One Punch

The Marine Headquarters at Marineford, with its unique geographical location, easily defensible terrain, and the presence of numerous elite fighters, was absolutely the Navy's most fortified and vital military stronghold.

Passing through the towering main building emblazoned with the seagull flag emblem and the massive words "Marine," Leon followed Garp into the residential area for Navy families.

Given Garp's standing in the Navy, even though he spent most of the year at sea, he still had a private courtyard in Marineford.

Sengoku and the others had matters to attend to, leaving only Zephyr to accompany them.

Along the way, Zephyr watched Leon's physique gradually return to normal, his expression growing serious.

Life Return?

That didn't seem right. This kid Leon possessed such formidable digestive ability—just how astonishing would his physical constitution be...

That brat Garp picked up might truly be a freak of nature with extraordinary talent!

Leon was also quietly observing Zephyr, a Marine admiral who received little attention in the original work, yet another tragic figure in Oda's story.

A man filled with righteousness at heart, known as the "Non-Killing" admiral, yet his family died at the hands of pirates.

The one who severed his arm and killed many Marines even brazenly joined the Navy as a Shichibukai.

This drove him to resolutely establish the NEO Marines, only to die at the hands of his own prized student...

"Hey! Kid Leon, what are you so lost in thought about?"

Leon snapped back to reality; the three of them had already arrived at Garp's private courtyard.

Looking at the stern Zephyr, Garp chuckled.

"So, what do you think? Did this old man lie to you?"

Zephyr nodded lightly. This youth named Leon was clearly a rough gem.

In Garp's hands, it was like casting pearls before swine. If it were me, it'd be different...

This old man Zephyr, just an ordinary instructor in the Navy, had barely managed to train a few future Marine admirals...

"Zephyr! You old bastard, you're not plotting something, are you?"

"How could that be..."

Garp eyed Zephyr with suspicion, pulled a bag of Senbei from his pocket, grabbed a handful, and viciously stuffed it into his mouth.

"You'd better not be!"

"Kid Leon! You'll stay here for now. Once your injuries heal, go register at the Navy enlistment office."

"This old man has already put in a word."

Leon nodded. Until the silver fiber bandages he'd asked Kuzan to have made arrived, he still had to avoid moving around too much.

Garp's courtyard was spacious enough, and people rarely came by.

As for Garp himself, after close contact with Leon for so many days, he hadn't shown any signs of discomfort.

Leon even wondered if Garp's body had already developed some kind of antibody...

"Speaking of which, this old man hasn't asked your age yet."

"..."

This simple question genuinely stumped Leon.

His current human form looked identical to his appearance as a youth in his past life.

As for his Godzilla form, as an Atomic Monster that had endured through the ages.

Age was nothing more than a unit of measurement humans had set based on natural changes applied to themselves.

A single hibernation for Godzilla could span tens of thousands of years...

"I should be... sixteen?"

Leon said hesitantly.

"You bastard, you don't even remember your own age?"

Garp laughed, but his thick-headed nature meant he didn't dwell on such trivial matters.

He finished the remaining Senbei in one go, wiped his hands on his black suit jacket.

Standing in front of Leon, Garp shrugged off his Coat of Justice and looked down at him from his full height. "Come on, let this old man see your current strength!"

Ah, hey?

That "looked down" was used in its literal sense here.

This fully real world of One Piece wasn't like Oda's manga, where character sizes were adjusted for visual effect.

Leon craned his neck to look up at Garp, who stood at two meters eighty-seven. His powerful physique loomed before Leon, who was now of average build, like a solid wall.

"Don't be nervous. Just use all your strength to attack this old man!"

Garp saw Leon's hesitation and said with a grin that he was just testing his strength and definitely wouldn't fight back.

"You're the one who told me to hit you."

Leon looked at Garp's utterly carefree expression. At his height, a punch aimed straight ahead would land right on Garp's abdomen.

To be safe, I'll only use half my strength.

Until now, Leon had never received any martial arts training; he only knew that the best punches started with power from the legs.

He took a deep breath and simply closed his eyes.

His right leg pushed off the ground, his hips twisted, and his shoulder followed through. He threw a clean, unrestrained punch, but felt no feedback from hitting a target.

He opened his eyes.

Garp looked like he'd seen a ghost, already standing several meters away from Leon.

"Hahahahaha!"

Zephyr, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but burst out laughing. Garp shot him a hard glare, a bit embarrassed.

But looking at the deep crater left by Leon's right foot, and the bandages that had been shattered by the sudden, immense force, Garp realized he had been too cocky.

If it weren't for the combat instincts honed through countless battles over the years, he would have taken Leon's punch head-on without any defense just now.