"Good thing they took the fight out over the sea. With that level of destruction, the nearby village would've been wrecked," Marines on a warship murmured as they watched the two figures battling on the distant islet.
"Yeah—this far away and we can still feel it."
"They've been at it for, what, nearly ten days now? Too strong. Just… too strong," one seaman said, eyes full of awe.
"If we train hard, we can do it too."
"Save it. This kind of power is inborn. It's not something that hard work can make up for," his colleague said, shooting him down.
Booms rolled; the island shuddered, and rings rippled across the sea.
Facing him, Garp eyed the panting Leno with open admiration. "Well, brat? Have you decided? Join the Marines—an admiral's seat could be yours. You're still so young; Fleet Admiral one day isn't impossible."
"Old man, I said it from the start—I won't join the Marines. No one can force me!"
"You stubborn little brat! You won't shed a tear until you see your own coffin, will you?" Garp said, cursing angrily.
His aura shifted—zzzt—black-red arcs crackled over him. He strode forward; the lightning crawled with him, pebbles skittering as dust plumed. "In that case, I'll knock you out and haul you back!"
"Galaxy Impact!" Garp soared high, fist bursting with blinding gold as it crashed down.
'Oh great, you're trying to pound me into paste. If that lands, I'll be one giant bruise.'
Leno's blade flared crimson; scarlet lightning danced. He stamped forward, body coiling; arcs raged along the steel as he sprang and cut.
"Dragon's Might—Divine Sky Cleave!"
The air went dead still. Between fist and blade, compressed power swelled into a glowing sphere—larger, tighter—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The island split with yawning cracks; stones geysered; the sea heaved; waves raced outward. Scarlet arcs sprayed across the islet as a searing white light exploded from the clash and washed over everything.
On the distant warship, Marines shielded their eyes. When the glare faded and they blinked up—there was no island. The cloud deck above had been blown open into a vast hollow, and spears of sunlight stabbed straight down.
"Th-this…"
"The island… it's gone."
"Look—the clouds—no, the sky has a hole!" a sailor croaked.
"Vice Admiral Garp! He's in the water—move! Get him!" The crew whipped the ship toward him.
"Hn. Where's that brat? Dead? That shouldn't be…" Garp scanned the waves, muttering.
Then a voice drifted from above. "Goodbye, old man—till we meet again!"
He looked up. A steel vessel with strange wings streaked away. Leno stood on the rail, waving.
"A flying ship…? Damn brat—he got away! Hahahaha!"
"Sugee! A ship that flies!" Luffy hung over the railing, eyes full of stars.
"The ship… it's flying!" a Marine stammered.
"First time I've ever seen that!"
"Enough gawking! Get the Vice Admiral aboard!"
"Y-yes!" They scrambled and hauled Garp out.
A steel airship cruised quietly over a calm stretch of sea.
"Ah, I'm so exhausted," Leno said, lying on the deck. He yawned and stretched.
Two days had passed. The day he got back aboard, he'd stuffed himself, then slept for two straight days—nearly scaring the girls to death. Thankfully he'd only been asleep; he'd woken that morning.
"Nojiko, what are we eating? I'm starving!"
"Hold on, it's almost ready."
'Looks like I need to find a cook. Nojiko is already training so hard. I can't let her do it alone,' Leno muttered to himself.
Nami, reading nearby, rolled her eyes at him—then glanced up and waved down a News Coo.
"Idiot Leno, look! You're in the paper again—hey, we're in it too!" Nami yelped.
The headlines read:
[The Mysterious Golden Lion Slayer is Revealed!]
[The "Miracle Ship": A Flying Steel Vessel!]
[The Mysterious Young Man Who Fought Vice Admiral Garp for Ten Days and Ten Nights]
Leno, captain of an adventurers' crew, East Blue native, Grandmaster Swordsman, dragon-type Devil Fruit user, suspected Mythical Zoan.
His crew were pictured next: Kuina, Nami, and Nojiko.
The article stressed that Leno was the very youth who killed Golden Lion, with before-and-after photos attached.
Another photo showed him waving from the railing as the ship flew off—Garp in the sea below.
A sizable section marveled at the "Miracle Ship"—a steel vessel—and detailed that it was built by a shipwright company from the Water 7.
"Haha—nice pictures of you all," Leno laughed.
Kuina and Nojiko came over to look.
On a tranquil sea, a dog-headed Marine warship sailed home toward Headquarters. Aboard, Garp spoke with Fleet Admiral Sengoku over a Den Den Mushi.
"Garp, that kid really fought you to that extent?"
"Yeah. The brat's frighteningly strong. He's mastered all three Haki and he's a Grandmaster Swordsman. At least admiral level—He's not easy to deal with," Garp said, face sober.
"Then why did you fight him? Is he hostile to the Marines?"
"Cough… Not hostile, exactly. He just refused to join the Marines. I wanted to test him and, if possible, bring him back. I didn't expect…" Garp sounded a tad sheepish.
"Garp, you blockhead! You've gone and made the Marines an unnecessary enemy!"
"Don't worry, Sengoku. That kid isn't that petty. Besides, if he didn't join the Marines, isn't it all your fault?"
"You—what did you say?!"
"If you'd kept tighter reins and avoided breeding parasites, the brat might've joined. " Garp's tone turned righteous. He shot a glare at the shackled 16th Branch commander Nezumi and his men.
He then laid out Nezumi's crimes. The investigation results were sickening—Garp had nearly executed the scum on the spot.