The night was deep.
Deep in the mountains west of the Flower Capital, in a secluded campsite.
The campfire burned, illuminating the outlines of dozens of tents around it.
This is a secret naval base.
Garp sat by the campfire with his legs crossed, chewing a bag of senbei (rice crackers) with a loud crunching sound.
Several Marine Vice Admiral sat around him, whispering amongst themselves.
Suddenly, Garp frowned slightly.
He looked up and gazed toward the entrance to the camp.
"Someone's here."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a staggering figure burst into the camp from the darkness.
The man was covered in blood, his left arm hung limply at his sides, and a gruesome wound on his chest continued to bleed.
The mask shattered, revealing half a face as pale as paper.
CP0 total length.
"Karp... Garp..."
He staggered to the campfire, nearly falling, but was caught by a Vice Admiral.
Garp chewed on a senbei cracker, glancing at him sideways.
"Hey, isn't this the CP0 Chief? What's with that look on your face?"
The CP0 chief, panting heavily, stared intently at Garp.
" Garp! Roy... Roy has breached Orochi's stronghold! He's captured Kurozumi Orochi! You must send troops immediately!"
Garp raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Then why did you come back by yourself?"
The CP0 chief's face stiffened.
"I... I was careless for a moment..."
"Main idea?"
Garp chuckled, stood up, walked up to him, and sized him up.
"Don't give me that. You just couldn't beat them, and you came back like a stray dog after getting hacked to pieces."
The CP0 chief's face was ashen, and he gritted his teeth, saying...
" Garp! This is an order from the Five Elders! You must—"
" The Five Elders ' orders?"
Garp interrupted him, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"My mission is Kaido; Kurozumi Orochi's mission is your partner's mission."
Besides--
Garp grinned and pointed in the direction of the General's Mansion.
"That kid Roy is gone. I saw it clearly with my Observation Haki just now; he's on his way back to the mine."
"You want to go after him? Go after him yourself."
The CP0 chief trembled all over, but could not utter a word.
He knew Garp was telling the truth.
In his current state, if he were to pursue Roy again, he would only face certain death.
However, with the Kurozumi Orochi captured, the situation at the mine is still unknown.
The mission was a complete failure, Five Elders were furious...
He dared not think any further.
Garp looked at him, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.
"Alright, stop thinking about it."
"Treat the wounds first; we can deal with the rest at dawn."
The CP0 chief gritted his teeth and could only nod dejectedly in the end.
Several military doctors came forward, helped him into the tent, and began to treat his wounds.
Garp sat back down by the campfire, grabbed a handful of senbei (rice crackers), and continued crunching them loudly.
A Vice Admiral hesitated,
" Mr. Garp, are we really not going to make a move?"
Garp glanced at him.
"Make a move? Who are you going to attack?"
" Roy has already captured Kurozumi Orochi, and he'll probably take over the mine soon too."
If we attack now, we'll only become easy targets, and the Navy might be caught in a pincer attack by Kaido.
"Besides..."
Garp gazed into the distance, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
"That kid is even stronger than the intelligence reports."
"That CP0 guy, although he's tough, is actually quite capable."
To injure him so badly and still escape unscathed...
"Tsk tsk, that guy from the Sengoku, we've suffered losses against him time and time again. Raising his value by 2.5 billion was definitely the right move."
The Vice Admiral exchanged glances, not daring to say anything more.
Garp chewed on a senbei cracker, his gaze deep, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, the battle in the direction of the mine has entered its final stage.
Above the mine, lightning and a black figure collided wildly.
Tesoro and Demon Mask have been fighting fiercely for nearly a hundred rounds.
The Demon Mask mastered the Six Powers to their extreme, alternating between Shave, Rankyaku, Shigan, and Geppo, at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive!
His movements were unpredictable and ever-changing, leaving countless afterimages with every move, making it impossible for anyone to lock onto him!
Geppo allows him to move freely in the air, and combined with Shave's super-speed, he becomes like a true ghost!
Even against Tesoro's extreme speed, he could manage to hold his own for a moment.
Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon!
Tesoro waved his hands, and two enormous lightning dragons roared as they charged toward Demon Mask!
Demon Mask snorted coldly, his body instantly transforming into countless afterimages, easily dodging the Thunder Dragon's attack!
At the same time, he appeared behind Tesoro, his right hand shaped like a knife, his Armament Haki concentrated to its maximum—
Shigan - Pierce!
This strike was as fast as Inazuma, aimed straight for Tesoro's back!
Tesoro had no time to dodge; his body instantly turned into elements!
puff--!!!
The Shigan: Piercing the lightning, but failed to strike anything!
"Elementalization?!"
Demon Mask's pupils constricted sharply, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart!
In that instant, Tesoro had already reformed behind him!
"One hundred million volts of discharge!"
Tesoro raised his arm, and violent lightning surged from his palm.
Sizzle sizzle--!!!
A surge of violent lightning instantly flooded his body, and Demon Mask let out a muffled groan as his entire body went numb!
He gritted his teeth, forcefully unleashing his domineering Haki to shatter the lightning, and stomped his feet repeatedly, instantly creating distance between them!
" Logia... Rumble-Rumble Fruit..."
The Demon Mask was panting heavily, his eyes filled with seriousness.
Tesoro shook his hand and grinned.
"Heh heh! CP0's elites are nothing special after all."
"They've been fighting for so long, and they haven't even touched a hair on my head."
Demon Mask's face was ashen, and he remained silent.
He knew he had met his match.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit's super-high speed and elemental transformation significantly diminish his speed advantage.
Tesoro's lightning attacks have a wide range and great power; one can easily be hit if one is not careful.
What's more troublesome is that the paralyzing effect of the lightning always slows his movements by a beat.
If things continue like this, I'll be defeated sooner or later.
We must... change our strategy.
Demon Mask took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes.
Instead of pursuing speed, he concentrated all his Haki into his fists, adopting a posture of direct and forceful attack.
" Rokushiki Ogi: Rokuogan!"
With a low shout, he unleashed both fists simultaneously!
Two shockwaves, condensed to their maximum intensity, crashed down on Tesoro like invisible giant hammers!
This strike was his trump card, a concentrated burst of power from all his strength, enough to shatter a small mountain!
Tesoro's pupils constricted; he dared not take the hit head-on, and his body instantly transformed into lightning to dodge!
However, the Demon Mask's attack range was too large, and the aftershocks of the shockwave still hit him!
The lightning in the air became chaotic, and Tesoro groaned as he was blasted back dozens of meters!
"Efficient!"
A flicker of excitement flashed in Demon Mask's eyes as he gathered his power once more, preparing to launch a second attack!
However,
In that instant, a strange smile crept onto Tesoro's lips.
not good!
A sense of foreboding washed over Demon Mask; he tried to retreat, but it was too late!
"Hehe! You got me!"
" Lightning Metallurgy - Lightning Spear!"
A golden spear formed from high-density lightning shot out from Tesoro's palm!
The spear moved with Inazuma speed, carrying the destructive power to pierce straight into the Demon Mask's chest!
Demon Mask tried his best to dodge, but the distance was too close and the speed too fast.