of flame slammed into a thick trunk. The tree went up and was gone in an instant.
"Impact Wave."
Seeing the parted flames racing toward the Marines, Sengoku stepped in front of his men. A single shockwave swept the blaze aside and spared the ranks.
"Garp, quit using that trick. It doesn't kill the enemy and it gives us more mess to clean up," Sengoku snapped.
"Hey, Sengoku, what happened to you? Why do you look like that?"
Garp blinked at his partner's battered state.
Sengoku said nothing, jaw tight.
"Where's Zephyr?" Garp asked, looking left and right. No sign of the former admiral. His brows knit.
"That kid grabbed him. He took Sakazuki and Borsalino too," Sengoku said, shrinking back to human form with a grim face.
"What? Grabbed? Zephyr got taken?" Garp stared like he'd heard the silliest joke in the world, eyes bulging.
"You. You're the brat who took Zephyr?" he asked, turning to Rakuya.
Rakuya dipped his chin, noncommittal.
"Whahaha. Sengoku, you handle Roger. I'm taking a few rounds with this kid. He even bagged Zephyr!"
Ignoring the looks around them, the utterly unreliable hero of the Marines rolled up his sleeves, eager to brawl.
"Garp, this is not the time for solo duels. That kid is the criminal who beat a Celestial Dragon. We take him together," Sengoku barked, angling for a dogpile.
"Hey, hey. You go catch Roger. I'll trade blows with this kid. I saw you go at it with him. Is he really that easy to squeeze?"
"Easy to squeeze?" Sengoku's eyes nearly popped. "He's strong. Stronger than me."
"Not easy, huh? Whahaha. I like the prickly ones. You're Rakuya, right? Give me a few rounds."
Before Sengoku could reply, Garp vaulted high.
"Shave."
Whoosh.
With a light step, he vanished into the air, reappearing directly above.
"Armament Hardening. Iron Fist."
Garp dove like a falling star, a beast pouncing, his massive fist wrapped in Armament Haki and haloed by a visible shockwave.
"Repulsion. Tenfold Space."
Rakuya lifted a finger, voice soft.
"Heh, kid, brace yourself. I don't care how tough your shell is, you won't keep my fist out."
He crashed down, that Armament-coated fist slamming into Rakuya's repulsion shell.
Boom boom boom.
A brutal shockwave hammered the barrier. Wind raged. Even the hard earth fractured under the force.
Violet arcs crackled across the shell. All that titanic power poured down without restraint.
Even inside, Rakuya felt a faint tremor.
Crack.
The barrier split. Garp's fist punched through and came for Rakuya's face.
"Kid, be ready!"
Fire blazed in Garp's eyes, the battle spirit of a king burning bright.
"Not bad. Stronger than Sakazuki."
Feeling the savage pressure, Rakuya's mouth curled. His gaze steadied on the fist, its force already waning.
"Repulsion, Impact Pillar."
Rakuya's lazy eyes sharpened at last. This opponent deserved to be taken seriously.
Zephyr, Sakazuki, Borsalino those had been children's drills. They hadn't stirred his blood at all.
"Heh."
Garp grinned as his iron fist crashed down into the invisible pillar of repulsion Rakuya fired back.
Kaboom.
The world detonated. Many Marines clapped hands to their ears. Wrapped in a colossal rebound, Garp was hurled backward, skidding a dozen meters before he dug in and stopped.
"You're strong, kid."
He flexed his tingling fist, surprise lighting his face.
"You're not bad either," Rakuya said with a quick smile, the compliment returned.
"Refreshing. Whahaha. Finally someone who can take my punch. That felt good."
"Garp! Team up with me. We take him first. He's got a Celestial Dragon and our core officers on him."
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