Old Man, Use Conqueror's Coating on Me!

Farther away, atop another hill.

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy sat in a row.

Each held a sandwich Makino had made.

"Do you think Kahn can win?"

Sabo took a bite of his sandwich, curiosity in his eyes.

"Don't know."

Ace's expression was grave.

"But I know that if we don't work hard..."

"We might not even be able to see their backs for the rest of our lives."

Luffy grinned foolishly.

"Big Brother Kahn is the strongest!"

He was not worried at all.

In his heart, Kahn was synonymous with invincibility.

No matter how strong Grandpa was, Big Brother Kahn would definitely beat him flat in the end.

Deep within Mount Colubo.

The sounds of collision continued.

Every tremor sent birds flying into the air.

This was Kahn's ordinary, boring day.

Eating.

Sleeping.

Beating up the old man.

And.

Basking in the Sun.

The winds of the new era were blowing ever fiercer.

And this traveler from another world.

Sat at the heart of the storm.

Watching the world move forward with cold eyes.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the moment when he could truly shine.

Before then.

He only wanted to see whether the hero of these seas.

Could take one of his punches.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds.

Golden radiance spilled across the earth.

Kahn felt his power swelling.

His gaze grew deeper and deeper.

One Piece?

Marine Admiral?

Those were far too small.

What he wanted.

Was to become the Sun that would never set over these seas.

Dust in the clearing was swept in all directions by the violent wind.

Garp's callused Iron Fist collided with Kahn's right fist.

The air between their fists let out a muffled explosion.

Garp felt an unreasonable, overwhelming force bore through his knuckles and into his arm.

That power was terrifyingly heavy, like an entire mountain had slammed into him sideways.

Last year, he could have pinned the brat into the mud with only half his strength.

Back then, Kahn had surprised him too, but he had still been within the Marine hero's control.

But now, fine beads of sweat had already formed on Garp's forehead.

He had pushed his physical strength to its limit, and even his bones let out faint grinding sounds.

Yet Kahn across from him still looked utterly calm.

There was not a trace of retreat in those golden eyes. Instead, they shone with a thrilling excitement.

"Old man, is this what you call giving it your all?"

Kahn's voice remained remarkably steady amid the fierce collision.

He even had the leisure to adjust his stance.

Garp said nothing. A breath was lodged in his throat.

He had rampaged through the New World for decades, and his fists had crushed countless great pirates with bounties over a hundred million.

Those who called themselves monsters usually could not last more than three moves before his fists.

Yet now, he could do nothing to a nine-year-old child.

Garp abruptly withdrew his fist, then threw dozens of afterimages in a single second.

This was a combination variant of the Navy Six Powers' Finger Pistol and rapid strikes.

Every punch carried a shriek that tore through the air, powerful enough to break a warship in half.

Kahn did not choose to dodge. He took a deep breath as golden energy flowed across his body.

He swung both fists as well, meeting Garp's barrage head-on.

Dense metallic clangs rang through the valley.

It was an illusion produced when physical strength reached a certain extreme.

In the distance, Bogart had already gripped the hilt of his sword.

The composure on his face had completely vanished, replaced by deep wariness.

He could tell that Vice Admiral Garp was no longer holding back.

Other than not using those destructive Haki techniques, the vice admiral had brought out his strongest martial arts.

Yet that boy stood as steady as a mountain amid the airtight assault.

The shockwaves from every collision of fists stripped layer after layer from the surrounding ground.

The longer Garp fought, the more alarmed he became.

Last year, when he used his full strength, he really could have easily suppressed this grandson of his.

Back then, Kahn's physical abilities had been outrageous, but they were still within the bounds of human understanding.

But now?

Garp felt as though he were striking a piece of red-hot, ancient black iron.

It was as if a constantly expanding Sun had been installed inside Kahn's body. With every passing second, the force returned to him grew stronger.

This completely defied the logic of biological growth.

Even Roger in his youth, or Kaido, known as the "Strongest Creature in the World."

Could never have possessed such brute strength at the age of nine.

Garp unleashed a side kick, the black gleam of Armament Haki on his toes carving a brutal arc through the air.

Kahn raised his knee and forcefully took the kick.

Garp felt as if his toes had struck an unshakable steel pillar.

The tremendous recoil nearly made him lose his balance.

This brat had not even used Armament Haki, yet he had blocked his Haki-infused attack with nothing but his raw body.

Garp retreated more than ten meters, crushing scattered rocks beneath his feet.

He panted heavily, his shirt soaked through with sweat.

Kahn, across from him, merely rolled his neck, producing a series of cracks.

"You've gotten weaker, old man."

Kahn grinned, revealing a row of stark white teeth.

Under normal circumstances, such provocation would have made Garp leap up and reward him with a Love Fist.

But now, Garp only stared fixedly at Kahn's arm.

There was only a faint red mark on it, left by the Armament Haki from earlier.

It was fading at a visible speed.

Garp knew very well that if they continued to compete in strength like this, he would soon fall behind.

This was not merely a gap in stamina. It was a gap in the very level of life.

If he wanted to maintain his dignity as a grandfather, or rather, suppress this awakened little lion.

He had to bring out his true killing move.

It was a realm that only those standing at the pinnacle of the world could touch.

Conqueror's Coating.

It was an attack method that could make even the arrogant captains of the New World despair.

But when he looked at Kahn's still somewhat childish face.

Garp hesitated.

That power was too dangerous. One slight mistake, and it would no longer be sparring, but murder.

Kahn was only nine years old. No matter how monstrously strong he was, he was still Garp's grandson.

"Why did you stop?"

Kahn saw Garp's hesitation.

He could feel the terrifying pressure lurking beneath the surface of the old man's body.

It was another kind of power, different from Armament Haki—heavy, domineering, carrying the will to destroy everything.

Kahn knew that it was an advanced application of Conqueror's Haki.

"Are you thinking that if you don't use that black lightning-like power, you can't do anything to me?"

Kahn stepped forward. With every step he took, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the ground.

Garp silently assumed his fighting stance once more.

He was weighing it.

If he truly used that power, Mount Colubo itself might be erased by a single punch.

And if he really damaged Kahn's foundation, how would he face the deceased Rouge?

"Old man, don't underestimate me."