Akainu, having restored his body, stood tensely off to the side. He realized that this guy, known to everyone as Burgess, was actually someone else—someone far more terrifying.
Sengoku noticed a shiver of dread run through Garp. He hadn't seen Garp like this in years, probably not since Roger's death until now…
Although Garp still served in The Watch, he never showed much enthusiasm. Unlike Kizaru, he almost never went out to sea to hunt pirates.
Sengoku had seen his old friend countless times, sitting alone in the massive headquarters building of The Watch in Marineford, gazing out at the sea by moonlight, his figure looking deeply despondent.
From that day on, there hadn't been a single pirate he wanted to go after.
Now, Garp couldn't tell if that man had truly come back to life.
Sengoku saw how much Burgess's behavior resembled Roger's. The sight stirred Garp's anger to the limit:
"You ancient monster!"
Feeling the terrifying power radiating from Ryuma, Kizaru, who was fighting him, couldn't shake the slight tingling at the back of his neck.
He had no idea that this was Ryuma disguised as Doc Q.
Ryuma looked at Kizaru silently and indifferently. The strikes from the demonic sword Raiu didn't cease, but he wasn't using his most powerful attack—the one that could slay a dragon—because today his goal wasn't to attack, but to protect the Emperor of Alabasta. No one was to enter the building.
Boom!
Garp leaped up and dashed straight toward the shore. He landed, sending clouds of dust and sand billowing into the air.
"Ahem!" Enel, already wounded from the fight, couldn't stop himself from coughing. When the dust settled, he saw that the newcomer was the old Vice Admiral of the Marine Patrol. Enel looked down at Garp with disdain.
Sengoku himself had once told him that in terms of strength, Enel was almost an Admiral thanks to his Devil Fruit ability. But after being beaten up by Burgess—no, Roger—Enel could no longer contain his fury and shouted furiously at the old Vice Admiral:
"Do you have a death wish?!"
Before his words even faded, a massive, pitch-black hand landed firmly on his shoulder. The crushing weight forced Enel instantly to his knees before Garp. Logia intangibility was useless now. Spiderweb cracks spread across the ground beneath them.
Boom!
A wave of excruciating pain!
When Enel looked up again, panic flashed in his eyes and blue veins bulged on his forehead.
Garp's broad back seemed to block out the sky. What a terrifying presence, what a spirit and a savage, almost demonic aura. Enel felt his breath catch—wasn't this guy supposed to be just a Vice Admiral?
"Kid, you want to show off your strength to an old man? You're still too green and naïve!"
Garp clenched his fist and casually flung Enel a dozen meters away, nearly tossing him straight into the sea.
Roger watched Garp, flashing his wide, white grin. He sized up his old rival from head to toe and then hefted his sword high.
Wham! — Roger struck the first blow.
Recognizing the familiar attack, Garp struck back, blocking the blow at the same time.
Boom!
Only God knows how Roger managed to pull off such a move with that massive body. One of the major drawbacks of the Copy-Copy Fruit is that after transformation, users can't perform tricks that rely on their own unique physical traits. In other words, they're weakened, and many moves no longer work for them.
Luckily, Roger still managed to block the counterattack.
"Wa-ha-ha-ha!!!" Roger laughed.
"You're strong. Not bad," Garp said, his eyes a bit startled—this guy really did resemble Roger. "Kid, with strength like that, why would you serve Blackbeard?"
His power, his attitude, the tone of his voice, even that big, confident idiot's grin—they were all too close to the Pirate King's.
What was going on here?
Roger carefully pondered why Burgess would have chosen to follow Blackbeard. He couldn't come up with a good reason, so his answer was to swing again.
Boom!
Sengoku never took his eyes off the battlefield; he felt a weight lift from his chest—the Watch wouldn't lose this fight!
It had been over forty years since the era of Rocks This man had won countless victories to reach his level. There was no doubt that if there was anything as ominous in these seas as the King of the One Piece, then Garp was the force to match him.
But what really amazed him was that an ordinary pirate named Burgess could actually hold his own against Garp.
Could it be that Garp was weaker?
Of course not. Judging by how he had thrown Enel aside, it was obvious that he was still quite strong.
But the Blackbeard Pirates really were dangerous!
With this thought, Sengoku took a deep breath and shouted loudly:
"Watchmen, head to the island base and do everything you can to save Vegapunk!"
Sengoku and Tsuru quickly left the ship themselves, heading straight for the island with a large group of soldiers, joining Akainu.
Kizaru's lips twitched as he watched them leaving:
"Hey, you can't just leave me here! That monster is strong and terrifying."
"Sengoku, aren't you treating me like a proper soldier? Answer me! Are you just ignoring me?!"
"Hey, Shichibukai! Stop just lounging around over there—get in here and fight!" Kizaru called out to Enel.
"You can't order me around. According to the agreement, I have no reason to get involved any further," Enel replied seriously.
The god was furious!!!
"This guy just nearly beat me to death, and you still expect me to jump in and help? Forget it!"
Enel's eyes blazed with anger as he stood with his arms crossed, looking down on everyone with a haughty air.
"I want to see just how much you, the Marine Patrol, can accomplish without my help."
Just then, Garp's voice shouted from the side:
"Hey, kid! This is a battlefield, not a resort!"
Enel flinched and unconsciously straightened up, his expression turning stern—now he looked just like a Marine Patrol soldier.
Enel rejoined Kizaru in the fight against Ryuma and Doc Q