Dirt and rubble flew everywhere as a massive ravine stretched across the ground. Ox couldn't withstand the impact. His face twisted in pain as he smashed through one red tree and building after another, looking utterly battered.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion rang out. Blood spurted from Ox's mouth and nose as he forced himself to endure the pain and tumble aside. A huge force slammed into the ground behind him. Chaos's right foot was buried deep in the earth, and the ground rapidly caved in around him. Sand and stones flew everywhere, making the scene look utterly chaotic.
Cough, cough, cough—
Ox rolled across the ground, coughing up blood. Before he could get back up, a sense of danger washed over him. He could only cross his arms in front of himself to defend. In an instant, a blackened leg swept toward him like a battering ram. Ox's bloodied face contorted, and he was sent flying once more before he could even react.
"The Marines have lost."
"The Golden Emperor actually beat Ox with nothing but martial arts!"
"Damn, he's too strong!"
Anyone who wasn't blind could see that Ox had lost. Under the Golden Emperor's relentless assault, he could only defend himself. If things continued this way, there was no chance of turning the tables.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The air was filled with explosive cracks as Ox was kicked back and forth like a ball by the Golden Emperor.
The sight was too gruesome to watch.
"Too weak."
Chaos appeared out of nowhere, his earlier excitement now gone.
Ox could no longer stir his desire to fight. Still, there was no denying that Ox was strong—just not quite as strong as him.
Chaos drew back his blackened right leg, intending to end the fight with a single kick. He needed a stronger opponent!
Whether Ox survived the kick was up to fate.
If Ox didn't die, Chaos wouldn't attack him again.
The air roiled and rushed aside. Chaos's kick tore through it like a battering ram, its breaking whistle audible from far away!
Bam!
A dull impact rang out, and a massive shockwave spread. A justice cloak flapped in the pressure wave. Chaos's battered expression changed abruptly, his dark eyes contracting.
A huge hand had clamped around Chaos's ankle. The resolute face just inches away was grim.
Not good!
A chill ran through Chaos, and the hairs all over his body stood on end. Without a second thought, he turned himself to gold. Armament Haki and Iron Body formed the sturdiest defense he could manage, and he crossed his arms to meet the sweeping kick.
Crack!
The loud sound of breaking bones rang out. Chaos's face twisted, and blood sprayed from his mouth and nose as he lost control of his body. He shot away like a streak of light, crashing diagonally into the ground and carving a massive trench as he plowed forward. At the end of it, he lay motionless, his face suddenly pale.
In midair, Garp held Ox as he descended to the ground. After handing Ox over to the Marines rushing over, he strode toward Chaos.
"Yikes!"
"Damn, it's Monkey D. Garp!"
"Run!"
"Captain, retreat!"
"The Golden Emperor's finished!"
Garp's arrival sent a shiver through every pirate present. No one could stay calm.
If Garp came after them, none of them would escape.
Chaos was under the greatest pressure of all.
He rose from the ruins and watched Garp approach with long, powerful strides. Garp didn't radiate any obvious aura, but every step closer made Chaos feel as if more weight had settled on his shoulders. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead despite himself.
He hadn't expected to meet Garp so soon.
Garp was in his prime. His short black hair hadn't yet turned white, and he was at the peak of his strength.
At this point in his life, Garp could practically do as he pleased across the seas!
You couldn't understand the pressure he exerted without facing him in person.
"Whew..."
Chaos took a deep breath. Though he knew the gap between him and Garp was enormous, he still wanted to risk it.
In Chaos's eyes, Garp was a primordial beast.
He wasn't afraid, but he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
Thud, thud!
His feet felt as heavy as lead.
Chaos walked toward Garp. As the distance between them shrank, the air around them seemed to thicken.
The pressure Chaos felt grew heavier and heavier. Even breathing seemed to become difficult.
Chaos's actions intrigued Garp. He deliberately began releasing his aura, like a range of invisible mountains bearing down on Chaos. Cold sweat poured down Chaos's face. The ground beneath his feet started to cave in, and his upper body began to bend forward.
It wasn't Conqueror's Haki, but the pressure created by the aura of a top-tier fighter was almost tangible.
"Clang, clang!"
Chaos turned completely to gold. A stream of gold from the Goddess of the Heavens overhead coiled around him, ringing like clashing weapons and charging horses. It quickly took on Armament Haki, forming black-and-gold armor.
Boom!
They stopped three meters apart. Chaos pushed his aura to its limit, but compared with Garp's, it was like a child standing beside an adult.
"Hahaha! Looks like Ox didn't lose without a fight. But since the old man found you today, you'll spend the rest of your life in Impel Down!"
Garp folded his arms across his chest, his justice coat fluttering behind him as he grinned and laughed heartily.
His aura faded as well. This pirate had some guts. He would surely make a name for himself on the seas someday.
Whether he was a dragon or a worm could only be found out by putting him to the test.
Not many among the new generation, Marine or pirate, could withstand Garp's aura, refuse to flee at once, and instead step forward to face him.
"That's not certain."
Chaos stood tall, his black-and-gold spiked hair fluttering in the gale, his eyes sharper than ever.
He would give this man everything he had. He knew he was bound to lose, but he would fight anyway!
Whatever didn't kill him would only make him stronger.
Fear, pressure, and dread were all obstacles on the path to becoming strong. Kick them aside, and he would find the light ahead.
If he couldn't kick them away in one try, he would try twice, then three times. One day, he would succeed.
Chaos didn't waste words. He made the first move.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Garp and drove a powerful punch at him. Garp merely raised one hand to stop it. The ground cracked beneath his feet, but he didn't take a single step back.
Chaos's black-and-gold eyes burned with fighting spirit. He spun around and swept his right leg out in a wide arc.
Garp kept his arm upright. Even Chaos's lightning-fast attack was useless.
The ground beneath them crumbled and the destruction spread. Garp's coat whipped violently behind him as a shockwave fanned out, wrecking everything in its path.
Most importantly, Garp was forced back.
Chaos pressed his advantage, appearing out of nowhere in front of Garp and sweeping out another kick. Another fan-shaped shockwave burst forth, but Garp's body began to vanish—it had only been an afterimage.
Not good!
A rush of pressure came from his right. Chaos could only defend himself.
Pfft—
The moment their attacks collided, Chaos spat blood and shot away. He smashed through one red tree after another before crashing to the ground. He quickly rolled over, planted both hands on the earth, and slid sideways. His cold, stern eyes caught sight of Garp vanishing.
Rumble!
The ground exploded for more than a thousand meters in every direction. Chaos disappeared from where he stood and reappeared in midair. Looking down at Garp in the crater, he unleashed two Tempest Kicks in succession, but Garp shattered them both with a single punch.
The wind rose beside Chaos's ear. His heart leapt, and he vanished with a Soru without a second thought.
Thirty meters away, Chaos had barely reappeared when a sweeping kick came straight at him. He ducked just in time, then immediately countered with a sweeping leg kick.
But Garp was faster. He leaped off the ground, spun around, and swung his right arm back at Chaos.
Chaos crossed his arms in front of himself and drove a knee toward Garp's chest.
A blast of wind erupted and swept through the area. Chaos's foot sank deep into the ground as he was shoved sideways, his black-and-gold arms trembling uncontrollably.
Garp blocked Chaos's knee with his left hand, flipped backward in midair, and landed lightly on his feet.
Before you continue