Far from the warship carrying Raleigh and Kuzan, Garp once again caught up with the Roger Pirates.
Boom!
Garp's furious iron fist struck with even greater force than before, while Roger's condition had worsened.
The long-accumulated power of the iron fist slammed heavily into Roger's famed blade.
Before Roger could dissipate the force, another surge of immense power rushed toward him.
Garp's second burst of iron fist left Roger with no time to block.
With only a startled cry, Roger crashed headfirst into the Oro Jackson like a meteor streaking across the sky.
Thud!
The deck of the Oro Jackson was pierced through by Roger's body as if it were mere paper, causing the entire ship to shake violently.
A massive crater now marred the deck, with shattered wooden planks scattered everywhere.
"Roger, today I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
Garp descended from the sky, charging toward the gaping hole, and threw a punch.
Clang!
Just as Garp's figure vanished into the smoke, a long blade wreathed in black and red lightning emerged from beneath the deck.
The collision between the blade and the iron fist sent sparks flying in all directions.
"Garp, so what if I slashed at your disciples a couple of times? They're perfectly fine."
Blood trickled from the corner of Roger's mouth.
Ignoring it, he hurriedly used his famed blade to block Garp's assault.
If he didn't emerge soon, the Oro Jackson might be dismantled by that bastard Garp.
As a pirate, without a ship, how could one even speak of setting sail or pursuing dreams?
"You have the nerve to say that? I'm here to collect some interest on their behalf!"
Garp's fist connected with the side of Roger's face.
Thump!
Blood stained Garp's knuckles, and Roger's lip visibly swelled.
Just as Garp prepared to deliver another blow, a slender famed blade appeared between him and Roger, thrusting toward Garp.
"I can't let you keep hitting Roger, Garp."
Silvers Rayleigh's figure materialized before Garp, stepping in to block his iron fist in Roger's stead.
Meanwhile, the severely injured Roger was carried away from the deck by Scopper Gaban.
"Roger won't escape. Today is the day we settle our grudges!"
Garp roared, his body charging forward once more, displaying an unstoppable force with absolute clarity.
"That's enough, Garp."
Silvers Rayleigh's form vanished from his original position in an instant, closing in on Garp at a speed almost invisible to the eye.
His silver-white famed blade slashed diagonally toward Garp's waist.
Clang!
Garp reached out and intercepted Rayleigh's attack, his iron hand coated in Armament Haki firmly gripping Rayleigh's famed blade, preventing any movement.
"Don't get in my way, Rayleigh!"
Rayleigh and Garp were locked in a strenuous struggle, both roaring simultaneously.
"Bullet, come help now!"
Before Garp could react, an immensely powerful figure leaped out from the ship's cabin.
"I'm coming, Rayleigh."
Massive muscles, carrying a savage momentum, with an aura like a devil from hell.
Douglas Bullet!
Bullet charged toward Garp the moment he emerged from the cabin, his body wreathed in both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki.
Garp, who had just been restraining Rayleigh, now found himself restrained by Rayleigh instead.
Boom!
Bullet's impact, enough to shatter city walls, slammed into Garp who had braced for defense.
This force was not something easily withstood.
To avoid being caught in a pincer attack, Garp didn't put up stiff resistance.
Instead, he rode Bullet's momentum and was sent flying, crashing through the Roger Pirates' ship railing before plunging headfirst into the sea.
"Full power to the propulsion system, retreat now!"
Seeing Garp fall into the sea, Silvers Rayleigh gasped for breath as he shouted.
Now was the time to leave these troubled waters as quickly as possible.
Because the Marines' combat capability never relied on just one or two warships—signals had likely already been sent by now.
The longer they delayed, the greater the possibility of Marine reinforcements.
Pirates and the Marines were never equals in strength.
Pirates could only rely on their small targets to find weaknesses in the Marines for plunder.
But once caught by the Marines, they could only face devastating strikes.
With Roger not on deck, Silvers Rayleigh became the acting commander. His orders were immediately followed by the other pirates.
"Full power to the propulsion system!"
The Roger Pirates' ship extended several black pipes toward the sea surface.
After dissipating the force, Garp emerged from the sea and looked toward the Roger Pirates' direction.
Seeing the several pipes at the stern of the Oro Jackson, Garp deeply regretted not following Raleigh's planned approach to capture Roger from the beginning.
Now that the Oro Jackson was prepared to escape, there was no chance of catching Roger and his crew.
Whoosh!
White streams of air shot out from the pipes at the stern, providing reverse thrust that increased the already swift Oro Jackson's speed by half again.
With this astonishing propulsion, the Roger Pirates moved at incredible speed, rapidly distancing themselves from the Marines' sight.
Before long, the Roger Pirates completely disappeared from view.
The Marine soldiers on the warship looked at each other in silence.
"What is that? How can it move so fast?"
"This is unbelievable. This was our closest chance to capture them."
They stared blankly as the Roger Pirates' ship left the area at a speed defying reason, only snapping out of their daze after it had shrunk to a small black dot and vanished.
Garp swam back from the sea, wringing water from his clothes as he surveyed the battered warship.
He now wanted to return to Headquarters and ask Kong for a faster ship.
At the very least, one that could match the speed the Roger Pirates had just demonstrated.
Thinking about the battle's outcome made Garp grind his teeth in frustration.
"Damn Roger, we were so close."
Even before the God Valley incident, Garp had already developed a strong interest in Roger.
After that, he basically stopped taking on other missions, spending all his time searching the world for Roger's trail—from the East Blue to the Grand Line, and from the Grand Line to the New World.
To be honest, Garp had several opportunities to capture Roger, but for various reasons, Roger and his crew always managed to escape.
The most crucial factor was the sheer strength of the Roger Pirates.
It wasn't just Roger who was a top-tier powerhouse; they also had monsters like Rayleigh, Gaban, and the super rookie Douglas Bullet.
Especially Silvers Rayleigh—it wasn't just his strength that made him formidable.
His intellect and calm analysis left even Sengoku with few solutions.
Even in seemingly hopeless situations, Rayleigh could find the one flaw to escape safely.
Compared to the hot-headed Roger, his Vice-Captain, the "Dark King" Rayleigh, was sometimes even more troublesome to deal with.
"Forget it, there will be chances later. Let's check on Raleigh and Kuzan first."
Garp rubbed his head, sighed, and didn't say anything more.
Under Garp's orders, the three warships regrouped.
Garp entered the infirmary, which smelled strongly of disinfectant, to visit Raleigh and Kuzan, who were lying in bed.
Seeing Raleigh wrapped in bandages without a trace of blood and with a ruddy complexion, Garp felt a few veins pop on his forehead.
"Raleigh, you look perfectly fine. Why are you still lying in a sickbed?"
The previously energetic Raleigh instantly became listless upon hearing this.
"Vice Admiral Garp, I'm seriously injured. I've exhausted too much energy, and the doctor told me to rest more."
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator