The entire world seemed to have been muted.
The pure white shockwave swept across the sky, cleansing the Marineford sky until it was spotless, as clean as a sapphire, without a single cloud.
But no one appreciated this eerie beauty.
Everyone's necks were stiffly craned upwards, mouths agape, eyes bloodshot from congestion, staring intently at the 'cleared' sky.
What just happened?
Two Garps?
Launched two identical 'Fist Meteorites'?
And then... they clashed?
Fighting themselves?
What in the hell kind of magical realism plot is this?!
"Fufufufu..."
"Fufufufufufufufufu!"
A highly neurotic, pathological cackle tore through the frozen air.
In the ranks of the Shichibukai, Donquixote Doflamingo bent ninety degrees, covering his face with his hands, his shoulders violently twitching, laughing so hard he was shaking all over, tears almost streaming from his eyes!
"Interesting! Too interesting!!"
He suddenly straightened up, spreading his arms, his pink feathered coat wildly fluttering behind him, his expression one of unprecedented excitement and madness!
"marine hero vs. marine hero! Justice judging justice! Fufufufu! This is the ultimate performance!"
"This is the new era! An era where there can even be two 'Garps'! An era that's completely gone to chaos!"
Beside him.
The World's Strongest Swordsman, "Hawkeye" Dracule Mihawk, his eagle-sharp eyes, showed a flicker of emotion for the first time.
His hand, resting on the hilt of the world's strongest black blade, 'Yoru', had knuckles slightly whitened from the force.
He could clearly perceive it.
Those two forces just now had no frills.
They were pure, condensed to the extreme, 'destruction' capable of annihilating everything!
"Two... both genuine..." Hawkeye murmured, his voice laced with a shock he hadn't even realized.
"What... what on earth is happening to this world?"
"This concubine... this concubine doesn't care about any of that!" Empress Boa Hancock's face was pale, but soon, her gaze swept past the chaotic battlefield and locked firmly onto the execution platform.
Luffy!
Luffy's grandpa!
One grandpa is helping him, the other is stopping him?
What in the world is going on?!
"Ah ah ah! Luffy! You absolutely must be alright!"
On the other side, at the seats of the Marine Three Admirals.
The atmosphere was so heavy it could almost drip.
"Sakazuki... you..."
Kizaru Borsalino, for the first time, dropped his annoying expression; he turned his head, looking at Akainu beside him.
Akainu Sakazuki was like a volcano about to erupt.
His Justice coat billowed without wind, magma 'gurgled' and bubbled on his arms, and the terrifying high temperature distorted the surrounding air.
His teeth gnashed.
"Unforgivable..."
Akainu's voice, as if squeezed from hell, was filled with extreme coldness and killing intent.
"No matter which Garp!"
"Betraying Justice and siding with pirates is a disgrace to the Marine!"
"And those who stand by and watch such disgrace happen, or even intervene to stop it... are equally unforgivable!"
"They... have all defiled the name of 'Justice'!"
"Oh dear..." Aokiji Kuzan rubbed his forehead, letting out a long sigh, his lazy tone filled with a sense of powerlessness.
"I never thought I'd face Mr. Garp's move as an opponent one day."
On the Moby Dick.
After a brief moment of dead silence.
"Gurarararararararara!"
The World's Strongest Man, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, erupted in the most unrestrained, most heroic, and most unbridled laughter since his appearance!
His laughter turned into a tangible shockwave, shaking the pirates on deck, making them stumble, but everyone's face was filled with fervent admiration!
"Did you see that! My sons!"
Whitebeard raised Murakumogiri high in his hand, the blade pointing directly at Marineford, his booming voice overpowering all the noise on the battlefield!
"That is Garp! That is the man who fought with this old man his entire life!"
"For his family, he can stand against the world!"
"We! Are the same!"
He suddenly turned around, his eagle-like eyes sweeping over every son on the ship, his gaze filled with an unprecedented intensity of appreciation and approval!
"Even the marine hero is on our side!"
"Even Justice itself is clearing the way for us!"
"What reason do we have to lose?!"
"Tell this old man! What are we here for?!"
"Ooooooohhhhhh!!!"
All members of the Whitebeard Pirates had their blood thoroughly ignited!
All confusion, all shock, at this moment, transformed into soaring fighting spirit!
"Save Ace!"
"Crush the Marine!!!"
"Charge!!!"
The sky had been cleared into a zone of absolute vacuum.
Two identical, yet diametrically opposed iron fists, still pressed firmly against each other.
Violent power, through their point of contact, frantically poured into each other's bodies!
Centered on them, the surrounding air crackled, electric arcs danced, and ripples of distorted space spread out in circles.
A standoff!
An absolute standoff!
Two Garps, two 'Iron Fists', above Marineford, tens of thousands of meters in the sky, were locked in the most primal, most pure contest of strength!
On the execution platform.
Sengoku stared blankly at the sky, his brain, which represented wisdom and strategy, had completely turned to mush.
"Garp... fighting... Garp?"
"Who can tell me why there are two of these things?!"
He muttered to himself.
The 'Marine Garp' who had rushed up from the execution platform had a livid face, veins bulging on his forehead, and his muscled arms trembled violently from overexertion.
His eyes held a volcanic rage and incomprehension!
"You bastard..."
He gritted his teeth, each word squeezed through them, his voice hoarse with extreme anger.
"Who exactly are you?!"
His answer was an extremely wild, characteristic, demonic laugh.
"BWAHAHAHAHA!"
The Garp who had shot up from the Moby Dick actually had enough energy to laugh wildly during their power struggle!
He looked much younger than the Marine Garp!
And... much crazier!
"Who is this old man?"
He bared his teeth, revealing a mouthful of stark white teeth, the playful look in his eyes making Marine Garp's anger burn even hotter.
"I am you!"
"You!" Marine Garp roared, trying to push his fist forward another inch!
But the opponent's power was like an abyss, bottomless!
No matter how he exerted his strength, the opponent remained completely still, even with an air of effortless ease!