Barn handed the cursed sword Demon Moon at his waist to Fisher Tiger and said solemnly.
"Please. I'm counting on you."
Fisher Tiger had also sensed the two powerful presences nearby. Seeing the resolve flash in Barn's unfocused eyes, he could only give a firm nod and answer in a low voice.
"Leave it to me. I'll get them there safely. Thank you, Mr. Barn."
It was the first time Fisher Tiger had addressed Barn so respectfully. Hopefully, it would not be the last.
"Lord Barn, aren't you coming with Hancock?"
Little Hancock looked at Barn with tears in her eyes.
"I still have something to take care of. Go with Fisher Tiger first."
Barn smiled as he spoke to Hancock.
Hancock did not know what Barn intended to do, but it had to be important. She stopped asking questions and agreed to leave with Fisher Tiger.
Fisher Tiger left with Hancock and her two sisters. Before leaving, he glanced back toward Barn from a distance, his expression conflicted...
Once Fisher Tiger was gone, Barn stopped hiding. Holding Nidai Kitetsu, he stepped out from behind the low wall and spoke.
"Come out, Sengoku. It's been a while. Care to introduce your friend?"
Sure enough, two figures emerged from the smoke. They were Sengoku and Garp.
After emerging, Sengoku and Garp took off the capes draped over their shoulders, then loosened their wrists before speaking.
"Barn, where are the people who were with you?"
Barn smiled and ran his fingers over Nidai Kitetsu as he answered.
"Heh, who knows?"
Sengoku's brows knitted tightly together.
Sengoku's brows twisted into a deep frown, and he spoke in a low voice.
"Barn, you promised me you wouldn't become a pirate again."
"Huh?"
Barn had already raised his sword toward Sengoku and Garp, ready to fight, but Sengoku's question drew a startled sound from him.
Barn lowered his sword and scratched his head awkwardly before answering.
"Well, at most, I'm a bandit right now. That doesn't count as becoming a pirate again, does it? So I haven't broken my promise."
At Barn's sophistry, Sengoku's expression darkened further, and his fists tightened.
"The Navy placed considerable value on your enhancement technology, but you're asking to die, Barn!"
Sengoku spoke coldly.
"Hey, Sengoku, you're talking a bit too much today."
Unexpectedly, the speaker was Garp. Barn remembered him as a carefree, thickheaded man, yet here he was saying something like that.
But Barn was reading too much into it. Garp simply wanted to send him flying with a punch.
Sengoku also froze briefly at Garp's words. Then he pushed up the glasses perched on his nose and spoke.
"All right. I hate to admit it, Garp, but you have a point this time."
Hearing that, Garp immediately burst into a carefree laugh and said.
"Just give me your rice crackers later, Sengoku!"
A vein bulged on Sengoku's previously solemn face. He pushed up his glasses again and spoke.
"I take back what I said, Garp."
"Hey, have you two forgotten I'm still here?"
Barn lightly tapped his head with the back of Nidai Kitetsu as he spoke.
Garp and Sengoku turned their attention back to Barn.
"Say, Garp, it's been a long time since we fought together, hasn't it?"
Sengoku loosened his wrists as he spoke.
"Tch, you talk too much, Sengoku! Soru!"
With that, Garp kicked hard off the ground and charged.
"Tch."
Sengoku clicked his tongue and followed with Soru.
Faced with their aggressive opening, Barn immediately switched into combat mode. His Mind's Eye activated in an instant, and he raised Nidai Kitetsu to meet the two men who were legends even within the Navy.
Garp concentrated dense Armament Haki in his left hand, clenched his fist, and swung!
"Have a taste of my Fist of Love!"
Barn tilted his head slightly and could not help retorting.
"Save that Fist of Love for your precious grandson, you creepy old man! Haki doesn't work on me! Rippling Wave Slash!"
Nidai Kitetsu's blade once again shone with dazzling seven-colored light. At the familiar sight, Sengoku immediately remembered how Zephyr had been unable to gather Haki for a short time after being struck by that move!
"Garp! Watch out!"
Sengoku instantly activated his Devil Fruit Ability. His already fluffy hair took on the shape of prayer beads, and his entire body transformed into a gleaming golden Buddha.
Sengoku immediately used Soru to reach Garp's side and forcefully knocked him out of his charge, but took the attack himself.
A dazzling ring of light appeared around Sengoku, spinning endlessly as though adjusting its own wave frequency until it matched his and created resonance!
"Hey! Sengoku! What are you doing?"
Garp angrily shouted at Sengoku after being knocked away, only to see that Sengoku had been caught by the attack. To his astonishment, he discovered that the ring of light was gradually dismantling the ability of Sengoku's Human-Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu!
Wherever the ring touched Sengoku's golden body, it broke into fragments!
"Sengoku!"
"Damn you, brat!"
Garp cried out in concern for Sengoku, who had taken the attack for him, then turned a chilling gaze on Barn.
He gathered Armament Haki in his left hand once more and threw a punch!
Barn frowned at being called a "brat." His Mind's Eye also sensed danger approaching. Within its perception, Garp's figure was rapidly growing larger!
"Don't call me a brat! You're hardly older than me! Damn you, Garp! Cross Slash!"
Barn had to keep his right hand maintaining the Rippling Wave Slash on Sengoku, so he gripped Nidai Kitetsu with his left and unleashed a Cross Slash!
The red slash surged toward Garp, forcing him to halt his attack and step back. Then he adjusted his stance, clenched his fist again, and charged.
Meanwhile, Sengoku, still restrained by Rippling Wave Slash, noticed this detail. A sharp gleam flashed through his pain-filled eyes!
He didn't use the move that can break through super armor and Devil Fruit Abilities just now. Instead, he drove Garp back with a simple slash. It seems he can't use that move consecutively-or at least, he can't use it again while it's still active!
From that single detail, Sengoku immediately deduced Barn's weakness. He truly lived up to his reputation as the Navy's "Resourceful General"!
By then, Sengoku had escaped the restraint of Rippling Wave Slash. He immediately used Soru, disregarding his still-damaged golden Buddha body, and concentrated his Devil Fruit Ability and Armament Haki in his hand as he charged alongside Garp!
"Aaargh!"
Barn used Wave Explosion to blast Garp away, but failed to evade Sengoku's fist. The punch struck Barn squarely, sinking deep into his body!
"Pfft!"
Barn spat out a mouthful of blood and went flying!
Garp climbed out of the rubble and spoke to Sengoku.
"Even I wouldn't be able to move after taking that punch. We've won, Sengoku!"
"No, it's not that simple! The intelligence reports say he has two Devil Fruit Abilities. Besides the power of the cursed Wave Devil, he also ate the Life Fruit!"
Sengoku spoke with a grave expression.
"What? There's actually someone in this world with two Devil Fruit Abilities?"
Garp stared at Sengoku in astonishment. Sengoku bared his teeth and chopped Garp on the head with the edge of his hand before speaking.
"I keep telling you to read the intelligence reports! You never listen!"
Meanwhile, Barn lay on the ground, his condition unknown, as a soft green glow rose from his body. The Life Fruit was repairing him, at the cost of an enormous amount of stamina!
After a while, Barn stood up as though nothing had happened, though fine beads of sweat covered his forehead.
"Well, well. That punch of yours was a little hard to take, Sengoku."
Seeing Barn seemingly unharmed, Garp could not help frowning.
"What a shame that punch didn't kill you, Barn."
Sengoku spoke coldly.
"I really can't let such blatant provocation slide, Sengoku!"
A cold gleam flashed along Nidai Kitetsu's blade!
"Ice Blade Wave Sword!"
A blade of ice surged forward, but neither Garp nor Sengoku chose to dodge. Both gathered Armament Haki and charged with their fists raised!
Garp punched the ice blade, but shattered only part of it, and the ice froze his fist in place. Sengoku then punched the ice blade, freeing Garp, and the two continued charging toward Barn without losing momentum!
"Rippling Wave Slash!"
Sengoku was caught again, but Garp seized that opening and swung his fist!
"Aagh!"
Barn was wounded for the second time!
And so Sengoku and Garp kept exploiting the openings between Barn's attacks to strike him. As they exchanged blows again and again, Barn gradually fell behind in his battle against the two...
Barn's clothes were already in tatters. Thanks to the Life Fruit, there were no obvious wounds on his body, but his stamina was nearly depleted.
By comparison, Garp and Sengoku looked far more battered. Not only were their clothes torn, but both were covered in wounds.
On the surface, Barn held the advantage.
But only Barn knew that he was actually losing. Garp and Sengoku still had plenty of stamina, while his was almost gone.
"I didn't want to use this move, but I can't afford to worry about that now!"
Barn gripped Nidai Kitetsu tightly and spoke coldly to Garp and Sengoku!
Garp and Sengoku stared at Barn, both panting. A sudden sense of foreboding arose in their minds.
"Dark Sky Wave Eye!"
An enormous barrier of darkness instantly appeared with Barn at its center, engulfing him, Sengoku, and Garp!
The moment Sengoku and Garp entered the barrier, they were plunged into darkness. Both lost their sight!
Yet eyes opened across the vast black dome overhead!
"Hahaha, so that's what you look like! Too bad you can't see this. You can't see anything at all now, can you? Experience my darkness, Sengoku! Garp!"
Barn's voice suddenly rang in Sengoku's and Garp's ears, but they could not tell where he was. It seemed to come from every direction.
"What is this?"
Even men as powerful as Garp and Sengoku felt a profound helplessness after suddenly losing their sight. Before they realized it, cold sweat had soaked their backs!
Barn was not faring well either. He could already feel his stamina draining rapidly in this state!
Damn it, I can't keep this up for long!
Barn thought anxiously.
"Shatter!"
Left with no other choice, Barn immediately activated the second-stage effect of his Awakening!
The eyes began to burst, and cracks spread across the entire barrier like shattered glass!
The barrier exploded in an instant!
Sengoku's and Garp's screams rang out from within the shattered barrier!
But Barn had misjudged his remaining stamina. That devastating strike drained it completely, and he passed out!
The battlefield around the three men fell silent again. Only the crackling of burning timber remained.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Those were footsteps. Groups of Marines landed at Mary Geoise, now reduced to ruins.
"Vice Admiral, sir! The Fleet Admiral and the others are over there!"