Garp drew a deep breath and uttered those three words.
Ace froze, his expression shifting, before he suddenly calmed down and fixed his gaze on the battlefield again.
For a moment, he could not tell whether the old man meant to trust Luffy or Xia Le, but instinctively, he leaned toward the latter.
Of course. As the old man who had single-handedly trained a monster like Xia Le, he clearly knew his own student better than anyone.
"Let me give you another helping hand!"
Xia Le grinned.
But to everyone watching, including Luffy, the smile on his face looked cold and cruel.
Then his figure abruptly moved.
Before Luffy even had time to react, a fist smashed hard into his face.
Bam!
The tremendous force instantly twisted his neck like a corkscrew, sending him spinning away to slam heavily into a wall.
Not far away, Marco's neck tightened, and he grimaced as though he felt the pain himself.
His expression grew grave. He worried that punch had killed Ace's little brother.
But in the next second, Luffy's body arched strangely, and his neck spun back into its original shape.
"Damn it! Your punches hurt just like Grandpa's!!!"
Luffy roared.
Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but overall, he did not look to be in bad shape.
"This kid?!"
Marco froze, unconsciously touching his own neck.
He had actually withstood Xia Le's terrifying fist and was still full of life.
"I'm his proudest student, kid!"
Xia Le grinned.
Then he struck again.
His movements were swift and vicious. In close combat, Luffy was no match for him.
Bam, bam, bam, bam!
A barrage of heavy punches immediately rained down on him like a storm.
The dull impacts thundered, making even the surrounding Marines' hearts pound as they bared