The smoke and dust over the harbor slowly cleared. Saint Figarland Garling, whom Gern had blasted into the wreckage of a warship with two punches, showed no sign of movement.
The watching Marines held their breath, their eyes fixed on the ruins. Tension filled the air.
Up on the platform, Kong held his teacup suspended in midair, oblivious to the hot tea spilling onto his trouser leg.
Sengoku's glasses slid down to the tip of his nose, his eyes wide behind the lenses.
Zephyr's sunglasses sat askew, revealing his incredulous gaze.
"Gern's strength..." Kong swallowed. "Has he gotten stronger again?"
"And what happened when he first attacked just now..." Sengoku straightened his glasses, his voice tight.
"Even my Observation Haki couldn't pick up his presence."
"Garp!" Zephyr suddenly turned toward the man grinning broadly beside them.
"After Gern lost to Roger, you didn't..."
"That's right!" Garp turned toward Zephyr with a laugh.
"Ever since this kid lost to Roger and experienced king-class strength...
"He kept pestering me to put him through hellish training again!"
"Hellish training?" all three asked in unison.
"Yeah." Garp narrowed his eyes, watching Gern lower his fists below. For once, his expression turned serious.
"For a full six months, he fought me one-on-one without holding anything back." Garp narrowed his eyes.
"Throughout all of it, aside from not trying to kill him... I attacked him with everything I had."
"Wait!" Kong grabbed Garp by the collar. "You call that training?"
"Easy now." Grinning, Garp swatted his hand away.
"We had that girl Lipo's Heal-Heal Fruit, didn't we?
"Every time I crippled him, she'd heal him right up, and I'd beat him again." He rubbed his chin, recalling those days.
"But Gern's growth was plain for everyone to see.
"At first, he couldn't last four hours before