Clavi, twenty-four years old, a Marine.
During the "Sabaody Archipelago riot," he had temporarily served as the captain of a Marine squad.
Not long afterward, as one of the few soldiers who had witnessed the [Devil] and the [Navy Hero] clash head-on, he was questioned by Granny Tsuru, the [Navy Chief Officer].
"Yes!"
"That's right, I witnessed their entire fight, but I really..."
"Thank you, Granny Tsuru. I'll calm down."
As an elder, Granny Tsuru had indeed managed to soothe the young Marine, allowing him to carefully recall all the details of what had happened.
"After evacuating the civilians and the Marines with them, Vice Admiral Garp and Aiven Lindsey began fighting."
"But... how should I put this? I'm not sure it was even a 'fight'!"
"Granny Tsuru, you know that Vice Admiral Garp is the founder of the Rokushiki we're all familiar with. He's always taught us to train hard, too."
"But after witnessing Vice Admiral Garp and Aiven Lindsey fight with my own eyes, one question has kept circling in my mind—"
His eyes were full of astonishment and confusion as he muttered to himself:
"Are the conventional fighting styles we've always known a little too small-minded for this sea?"
Back to the present.
Breathtaking!
No matter what anyone thought afterward, at that very moment, anyone who witnessed Lindsey and Garp clash couldn't help but think of one word—
Undeniably breathtaking!
The two equally towering, muscular men first sent the civilians and Marines around them away. Then, with a laugh as their signal, they swung their fists at each other at the same time!
Whoosh!
On one side was the iron fist bearing the title "Hero";
On the other, the monstrous strength of a Mythical Zoan!
The two fists crossed without any intention of stopping one another, heading straight for each other's faces.
Boom!
As the punch landed, the air around them seemed to tremble.
Everyone looked closely and saw that both Lindsey's and Garp's fists had struck their opponent square in the face.
Two utterly different kinds of monstrous strength struck at once, exploding against their faces!
For just an instant, it seemed as though time had stopped.
The next second—
Thud!
A dark figure flew backward, crashing straight into the ruins nearby and disappearing beneath the bricks and rubble.
Everyone looked over and, unsurprised, breathed a sigh of relief.
The one still standing where he was, was Garp!
This really was the best possible outcome.
The Marines present couldn't imagine the turmoil that would engulf the sea if the [Navy Hero] had been sent flying by a single punch from Aiven Lindsey!
"Ahahaha! Now that's invigorating!"
Garp grinned and laughed heartily.
He pursed his lips, then spat out a little blood.
He hadn't used Armament Haki, so he'd accidentally bitten a small piece of his tongue. It stung a little.
"To be honest, it's been a long time since anyone's landed a punch like that on the old man!"
Garp clenched his fist, excitement in his voice. "Hey, brat, what do you do in the New World?"
Garp wasn't incapable of thinking things through; he simply couldn't be bothered to overthink.
With the power of a Mythical Zoan and strength this absurd, there was no way he could be an unknown in the New World!
But according to the information Tsuru had sent him, Aiven Lindsey wasn't on any wanted list.
"Another troublesome brat who's only just set sail?"
"Come to think of it, is 'brat' even the right thing to call him? He doesn't seem that young..."
"..."
Garp's thoughts wandered.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted slightly as he sensed something amiss.
He turned to look at the ruins that had buried Lindsey and saw them trembling faintly.
Then the huge mass of heavy rubble was torn apart and fused together, compressed into two enormous "rocks."
Aiven Lindsey grabbed one in each hand and lifted the two massive stones, rising to his feet between them.
"When it comes to how long I've been alive, I've probably been around longer than all of you."
"But as for the length of my 'life'—"
Lindsey strained his arms and hurled the two boulders at Garp, baring his teeth in a savage grin.
"I've only gotten to enjoy it for a few days!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two boulders came one after the other, but Garp smashed them with ease.
"A Mythical Zoan ability?"
Garp couldn't help but look surprised when he saw how all the rubble had been compressed into a single mass.
He was just about to speak when he sensed something strange beneath his feet.
Lindsey raised his right leg high and stomped hard on the ground.
Earth Spikes!
Thud!
A sharp spike of earth shot up beneath Garp's feet, but Garp leaped aside and dodged it.
But the tremors beneath the ground hadn't stopped.
The moment Garp landed, dozens more spikes burst out, attacking him from all directions.
Earth Spike Barrage!
There was no way to dodge?
Then he wouldn't dodge!
"Stand firm, boys!"
Garp grinned, grabbed two of the spikes, and clenched his fist.
One of the strongest forms of Armament Haki in the world gathered around his fist!
Garp aimed in one direction—but not at Lindsey. He aimed beneath Lindsey's feet.
His fist slammed down.
Fist Bone Impact!
Boom!
An enormous surge of Armament Haki erupted, spreading along the earth spikes in an instant and charging straight for Aiven Lindsey.
Lindsey let out a long breath, his feet sinking slightly into the ground, as if they were iron nails driven firmly into place.
Then he raised his arms and tore a huge slab from the earth. He kept compressing and hardening it until it became two enormous, thick earthen shields!
Boom!
The Armament Haki slammed into the earthen shield and destroyed the first one in the blink of an eye.
Lindsey braced against the attack with the second shield while tearing up a third from the ground to keep blocking Garp's terrifying punch!
When one shield shattered, he replaced it with another.
Lindsey was testing something.
Testing what?
What, exactly, should he use to counter Armament Haki on Garp's level?
No one knew how many shields shattered before the remaining force of Garp's punch finally faded.
By then, Lindsey had been driven back more than a hundred meters, leaving two deep trenches in the ground with his legs!
"Whew..."
Lindsey blew out a breath, his thick arms still trembling uncontrollably.
Countless ideas flashed through his mind as he tried to find a weakness in Garp's defenses.
At last, he settled on one.
"I've still got one more move!"
Lindsey slowly bent forward.
Seeing this, Garp grinned even wider and rolled his shoulders.
"Haha, bring it!"
It had been a long time since he'd thrown a punch in earnest, so he was in unusually high spirits.
So he let Lindsey prepare as much as he liked, eager to see what ability he was about to use.
Then Garp saw—
Lindsey turned around, facing away from everyone, then took off running as fast as he could.
As he ran, he laughed loudly. "Once I've figured it out, we'll fight again!"
Garp: "..."
Garp: "..."
Garp: "Huh?"
And his companion, who had been watching from the sidelines—
Fisher Tiger: "?"
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