The Marine hero Garp

Aboard the Skybreaker.

A giant peng suddenly appeared on the deck.

"You're here? I thought you'd play around a little longer."

The peng spoke. "I never do anything unnecessary. Why did you spare that Marine?"

Lott recalled the story from his previous life. Although Smoker gave the impression of someone who was weak yet always eager to join the action.

He greatly admired the man's refusal to flatter his superiors or bully the weak and fear the strong, and the way he put civilians first.

Perhaps he might even ask Smoker for help someday.

He slowly said, "Not all Marines are puppets of the Celestial Dragons. He's one of the few Marines worthy of my respect. Hopefully, he'll take the message I left him to heart."

Kuro gazed worriedly out at the sea. "Lott, why don't we just fly away? If we travel like this, we're bound to run into Garp."

At the thought of Garp, Lott's eyes filled with a fierce desire to fight. After all, he was one of the strongest people in this world, and one without a Devil Fruit at that. Lott would surely gain a great deal from fighting him.

"I want to see whether the Marine hero is as strong as the legends say."

"He's here!"

A warship appeared within Lott's Super Mantra. He made no deliberate effort to avoid it. He wanted to see how far he stood below the world's best.

Nami looked worriedly at the warship opposite them. It was her first time seeing one so large. She asked, "Lott, are we heading over?"

[Ding. Choice triggered:

A: Fight Garp the Hero and successfully leave. Rewards: Advanced Conqueror's Haki ×1, top-tier physique ×1, limited-edition Garp dog-head hat ×1, Senzu Beans ×1,000, upgrade the Skybreaker to advanced grade, System Space 50 × 50.

B: Fight Garp the Hero and request to join the Marines. Rewards: Marine rear admiral rank, indestructible Marine cape ×1.

C: Flee swiftly. Reward: "Escape King" title.]

Of course I'll choose A!

Without a moment's thought, Lott said, "Who do you think I am? Bring the ship alongside them!"

Before long, the two ships met. Lott stood at the bow, facing Garp at the bow of the other ship.

Garp pondered carefully. He felt as though he had seen that face somewhere before. Then he looked up at the flag opposite him.

It clearly depicted a skull, but the two crossed objects were not bones. Instead, they formed a symbol made up of a magnet and a lightning bolt.

"A new pirate?" Garp tipped all the rice crackers in his hand into his mouth.

Rolling up his sleeves, he told a nearby soldier, "Bring me five hundred cannonballs."

The soldier quietly reminded him, "Vice Admiral Garp, that's the pirate Lott."

Garp's eyes lit up. No wonder the face had seemed so familiar. This was the pirate who had recently killed a Celestial Dragon. "Hey! Are you Lott?"

Lott nodded. "I'm the pirate Lott you people keep talking about, the one who killed a Celestial Pig."

Sensing the old man's presence, Lott could not help feeling astonished. This old man's a monster. His strength is simply off the charts.

"Brat, surrender now, and I can still put in a good word for you with Sengoku and get you a position in the Marines."

Lott flew straight into the space between the ships. He shook his head. "Let's just fight. I'm in a hurry to get to the Grand Line."

Garp was so angry that white steam puffed from both nostrils. "You really won't consider it?"

"Old man Garp, I respect you, but I can't become a lackey for the Celestial Dragons!"

Hearing Lott's words, Garp pursed his lips with some regret. "Stubborn fool!"

"Shave!"

Garp, who had still been standing at the bow a moment ago, appeared right in front of Lott and threw a punch at him.

Lott hurriedly raised his arms to block. He felt as though a train had hit him and went flying backward several hundred meters.

Lott shook out his nearly broken arms. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and he hurriedly swallowed it down.

He could not help exclaiming, "So fast! Almost as fast as me. And my Observation Haki can't foresee the future at all! I can only faintly sense where his punches will land! So this old man knows Observation Haki Killer too? What a freakish old man."

Garp looked at Lott, who was still flying in the air, with some surprise. "Not bad, brat."

Then he breathed onto his fist. "Fist Bone: Impact."

Black Haki wound around the surface of his fist like black-and-red lightning, and Garp appeared before Lott as though he had teleported.

This time, Lott was ready. Their fists collided.

In an instant, black strands of Haki scattered outward, and a shock wave spread in every direction from the point where their fists met.

The impact pushed the two ships away to either side.

The soldiers aboard the Dog-Head Warship were stunned!

"Awesome! Who on earth is this Lott? He can actually fight Vice Admiral Garp to this extent!"

The rank-and-file Marines only knew that Lott had attacked a Celestial Dragon's ship. They did not know that he had also killed a Celestial Dragon and fought Kizaru.

The moment their fists collided, Lott felt as though he had struck not a fist, but a lump of steel.

"You're strong, brat." Garp grinned, then put even more force into his fist.

Lott immediately felt an enormous force surge from Garp's fist. Gritting his teeth, he continued pouring Haki into his own.

After a brief stalemate, he ultimately proved no match for Garp. He was driven back dozens of meters, his fist already swollen to the size of a sandbag.

Lott cursed inwardly. This old man's an absolute monster. Top-tier Observation Haki, top-tier Armament Haki, and he can even coat himself in Conqueror's Haki.

Kuro and the others looked worried. Sensing the presence of the two fighters, they could not intervene. They could only hope their captain would win this battle.

Kuro spoke up. "Since Lott has already taken his opponent, it's time we joined in too."

With that, he transformed into a peng and appeared aboard the Dog-Head Warship at a speed that almost resembled teleportation. But just as Kuro prepared to slaughter his way through everyone, a man wearing a military cap appeared before him.

"Pirate, are you that arrogant? You dare charge into the enemy ranks alone?" With that, he swung his sword at Kuro.

Kuro hurriedly coated his wing in Armament Haki and raised it to block. In an instant, they found themselves deadlocked.

The man was somewhat shocked and could not help asking, "You're this strong? How could there be no information about you at all?"

Kuro remained expressionless. He seemed forever calm. Looking at the man before him, he said, "People are always confined by the environments and information those above them create for them. Few possess the awareness to judge for themselves."

With that, he slashed his other wing toward the man.

While the two fought fiercely, a cloud carrying Ling'er, Nami, and Zoro drifted onto the warship.

Zoro could not help calling to Kuro, "So being fast means you get to pick your opponent first, huh?"

Zoro looked enviously at the swordsman fighting Kuro, but could only charge at the Marines with his swords.

Clang!

His blade was blocked. A man holding a black steel pipe appeared before Zoro. "Roronoa Zoro? You've actually sunk so low as to become a pirate."

Looking at the man before him, Zoro was inwardly shocked. He's strong! And he knows Haki too!

He immediately knocked the steel pipe aside with a forceful slash and put some distance between himself and the man, then said with a smile, "Heh. Pirate or Marine, as long as you stay true to yourself, there's no distinction between good and evil."

After glancing at Kuro and Zoro, Nami and Ling'er each charged into the Marine ranks as well.

For a time, battles broke out all over the Dog-Head Warship.