Pirates: A Family Slaughtered, Every Celestial Dragon Must Die!

Garp nodded, accepting the duel.

The reason was simple: in a one-on-one fight, Garp was confident he could beat anyone.

"All right, I accept," Rono said with a faint smile.

"D-did I hear that right? Lord Rono is really going one-on-one with Garp?!"

"That's Iron Fist Garp! Is Lord Rono serious?"

"He could team up with Whitebeard to beat Garp, but he still chose to fight alone. Is that the nerve of a Great Pirate?"

"Come on, place your bets!"

"Anyone betting?"

"I'm betting on Garp! He's Iron Fist Garp!"

"I'm betting on Rono! Lord Rono fought Whitebeard to a draw!"

The pirate underlings were beside themselves with excitement!

They had never expected to witness another fierce battle so soon!

They even started taking bets on the spot.

"Quiet, you brats!"

Whitebeard slammed Murakumogiri into the ground!

The underlings froze in fright and clamped their mouths shut.

Silence fell. Even a pin dropping would have been heard.

"Let's begin!"

Under the eyes of Whitebeard and hundreds of pirates, Garp and Rono faced each other!

Their fighting spirit kept rising, whipping the air around them into a howl!

It was like a warning before a storm.

Then one of them vanished.

Garp moved first!

He clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead!

A beastlike ferocity burst from his towering frame!

Boom!

"Iron Fist: Fist Bone!"

He shot forward like a human cannonball, disappearing from where he stood.

In a single breath, he reappeared before the crowd!

He was now within punching distance of Rono!

Garp threw a punch, his fist coated in a substantial layer of Armament Haki!

So fast. And that punch has power behind it!

Rono's gaze sharpened. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Boom!

As expected, the blow sent Rono skidding back dozens of meters!

The force was so great that his feet carved two deep furrows into the ground!

"He sent Lord Rono flying with one punch!"

"What power! Iron Fist Garp!"

Everyone was stunned!

They had expected an even fight, but Rono had been driven back first!

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have collected 8,554 strength points.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have collected 949 speed points.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have collected Advanced Armament Haki. Current progress: 79%!]

A vast surge of strength flooded Rono's body.

"You really do deserve the name Iron Fist."

Rono wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled.

Just as he had expected, he had collected a huge number of strength points, along with Armament Haki.

He had to admit, the title Iron Fist fit perfectly!

No wonder this man had defeated Rocks at God Valley in the original story!

That was exactly why Rono had proposed a one-on-one fight with Garp!

He would use this battle to grow stronger, fast!

Within a breath, Garp launched his second assault, giving Rono no chance to recover!

"Iron Fist: Meteor!"

Another crushing punch came at him, backed by formidable Armament Haki.

As expected, it drove Rono back again!

A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth!

This time, though, he had been pushed back noticeably less!

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have collected 6,987 strength points!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have collected 769 speed points!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have collected Advanced Armament Haki. Current progress: 91%!]

"Keep them coming, Garp!"

Feeling strength continue to pour into him, Rono wiped away the blood and smiled!

Garp's expression changed.

Surprise! Doubt!

He had put even more power into his second punch than his first!

Yet it had pushed Rono back a shorter distance!

His Observation Haki had also sensed a sudden leap in Rono's strength after the first punch.

What's with this kid? Was he just testing me?

Garp was not the only one to notice the subtle change. Whitebeard looked startled too!

After taking Garp's first punch, Rono's presence had grown markedly stronger by the second!

And he had handled the second punch with much greater ease!

Had Rono been hiding his strength on purpose?

Or was he the sort who grew stronger as he fought?

The pirate underlings, meanwhile, noticed none of these details.

All they knew was that Rono had been knocked back twice and seemed completely overwhelmed by Garp.

The Rocks Pirates Can't Have Someone This Ridiculously Strong

"Lord Rono looks like he's losing."

"Yeah. He can't withstand Iron Fist Garp's power at all."

"No way... Lord Rono isn't going to lose, is he?"

The pirate underlings grew worried.

From where they stood, the fight looked completely one-sided.

"Shut up!"

Whitebeard roared, frightening the pirates into clamping their mouths shut again.

"Your strength seems to be growing!"

"Or were you holding back on purpose?"

Garp did not attack again. Instead, he asked Rono directly.

He wanted to confirm his suspicion!

If Rono truly grew stronger in battle, then the threat he posed had to be raised several levels!

Whitebeard turned toward Rono as well!

His own Observation Haki told him that Rono's presence had kept growing since the fight began!

What he did not know was whether Rono was growing through the fight or had deliberately concealed his strength.

"You really are Iron Fist Garp. You noticed that quickly?"

Since Garp had asked, Rono saw no reason to hide it.

There was no point concealing it from someone skilled in Observation Haki.

Roger had been the same. A brief exchange had been enough for him to see through Rono.

Garp relied entirely on his physical prowess, but his Observation Haki was surely no weaker than Roger's.

"So you really are getting stronger by fighting? And this quickly!"

Garp froze at Rono's answer, his face turning grave.

So what he had sensed earlier had not been his imagination!

This man really was growing stronger at a terrifying pace during their fight.

Dangerous!

Far too dangerous!

The threat posed by Rono had to be raised again!

A bounty of 500 million was nowhere near enough!

"Garp, I think it's my turn to attack."

Rono felt the time had come.

After collecting power from those two exchanges, he felt as though his strength had more than doubled!

It was time to test how much he had grown!

Before his words had faded, Rono vanished!

His fight with Garp had boosted not only his strength but also his speed!

Rono was now every bit as fast as Garp!

Whoosh!

Garp anticipated Rono's move and was about to dodge!

But Rono had already flashed in front of him!

He raised his right arm. Dense Armament Haki coated it, turning it jet-black.

His fighting spirit surged, sending a terrifying wave through the air around him!

He focused, gathering all his strength into a single point and driving it through his entire right arm!

Then he swung with all his might!

And unleashed it!