Sabaody: Garp's Fist (Part Two)

Garp threw a punch at him.

Lin Yuan opened the door ahead of time. Garp's fist slammed into the doorway, crashing down from above Garp own warship—a large chunk of the bow shattered, splinters flew everywhere, and seawater rushed in through the breach.

Garp glanced at the wrecked bow, then at Lin Yuan. "Ha~ Hahaha, not bad reaction. No wonder Zephyr took a liking to you?"

Garp laughed, stuffed the last senbei into his mouth, and clapped his hands. "That Zephyr guy, he even quit the Navy for you. I asked him why, but he wouldn't say. Zephyr has never misjudged anyone in his life."

He clenched his fist, dark red Conqueror's Haki lightning crackling along his knuckles. "So today, I'll see if you're really worth him doing this."

Lin Yuan did not back down.

Dark red lightning exploded from his body. Two bursts of Conqueror's Haki collided in mid-air, creating a deep trench in the sea, with waves surging to both sides. Garp's eyes lit up.

"Conqueror's Haki? Not bad. But Conqueror's Haki alone isn't enough."

He threw a punch.

It wasn't a probing punch; it was serious. Lin Yuan had opened a door beforehand, and Garp's fist slammed into it, falling over Garp's own warship and breaking another piece of the hull. But Garp didn't retract his fist—he pulled it out from the doorway and swung a backhand punch at Lin Yuan's side.

Lin Yuan dodged to the side, the fist grazing his clothes, creating a whooshing sound. He felt the wind from the punch brush against his skin, a burning pain.

"Your door can deflect my fist, but it can't deflect my speed," Garp said, throwing another punch.

Lin Yuan opened three doors in quick succession. The first punch slammed into one door, the second punch came out from another, and the third punch was already at his face before he could even open a door. He instinctively turned his head, the fist grazing his ear, his ear burning for a moment, then stinging.

Blood. My ear was scraped.

"Haha, kid, your reaction isn't bad." Garp took a step back, "But your body can't keep up with your reaction. Your brain is there, but your body isn't."

Lin Yuan didn't answer. He was constantly looking for an opportunity— Garp's punching habits, the shift in his center of gravity, the landing point of his fist. His Spatial Perception was analyzing and calculating.

Garp punched at Lin Yuan's left shoulder. Lin Yuan dodged to the side. The second punch was aimed at his right shoulder, which Lin Yuan also dodged. The third punch was aimed at his chest— Lin Yuan didn't dodge. He clenched his right fist, Armament Haki covering the knuckles, Conqueror's Haki Coating around it, and met the punch head-on.

"Boom--"

The two fists collided. The sea exploded, and waves rose several meters high. Lin Yuan took five steps back, his tiger's mouth split open, and blood flowed down his wrist. A shallow white mark appeared on Garp's fist.

Garp glanced down. "Your Space Cutting... can cut through my Armament Haki?"

"I couldn't cut it before," Lin Yuan said, panting. "I practiced for a month."

"A month?" Garp paused for a moment. "Zephyr taught you that?"

"He told me to compress my Haki to the extreme, and then use Space Cutting as an aid."

Garp shook his head. "Zephyr always teaches people using the dumbest methods. But the dumbest methods are often the most effective."

He threw another punch. Not a test, not a joke—he was serious.

The fist tore through the air with Conqueror's Haki roar. Lin Yuan opened a door, but Garp's fist didn't stop—he forcefully pulled out of the door and slammed a backhand punch into Lin Yuan's chest.

Lin Yuan was sent flying. His clothes tore at the chest, a sharp pain shot through his ribs, and blood gushed from his mouth. He felt his bones cracking, and his consciousness blurred for a moment.

But he didn't lose consciousness. He flipped in the air and opened a door—behind which was the deck of the Void. His body passed through the door and landed on the deck, kneeling on one knee, blood streaming from his mouth.

Kaido walked over. "Oh ho ho... Shall I go and meet Garp?"

"Haha, no need, we're ready to go."

"You lost?"

"We lost."

Kaido, but handed over a piece of meat. Lin Yuan took it and took a bite.

On the sea, Garp stood on the broken bow of the ship, looking in the direction of the Void. He didn't chase after it. He took out a bag of senbei from his pocket, took out a piece, took a bite, turned his back, and leaned against the ship's railing.

"Go back. Tell Sengoku that the guy who attacked the Celestial Dragons escaped and can't be caught."

The naval soldiers behind him looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

Ginny's voice boomed from the Den Den Mushi: "Lin Yuan! Garp's warships have stopped! They didn't give chase!"

"Um."

Are you injured?

Two ribs are broken. It's nothing serious.

Ginny was silent for a moment. "It seems Zephyr did you a favor, that's why he didn't pursue you further."

Lin Yuan did not answer. He stood at the stern, watching Garp's warship grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared on the horizon.

Half a day later, the Void stopped at sea. The craftsmen finished the coating, jumped back onto the work ship, and sang "Another day to make a fortune" before turning around and sailing back to Sabaody.

Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi: "Lin Yuan, after you dive down, head deeper. Fish-Man Island is 10,000 meters below the surface. There's a Deep-Sea Current Zone in the middle, and the current is very strong. Also... I detected traces of large Sea Kings in that area. They're huge, and there's more than one."

"Knew."

Lin Yuan stood at the bow of the boat, holding a water glass steadily in his hand. "Dive."

The Void sank into the deep blue sea. Schools of fish swam by, and the sunlight grew dimmer. The seawater changed from light blue to deep blue, and from deep blue to pitch black. The resin membrane creaked, and the water pressure increased.

Shira leaned against the ship's railing, gazing at the deep sea. "The seabed is dark... but don't be afraid."

"Aren't you afraid?" Huijin asked.

"I'm not afraid," Shira smiled. "I grew up here."

An hour later, the Void entered the Deep-Sea Current Zone. The current surged from the side, and the ship began to tilt. Kuma gripped the helm with both hands, using his Paw-Paw Fruit to propel the ship against the current, veins bulging on his forehead.

"There's a strong undercurrent on the left," Kuma's voice was deep. "The ship is drifting."

Jin stood on the ship's roof, raising his hands. The Float-Float Fruit covered the entire ship, distributing its weight evenly. "Hold on."

Huijin stood on the port side of the ship, gray flames seeping into the seawater outside the resin membrane. Heat spread, the seawater on the port side expanded, and the direction of the water flow changed.

"Turn the rudder to the right!" Lin Yuan said.

Kuma abruptly turned the helm, Void slid away from the edge of the whirlpool, righting the ship.

Shira breathed a sigh of relief. "It's over..."

But no sooner had she finished speaking than an even greater problem arose from the deeper darkness.

Outside the resin membrane, a huge black shadow was approaching. It was over three hundred meters long, with eyes like two lanterns, and slowly swam toward the Void. Behind it were three more, slightly smaller, but equally enormous.

Shira's face paled. "Sea Kings... they're deep-sea Sea Kings, attracted by the light from the resin membrane."

Kaido took the Iron Club off his shoulder. "Ooh... Fight?"

"Don't shoot. If the membrane breaks, the pressure will crush the ship to pieces."

Kaido put down the Iron Club. "Then what do we do?"

Lin Yuan looked at Kaido. "You come here."

"I?"

"Use your Conqueror's Haki to intimidate them and make them leave."

Kaido paused for a moment, then laughed. "Oh ho ho... alright. I'll do it."

He walked to the bow of the ship and took a deep breath. Dark red lightning exploded from his body, covering the entire sea. The seawater was pushed into ripples by the pressure, and the resin membrane trembled slightly under the impact of the Conqueror's Haki.

The four Sea Kings froze simultaneously. Their bodies trembled violently, and dark red lightning flashed in their eyes. Under the intimidation of Conqueror's Haki, fear appeared in their eyes, then they remained still, turned around, and disappeared into the darkness.

Kaido withdrew his Conqueror's Haki and slung the Iron Club back over his shoulder. "Ooh... next time there are Sea Kings, I'll scare them to death."

"It won't scare you to death," Bullet said, "But it can scare you away."

"That's enough."

Following the compass needle from Fish-Man Island, the ship continued to sink.

A light appeared ahead. A giant bubble enveloped an island, radiating a soft glow from the depths of the sea. Seven-colored light flowed along the bubble's walls, slowly shifting like the aurora borealis.

Shira's eyes lit up. "Fish-Man Island... we've arrived."

The Void passed through the bubble barrier. Sunlight streamed down, coral and sand covered the ground, and schools of colorful fish swam through the sky. Kaido's Iron Club slipped off his shoulder.

"This place... is prettier than Sabaody."

Bullet stood next to him, unusually refraining from making any comments.

The Void docked at the port. Shira jumped off the ship, her bare feet touching the coral ground, and tears streamed down her face.

"I'm home..."

The Fish-Man on the dock all looked over. Some recognized Shira and were stunned.

"Shira? You weren't—"

"I'm back." Shira wiped away her tears. "They saved me."

An elderly Fish-Man, leaning on a cane, approached and sized up Lin Yuan and his group. "Humans. What brings you to Fish-Man Island?"

"Just passing by," Lin Yuan said. "I'll give her a ride home."

The old Fish-Man looked at Shira, then at Lin Yuan. "... You saved Shira?"

"I guess so."

The old Fish-Man was silent for a moment. "Thank you. You can stay in the port, but don't cause trouble."

"Don't cause trouble."

The old Fish-Man nodded, turned, and left.

Standing on the dock, looking at the long-lost Fish-Man Island, tears welled up in Shira's eyes again. "I'm home... Thank you all."

Kaido squatted on the dock, watching a small crab crawl across the ground. "This crab... is it edible?"

"No," Huijin said.

"Why?"

"That's someone else's pet."

Kaido looked up and saw a Fish-Man child staring at him with wide eyes, his eyes filled with tears. Kaido put the crab back on the ground.

(End of Chapter 91)