Chapter 23: Acknowledgment and the Next Trial
"If he can handle this warship and perform the same way you did," Garp boomed, a wide grin spreading across his face, "shouldn't we let him go out to sea without a worry?" He had no objection to Ian's ambitious choice. A high-difficulty start was the best way to temper a newcomer's will.
In front of the colossal warship, Ian rolled his shoulders and took a deep, centering breath. His eyes sharpened, focusing with the intensity of a hawk sighting its prey on a single section of the armored hull. He drew his fist back and then shot it forward in a sudden, explosive punch!
BOOM!!
A deafening roar, far louder than Kuzan's, erupted through the shipyard, forcing the onlookers to hold their breath. The gravel on the ground vibrated incessantly. The sound of compressed air being torn apart filled the entire aisle, lingering in the air long after the initial impact.
Tsk. A high-spec warship really is different, Ian thought, critiquing his own work. It only left such a small mark?
Dissatisfied, he unleashed a relentless barrage, holding nothing back.
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
...
Kuzan stared down at the ground in sheer astonishment. With every one of Ian's rhythmic punches, the earth trembled. A cloud of dust billowed up from around the warship, obscuring Ian's figure within it. A single drop of cold sweat traced a path down Kuzan's temple and fell to the shaking ground.
Garp clenched his fists, his breathing growing rapid. A fierce, excited light gleamed in his eyes, his gaze locked onto the young man's form flickering within the dust storm. The roar of metal against fist was like a heavy hammer, pounding open the door to a new generation. This sound... it was the most earth-shattering declaration of arrival Garp had ever heard!
…
A minute later, the noise ceased and the dust began to settle. Garp and Kuzan moved at the same instant, appearing at Ian's side in a flash.
Ian was shaking his hands, wincing slightly. "Hiss! I hit it a bit too hard. My hand hurts! Not being allowed to use Haki is definitely a challenge!"
It was only natural for it to hurt. The laws of physics were immutable. Anyone who claimed otherwise was simply posturing.
But Garp and Kuzan paid no attention to his complaints. Their burning gazes were fixed on the warship he had assaulted. There, at the base of the massive hull, was a clear, fresh gap in the dirt where the ship had been shoved backward by the force of the impacts. It was only a few centimeters, but it was undeniable proof. The warship had moved. The armor plating where Ian had focused his attack was visibly dented and deformed.
Kuzan couldn't help but remember how long it had taken him to leave similar marks on his own warship. Three years? Five? It had taken Ian a single day... no! A single minute!
"Has... has this ship been in disrepair for too long? Is the metal just brittle?" Kuzan muttered, unable to fully accept the reality before him. Driven by a compulsive need to verify, he stepped back and threw a powerful punch of his own at the hull.
BOOM!
The sound was identical to his previous demonstrations. If anything, it felt slightly less impactful.
Kuzan: "…"
Garp: "HAHAHA! Kuzan, you just can't admit defeat, can you?!"
Who could possibly accept this? This kid was only eighteen!
"Admiral Kuzan," Ian seized the moment, his tone polite but his eyes challenging, "I wonder if I am now qualified to go to sea?"
Kuzan cracked his knuckles, his expression still stubbornly severe. "Not... enough. Ian, do you dare to have a direct confrontation with me? I still have my doubts about your raw power!"
The Ice Man's pride was harder than the warship's armor. Even with the evidence literally staring him in the face, he refused to yield.
…
Two minutes later.
THUMP!
THUMP!
SLAM!
...
In a clear space nearby, Ian pinned Kuzan's arm to the makeshift table for the fifth consecutive time in an arm-wrestling match.
Finally, Kuzan was forced to concede. The most direct confrontation between men had ended in a clean, total defeat. This kid's physical strength was genuinely monstrous.
Brushing the dust from his coat with forced nonchalance, Kuzan stood. "Ah... I just remembered I have some urgent paperwork to attend to. You two continue... I'll take my leave."
He took two steps, paused, then walked backward until he was in front of Ian again. "Ian. If you run into any trouble here at Headquarters, or out there... if you can't find Mr. Garp... you can contact me." He rattled off a string of numbers. "My Den Den Mushi number is..."
Ian glanced over at Nami, who gave a firm, understanding nod. He was too lazy to memorize the complicated number himself. Having Nami around was far more convenient.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Kuzan," Ian said, a genuine smile finally breaking through. "I'll be sure to contact you if anything comes up. Take care, Big Brother. Let's spar again soon!"
He bid a cheerful farewell to Kuzan, his enhanced hearing just catching the Admiral's final, mosquito-like mumble of disbelief. Today had been another fruitful day. Thanks to his performance, he had gained another powerful ally high up in the command structure.
"It's really something, that Kuzan offering to look out for you," Garp mused, a note of respect in his voice. "Boy, it seems you've conquered another incredible guy with your performance!" His expression then shifted back to that of a relentless drill instructor. "Then... our training continues!"
Ian: "???"
More? Hadn't the warship sandbags been sufficiently pummeled? Wasn't that enough?
Looking at Garp's deeply meaningful, almost predatory smile, a sense of profound unease settled in Ian's stomach.
"Hey, brat," Garp chuckled, "I was worried you might be a bit too special, so I made some... extra preparations."
End of Chapter