The flash was blinding—like a stun grenade detonating, impossible to look at.
The next moment, the explosion rolled across the entire plaza.
The blast wave swallowed both Garp and Adrian.
Even Madara, locked in battle with Akainu and Kizaru, was pulled toward the source by that colossal detonation.
"Are they trying to destroy all of Loguetown?" Kizaru's face was grim. He'd expected heavy damage from making this a battlefield, and Madara's giant Susanoo had already torn the town up, but this… this was on another level. He'd been too optimistic.
After the smoke cleared, a towering mushroom cloud rose over the town's center. The original plaza was gone—replaced by a single, cavernous crater. Buildings around the square lay in heaps of rubble; how many homes had been lost in a single instant? The sight would make the townsfolk weep.
Every Den Den Mushi feed cut off. Under an attack of that magnitude, the live-link devices had been destroyed—survival odds for the machines were basically zero.
…
At Navy Headquarters, Sengoku swore aloud. "Damn it!" He barked orders to scramble a Den Den Mushi to the ships stationed at Loguetown. The broadcast had blacked out and he needed answers now.
He was panicked. He had never expected this gang of bandits to be so powerful—this wasn't ordinary Emperor-level strength. This was Emperor-tier at the top end.
He'd thought Garp had a solid chance to handle Adrian—especially with the personal motive of rescuing his kidnapped grandson. Garp would not slack off. Still, the situation had exceeded Sengoku's expectations. He'd sent three Admirals, each at the pinnacle of Admiral-strength and close to Emperor level. Facing Madara alone? That should have been manageable.
But then there was Adrian—someone whose strength had shattered expectations. Even Garp had been forced to dodge, to rely on outward Haki and movement rather than trading blows. It was shocking.
"If we don't take them down, the Navy will become the laughingstock of the seas," Sengoku murmured. The Den Den Mushi had been broadcasting to the whole world; millions had watched. If the Navy lost, many ambitious pirates would take it as an invitation—"The Navy is nothing." He prayed Garp could turn the tide.
…
Across the Grand Line, viewers reacted wildly when the feed went dark—some prayed for Garp, others quietly wished for the Navy's humiliation. Arguments broke out between supporters of both sides, even turning physical among the crowd watching in the Sabaody archipelago.
Rayleigh watched the blank screen in silence, nursing a bottle of liquor. He'd seen enough to worry—Adrian's abilities were strange and dangerous. A single touch had aged a limb by months; one of his subordinates had been restored instantly by a bean-like item. Old Garp's strength had declined with age, and Rayleigh feared that maybe—just maybe—this could be the day Garp fell.
Big Mom, watching the interrupted broadcast, merely laughed and suggested—half-joking—that the mysterious fighter might become her son Katakuri's husband. The comment left her children sweating.
Across the world—Beast Pirates, Red-Haired crew, Whitebeard's remnants, Alabasta, Dressrosa—eyes were glued to the fight. The blackout left imaginations running wild: Had the Navy lost? Had the bandits escaped with ransom? The stakes were global, and the uncertainty spread panic and speculation alike.
…
Back at Loguetown, Adrian stood on a rooftop, surveying the devastation he'd caused. He couldn't help but praise himself—the Thunder Spear packs a punch. When it clashed with Garp's blow, even after mutual dissipation the lingering destruction had exceeded his expectations. He was pleased.
He'd left the blast center fast. Even so, his Steel Skin—already Nation-Destroying level—would have protected him if he'd stood in the epicenter. It was only his clothes that suffered; he hadn't bothered to fully coat them in Armament Haki and they were torn and tatty.
"Adrian!!!" Garp roared and charged. Shockwaves rolled outward; his fists were wrapped in terrifying Haki.
"Your attacks don't affect me," Adrian said coolly, tossing a Time Sphere toward Garp.
The sphere enveloped Garp's assault. Time Acceleration!!! Inside, Garp's strike faded; it was consumed before it could do anything.
"Let's end this," Adrian said, then vanished.
He flashed dozens of Time Spheres outward in rapid succession, expending a huge portion of his mana. Garp was nearly trapped—only his instincts and the speed of his Rokushiki kept him from being sealed completely.
Garp used Soru to slither through the air, weaving between spheres to escape. He'd never seen such a trick before. His Haki had been eaten by those time fields as if they were nothing. He didn't know what the ability was, and he didn't want to be its test subject—so he dodged.
Still, Adrian only needed the smallest opening. In one instant, a Time Sphere expanded and snagged Garp's right calf.
Time Acceleration!!! Even a momentary surge was enough: the calf's time was sped up by months. With a crack, Garp's pant leg decayed into dust and the flesh beneath withered—his powerful lower leg became gaunt and skeletal, as if starved of nutrients for months.
"What did you do?" Garp demanded, eyes blazing.
"Nothing much—just let the time of that leg pass by a few months," Adrian said lightly.
Garp's pupils constricted. Time? If that was true… then his leg's wasted state made sense. If tissue's 'time' had been accelerated, muscles would degrade as if unused and starved. A normal person probably would have the limb crumble under a touch. For someone like Garp it wasn't fatal—his constitution was immense—but the damage still reduced his combat effectiveness dramatically.
"Garp, our fight ends here," Adrian said. "Keep going and you'll die. The Admirals could die too. That's not what you want."
Garp frowned. "You mean you don't plan to finish me while you can?"
From Adrian's perspective, killing them brought no advantage. Letting them live, however, was profitable.
"If I kill you, when I next kidnap your grandson, who will I ask for ransom?" Adrian smiled. "Killing the three Admirals only enrages the World Government; it serves me no purpose. So I'll spare your lives. Next time you kidnap someone I care about, prepare the ransom in advance—or I won't be so merciful."
Adrian turned away, leaving his words to hang in the ruined air.
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