Though the Pirate World was a dangerous place, most people their age hadn't even held a decent weapon, much less fought someone to the death with real blades and guns.
Yet the man standing before them—the one they'd dismissed as someone who'd gotten in through connections—had seemed utterly harmless. He'd even looked disabled before coming aboard. And yet he'd taken more lives than most of the regular Marines!
The rookie Marines, now aware of Wood's "true nature," were extremely relieved that they hadn't provoked the dangerous man aboard the ship, out of consideration for his connection to Zephyr. Otherwise, by now...
After Zephyr's round of awkward praise, Wood could clearly feel the way everyone around him was looking at him change. His own face had turned as sour as a bitter melon.
This was completely at odds with the image he'd wanted to maintain. He had to find a way to turn things around and make everyone see him differently!
"Admiral Zephyr, you're giving me too much credit. I'm just a kid. How could I possibly have killed a vicious pirate with a 20-million-Belly bounty?
"The townspeople on the island helped take down the pirate crew. The captain was all bluster, too, and he was already badly wounded when he came along. I just got lucky and landed the finishing blow."
Compared to Zephyr's account, Wood's explanation was clearly much easier to believe.
After all, Wood was only sixteen. And pirates weren't made of wood. It was hard to believe that the seemingly shy, sunny boy in front of them had cut down the pirates like vegetables.
"But even if what you say is true, and you only came along to pick up the scraps, it's still remarkable for someone your age to have the guts to kill so many pirates.
"Since Zephyr thinks so highly of you, let's see if you really have the grit he claims."
Before Wood could react, he felt himself enveloped by a powerful presence almost as soon as Garp finished speaking.
The source of that presence was the Marine Hero standing right in front of him—Monkey D. Garp!
Garp was a Navy Vice Admiral and a renowned hero of the Marines, yet he was actually taking a newly enlisted recruit seriously!
Garp didn't have Conqueror's Haki, and the power he was using now wasn't Haki.
But after so many years of fighting across the seas, Garp had developed an imposing presence of his own, even without "Conqueror's Haki."
The force surrounding Wood now was Garp's own powerful presence, along with the killing intent he was directing at him.
Since the force he released was like Conqueror's Haki and couldn't be aimed at just one person, everyone nearby felt it when Garp let his presence and killing intent loose.
Seeing Garp act so recklessly, Zephyr immediately stepped in front of the recruits with his tall frame, using his own presence to shield them from the terrifying pressure.
The other recruits had Zephyr protecting them, but Wood wasn't so lucky.
Since he'd been singled out earlier, Wood was standing closest to Garp. He bore the brunt of the pressure brought on by that killing intent.
The unlucky Rear Admiral Kadaru was also nearby, only a few steps from Wood. He, too, was now a prime target.
Some people thought Garp was kind, but Wood figured that was all relative. Could a man who'd thrown his grandson into the jungle before he was even ten really be that kind?
The killing intent surged toward him like a flood. In that instant, Wood felt as though he'd been plunged into an icy cavern.
There was nothing physically weighing him down, but Wood felt as if his shoulders bore a thousand-ton burden. The immense pressure made his consciousness begin to blur, and his legs started trembling of their own accord.
As each pore on his body sensed the presence around him, his instincts sounded the alarm.
It was the natural domination a predator at the top of the food chain held over its prey. Wood's instincts as a living creature sensed the danger, and once his brain received the signal, it sent it down every nerve in his body.
Garp still stood exactly as he had before, continuing to pop rice crackers into his mouth.
Yet the feeling he gave Wood was entirely different now. He was still the same old man, but Wood felt as though he were facing a towering mountain whose peak he couldn't see!
The pressure slowly forced Wood to bend at the waist. As he endured the indescribable weight, he considered giving up and simply lying flat on the ground. It would fit the image he'd tried to cultivate from the start.
But his instincts told him that if he did, he'd never make any more progress on the path of the sword. Becoming a Swordsman would remain nothing but a dream.
On the path of the sword, you either advanced or fell behind. Only by daring to challenge the strong could your resolve and skill with the sword be honed—like Zoro challenging Hawkeye, and Hawkeye challenging Whitebeard.
It was one thing to be a coward in everyday life, but if he backed down now, Wood's instincts told him he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
Cold sweat had soaked his back, and his feet had carved two deep dents into the ground. Yet despite his desperate resistance, his knees kept bending further and further.
Just as Wood was about to lose consciousness beneath the viscous killing intent that seemed almost tangible, Zephyr finally couldn't stand watching any longer and called a halt.
"Garp, that's enough. The kid's injuries just healed. You'll make them flare up again."
The terrifying presence came and went just as quickly. The suffocating killing intent receded like the tide, and Wood's body immediately gave way beneath him. He collapsed onto the ground and gasped for breath.
He hadn't done anything, yet Wood felt that what had just happened was more dangerous than his earlier fight with Iron Arm Cook.
Only a few minutes had passed, but Wood felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
"Well now, this kid really has something. He managed to stay conscious even with my presence bearing down on him like that.
"With this kind of spirit, I can't say much about your current strength, but I can say for certain that you'll make quite a name for yourself someday."
Wood sat on the ground, gasping for breath. Hearing Garp's words, he looked completely baffled.
By his own reckoning, he'd just performed abysmally. Why was he getting such high praise?
Garp could tell from Wood's confused expression what he was thinking. He tilted his head and gestured for Wood to look behind him.
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