Garen's Strength

A moment later...

Marine Headquarters, under the leadership of Garp, attached great importance, resolutely tackled key problems, and personally led a team to launch a fierce offensive against violent and illegal activities in the East Blue, achieving remarkable results.

The task force successfully rescued Marine officer Smoker, who was injured in the line of duty, and captured Garen, an unidentified armed element who violently resisted the law, along with his accomplices, greatly deterring crime and inspiring the masses.

Victims of violent crime, represented by Captain Buggy, applauded the capture of Garen and his gang, and the sense of security among the general public was effectively enhanced.

The criminal suspect, Garen, stated regarding his criminal acts...

"I'm really not a pirate!"

"That red-nosed guy over there is!"

Garen said excitedly, with a group of Marines pointing their guns at his head.

But the Marine soldiers didn't say a word, and the muzzles pointed at Garen didn't waver in the slightest.

They were just following Commodore Garp's orders to escort all the arrested people back to the warship's deck.

Behind Garen, also escorted by a group of blades and guns, were his "criminal accomplices," Wallace and Nami.

Nami looked a little nervous, walking step by step while tightly dragging the three treasure chests she had tied up, like a hen protecting her chicks.

Wallace, however, was very calm, not showing any panic or confusion. Instead, he took out his camera and started taking pictures of the giant Marine warship in front of him with a relaxed expression.

As a reporter for a regular large media outlet, Wallace was naturally not afraid of dealing with official figures.

As long as he showed his ID later, he could easily clear up the misunderstanding.

On the contrary, this Marine Headquarters warship, which rarely appeared in the East Blue, could become the news material that Wallace had been painstakingly searching for.

Further behind, escorted by the Marines, were Captain Buggy, Mohji, Cabaji, and Richie.

The kind Marine soldiers, while salvaging Smoker, also spent a lot of effort to help Buggy retrieve the foot that had fallen into the sea.

"Captain Buggy..."

Mohji glanced nervously at the solemn Marine ranks around him, and then said in a low voice:

"What do we do now? We've all been arrested by the Marines!"

"So what?"

Cabaji said with a relaxed expression, revealing his true feelings:

"Being arrested by the Marines is better than being killed by that Pirate Hunter!"

"We little fish and shrimps from the East Blue will be locked up for a few years and then released!"

Cabaji turned his gaze to Buggy and asked casually:

"Right, Captain Buggy?"

Buggy didn't say anything, deliberately lowering his head as if to hide something.

Cold sweat quietly slid down his forehead, and Buggy couldn't help but glance back at the old man following closely behind him—the Marine hero Garp, who was practically an old acquaintance.

Garp, however, didn't pay attention to the group of criminals he had personally arrested for the time being. He just laughed and said to the drenched Smoker beside him:

"Hahaha!"

"I didn't expect you to lose so miserably in your first battle after arriving in the East Blue!"

Smoker was soaked all over, and the cigar butt he always had in his mouth was extinguished by the water.

Although his strength had recovered, he still looked disheveled.

Losing his first battle in the weakest sea, the East Blue, inevitably made Marine Headquarters Captain Smoker, who had always been very confident in his strength, feel a little depressed.

"Indeed, I lost."

Smoker didn't defend himself, but said with some reluctance:

"That guy's strength is clearly not as good as mine, but his ability is very strange..."

As he spoke, he habitually wanted to take out a new cigar from his pocket to light up, but was annoyed to find that those reserves had also been soaked through by the seawater.

Smoker threw away a wet cigar, his mood becoming even more agitated:

"His sword isn't made of Seastone, so it can't hit my elemental body at all."

"But after accidentally being slashed by his blade, my Devil Fruit ability immediately became ineffective."

"I can't figure it out..."

"Haha..."

"That young man's ability is indeed a bit strange."

Garp didn't pay too much attention, but reached out and patted Smoker's back, saying:

"But there are many strange things in this world!"

"You ultimately lost because of your carelessness."

"Don't underestimate any man who ventures out on the sea!"

"Yes!"

Smoker nodded in agreement, his restless emotions finally calming down.

Unbeknownst to him, his impression of his seemingly demotion to East Blue had changed quite a bit.

Just then, the pulleys on the tall deck of the giant warship turned, lowering a wide lift platform towards the sea.

The captured criminal suspects and the Marine soldiers who had been dispatched finally arrived on the spacious deck of the Marine warship.

The Marine soldiers had Garen and his group line up to await interrogation, while Garp casually returned to his deck chair, sitting down without any regard for appearances, and began munching on Senbei Crackers in front of Garen and the others.

As Garp ate his Senbei Crackers, he lightly scanned the "criminal suspects" standing before him.

His gaze lingered on Garen with interest for a moment before quickly moving away, finally settling on the clown Buggy, who was burying his head like an ostrich.

Clown Buggy felt a shiver run down his spine and quietly buried his head even deeper.

But Garp's gaze towards Buggy became more and more focused, and a look of reminiscence appeared on his face.

Taking advantage of this moment of silence, Garen also carefully sized up the terrifying muscular old man who had easily subdued him.

From the terrifying strength the other party had displayed earlier and that inexplicably familiar face, Garen vaguely guessed the identity of the muscular old man who was over two meters tall –

One of the world's top combatants, known as the Marine Hero, Iron Fist Garp.

Encountering a top-tier boss on his first voyage, Garen couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity.

And while Garen was sizing up Garp, the surrounding Marines couldn't help but point and whisper about Garen:

"That nameless swordsman from East Blue actually defeated our Marine Headquarters' Captain Smoker!"

"That Logia-type user is a Marine Headquarters' Captain?"

Wallace accurately captured this somewhat shocking information, and his nose for a big story immediately kicked into high gear:

"Garen was actually able to defeat such a powerful Marine officer?"

The gold content of Marine Headquarters' ranks was very different; the strength and status represented by the same rank were three whole levels higher than the small fry of the Four Seas Marine branches.

Smoker's Headquarters Captain rank, placed in East Blue, could almost be said to be the level of a Marine governor ruling over one side.

And the fledgling Knight Garen was able to defeat such a powerful Marine officer in just a few rounds?

Wallace's long-planned "Justice Knight Garen" special report suddenly had a lot more explosive new material.

And the surrounding Marine soldiers' enthusiastic discussion was still providing Wallace with more news material:

"That guy can defeat Captain Smoker, he probably has the strength of a Headquarters Captain!"

One Marine soldier said with a serious expression.

"Heh..."

Another soldier shook his head dismissively:

"Captain Smoker is an excellent officer personally trained by Admiral Zephyr, how could he be an ordinary Headquarters Captain?"

"I think that greatsword knight definitely has the strength of an elite Commodore!"

Wallace's eyes flashed with excitement, and the speed at which he recorded with his pen became even faster, his body quietly moving closer to the Marine soldiers who were providing information.

"Your knowledge is too shallow!"

At this time, another Marine soldier stood up to pontificate:

"Captain Smoker is a Logia-type Devil Fruit user who is extremely rare even on the Grand Line, possessing the same level of elementalization ability as the three Admirals!"

"And that knight only took three rounds to defeat Captain Smoker, and only surrendered after the Marine Hero, Rear Admiral Garp, personally took action."

"I think he at least has the strength of a Headquarters Rear Admiral!"

Marine Hero Garp?

That old man is Marine Hero Garp?

The legendary Iron Fist Garp actually needed to personally take action to deal with Garen?

Wallace's breathing became heavy with excitement, and the pen in his hand trembled uncontrollably.

He recorded even more enthusiastically.

In addition to recording, Wallace also didn't forget to take a few more photos of Hero Garp with his camera.

And Smoker, who was listening to his subordinates' enthusiastic discussion, already had a face as black as the bottom of a pot.