A Sorry Escape

Back at Baratie, Gato had not yet been a pirate. Not long after the news spread, the Marines had sent a high-ranking rear admiral to recruit him, showing just how highly they regarded him.

He figured the Marines would react even faster and more fiercely now, so he could not keep dragging his feet. Not a moment could be wasted; some things had to be planned early.

If they blocked him before Reverse Mountain, he would have no choice but to enter the Grand Line through the far more dangerous Calm Belt.

So although Gato had been delighted to see his bounty poster, he traveled even more desperately. He pushed Divine Wind Control at full power until he had spent over half his chakra, then continued onward once his chakra had fully recovered, repeating the cycle.

This was fast, but he was not a machine. He needed rest, and chakra recovery took a great deal of time as well.

The Marines were no slower. Ever since Garp had ordered full speed ahead, they had not stopped moving. A collision between the two sides seemed inevitable.

"Phew... I finally made it. So this is Reverse Mountain? What a magnificent sight!"

After searching for Reverse Mountain for so long, Gato had finally caught sight of it.

But the saying that a horse could be run to death chasing a mountain applied at sea as well, especially given Reverse Mountain's towering height.

After first spotting Reverse Mountain, Gato spent another day before he finally saw its foot.

If a large section of the mountain had not been hidden by clouds, it might have taken even longer.

Yet even with its base in sight, reaching it would likely still require a considerable journey.

He could already sense that the currents here were becoming abnormal. His ship seemed to be getting "drawn" toward Reverse Mountain, so he decided to stop and rest first.

Constantly expending and recovering chakra while traveling had indeed trained his recovery ability, but it had also left him mentally exhausted.

Reverse Mountain might be the last and most powerful "enemy" Gato would encounter in the East Blue. He had to be fully prepared; otherwise, if he ran out of strength, he risked falling into the sea and being smashed to pieces.

Just as he stopped to rest and recover his energy and chakra, Garp's warship arrived in these waters as well.

"Report! A ship has been spotted ahead. Judging by its pirate flag, it should be the target vessel. The target appears to be resting, preparing to charge Reverse Mountain."

Garp lowered the finger he had been using to pick his nose and said in astonishment, "How did he get here so fast? Never mind that—catch up to him! We can't let him get away."

As Garp's order was passed down, the warship seemed to shift into yet another gear, rapidly closing in on Gato's ship.

Of course, Gato had not stopped to rest so he could sleep soundly. He was not stupid enough to lower all his guard while knowing the Marines were coming after him.

In fact, he had not slept for more than ten days, replacing sleep with meditation while also keeping watch on the wind. Before Garp's warship even drew close, he had already noticed something was wrong.

"A warship? Just as I thought, the Marines reacted fast. Too bad—I'm still one step ahead. Gahahaha, you can just stay behind me and eat my—"

Gato's arrogant laughter abruptly stopped. Once Garp's warship rapidly approached, he saw who was aboard—Garp. Garp's signature dog-head hat was far too recognizable.

"Uh... How is that possible?! Have the Marines gone insane? They sent a big shot like this to deal with me?"

"They've gone mad..."

Gato muttered as he sprang into action. He had not fully recovered, but compared to Reverse Mountain, Garp was even more terrifying.

As though racing Death itself, Gato used every ounce of strength he had to haul up the anchor, then rushed to the helm.

"Wind Release—Divine Wind Control!"

With death hanging over him, even Gato's hand signs became a little faster. Of course, that was also thanks to his strong nerves. Someone else might have panicked and fumbled, becoming even slower.

Whoosh!

A violent gale descended without warning, and his ship immediately began moving toward Reverse Mountain. At the same time, he diverted part of his focus to control the wind around Garp's ship, making it blow in the opposite direction.

The result was immediate. The distance that had been steadily shrinking between them began widening again, frightening Garp's first mate into rushing over to report.

"Report, Vice Admiral! The target vessel has suddenly accelerated, and a violent gale is blocking us. I've already ordered the men to furl the sails."

Garp snapped irritably, "Nonsense! I'm not blind, and I'm not stupid. Bring me some cannonballs!"

The wind was incredibly powerful. Garp held his dog-head hat down tightly to keep it from blowing away, while even the strong Marine soldiers could barely take a step.

But such a trick could not stump Garp. Once the first mate brought over a basket of cannonballs, Garp took him along in an instant and appeared at the bow.

"You're really arrogant, you little brat. Taste my cannonball of justice."

He grabbed one of the cannonballs and coated it with Armament Haki. Since the cannonball was already black, there was no visible change, but getting hit by it would be no joke.

Being struck by such a cannonball would definitely end far worse than being hit by an ordinary one.

Of course, Garp was not trying to kill Gato. He merely wanted to destroy the ship first. He believed an attack of this level would not kill Gato.

There was none of the deafening boom of an ordinary cannon firing. The "Garp-brand" cannon launched in complete silence.

Even under the hurricane's influence, the cannonball did not deviate from its flight path, faithfully carrying out the task Garp had given it.

Bang!

The cannonball struck Gato's ship, blasting a huge hole in its hull with an explosion like rolling thunder.

"Damn it!"

Gato could no longer spare attention to steering the ship. He had to stop Garp's cannonball barrage, or he could be sunk at any moment.

The currents in these waters were now too turbulent for water walking, while using Divine Wind Control to fly consumed even more than propelling this ship. So unless he reached his absolute limit, he would not abandon ship.

Reverse Mountain, that formidable enemy, was still waiting ahead of him. Truly, he was caught between a wolf in front and a tiger behind.

In the brief time it took Gato to reach the stern, Garp had already thrown another cannonball, and it was about to strike Gato's ship.

"Lightning Release—Lightning Enhancement, extend!"

"Thunder Crow!"

Gato did not dare delay. He drew Bright Light and immediately unleashed his strongest offensive technique aside from Divine Void Strike.

Bright Light let out an excited shriek. It had long yearned to fight powerful opponents, and now its chance had finally come.

GIAAAAAAAA!

Gato slashed at the black cannonball, intending to split it apart, but things did not go as he wished.

Bright Light's blade struck the cannonball's surface and could not advance an inch, producing an extremely piercing screech. Sparks continuously burst from the point where they collided.