The Navy Hero, Monkey D. Garp, stood motionless.
His fists clenched, then relaxed. Then clenched again.
Who should he help?
What should he do?
This dilemma pressed down on the legendary Marine like an immovable mountain, making it hard for him to breathe. For the first time, a look called "confusion" appeared on his weathered face.
Just as Garp fell into the painful abyss of internal conflict, a figure silently hovered in front of him.
The voice of that figure carried a mocking, irreverent tone.
"Mr. Garp, tough choice, isn't it?"
Garp snapped his head up. His bloodshot eyes locked onto the figure.
It was Lucian Thorn!
"You..."
He only got one word out before swallowing it back down.
He wanted to retort—more than that, he wanted to punch that annoying grin off Lucian's face.
But!
What could he say?
Could he deny it?
He couldn't.
Because Lucian was right.
Seeing Garp's stifled and tormented expression, the smile on Lucian's lips deepened.
"How about this?"
"I give you a hand. We put on a show—what do you say?"
Garp's brow furrowed. His troubled eyes were full of suspicion.
"You little brat, what do you mean by that?"
Lucian didn't answer directly. He simply raised his finger and pointed toward a heap of massive rubble in the distance.
"Why not follow your good colleagues' lead?"
"Your fine student—Admiral Aokiji. And that shiny guy, Admiral Kizaru."
"Look at those two 'actors'—don't they play unconscious beautifully?"
Following the direction of Lucian's finger, Garp's gaze cut through the chaos of the battlefield and locked onto two specific spots among the ruins.
There, buried partially in the debris, were two human figures.
One in a yellow-striped suit. The other in a formal blue outfit.
Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Aokiji.
The two of them lay there, "unconscious," unmoved by the deafening explosions around them or the countless Marines and pirates running past. They didn't even flinch.
Aokiji was half-buried in ice, Kizaru covered in rubble—both twisted into awkward poses, completely still, as if they'd truly lost the ability to fight.
But with Garp's sharp eyes, how could he not notice their calm, steady breathing?
Those two bastards were faking it!
Those old actors!
The thought hit Garp like lightning. His heart wavered.
Acting, huh?
Maybe... that really was the only way out.
It wouldn't mean betraying justice.
It wouldn't mean raising a hand against his own grandson.
As soon as the thought took shape, Garp's heart clearly stirred.
But...
"But I..."
"No buts."
Lucian's voice suddenly turned cold, cutting off Garp's hesitation.
"Get ready."
"What?!"
Before the words even finished echoing, a terrifying gust surged toward him!
Garp barely had time to react before his vision blurred.
A seemingly ordinary fist expanded rapidly in his pupils!
Caught completely off guard, Garp couldn't even put up a token defense before Lucian's fist—breaking the sound barrier and carrying overwhelming force—slammed straight into his face!
BOOM!!!
A low, heavy explosion thundered out!
Under the stunned gazes of everyone on the battlefield—
Lucian's fist landed squarely on the face of the Navy Hero, Monkey D. Garp!
The power of that punch had been calculated perfectly.
It delivered a devastating visual impact—as if Garp had been utterly defeated—but didn't actually cause any fatal injuries.
A moment later—
Under the shocked, horrified, and disbelieving stares of countless Marines—
The Navy Hero, the man who had stood atop the Marine ranks for decades—"Iron Fist" Garp—was sent flying as if struck head-on by a speeding train!
BOOM——!!!
His body flew dozens of meters through the air before crashing violently into a pile of ruins at the edge of the plaza.
A massive crater over ten meters wide suddenly appeared!
Dust and debris exploded into the sky!
Monkey D. Garp, the Navy Hero, made a grand exit from the stage!
Watching the masterpiece he had just directed, Lucian wore a sly, triumphant smile.
And just then, the voice of the System rang out in his mind right on cue.
Ding!
Detected deep interaction between Host and key figure [Monkey D. Garp], successfully influencing emotional fluctuations!
Character template bound: Monkey D. Garp!
Current analysis progress: 10%
A sharp gleam flashed in Lucian's eyes. His awareness dove into the system space.
There it was—the newly acquired Garp Template on the system panel!
"Garp's template, huh? Now this is going to be fun..."
Once the analysis reaches 100%, not only could he gain half of Garp's peak strength...
He might even travel to—
"God Valley... Hachinosu..."
"Now that would be interesting."
His thoughts drifted far, already envisioning more time-traveling adventures in the future.
But for now, he pushed those thoughts aside and refocused on the battlefield in front of him. These problems had to be dealt with first.
Just moments after Garp was sent flying, dozens of piercing sonic booms suddenly echoed from the sky above Marineford!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The heavens exploded with thunderous roars!
It was as if the sky above Marineford had been torn open!
Dozens of warships, unified in design and emanating an icy aura, broke through the clouds.
Standing atop the lead ship's deck was a group of figures dressed in white suits, wearing masks, and radiating a ghostly presence.
CP0—the World Government's most powerful intelligence agency!
And behind them, on an even larger flagship, stood a towering man built like he was cast from steel.
He had white hair and a beard, wore a Marine uniform, but draped over his shoulders was a white coat bearing the insignia of the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's Armed Forces!
Former Fleet Admiral.
Now the Supreme Commander of the World Government's military.
"Steel Bone" Kong![1]
Two forces representing the peak of the World Government's might had arrived—and wasted no time!
"Target confirmed!"
Steel Bone Kong's voice boomed like a thunderclap across all of Marineford!
"Straw Hat—Monkey D. Luffy!"
"Eliminate him!!"
At his command—
The CP0 agents didn't hesitate for even a moment. The instant they landed, they transformed into streaks of white lightning, swarming the battlefield to join the siege against the two Luffys!
Fearless and ruthless, they threw themselves into the fight!
The pressure on the battlefield exploded!
"Gurararara!"
Elsewhere, as the two Whitebeards continued their fierce battle against Saint Saturn, they noticed the arrival of Steel Bone Kong.
Rather than feeling overwhelmed, they erupted with even fiercer fighting spirit!
"So even that old geezer Steel Bone Kong showed up?!"
"Gurararara!"
"This is getting more and more fun!"
In the hands of Peak Whitebeard, Murakumo Giri erupted in a pale, violent shockwave!
With a single swing, he shattered the space in front of him into countless fragments once more!
The war had entered its most frenzied stage!