The Fall of a Hero

"Don't look down on us, old man. We are the elite of the navy, having undergone countless trials!"

Helmeppo brandished his twin swords and launched an attack on the imposing old man before him.

"Clayman Clay Soldier!"

Clay seemed to grow from the prince's hands and hang down, transforming into burly clay figures that wielded various weapons and launched attacks.

"Drive and Whip!"

Peacock's long whip, wrapped with Armament Haki, was lashed out at Zephyr with all its might.

"Armed Demolition!"

The latter's fist slammed into the ground, instantly causing a collapse that threw the marines off balance, causing them to sway from side to side.

"Everyone! Watch out..."

Koby was about to remind his colleagues, Zephyr appeared in front of them in an instant.

With a swing of his iron fists, the three men were sent flying backward, their blood spitting out arcs in the air.

"Hateful..."

Seeing this, Garp wanted to rush forward and block Zephyr. The new generation of young marines were no match for his old friend.

"Mr. Garp! Don't get distracted during the battle!"

A ball of ice radiating cold air flew in, enveloping it and transforming it into a small Iceberg.

"Mr. Garp, before you try to save others, you should deal with my eldest disciple first."

Kuzan casually broke off an icicle taller than himself from the side, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and slowly walked toward the ice block.

"Alright, everyone has their own destiny. Everyone, head to the warship at full speed. Those who can board will be the first to depart. There's no need to wait for anyone, including me!"

Those who are abandoned by the times cannot survive in this cruel world!

Garp's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and then the Iceberg exploded with a bang, shattering into scattered ice blocks in the air.

"If it's possible, it's not that we can't let them go. After all, they're just small fry. I won't make things difficult for those who stay on the ship."

Kuzan pushed up his glasses, completely unconcerned. His only target was this legendary figure in the Navy, his former idol and mentor.

"Vice Admiral Garp!"

By this time, many of the marines had collapsed, leaving only the members of SWORD and Tashigi struggling against Zephyr's iron fists, but they could only passively endure the blows.

"That's an order!"

Garp had no time to pay attention to them and could only shout.

Immediately following a whooshing sound, the ice pillar was forcefully thrown in his direction.

He merely tilted his head slightly, and the ice pillar grazed past him. Then, he unleashed his iron fist, sending ice chunks flying through the air, each one imbued with his Conqueror's Haki. The speed and power of the ice were astonishing.

"Iceberg!"

Kuzan clenched his hands together, and an Iceberg tens of meters high rose from the ground, blocking all the attacks while cracks appeared all over it.

"That alone is far from enough!"

Garp moved at incredible speed, creating gusts of wind that shattered the Iceberg in the blink of an eye, but Kuzan was nowhere to be seen.

"Ice Block Pheasant Ice Block: Violent Pheasant Beak!"

Kuzan, who had already created some distance, extended an arm forward and then suddenly exerted his strength, sending a giant ice bird hurtling towards his opponent with a long cry.

"Fist Bone - Meteor Shower!"

Garp slammed his right foot into the ground, sending countless ice blocks and rocks flying through the air.

Immediately, the large hands moved so fast that they left afterimages, as if countless hands had caught it like eagle claws, with Two Types of Haki wrapped around them, and then they were thrown towards the ice bird.

The giant bird, which was as big as half a warship, was blasted to pieces by the small stones and ice blocks.

"ICE BALL!"

Beside Kuzan, countless ice crystals imbued with cold energy formed, which he then unleashed one by one, mimicking the same technique.

"Using a Devil Fruit ability? Have you forgotten how to throw a punch? If you need it, I wouldn't mind teaching you again!"

Garp's powerful Observation Haki allowed him to stroll leisurely amidst a barrage of attacks that resembled an ice rain.

Just as he was about to be approached, Kuzan tried to change his tactics, but Garp did not give him another chance to use his abilities, and appeared in front of him with a push of his feet.

"Bang!"

Those iron fists relentlessly pounded against the former's arms, the two constantly clashing, their clash of top-tier Armament Haki sparking dazzling flames.

"You've raised a very troublesome enemy, Mr. Garp!"

"You've been expelled from the sect, you stupid disciple!"

In the midst of their offense and defense, the two seemed to see a glimpse of the story from over twenty years ago between the clumsy disciple and the irritable master.

Their blood splattered continuously, and in each of their eyes, they saw the other's youthful appearance.

"Galaxy Impact!"

A punch, brimming with power and seemingly carrying a streak of light, aimed directly at Kuzan's face.

"Ice Force Impact!"

The fist, coated with Armament Haki and then icy cold, was slammed towards Garp's face.

Neither of them retreated nor dodged.

Their punches landed squarely on each other's faces, sending them both flying backward.

"Vice Admiral Garp!"

"Senior Kuzan!"

Koby shouted and left the battlefield on Zephyr's side, running to help the fallen Garp, with Helmeppo following closely behind.

On the other side, Barto, who had returned, stood by with a worried expression, holding up a support sign, but did not rush forward. Hibari, on the other hand, looked at the scene in disbelief.

"You two idiots... leaving your original battlefield will cause the already unbearable pressure on your comrades to increase even further..."

After a fierce exchange of blows, Garp received another full-force punch, his face covered in blood, but he still reprimanded Koby and the other two who had rushed over immediately.

"How could this be..."

Koby stood there stunned, reaching out his hands, but he didn't help Garp.

When the two of them turned around, they saw that all their comrades had fallen into pools of blood, and no one could stand up and continue fighting.

Zephyr sat leisurely atop the mountain of unconscious marines, showing no intention of attacking the two of them.

"Let's go. In this battle, it would be good if two of us survived. We need to survive first before we can think about the others."

Garp staggered to his feet, panting heavily, and assumed a fighting stance, shielding the two behind him.

"Mr. Garp, what else do you want to do, with that injured body?"

At that moment, a chill swept over me.

Kuzan, whose face was also covered in blood, took a few steps forward as if nothing had happened and walked up to them.

"If you think you can defeat me with this level of skill, you're still a long way off, brat!"

The black and red lightning reappeared on his fists, and a battle-ready smile appeared on Garp's face.

"They were clearly worried about you."

Kuzan touched his nose and murmured.

"Walk!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Garp charged straight at Kuzan like an arrow.

"Vice Admiral Garp..."

The two men behind him, tears streaming down their faces, turned and rushed toward the warship without looking back.

"How so..."

Behind Barto, Hibari knelt on the ground. Everything was so different from what she had imagined; the defeat was utterly devastating.

Moreover, her beloved abandoned all his comrades and even his seniors, and of course, her as well.

"You think you can escape! Two-Pronged Spear!"

"Don't forget me, Galaxy Split!"

Two ice spears were generated and were about to rush towards the two fugitives when Garp leaped into the air, spun once in the air, and unleashed a super powerful vortex, like a tornado.

Ice Age!

Seeing this, Kuzan gathered all his Haki into his palms, his whole body covered in frost, and a chilling aura rose into the sky, clashing with the fist wind.

"Bang!"

After the loud noise, there were flying ice shards and shattered house ruins to the west.

When the thick smoke cleared, Garp was lying on the ground, frost gradually creeping up his body, while the two who had escaped had already boarded a warship and set sail.

As previously stated, Kuzan did not stop it.

"Isn't this a testament to unwavering will? The transition between the old and new eras is finally complete, hahahahaha~"

Garp, despite being severely injured, laughed loudly, while Kuzan's face remained expressionless.

Two days later, in the newspapers, Morgans described the battle as follows:

Naval Garp the Hero was defeated and his whereabouts are unknown.

Navy "hero" Koby was defeated and fled the battlefield!