Garp's punch, unleashed above the sea, lived up to its name. It struck like a meteor.
Even from a great distance, the force of his punch crushed the sea ahead, creating a massive depression in the water.
As the black and crimson Conqueror's Haki surged through the water, all the fish and shrimp in the surrounding area turned belly-up, their bodies flashing white.
"E-e-e-e-e-eh!?"
The Marines aboard Garp's battleship stared in astonishment at the spectacle.
Despite being Marines on Garp's battleship, many of them had never witnessed his true power firsthand. After all, given his age and seniority, Garp usually left even minor pirate encounters to Bogard.
On the rare occasions when the old man wanted to stretch his legs, casually tossing a cannon shell or two usually sufficed to resolve the situation.
This was truly the first time they had seen Garp throw such a serious punch.
'Could this even be called a punch?' The "meteor" felt like it could collapse a small mountain with a single bang.
But at this moment...
"Vice Admiral Garp's Serious Punch."
Having already sheathed his sword, Bogard crossed his arms and fixed his gaze on the distant horizon where the meteor had vanished.
He knew this punch was far from Garp's full power.
Yet, it was still a serious punch: a blow infused with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, delivered with the "Iron Fist" technique.
Few so-called "great pirates" with their vaunted reputations across the entire sea could hope to withstand this one strike.
"It's over," he thought, preparing to order the Marines to retrieve the target.
"We've finally stumbled upon a member of the Twelve Zodiac by sheer luck. We absolutely must bring him back to Headquarters."
But just as Bogard made his decision,
"Hmm?"
His pupils suddenly contracted.
For he saw that, on the distant sea, the ceremonial vessel beneath Inoshi's feet swayed violently like a leaf in a gale. It rocked and tilted with the surging waves.
Yet his figure remained ramrod straight.
He stretched out his hands toward the colossal, meteor-like attack and then...
"Devour and assimilate! Gateway to All Things!"
The powers of the Mark Devil Fruit and the Munch Munch Fruit activated simultaneously.
Buzz!
The overwhelming Haki-imbued attack was instantly devoured by the Mark-Devil Fruit's power and transferred to Inoshi's mouth.
The Munch-Munch Fruit then digested the immense force completely, converting it into part of Inoshi's body.
But...
"... "
As Inoshi watched the rapidly shrinking fist wind being devoured, a flicker of grim determination appeared in his eyes beneath the mask.
"Not fully transferred or absorbed."
He could sense it.
The combined power of the Mark-Mark and Munch-Munch Fruits was effective against Garp's punch, but not perfect.
In other words, it was as if every grain of rice had tiny, hard stones embedded in it. The absorption and transfer speeds had slowed, allowing a portion of the residual force to strike him directly.
"So this is the suppressive effect of a top-tier Haki user's Haki on Devil Fruit abilities?"
Inoshi naturally understood this.
A Haki user who had mastered the "heart, body, and technique" could use their Haki to confront and suppress Devil Fruit powers.
For example, Trafalgar Law could use Haki to nullify Doc Q's Illness-Illness Fruit abilities, and Red-Haired Shanks could suppress Admiral Ryokugyu's powers from hundreds of nautical miles away.
However, Roy had never encountered such a Haki user among his opponents before.
It was now clear that the Garp Inoshi was facing was precisely that level of Haki mastery.
But...
"I can't devour it completely, but I can devour most of it. You think you can defeat me with just this residual force? Impossible."
As he muttered these words, Garp's residual fist force struck Inoshi with a bang. Yet...
Clang!
Clang!
Even the remnants of Garp's mountain-shattering power only produced the piercing sound of clashing metal when they struck Inoshi.
The attacks didn't even leave a scratch on Inoshi's body, far from defeating him.
If the Revolutionary Army had been present, they would have instantly recognized Inoshi's physique.
'Amalgamate Form: Pluton Alloy.'
As the Devil Fruit User of the Munch-Munch Fruit and the creator of Pluton Alloy, Inoshi had long ago devoured a portion of Pluton Alloy sashimi.
Naturally, he could now transform his body into Pluton Alloy!
As mentioned earlier, the Pluton Alloy used to construct the legendary battleship is virtually indestructible!
Bang!
With a flick of his wrist, Inoshi dispersed the shockwave from the incoming punch across the sea's surface.
His figure remained steadfast on the water.
"How is this possible? He didn't dodge; he blocked Vice Admiral Garp's punch with his bare hands!" Bogard stared in disbelief.
Having followed Garp for decades, Bogard had never seen anyone withstand the Vice Admiral's strikes like this. Even the Pirate King, Roger, knew better than to endure Garp's attacks head-on when facing him.
"What exactly is this guy's body made of?"
"Hahahaha!" Garp burst into hearty laughter. "The young folks these days have some sturdy bones!"
He seemed unfazed that his punch had been blocked. But just as he was roaring with laughter, a bang and a violent aura interrupted him.
Garp and Bogard turned simultaneously to see Inoshi mimicking Garp's punching motion.
Zii! Zii!
The intense Haki and surging fist power were instantly familiar to Garp and Bogard.
"My Haki?" Garp exclaimed, momentarily stunned.
In the next instant, Inoshi unleashed his fist!
"Devouring Combination: Fist Reversal - Meteor Shower!"
Inoshi's body transformed into something akin to the "Meteor Shower" Garp had just unleashed.
His Haki-wrapped fist swung repeatedly, and each strike generated a "meteor" similar to Garp's, though slightly smaller in scale.
Even so, the relentless barrage of meteors streaking across the sea's surface created a terrifyingly grand spectacle.
"He actually..."
A rare look of astonishment and disbelief crossed Bogard's perpetually stoic face.
After a moment of stunned silence, Garp burst into uproarious laughter once more.
"You can absorb my punches and Haki and use them against Devil Fruit users?" He boomed with excitement evident in his voice. "This is the first time I've ever heard of such an ability!"
He chuckled softly, clenching his fist tighter. "But..."
Bang!
His fist shot out again.
The weakened "meteors" that had already reached the battleship were instantly shattered by the shockwave.
"Hey, kid!" His voice thundered across the sea. "How could you possibly defeat me with my own fist?!"
Indeed.
To him, these weakened meteors posed no real threat.
But...
Bang!
In the next instant, a distant explosion cut through Garp's movements.
Bang!
Just seconds later, the bang echoed again, this time even louder.
Bang!
Ten seconds later, a third, even more thunderous bang reverberated through the air.
With each successive boom... fourth, fifth, the sound grew increasingly deafening, now resembling a peal of thunder.
"What's that Twelve Zodiac member doing? Does he have another trick up his sleeve?!"
Bogard's gaze snapped toward Inoshi in the distance. He was certain the sounds were emanating from his direction.
But at that moment...
"Bogard!" He heard Garp's voice. "Get everyone into the 'Training Room' in the ship's hold immediately!"
The usually jovial old man spoke with rare seriousness.
"Vice Admiral Garp," Bogard replied, utterly stunned.
The "Training Room" in the ship's hold was Garp's personal boxing practice area. There, concentrated at the ship's keel, was the highest density of Seastone, forming an almost indestructible sanctuary.
"Go immediately." But Garp offered no explanation, or rather, he had no time to explain.
Bogard hesitated no further.
"Soru!"
He activated Soru with decisive swiftness, circling the entire deck in an instant and seizing all the Marines, whisking them into the ship's hold.
Meanwhile, Garp's gaze remained fixed on Inoshi in the distance.
Bang!
The thunderous roar echoed across the sea unceasingly.
By now, Garp could sense that something was coming.
His Kenbunshoku Haki swept across the surroundings, scrutinizing every subtle shift in the environment.
Then,
"Hmmm!"
He detected an anomaly.
Among the countless "Meteor Fist" strikes that Inoshi had unleashed and that Garp had shattered, small metal fragments drifted on the sea's surface where one of the "meteors" had struck.
On those metal shards was a barely discernible mark.
At the same moment...
"I know a fist like this can't defeat you," Inoshi murmured inwardly. "But I have no choice; we're too far apart for a direct mark. This is the most efficient way to deliver it."
His gaze shifted to the distant battleship looming over the horizon.
Bang!
Another explosion reverberated.
The sound originated from within his body.
If someone could have observed his internal state at that moment, they would have seen a swirling vortex of energy continuously exploding.
Bang!
Each explosion unleashed an immense destructive force that was immediately absorbed by Inoshi's Munch-Munch Fruit.
Immediately afterward, the explosive energy he had devoured reappeared within his body, completing its detonation cycle and generating an even greater destructive power.
[Munch-Munch Fruit: It can devour and absorb anything, transforming it into part of one's own body.]
[Bomb-Bomb Fruit: Any part of the user's body can be used as a bomb, and the user is immune to all explosive damage.]
This led to the action Inoshi was currently taking.
He was continuously compressing the explosive power!
Each compression requires the Munch-Munch Fruit to absorb more slowly. In actual combat, the preparation time would be too long, and the stamina drain would be excessive. But the current situation is perfect for it."
Bang!
Another deafening blast erupted, nearly shattering eardrums.
"After fifteen compressions, the stamina consumption is already significant. On top of that, he's spotted my Mark. This is the limit." Inoshi murmured to himself.
Then he opened his mouth.
"Devour and merge! Mark Fusion Cannon!"
The moment the words left his lips, the energy sphere within him, which had undergone fifteen compressions and layers of amplification, vanished instantly.
Almost simultaneously...
Buzz!
An incandescent white energy sphere on the verge of exploding materialized amidst the metallic debris surrounding HQ-3.
In that instant, the surrounding seawater vaporized under the extreme heat. The entire sea surface violently caved inward as if crushed by an invisible, colossal hand.
The next moment...
Hōng lóng!
The explosion erupted!
The surging shockwave tore through the clouds above the sea, leaving a massive void in the sky.
A colossal mushroom cloud erupted from the sea surface.
But...
From within that massive explosion, powerful enough to shatter a small island...
Bang!
Black and crimson lightning erupted from the torn clouds above and crashed down with thunderous force.
In that instant, Inoshi could clearly sense the terrifying aura and power emanating from the mushroom cloud. He could see the flames enveloping HQ-3 and compressing it inward.
"As expected of the 'Marine Hero,'" Inoshi thought, his suspicions confirmed.
Clearly, even such a devastating strike hadn't decided the battle.
The earth-shattering Haki filling the air was proof enough.
'Fifteen compressions are far from sufficient to surpass a top-tier being of this Sea. I need to further accelerate the speed or intensity of the compression.'
"Still, it's enough to escape this meaningless battle."
As he muttered under his breath, Inoshi moved without hesitation. He decisively steered the ceremonial ship beneath his feet toward the distant horizon.
It was precisely at the moment that Inoshi's figure vanished beyond the horizon that...
Bang!
The colossal mushroom cloud of flames and cacophony of Haki clashes and thunderous punches dissipated, revealing the hull of HQ-3.
At that very moment, Bogard emerged from the ship's cabin.
The Marine Vice Admiral's aide froze in shock.
HQ-3's entire appearance had been utterly transformed.
This battleship, forged by the Marines' top shipwrights and weathered countless storms, had undergone a violent distortion, its form completely warped!
Most of the stern and deck had melted and vaporized under the extreme heat and blinding light.
Only the area where the cabins were located was coated in a layer of pitch-black Armament Haki, the reason Bogard and the Marines had survived.
At the same time...
"Vice-Admiral Garp?"
Bogard spotted Garp.
Garp's Marine greatcoat and upper uniform had already been reduced to ash by the raging flames. Bogard noticed the distinct pitch-black coloration on Garp's body.
Some of that blackness was his Armament Haki armor.
The other part, however, consisted of gruesome burn scars.
Bogard froze in place.
He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Garp in such a severe state of injury.
"Hah, ha, ha! I guess you can't cheat age after all," Garp chuckled, his spirits surprisingly undiminished. "This explosion didn't even completely shatter it. I'll have to train harder tomorrow!"
"But..."
As he spoke, his gaze pierced the dissipating mushroom cloud and settled on the distant sea.
His eyes now carried a solemn gravity.
"The Twelve Zodiac..."
This rare solemnity had been absent from the Marine Hero's face since the execution of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, nineteen years prior.
"That kid wearing the boar mask...we should assume his name is 'Inoshi'?"
"Yes."
"Report this to Sengoku when we return. That kid's abilities are extremely dangerous."
"Naturally!"
'Need I say more?'
Bogard glanced at the explosion-scarred sea and Garp's injuries. This was far beyond "extremely dangerous.
Of the known members of the Twelve Zodiac, the one they encountered today likely had the greatest destructive power.
Yet Garp fell into contemplation again. "Hm, there's something else..."
"Please elaborate," Bogard said gravely.
"Go fetch me two bags of senbei. They're behind the wooden training posts in the sparring room."
"Huh?"
(End of Chapter)
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