Boom—!!!
It was like two meteors colliding head-on in a cramped space, the deafening roar instantly filling the entire tavern.
Terrifying white shockwaves erupted from where their fists met and swept wildly in every direction.
The sturdy solid-wood bar counter bore the brunt of it, forcibly crushed with spiderweb-like cracks that creaked painfully.
Crash—
The colorful wine bottles and goblets on the shelves were as fragile as paper before the indiscriminate shockwave, instantly exploding into countless glittering shards as liquor splashed everywhere.
Wood splinters, glass fragments, and overturned tables and chairs danced wildly through the air. The entire Party's Bar looked as though it had been ravaged by a Category 12 typhoon, reduced to utter wreckage.
"Urgh!"
Garp let out a muffled grunt.
He felt a terrifying force, overwhelming as a landslide and tsunami and mixed with a violent, destructive aura, surge up his right arm against the flow, savagely battering his bones and muscles.
That power was beyond imagination—power that absolutely should not have belonged to a brat barely over ten years old!
Under that irresistible recoil, the Marine hero who had fought countless battles and strode unhindered through the New World actually lost control of his body and was forced back an entire step!
His booted feet plowed two deep trenches into the thick wooden floor before he barely managed to steady himself.
At the same time.
Lei En was not having an easy time either.
Though Garp's punch had only been a probing Love Fist and had not used his full Haki, it was still a top-tier martial technique that had crushed countless great pirates!
The tremendous impact instantly reduced the barstool beneath Lei En to dust.
He flipped through the air and slid back three or four meters as well, his feet scraping two charred trails across the floor before he stopped.
"Phew..."
Lei En shook his slightly numb right hand and took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging blood and energy within him.
As expected of old man Garp. That fist is even harder than I imagined.
He muttered to himself, but his face showed no weakness whatsoever. He still wore that carefree, outrageously arrogant expression.
Meanwhile.
After steadying himself, Garp had completely lost his previous carefree, flippant demeanor.
He lowered his head and looked at his right fist, which was slightly numb and even trembling faintly beyond his control.
Then he abruptly raised his head. His aged eyes beneath those thick brows stared fixedly and incredulously at Lei En standing opposite him.
More precisely, he was staring at Lei En's right fist, the one that had just clashed with his.
At this moment.
The inky black substance covering Lei En's fist, gleaming with a cold metallic luster, had not yet fully faded.
Several faint, deeply ominous black-red arcs of electricity still crackled across its surface before gradually dissipating into the air.
Advanced Armament Haki—the Internal Destruction form of "Flowing Sakura"!
Suspected Conqueror's Coating!
Garp's mouth fell slightly open, his jaw dropping so dramatically that it nearly hit his broad chest.
His weathered, wrinkled face was filled with shock and horror, as though he had seen a ghost.
"What's with your Armament Haki...?!"
Garp's voice trembled slightly from his extreme astonishment.
He did not understand.
He truly could not understand!
Armament Haki was an advanced power that could only be awakened and mastered through brutally harsh, hellish physical training that often skirted the edge of life and death!
Even he himself had only honed his Armament Haki to its current flawless peak after countless life-or-death battles, around the age of thirty.
But this brat in front of him?
At most, he was barely over ten!
He was still at the age where he had barely grown any hair!
Yet not only had he awakened Armament Haki, the density and hardness of it were exceptional—and he had even mastered that advanced flowing technique capable of Internal Destruction?!
Even more terrifying, during that punch exchange, Garp had faintly sensed a kingly pressure that made even his heart tremble!
That was undoubtedly Conqueror's Haki, possessed by only one person in a million—and it was even the exceedingly rare coating technique!
"Monster..."
Garp swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
"You brat, you're a complete and utter monster!"
He had lived most of his life. He had witnessed Roger's boldness, Whitebeard's dominance, and Golden Lion's madness.
But in terms of talent and potential, he dared swear to the heavens that the brat before him was the greatest prodigy he had ever seen, utterly without equal!
At ten years old, he could take one of Garp's punches head-on without losing!
If he was allowed another eight or ten years to grow, who in these seas could possibly keep him in check?!
Even the admirals of Marine Headquarters, perhaps even Fleet Admiral Sengoku, would have to weigh their own worth before this monster!
At that thought.
The shock and horror in Garp's eyes were instantly replaced by an unprecedentedly fervent gleam, blazing like fire!
If such an uncut peerless gem, already radiating such dazzling brilliance, was allowed to become a pirate, it would absolutely be the greatest disaster the World Government and Marines had faced in eight hundred years!
But looking at it from the other side.
If he could pull this monster brat into the Marines...
Then the Marines would have an absolutely invincible guardian for the next hundred years! An ultimate weapon capable of suppressing an entire era!
Garp's breathing grew heavy. The old warrior's heart, which had gradually fallen silent after Roger's death, began pounding fiercely once more.
"Uncle, what kind of look is that?"
Lei En looked at Garp's shining eyes, which stared at him as if he were some priceless treasure, and goosebumps rose all over his body.
He curled his lip in disgust and took half a step back.
"I'm warning you, I have no interest in men—especially filthy old geezers like you."
"Wahahaha! Brat, that mouth of yours sure isn't very likable!"
Garp snapped out of his shock and burst into hearty, ear-splitting laughter.
He strode up to Lei En, completely ignoring Lei En's disgusted gaze and resistant movements.
Thud!
Garp's fan-sized hand clamped tightly onto Lei En's shoulder with such force that Lei En could faintly feel his bones ache.
This old bastard is really afraid I'll run away.
"What are you doing? Let go!"
Lei En frowned and tried to break free of Garp's grip, only to find that the old man's strength was absurdly great. It was like a hydraulic clamp locking him in place.
"Brat!"
Ignoring Lei En's protests entirely, Garp lowered his head until his rugged face was almost pressed against Lei En's nose.
His old eyes gleamed feverishly, and spittle sprayed everywhere in his excitement.
"This old man has taken a liking to you!"
Garp bellowed, his voice echoing through the ruined tavern as though he feared someone might not hear him.
"You're a born monster! Staying in this tiny village is a complete waste of your gifts!"
He pointed at the "Justice" coat on his body, which represented the Marines' highest honor. His tone was filled with domineering certainty and temptation.
"Come with me! Return to Marineford with me and become a Marine!"
"This old man will personally take you as my disciple! I'll teach you the strongest martial arts and raise you into the brightest naval star in Marine history!"
"The position of future admiral, even Fleet Admiral—I can guarantee it will be yours!"
The more Garp spoke, the more excited he became, as if he could already see Lei En in a Justice coat, smashing arrogant pirates apart with a single punch.
If this treatment had been offered to any young man in Foosha Village—even the future Koby and Helmeppo—they would probably have been so thrilled that they burst into tears, dropped to their knees, and kowtowed to accept him as their master.
After all, this was a personal invitation from Marine hero Garp!
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rise straight to the top!
Makino, who was trembling behind the bar, covered her little mouth in astonishment when she heard Garp's words.
She did not know exactly how strong Lei En was, but she knew very well what status Mr. Garp held within the Marines.
For Mr. Garp to lose his composure so completely, even promising him the positions of admiral and Fleet Admiral—just who was this mysterious young man?
However.
Faced with an invitation that would drive every young person in the world mad.
Lei En's face did not show even the slightest hint of temptation.
He looked at the expectant Garp standing so close to him, then raised his other hand in utter disgust and waved it in front of his face, as if dispersing the spittle Garp had sprayed.
Then.
Under Garp's utterly stunned and baffled gaze.
Lei En slowly raised his head, a deeply calculating and faintly mocking sneer curling across his lips.
"Become a Marine? Become a watchdog for those pig-like Celestial Dragons wearing bubble helmets?"
Lei En stared directly into Garp's eyes and arrogantly spat out three words, one by one.
"Dream on."
Before you continue