Although the sudden battle quickly caught the attention of every officer and soldier in Marineford, those below Vice Admiral rank didn't dare approach.
At first, some people rushed over the moment the battle woke them, but before they could get close, the terrifying shock waves swept them off their feet. Several even fainted on the spot under the pressure of the Conqueror's Haki.
Even the Vice Admirals didn't dare get too close. They could only watch from a distance.
In front of the Headquarters Building, the ground cracked and caved in as the fiery clouds continued to rise. At last, the towering Headquarters Building overlooking Marineford's plaza could take no more. With a deafening crack, a hair-raising fissure split its walls.
"Lord Akira! Mr. Garp!"
Seeing the Headquarters Building's walls split with an enormous crack, Gion planted her sword in the ground with both hands and struggled to withstand the even more violent Conqueror's Haki unleashed by their collision. She looked toward Akira and Garp, whose single clash had cracked the surrounding ground and the building's walls, and shouted with all her might, "Stop! Stop right now! The Headquarters Building is going to collapse—"
Bzz—
Bzzzz—
Before Gion could finish, another dizzying low-frequency vibration rang out, instantly drowning her voice.
Then a world-shattering wave of force swept out once more, centered on Akira and Garp.
"Ahahaha! You've really surprised me, Akira!"
Garp, his whole body wrapped in fiery clouds, clenched his fist and forced himself one step forward, laughing heartily. "Let's see if your Armament Haki is just as powerful!"
Before he'd finished speaking, another terrifying wave of force erupted from Garp, who was already wreathed in fiery clouds.
The next instant, he flashed into the air. The Armament Haki he'd trained to the highest level covered his entire body, and his fiery-cloud-wreathed fists turned black and gleaming.
"Fist Bone: Impact—"
Without hesitation, Garp swung down at Akira, who stood on the ground. His fist, hardened with Armament Haki and infused with Conqueror's Haki, carried terrifying force.
At the same time—
Whoosh—
A sudden rushing sound cut through the air. The instant Garp's fist came down, Akira left behind an afterimage and appeared in front of him as if by magic.
"Old man, you're too slow!"
Without hesitation, Akira's fist, carrying just as much terrifying force, expanded rapidly in Garp's pupils.
Thud—
With a muffled boom, the fist's terrifying force smashed through Garp's Armament Haki defense. To the astonishment of the Headquarters Officers watching from afar, Garp shot away like a heavy artillery shell and crashed down a hundred yards away.
Before the Headquarters Officers watching from a distance could react, Akira, who had just punched Garp away, turned and reached toward Gion.
"Gion, lend me your sword!"
Before he'd finished speaking, the Famous Sword Kompira flew out of its sheath at Gion's waist. Akira caught it firmly in his hand.
The moment Akira took hold of Kompira, fiery clouds instantly covered and coiled around its blade.
The next instant, Akira sprang forward at astonishing speed. He swung Kompira, wreathed in fiery clouds, through the air at Garp a hundred yards away.
In an instant, a dazzling blade of energy surged forth like divine punishment. It churned the air into a dizzying low-frequency vibration and carried the terrifying force to cut through anything, reaching Garp just as he'd gotten back to his feet and prepared to counterattack.
"This is—"
"Divine Evasion!!!!"
As the terrifying slash filled his vision, Garp's eyes widened in alarm. He had no time to dodge and could only unleash his Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki without holding back.
But he was still a step too slow.
With a thunderous boom, black-and-red fiery clouds burst forth and filled the space. Then a sense of death rushed over Garp, and his body was sent flying uncontrollably at astonishing speed.
Boom, boom, boom—
Amid a series of deafening crashes, Garp smashed through several buildings. He could no longer hold back; he opened his mouth and spat out a mist of blood, then crashed into Marineford's plaza amid the flying rubble.
In an instant, as Garp hit the plaza, it was as if every sound around them had vanished. The officers watching from afar stared wide-eyed, utterly stunned that Akira had defeated Garp with a single blow.
It wasn't just the officers watching from afar. Even Borsalino and Kuzan, the two Admirals standing atop the Headquarters Building, couldn't help drawing a sharp breath when they saw Akira defeat Garp with a single move.
When they'd seen Akira release his Conqueror's Haki and clash with Garp's, they'd realized Akira had been hiding his strength all these years. But they'd still underestimated his potential.
"Was that Divine Evasion?"
After a brief moment of shock, Borsalino pushed up the glasses on his nose. His expression was more serious than ever. "I never imagined that, after all these years, the Divine Evasion created by Pirate King Roger would reappear at Marine Headquarters!"
"Roger didn't create Divine Evasion!"
Kuzan shook his head, his expression just as serious. "Before the Battle of Aethelred began, I once followed Mr. Garp to the New World. When Roger used Divine Evasion, he was standing still. But Marshal Akira unleashed his just now while moving! More importantly, when Roger was executed, Marshal Akira was only six or seven years old. He couldn't have seen Roger, let alone learned swordsmanship from him."
"It's hard to imagine, but clearly, Marshal Akira created this version of Divine Evasion himself."
Gion was the most shocked of all.
She was shocked because Akira's first exposure to swordsmanship had been through her. At the time, she was a temporary instructor at the officer training camp. After discovering that Akira had a remarkable talent for swordsmanship, she'd tried teaching him for a while.
Although Akira's rapid progress over the years had astonished her, she'd always believed she still had a slight edge over him at swordsmanship. But after seeing his last slash, which could only be called astonishing, she finally understood that Akira had grown beyond anything she could hope to match.
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Suddenly, a series of violent coughs broke the plaza's sudden silence.
Garp rolled over and sat up, paying no mind to the horrifying wound across his chest. He stared wide-eyed at Akira, standing with his sword in hand. "We agreed to compare our Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki! Why'd you suddenly use a sword..."
"Ow—"
Before he could finish, Garp cried out in pain. Then he looked down at the wound Akira's slash had carved across his chest and cursed furiously. "You little brat! Were you trying to cut me in half!?"
Watching Garp's reaction, Akira's mouth twitched. He casually tossed Kompira straight into the sheath at Gion's waist and said flatly, "You can still curse, so you're not going to die."
With that, Akira turned and walked over to Gion. "Come on. That fight made me even hungrier~"
Before you continue