Close to the island's shoreline, Garp stood atop the ship's mast, monocular in hand, staring wide-eyed at the scene unfolding on the island.
After a brief pause, he turned to Kuzan, who was mirroring his actions, and asked, "You're close to him—never sparred with him before?"
"No. He's worried about losing control, so back at headquarters, he's always been mild-tempered and avoids fighting," Kuzan replied, swallowing hard.
Ever since that campus violence incident, Ortoren hadn't raised a hand against anyone at HQ. The most he'd done was a few training bouts with Zephyr-sensei, purely to earn credits—nothing serious enough to resemble what they had just witnessed.
That was why Kuzan was so stunned. Both he and Garp had long believed Ortoren was exceptionally gifted, full of potential, diligent, and studious—destined to achieve greatness and become a top-tier fighter someday.
But that was always someday. Their impression of his current strength was still stuck in the memory of that old incident.
Kuzan had even thought that if he fought Ortoren seriously, he could still completely suppress him.
That was until just now, when they stood atop the mast and watched the ten-minute battle. Short as it was, the power Ortoren displayed—especially in that final "Lightning Release Armor" state—was staggering.
Kuzan played it through in his mind: if it were him facing Ortoren in that form… could he handle it?
The answer came instantly—no. In fact, there was a real chance he'd be beaten into the ground.
"Goro Goro no Mi… no wonder it's called one of the most 'invincible' Devil Fruit abilities," Garp thought with a sigh.
Looking at it now, Goro Goro no Mi was a perfect fit for a monster like Ortoren. With any other Devil Fruit, his power wouldn't have grown so terrifyingly fast.
Ortoren's natural talent, strength, and physical abilities were already top-tier. Ordinary Zoan users—Ancient Zoans included—couldn't match him. If someone called him a walking Mythical Zoan, it wouldn't be much of an exaggeration.
His only weaknesses had been speed and reaction time—but the Goro Goro no Mi had nearly perfected those, balancing them with his already monstrous physique.
Which meant… Ortoren had become a fully maxed-out, all-round warrior. No weak points left at all.
With his speed and reaction now caught up, his raw strength, overwhelming physique, and Goro Goro no Mi power together allowed him to do what he was doing now—completely suppress Kaidou, at least for a short time.
Just as Garp was mulling this over, he caught sight of a figure in the sky on the far side of the island.
As he looked, the figure seemed to sense his gaze and turned toward him.
Their eyes met. Garp's face darkened. "Damn it—it's Charlotte Linlin!"
Without another second's hesitation, he leapt from the mast, sprinted across the deck, and launched himself from the bow straight toward the sea.
His figure shot through the air, feet tapping rapidly in a flurry of Geppo, speed taking priority over any concern for appearance, as he charged toward the island.
...
Meanwhile, on the island, Ortoren's skin was flushed deep red, as if he had been boiled. He was half-crouched on the ground, breath coming heavy. With each exhale, wisps of black smoke laced with white mist seeped from the corners of his mouth and nostrils.
Clearly, even for him, maintaining such an intense state of lightning-charged stimulation was no small strain.
In this process, he first had to suppress his elementalization. Once he became fully elemental, his body turned into pure lightning—there'd be no point in stimulating it then.
Without elementalization, channeling such immense lightning through himself was essentially the same as unleashing a sustained lightning strike inside his own body—steady, but still a direct assault.
Even with a body like reinforced steel, his internal organs were far from indestructible, and the strain was immense.
Still, Ortoren could feel that each time he pushed himself into this state, his body adapted more to the lightning's power. Next time he entered full capacity, he should be able to hold out even longer.
After taking a couple of steadying breaths, he slowly rose to his feet and glanced toward the deep crater not far away.
Kaidou was sprawled out inside, lying flat in a spread-eagle position, his whole body smoking and charred, completely still.
"Is it over?" Ortoren wasn't entirely sure.
Truth be told, that last series of attacks had been ferocious enough that he doubted anyone on the sea could take it without serious injury—but Kaidou? This thick-skinned monster was a Mythical Zoan. Sure, it was impossible for him to be unharmed, but for him to be taken out in a single combo? That felt absurd.
Sure enough, just as the thought crossed his mind, Kaidou suddenly snapped upright in a full sit-up from the pit.
"Haa..." Kaidou exhaled sharply, a plume of black smoke billowing from his mouth.
He took a few moments to steady his slightly ragged breathing, then looked at Ortoren and rasped, "That packed a punch... I can't even remember the last time I blacked out that briefly..."
His voice was hoarse, and blood kept trickling from the corners of his mouth—his injuries were clearly serious.
But as he himself said, it was "powerful," not enough to rob him of his ability to fight.
Ortoren's mouth twitched slightly at the sight. So you can do sit-ups too, huh?
He was about to speak when both their expressions suddenly changed, and they bolted from their spots.
Ortoren vanished in a sleek flash of lightning, while Kaidou, far less graceful, scrambled on all fours before rolling away in haste.
The very next instant, a blazing column of fire crashed down from the sky, slamming into where they'd been standing.
The ground instantly melted into scorched magma and blackened stone, and in some spots, strange crystalline formations appeared—proof of just how violent that flame was.
"Tenman Daijizai Tenjin: Honō!!!"
That familiar voice rang in Ortoren's ears.
...
Hundreds of meters away, atop a pile of rubble, Ortoren brushed the dust from his justice cloak, picked up the war hammer he'd left behind, and slung it over his shoulder.
In another direction, also several hundred meters away, Kaidou retrieved his Hassaikai, gripping it tightly as he stared toward the heart of the flames.
There, a tall—but not bulky—slender figure flickered in and out of view within the firelight.
As she stepped out, the once raging, scorching flames seemed to recognize their sovereign. Like subjects bowing before their ruler, they parted, forming a blazing pathway.
A long, leather-booted leg emerged first, followed by the proud, imposing figure of Big Mom Charlotte Linlin.
Over a year had passed since he last saw her. Had she been taking special care of herself? In Ortoren's memory, his so-called mother should have started losing her looks and figure after forty—but now? She still looked formidable.
Could his presence have subtly influenced her? No... that didn't seem right.
Charlotte Linlin wore a white captain's hat wrapped with a pink-spotted, pale yellow scarf, vivid lip color, and a captain's coat draped over her shoulders much like a Marine cloak.
Her fists still carried traces of flame, but the embers died away as she emerged from the fire.
A confident smile curved her lips. After glancing at Kaidou and Ortoren, she burst into loud laughter.
"Mamamama! What's with the silence? Did I not greet you properly?"
Looking at his mother, Ortoren confirmed once again—compared to the Kaidou of this era, she was undeniably stronger. The gap was obvious, and you could feel it in her very presence.