Both men gathered their strength at the same time!
The black-and-red lightning around Garp's fist grew denser than ever before, even spreading fine black cracks through the surrounding space! Space itself was screaming!
"Infinite Fist Bone-!!!"
With a furious roar, Garp unleashed a punch he hadn't used in years!
It was... the ultimate technique that had once crushed the legendary pirate Rocks!
In an instant, Garp seemed to throw dozens, hundreds of punches!
Countless black fist shadows, wreathed in flames and Conqueror's Haki lightning, converged in the air, their power stacking layer upon layer!
Wherever the fist shadows passed, seawater evaporated, air warped, and space trembled!
Infinite Fist Bone was a technique that unleashed all his strength in an instant, as though he were throwing countless punches at once! His strongest punch, consuming every last bit of his Haki in a single moment!
"Come on-!!!"
Norton's eyes blazed with unprecedented excitement!
Facing a blow powerful enough to shake heaven and earth, he held nothing back. He poured all his strength into his right fist, his muscles swelling to their limit, then-
He simply threw a punch!
No coating of Haki, no fancy techniques.
Only power in its purest form!
BOOOOM-!!!
The moment the torrent of black fist shadows collided with Norton's fist, time seemed to stand still.
Then-
Crack, CRACK-!!!
Countless cracks appeared across the black torrent before it shattered under everyone's disbelieving eyes!
Norton's punch pulverized Infinite Fist Bone with overwhelming force, then drove on without slowing, slamming squarely into Garp's crossed arms!
"Aaagh-!!!"
Garp spat out a mouthful of blood and hurtled backward too fast for the naked eye to follow!
Boom!
Boom!
Like a cannonball, Garp smashed through the hulls of two warships in succession before crashing into the rock wall at the edge of Loguetown's harbor!
The entire harbor rock wall collapsed!
Amid a deafening crash, the last remaining stretch of Loguetown's docks... sank beneath the sea!
Dust billowed into the sky, obscuring the area.
Deathly silence settled over the sea.
Every Marine stood frozen, their faces drained of color.
Vice Admiral Garp... had lost?
"I-is it over?"
Buggy's jaw dropped onto the deck, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
Zeff leaned on his prosthetic leg, speechless for a long time.
Kuro adjusted his glasses.
"This is... the King we follow!"
But then-
Splash!
A figure climbed out of the sea amid the collapsed rubble.
Garp was covered in blood, his right arm bent at an unnatural angle and the wound across his chest deep enough to expose bone.
Yet he remained standing, his eyes still burning with an unyielding will to fight.
"Garp-chan!"
At some point, Gion had also climbed out of the sea. She stood between Norton and Garp, holding Kompira across her body.
Though her sword hand trembled slightly, her gaze was utterly resolute.
"Stand down, Gion."
Garp spoke hoarsely and pushed Gion behind him.
"Take the Marines and retreat... I'll hold this man off."
"But-!"
"That's an order!"
Garp's roar carried unquestionable authority.
"No more pointless sacrifices! The lives of the younger generation... are the hope of the Marines' future!"
He raised his head, a fierce yet bold smile spreading across his bloodied face. "Even if everyone attacked together... we couldn't threaten him. That's my judgment."
Garp's eyes were perfectly clear.
The silver-haired man before him... was a peerless menace who killed even Celestial Dragons without a second thought.
If they kept fighting, this entire force of elite Marines would be wiped out.
In that case-
He would trade this old life, which had already had its fill, for a chance at survival for the young!
But then-
"Who said I was going to kill you?" Norton suddenly laughed.
"What... did you say?" Gion froze.
Garp also stared at Norton in astonishment. "What do you mean? You're going to let me go? Are you trying to humiliate me?!"
"I plan to take Ace on as a subordinate," Norton said casually. "If I killed his grandfather, it'd make things awkward between us later."
"What?" Gion looked as though she'd been struck by lightning. She whipped her head toward Garp. "Fire Fist Ace is... Garp-chan's grandson?!"
Garp's expression changed drastically. "You... how did you know?!"
Though Ace wasn't his biological grandson, Garp had long regarded him as his own.
But if Norton knew the deeper secret... such as the identity of Ace's father, that would leave Ace in terrible danger from now on!
Garp had gone to such lengths to conceal this secret for so long, only for it to leak one day after all! Though he'd always known it might happen...
"I don't like explaining myself." Norton waved a hand. "Anyway, take your men and get lost. Unless you want them all wiped out."
He glanced at Garp, who could no longer fight, then at Gion, poised as though facing a mortal enemy. A mocking smile curled his lips.
"In your current state, surely you don't think you can fight me with just this woman backing you up?"
Garp stared fixedly at Norton for a long time, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha... cough, cough!" He laughed until he coughed up blood, yet his laughter remained hearty. "You damned brat... you're far too arrogant!"
"So what?" Norton laughed too.
Garp gave Norton a long, searching look.
"Let's go... Gion."
"But Mr. Garp, about Ace-"
"That's an order!"
"...Yes, sir."
Supporting the badly wounded Garp, Gion gave Norton one last, searching look before turning and using Geppo to rush toward the Marine flagship.
"All forces, retreat!"
"We're just leaving like this?!"
"Damn it! I can't stand this!"
"There's no other choice. No one can stand against that man! Silver-Haired Norton is a true monster!"
Suppressing their frustration, the Marines began turning their warships around and withdrawing in orderly fashion.
Meanwhile, inside Loguetown.
A mass of blazing flames shook off the white smoke pursuing it relentlessly.
The flames landed on a rooftop, and Ace emerged from them.
Standing on the scorched roof ridge, he gazed toward the harbor, where the battlefield was gradually falling quiet, his expression grave.
"The fight's over... the old man..."
"Flame bastard! Stop running!"
Behind him, Smoker came hurtling after him in the form of white smoke.
Ace glanced back and pressed down his hat brim. "That's enough, isn't it, smoke man? You've already... lost."
No matter how he looked at it, the Marines had been defeated. The remaining warships beginning to retreat made that clear.
Norton had won this battle!
Smoker stopped amid the ruins, his face livid. He looked at the retreating Marine fleet, then at the Logia user before him, and finally gritted his teeth.
With Norton having taken his Jitte, he'd lost his means of dealing with Logia users and could do little against Ace.
While Smoker hesitated in worry, Ace seized the chance to turn into flames and flee, vanishing without a trace.
Smoker was left standing there alone, silent for a long time.
After a while, Smoker took out a cigar, lit it, and drew deeply. White smoke curled up over the ruins.
Unnoticed, an Albatross quietly slipped into the sea of clouds above Loguetown.