Growing Stronger as the Battle Rages-Garp and Whitebeard Are Astonished

"Garp, how about a duel, man to man?"

A fierce light flashed in Rono's eyes.

An Admiral had finally shown up. He wasn't about to let this chance slip away.

After all, this was Iron Fist Garp, a master of Haki and the future Navy Hero!

Whitebeard and Garp both froze.

What was he up to now?

One-on-one?

Was he really that confident?

"Rono, are you sure?"

"He's a Marine. Word has probably reached Marine Headquarters by now, and they'll be sending reinforcements."

Whitebeard spoke from years of experience fighting the Marines.

The worst thing about fighting them was that their reinforcements always caught you off guard.

Fast, precise, ruthless!

At first, you might have only one Admiral chasing you.

Then, before you knew it, another Admiral could appear in the middle of the fight!

Keep fighting, and a third might show up!

Fail to retreat even then, and more powerful fighters could keep pouring in.

That was why pirates instinctively retreated whenever they saw Marines.

Sometimes it wasn't the Marines in front of them they couldn't beat. It was the reinforcements that might suddenly appear behind them!

"It's fine. I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

Rono spoke with complete confidence.

Even if the Marines sent another Admiral, he was certain he could escape.

He had a trump card that would stop the Marines from making any rash moves!

And Rono had no intention of missing this rare chance to grow stronger!

His opponent was Iron Fist Garp!

"All right. If you insist, I'll go along with it this once."

Seeing how confident Rono was, Whitebeard stopped trying to persuade him.

For some reason, he simply trusted the kid.

They hadn't known each other long, so why did he trust him so much?

Maybe it was because everything Rono did took people by surprise.

Just like his sudden decision to challenge Garp alone.

"Well, Garp? Whitebeard won't interfere. How about a duel, just you and me?"

Rono smiled at Garp.

Garp was one of the greatest Haki users on the seas. Rono wasn't about to pass up a fight with him.

"Fine. But if I win, you leave the Rocks Pirates and never join them again!"

Garp nodded, accepting the duel.

His reason was simple: one-on-one, Garp was confident he could take on anyone!

"Deal." A faint smile touched Rono's lips.

"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 a one-on-one fight. Is that the spirit 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 hadn't expected to witness another fierce battle!

They even started betting on it right there.

"Quiet, you brats!"

Whitebeard slammed Murakumogiri into the ground!

The pirate underlings stiffened in fright and clamped their mouths shut.

Silence fell so completely that a pin drop would have been heard.

"Let's begin!"

Before long, Garp and Rono stood facing each other under the eyes of Whitebeard and hundreds of pirates!

Their fighting spirits rose higher and higher, whipping the air around them into a howl!

It felt like the warning before a storm.

Then one of them vanished.

Garp made the first move!

He clenched both fists, veins bulging on his forehead!

His imposing frame erupted with the ferocity of a wild beast!

Boom!

"Iron Fist: Fist Bone!"

Like a human cannonball, he vanished from where he stood.

In the space of a breath, he appeared before everyone again!

This time, he was only a fist's reach from Rono!

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

So fast—and so strong!

Rono's expression sharpened. In the next instant, he crossed his arms before his chest to block.

Boom!

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

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

"He sent Lord Rono flying with one punch!"

"What power! That's Iron Fist Garp!"

The onlookers cried out in shock!

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 tremendous surge of strength flooded Rono's body.

"So that's the Iron Fist."

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

Just as he'd expected, that single blow had earned him a huge number of Strength points, along with more Armament Haki.

He had to admit, the title Iron Fist suited Garp perfectly!

This was the man who had defeated Rocks at God Valley, after all!

And that was exactly why Rono had challenged Garp to a one-on-one fight!

He intended to 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, packed with dense Armament Haki.

As expected, it drove Rono back again!

A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth!

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

[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 going, 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 driven Rono back a shorter distance!

And his Observation Haki had sensed Rono's strength surge after that first punch.

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

Garp wasn't the only one who noticed the subtle change. Whitebeard looked startled too!

After taking Garp's first punch, Rono had clearly been stronger when the second came!

And he had handled it with noticeably greater ease!

Had Rono been hiding his strength on purpose?

Or was he the kind of fighter who grew stronger in the middle of battle?

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

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