Sengoku and Tsuru hadn't expected this.
They had come to fish—
And ended up hooking three sharks.
Things had spiraled far beyond expectations.
Sengoku's face was tense as he spoke:
"Black Devil. Whitebeard. Charlotte Linlin. The three top cadres of the Rocks Pirates. Their combined bounties are nearly five billion Berries."
"Five billion?!"
Hearing that number, Garp didn't feel the slightest sense of crisis.
Instead—
He grew even more excited.
He slammed his fists together confidently.
"Even if I don't get to fight Rocks D. Xebec, capturing these three isn't bad either!"
Chu Qiye couldn't help but chuckle.
"Edward, looks like we're being seriously underestimated."
"Gurararara…"
Whitebeard laughed as well.
Smack!
Tsuru smacked Garp on the head.
"Garp! Are you an idiot?! These are monsters capable of conquering entire nations on their own!"
She and Sengoku had been trying to drill caution into him—
Apparently for nothing.
Still, the sharks were already hooked.
There was no choice but to brace themselves and fight.
"Open fire!" Sengoku ordered.
The battle erupted instantly.
"Fodder shouldn't get in the way…"
Before Chu Qiye even finished speaking—
A massive wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
Every Marine except Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru collapsed unconscious.
"…!"
After witnessing that burst of Conqueror's Haki, Garp's expression finally turned serious.
The strength of one's Conqueror's Haki reflected the strength of the user.
And Chu Qiye's—
Was overwhelming.
Now the field was clean.
Three versus three.
Chu Qiye glanced at the trio of Marines and thought briefly.
"These three aren't ordinary. Dragging this out will waste time."
"Charlotte Linlin, you go reinforce the others first. Whitebeard and I will deal with them, then follow."
"Okay~ Linlin understands."
She mounted her thundercloud Zeus and prepared to leave.
"Don't run!"
Seeing her about to escape, Garp instinctively grabbed a cannonball to throw.
"I advise you not to stop her."
Chu Qiye's calm voice echoed beside him.
Garp paused.
"With her here, three versus three—you'd die for sure. Letting her go is better for everyone."
Garp frowned, about to retort—
Tsuru shot him a look.
Let her go.
Sengoku whispered,
"If Linlin stays, we can't hold them. Then Vice Admiral Kong will have to face three pirates worth over a billion each."
"But if we hold back two of them here… that's the best support we can give."
Veins bulged on Garp's forehead.
"Fine! Then let's have a proper fight!"
He hurled the cannonball with full force.
"Fist Bone Meteor!"
Chu Qiye raised a hand casually—
And caught it just before it smashed into his face.
Even so, the force pushed him back half a step.
Whitebeard frowned slightly.
"Qiye… that strength doesn't belong to a mere Marine colonel."
Chu Qiye grinned.
"I told you. These three aren't simple. Better take this seriously."
Whitebeard was surprised by Garp's power.
Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru were equally stunned.
Garp knew exactly how much force was behind that throw.
For Chu Qiye to catch it so easily—
His physical strength was no weaker than Garp's.
Chu Qiye stared at Garp.
"Edward, I'll take him. You handle the other two. And don't let that female Marine touch you—her ability's troublesome."
"Got it."
While speaking, Chu Qiye discreetly placed two life-saving talismans on Whitebeard.
Just in case.
He didn't bother with Golden Armor or Speed talismans for Whitebeard—they drained stamina continuously, and Whitebeard didn't need them.
"Come on then," Chu Qiye said calmly.
"Use everything you've got to stop us."
"Don't worry!" Sengoku declared. "We will!"
He tore off his coat.
His Devil Fruit activated.
His body turned golden—
Expanding, swelling—
Until he resembled a towering Buddha.
Sengoku might be known as a strategist—
But his strength was monstrous.
Mythical Zoan: Human-Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu.
"A Mythical Zoan?"
Whitebeard lifted Murakumogiri, lips curling upward.
"Interesting!"
Strictly speaking, that battlefield now belonged to Whitebeard and Sengoku.
Tsuru's best option was… to stay out of the way.
"They've started," Chu Qiye said lightly.
"Let's begin too."
He reached for Raikiri—
Then stopped.
Rare to meet a pure physical powerhouse like Garp.
Better to settle this with fists.
"Golden Armor Talisman—Third Layer. Speed Talisman—Fourth Layer."
Against Garp, defensive and acceleration buffs were essential.
Entering Rune War God Mode, Chu Qiye stomped forward—
And turned into a high-speed cannonball.
He slammed into Garp, sending both of them crashing into the forest.
Trees snapped like matchsticks.
A deep trench carved through the earth.
They vanished into the dark woods.
"Garp!"
Sengoku and Tsuru shouted simultaneously.
"Don't get distracted!"
Whitebeard had already leapt into the air.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit coated his blade as he swung down viciously at Sengoku.
Sengoku responded with a palm strike—
A golden shockwave blasted outward.
Shockwave met quake force.
The resulting explosion flattened everything in a wide radius.
Tsuru crouched behind a boulder, unable to even open her eyes under the violent wind pressure.
She had originally planned to get close and use her Wash-Wash Fruit ability on Whitebeard.
Now—
Her greatest contribution was simply not getting in Sengoku's way.
Elsewhere in the forest—
Garp climbed to his feet from the crater, spat out a mouthful of blood—
And grinned.
That grin.
The one he only wore when facing a true opponent.
"Again!" Garp roared.
Chu Qiye smiled.
"As you wish."
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