Dog-Head Battleship

The sea gleamed gold beneath the morning light. The waves seemed cleaved by a sharp blade as a long white trail roared toward the Oro Jackson.

Then, that ship appeared.

It was not a mighty steel warship.

Nor was it a stern vessel built to rigid naval regulations.

It was a monster of a ship—so adorable-looking it made one question reality, yet so dangerous that pirates wanted to leap overboard and flee.

Rock raised an eyebrow, his tone breezy. "It's here, huh~"

Rayleigh took a deep breath. "So it really is him..."

From afar, the bow of that "goofy" warship was an incredibly goofy-looking bulldog:

Its huge mouth stretched wide, as if it were giving you a stupid little grin, with a massive bone clamped between its teeth;

A pink tongue dangled from the corner of its mouth, and its round green eyes sparkled with harmless innocence;

Along with a ring of spiked decorations, making it impossible to tell whether it was cute or wanted to bite someone.

The hull had the structure of a vintage sailing ship, its blue-green body patterned with rippling stripes;

Gunports lined both sides in neat rows, their pitch-black cannon muzzles chilling everyone to the bone;

Its main sail billowed high overhead, emblazoned with the striking words—

"Marine HQ·3"

"MARINE"

Red clasps adorned the corners of the sail, while the lookout tower at the top resembled a miniature house.

Cute, yet dangerous.

Goofy, yet deadly.

This was the ship pirates across the entire Grand Line least wanted to encounter, because it belonged to—

—Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp.

"The man who could shatter mountains with a single punch";

"The Navy's mad dog";

"Roger's mortal rival."

The sea heaved violently as if torn apart. Fighting spirit mixed with the sea breeze, making even the air burn hot.

At some point, Roger had sobered up completely and now stood firmly beside Rock.

Unlike the crewmen behind him, who were staggering about in fright, his aura was rapidly rising.

His hand lightly rested on Ace at his waist, his black hair fluttering in the wind. That frenzied fighting spirit only emerged when he encountered his archrival.

He stared at the wildly approaching Dog-Head Battleship, a battle-hungry smile curling his lips.

"Garp..."

Rayleigh had also shifted fully into combat mode, one hand on his sword hilt, every inch of muscle prepared to meet the attack.

But before making a move, he still asked Rock beside him, "You said the reason you came... was him?"

Rock nodded, smiling casually. "After all, you two are recognized by the whole sea as a pair who love and kill each other!"

He made a gesture for "fate" with his hand and continued teasingly,

"Rather than seeking him out myself... I figured following you guys would give me a much better chance of running into him~"

As soon as he finished speaking, Rayleigh's expression froze. "..."

Roger was completely dumbfounded. "???"

The next moment, lightning exploded!

"Bzzzt—!!!"

Rock transformed into pure white lightning and shot into the sky, instantly soaring a hundred meters high. All that remained was an afterimage and his leisurely voice echoing down from above:

"I won't be joining your lovers' quarrel~ Have fun~~~"

Rayleigh: "...Lovers???"

Roger: "Rock, get down here! I like Shakuyaku, damn it!!!"

But the lightning had already gone far beyond reach.

Gaban stepped forward then, carrying two massive axes. Like he was warming up before exercise, he rolled his neck from side to side, battle intent blazing from him like fire.

"Hahaha! Perfect timing! This'll wake us right up!!!"

Rayleigh sighed helplessly, yet his eyes shone with the fiery edge unique to a warrior.

"If that's the case, then let's fight!"

Roger had entered a state of complete exhilaration. He yanked Ace from its sheath, and the blade let out a clear, ringing cry!

"Men!! Prepare for battle—!!!"

"Oooooooooh—!!!!!!"

The entire Oro Jackson seemed to ignite in an instant.

The smells of alcohol, sweat, and gunpowder blended into a fiery storm unique to the sea.

The gun batteries activated!

Blades came out of their sheaths!

Every crewman's blood boiled beneath that heat.

They knew—

It was time once more for a death match against that mad Navy man.

"BOOM—!!!"

The Dog-Head Battleship finally charged into range. The goofy bulldog at its bow now seemed bizarrely dangerous.

And the man standing atop its head was the true monster.

—The young Garp.

His muscles looked forged from steel, his shoulders broad as mountains;

His short black hair whipped wildly in the wind, while a vicious scar over his left eye resembled the mark of a beast;

His blue eyes were sharp enough to bite the air apart.

He threw back his head and laughed wildly, his voice capable of shattering the waves. "Roger! You can't run now—!!!"

As his words fell, he casually hooked a cannonball at his feet and lifted it as easily as if it were a block of tofu, then raised it high with one hand!

The scalps of every pirate aboard went numb at the sight.

Rayleigh said grimly, "Danger—!!"

Gaban gripped his twin axes. "It's coming!!!"

The next second, Garp swung both arms with the force of a giant ape smashing the sky—

"Fist Bone Meteor Shower—!!!"

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!"

Dozens of cannonballs wrapped in Armament Haki were hurled into the sky by his bare hands. Like black meteors, they became dark streaks of light raining down upon the Oro Jackson!

Roger laughed wildly as he stepped forward, his Haki erupting in an instant!

"Hahahaha!! Garp—!! Now that's more like it!!!"

His long sword suddenly left its sheath. Crimson sword energy roared through the sky like a dragon as he swept it sideways—

"BOOM!!!"

Several cannonballs at the front were directly cleaved apart by the Haki-infused slash, flames soaring into the heavens!

At the same time, Rayleigh's figure flashed through the air like a streak of dark blue light. His sword cut through the air in precise strikes!

"Crescent Slash!"

Blue sword energy split into three streams, setting off cannonballs in a chain of explosions midair.

Gaban's twin axes spun amid his wild laughter, churning like a storm!

"Whirling Axe Splitter!!!"

The axe energy became a tornado and collided with the cannonballs, turning the sky into a fireworks display!

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!"

Flames, shattered iron, Haki, and shockwaves mixed together, blasting the sky into a terrifying crimson gold.

The entire sea was illuminated by the explosions. The surface shook violently, and the waves were pressed down and collapsed outward by the blast winds!

Both ships gradually closed in through the explosive aftershocks, while the sea swelled up on both sides beneath their fighting spirit.

"Pull alongside!!!"

"Hold on tight—!!!"

The distance between the Oro Jackson and the Dog-Head Battleship instantly shrank to less than ten meters!

Before anyone could react, a gigantic figure shot into the air from the Dog-Head Battleship!

Garp launched himself skyward like a cannonball, tearing through the air as he charged straight at Roger!

"Roger—!!!"

Roger grinned wildly. With a tap of his toe against the ship's edge, he leaped into the sky as well!

"Garp—!!!"

The two monsters crossed paths in midair, like meteors from heaven and sea about to collide. Their aura tore the air completely apart.

The next instant, Roger roared, "Wild Spirit!!!"

Conqueror's Haki burst forth. Ace trailed crimson lightning as it slashed horizontally toward Garp's abdomen!

Garp roared as well, "Fist Bone Fist!!!"

His entire body was dyed black with Armament Haki, hard as a wall of iron, like the inner lining of a massive cannon.

Ace's blade struck his abdomen—

"CLANG—!!!"

Sparks flew everywhere, as if a sharp blade had struck the scales of an iron dragon!

But before Roger could be surprised for even a second, Garp's Iron Fist, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, broke through the air and slammed into Roger's face!

"Get the hell down there, Roger—!!!"

"BOOM—!!!"

That fist seemed capable of crushing mountains and splitting seas, forcibly punching Roger's face ninety degrees out of shape!

Roger: "Ubpupupupupu—!!! (distorted-face pronunciation)"

All the crewmen on both ships bulged their eyes and shouted, "Ro... Roger's face got punched crooked—!!!"

Rayleigh: "...Sigh. Here we go again."

Gaban rested his twin axes on his shoulder. "That punch is still as ridiculous as ever!!!"

Meanwhile, Rock leaned back in midair, laughing so hard he nearly toppled over!!!

"Hahahahaha—!!!"

"Holy shit! The live version really is even more insane than I imagined!!!"

He somehow pulled out a Camera Den Den Mushi and began snapping photos frantically. "Click, click, click!"

Rock kept taking pictures as he laughed breathlessly.

"A face-slap of this caliber..."

"I've got to make him a commemorative photo album, hahahaha!!!"