Rocks Makes His Move! Battling Garp!

"Garp... Tsuru... Is this the hidden trump card of the Navy?"

On the deck of the flagship of the Rocks Pirates, Rocks raised his eyes.

There was no surprise in his gaze, only the clarity and contempt of a chess player who had seen through his opponent's hole cards.

From the very beginning of the battle, his top-tier Observation Haki had already enveloped the entire sea area.

As for those two powerful auras that were deliberately restrained, yet remained as conspicuous as lighthouses in the dark night?

How could they possibly escape his perception?

"Heh... Just as I expected.

But with just this lineup, you think you can annihilate my Rocks Pirates?"

Rocks slowly raised his right hand and gripped the hilt of the long sword at his waist.

It was an ancient long sword, pitch-black from hilt to tip, with a crossguard shaped like a demon's fangs.

He tightened his five fingers, and his knuckles let out a crisp, explosive crack.

"That is... looking down on me far too much."

The moment his voice fell—

The air exploded!

The figure of Rocks vanished from the deck instantly.

The moment he disappeared, a pure white sonic boom cloud was left in his wake.

The next instant—

He had crossed hundreds of meters of sea like a demon god descending!

There were no afterimages, no trajectory; he simply appeared abruptly in the center of the battlefield where Garp and Shiki were confronting each other!

His long sword was already unsheathed, the blade trailing pitch-black lightning.

The tip of the blade pointed straight at Garp's head!

"Oh no—!!"

"Rocks has made his move personally!!"

"The target is Vice Admiral Garp!!!"

The Navy camp instantly fell into unprecedented panic.

Conversely, the Rocks Pirates erupted with roars like a mountain of shouting and a sea of howling.

In the eyes of every pirate burned a worship and fanaticism bordering on madness; it was the frenzy of believers witnessing the descent of a true god:

"The Captain has moved—!!"

"Hahaha... The Navy is finished! They are dead meat!"

"Follow the Captain and charge! Send these scumbags to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish!"

"Rocks! Rocks! Rocks!!"

The shouting swept across the battlefield like tidal waves, drowning out even the roar of artillery and the screams of the dying.

The pirates counterattacked with the ferocity of those injected with adrenaline, and the wavering caused by Garp's appearance vanished in an instant.

"Garp! Watch out—!!"

From various parts of the battlefield, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru all shouted sharply at the same time.

Garp stomped his right foot hard, his Geppo exploding with seven layers of sonic booms in the air.

His body shot upward like an arrow released from a bow; he pulled his right fist to his waist, gathered his strength, twisted his body, and threw it out!

This punch was named—

"Iron Fist: Fist Bone!!!"

Clang—!!!

The moment the sword energy collided with the fist, the world lost its sound.

In its place was the explosion of black lightning!

Pitch-black electric snakes spread through the air like a spiderweb, and the shockwave expanded in a spherical shape.

One-tenth of a second after the collision, the sea surface below suddenly caved in, creating a hemispherical crater over two hundred meters in diameter.

Under the extreme pressure, the seawater instantly vaporized, turning into a massive pillar of white mist that shot into the sky.

Garp's figure swayed violently in the air.

A needle-like stinging pain shot from his Fist Bone, and his eyes grew grave to the extreme.

"Not bad."

Rocks stood in mid-air holding his sword, his long hair dancing wildly in the violent air currents like a demon.

There was no anger in his eyes; instead, a trace of appreciation for a strong opponent flickered within them:

"Monkey D. Garp... you truly live up to the name of 'D'."

Rocks suddenly sheathed his blade. The moment the long sword clicked into its scabbard, the black lightning ravaging the surroundings receded like a tide, and his voice turned abruptly solemn:

"Join me."

Three words, yet they caused the atmosphere of the entire battlefield to shift instantly.

"The position of vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates is reserved for you at any time."

The voice of Rocks carried clearly to the ears of everyone present:

"You and I are both of the 'D' clan; you should understand... this world requires a thorough cleansing.

The corrupt World Government, the hypocritical Celestial Dragons, the masses blinded by lies—"

Rocks slowly raised his right hand, palm upward, as if he were about to hoist the entire sky:

"All of this should be shattered and reshaped."

"Garp, your power should not be wasted on maintaining this filthy order."

"Come to my side. Join me in—"

"Creating a new era."

As these words fell, the entire battlefield plunged into a deathly silence.

Everyone who could understand these words—

Whether they were Marine officers or pirate executives, all were dumbfounded, their minds blank.

Recruitment?

Rocks... was recruiting the Marine Vice Admiral, Fist Garp?!

"Jiehahaha... the captain wants to recruit that Marine mad dog?!"

Golden Lion Shiki was stunned for a moment, then erupted into a wild laugh that seemed to tear at his throat:

"Interesting! This is too interesting! This is even more fun than robbing the Heavenly Tribute!"

The members of the Rocks Pirates also recovered from their shock, erupting into thunderous, excited howls:

"As expected of the captain! He even wants to poach a Marine Vice Admiral!"

"If Garp really joins, who in this sea could stop us?! The World Government is nothing!"

"Vice-captain! Vice-captain! Vice-captain!!"

Sengoku snorted coldly: "If that bastard Garp were going to defect, he would have run off with Roger long ago."

He knew Garp too well—slacker, insubordinate, constantly making Fleet Admiral Kong jump with rage, even daring to defy Marine Headquarters orders just to chase after Roger...

But the "lazy justice" deep in his bones was more stubborn than the convictions of anyone else at Marine Headquarters.

Garp's justice was not a set of articles written in military regulations, nor was it a will imposed by the Celestial Dragons; it was an instinct fused into his blood and carved into his marrow.

That instinct ensured he would never associate with someone like Rocks.

"Gurarara... Sengoku, you don't seem worried at all?"

Whitebeard laughed as he swung Murakumogiri, the Tremor Power condensing into a translucent orb of light on the blade, his tone full of amusement:

"Aren't you afraid Garp might actually go with Rocks? That's the position of vice-captain!"

"Hmph."

Sengoku smashed an incoming shockwave with his massive palm, his golden Buddha light as intense as the sun:

"Don't lump that bastard in with the likes of you."

His gaze shifted toward Garp, his voice resolute:

"No matter how stupid, how chaotic, or how much of a headache he is..."

"He is a Marine."

"He always will be."

"How about it, Garp?"

The voice of Rocks was as calm as an ancient well, yet it contained a magic that could shake a person's heart:

"Do you choose the decaying Marines to continue being a watchdog for the Celestial Dragons..."

"Or—"

He raised his blade, pointing toward the sky:

"Do you choose the dawn that will change the world?"

The sea breeze stilled at this moment.

Everyone's gaze—Marine and pirate alike—focused on that figure in the dog-head cap.

Garp looked up.

The scattered, lazy, and cynical look in his eyes vanished completely in this moment.

Replacing it was a resolve as heavy and cold as iron.

"Rocks."

He slowly clenched his fists, his Armament Haki surging once more.

This time, the pitch-black color was no longer confined to the surface of his skin; it transformed into tangible black lightning that danced, coiled, and hissed across his knuckles!

"You know..."

Garp grinned, revealing his stark white teeth, his smile devoid of any warmth:

"The thing I hate most—"

He pulled his right fist back to his waist and crouched slightly, like a bowstring drawn to its limit.

"—is scum like you who think you're so high and mighty, treating the world like a toy!!!"

His roar exploded like thunder!

The air beneath Garp's feet shrieked as he unleashed a combination of Soru and Geppo, pushing them beyond their limits.

His figure blurred into an invisible afterimage, lunging straight at Rocks!

His right fist, launched!

"Iron Fist Justice!!!"

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of Rocks.

His long blade met the strike head-on!

Blade and fist collided once again!

This time—

The entire sky was instantly blanketed by black lightning snakes, the sunlight was completely blotted out, and the world plunged into an eerie darkness.

The peak showdown had officially erupted!