Dog-Head Battleship

The sea was gilded by the morning light, and the waves seemed cleaved apart by a sharp blade as a long white trail cut toward the Oro Jackson amid roaring thunder.

Then, that ship appeared.

It was not a mighty steel warship.

Nor was it a stern vessel built to military regulations.

It was a monstrous ship that looked so adorable it made one question life itself, yet was dangerous enough to make pirates want to jump overboard and flee.

Rock raised a brow, his tone casual. "Here he comes~"

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

From afar, the bow of that "goofy" warship was shaped like an utterly foolish-looking bulldog:

Its huge mouth was split in a grin, as if it were giving you a silly "hee-hee" smile, with a massive bone still clenched between its teeth;

A pink tongue dangled from one side of its mouth, while its round green eyes gleamed with harmless innocence;

And a ring of spikes decorated it, making it impossible to tell whether it was cute or simply wanted to bite someone.

The hull had the structure of an old-fashioned sailing ship, painted in blue-green hues with rippling stripes;

Gunports lined both sides in neat rows, their pitch-black cannon barrels making one's skin crawl;

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

"Marine HQ·3"

"MARINE"

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

Cute, yet dangerous.

Goofy, yet deadly.

This was the ship pirates throughout 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 one punch";

"The Navy's mad dog";

"Roger's mortal rival."

The sea heaved violently as though it had been torn apart. Fighting spirit mixed with the ocean wind, turning even the air scorching hot.

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

Unlike the crewmen behind him, who were so frightened they staggered about, his aura was rapidly rising.

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

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

"Garp..."

Rayleigh had also shifted into battle mode, one hand on his sword hilt, every inch of his body prepared to strike.

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

Rock nodded, smiling easily. "After all, you two are famously in a love-hate relationship across the seas!"

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

"Rather than going to find him myself... I figured my chances of running into him would be much higher if I hung around with you guys~"

The moment those words fell, Rayleigh's expression froze. "..."

Roger, meanwhile, was completely dumbfounded. "???"

The next instant, lightning exploded!

"Buzz—!!!"

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

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

Rayleigh: "...Lovers'???"

Roger: "Rock, get back down here! The one I like is Shakuyaku, damn it!!!"

But the lightning had already gone far away, completely beyond pursuit.

At that moment, Gaban strode forward with two massive axes over his shoulders. Like he was warming up before exercise, he twisted his neck from side to side, fighting spirit pouring from him like blazing fire.

"Hahahaha! Perfect timing! Just what we need to sober up!!!"

Rayleigh sighed helplessly, but the blazing edge unique to a warrior appeared in his eyes.

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

Roger had entered a state of complete excitement. He abruptly drew his sword, and Ace let out a ringing cry!

"Men!! Prepare for battle—!!!"

"OHHHHHHHH—!!!!!!"

The entire Oro Jackson seemed to ignite in an instant.

The smell of alcohol, sweat, and gunpowder blended into a hot-blooded storm unique to the sea.

The gun batteries activated!

Blades left their sheaths!

The blood of every crew member boiled beneath this heat.

They knew—

It was time once again for a desperate battle against that mad Navy man.

"Rumble—!!!"

The Dog-Head Battleship finally charged into range. The adorable bulldog at its bow now seemed eerie and dangerous instead.

And the man standing atop that dog's 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, and 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 laughter powerful enough to split the waves. "Roger! You can't run anymore—!!!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he casually hooked a cannonball at his feet and lifted it as easily as a block of tofu, then raised it high with one hand!

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

Rayleigh said in a low voice, "Dangerous—!!"

Gaban tightened his grip on his twin axes. "Here it comes!!!"

The next second, Garp swung both arms fiercely, as if a giant ape were striking the heavens—

"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 beams of light that rained down upon the Oro Jackson!

Roger laughed wildly and stepped forward, his Haki exploding in an instant!

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

His long blade suddenly left its sheath, crimson sword energy roaring through the sky like a giant dragon as he swept it horizontally—

"Boom!!!"

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

At the same time, Rayleigh's figure flashed past like a streak of deep-blue light. His blade cut through the air in a precise strike!

"Crescent Slash!"

Blue sword energy split into three streams, detonating cannonballs one after another in midair.

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

"Whirling Axe Splitter!!!"

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

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!"

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

The entire sea was illuminated by the explosions. The ocean surface shook violently, and the crests of the waves were crushed outward by the blast pressure!

The two ships gradually drew closer amid the aftermath of the explosions, with the sea forced upward 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 suddenly leaped from the Dog-Head Battleship!

Garp shot into the sky like a cannonball, charging straight at Roger with an explosive roar that tore through the air!

"Roger—!!!"

Roger grinned wildly and sprang from the edge of the ship as well!

"Garp—!!!"

The two monsters crossed paths in midair, like meteors from heaven and sea about to collide. The air was utterly ripped apart by their auras.

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

Conqueror's Haki erupted as Ace trailed crimson lightning, slashing horizontally toward Garp's abdomen!

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

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

Ace's blade struck his abdomen—

"Clang—!!!"

Sparks flew in every direction, as though a sharp blade had struck the scales of a steel dragon!

But before Roger could be surprised for even a second, Garp's iron fist—despite the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth—broke through the air and smashed violently into Roger's face!

"Get the hell down there, Roger—!!!"

"Boom—!!!"

That fist seemed capable of leveling mountains and splitting seas, forcibly warping Roger's face ninety degrees!

Roger: "Wupupupupupupu—!!! (speech distorted by crooked face)"

All the crew members 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 shoulders. "That punch is still just as ridiculous!!!"

Meanwhile, high in the sky, Rock laughed so hard he nearly fell backward!!!

"Hahahahaha—!!!"

"Damn! The real thing is even better than I imagined!!!"

Somehow, he pulled out a Camera Den Den Mushi and began snapping pictures like mad. "Click, click, click!"

As he took photos, Rock gasped with laughter.

"A face-slapping at this level..."

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