I'm Fox!

As soon as the words were spoken, the fists roared again, and the blades flashed as fiercely as ever, escalating the duel between the two once more.

The Chinjao and Cracker, who had been knocked away, struggled to get up, but all that remained in their eyes was disbelief and shock.

Their pride and joy were utterly shattered before these two top experts, making them seem like mere ants.

The surrounding navy and pirates were so frightened that they dared not breathe, completely stunned by the scene, and even their breathing became cautious.

In an instant, the entire G-2 Branch base became the stage for Hawk Eyes and Garp!

Perona stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her, the G-2 Branch's central battlefield.

This was the first time he had witnessed a battle between the top experts of the sea, and the first time he had realized that the Lord Moria, whom she admired, was no different from an ant when facing an expert of this level.

Even Chinjao and Cracker, who had just been knocked away by Garp and Hawk Eyes, were already formidable figures in her eyes, capable of destroying the entire Thriller Bark themselves. Yet, they couldn't withstand a single blow from Garp and Hawk Eyes!

"How terrifying, how terrifying, how terrifying!" Perona's body trembled uncontrollably after witnessing the real world.

Suddenly, she grabbed Ivan's sleeve, trying to escape. "Hey, let's run! We were so naive before. This kind of battle is completely beyond our capabilities!"

This time, Ivan didn't tease Perona. Instead, he grabbed her hand and shook his head slightly. "It's too late. We can't escape!"

"Ah, what are you talking about? We could have escaped—" Perona stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.

She discovered that, without her noticing, she and her companion were surrounded by two groups of people.

And the leaders of these two groups were none other than Chinjao and Cracker, who had just been knocked away by Garp and Hawk Eyes in one move!

Cracker spoke first, his voice hoarse yet filled with an undeniable arrogance and fury, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. "Escape? You can't escape!"

You all saw clearly how I got knocked away by Hawk Eyes in one move. Now you think you can just pack up and run away? No way!

If you dare to laugh at me, you'll have to pay the price!

You two brats, since you've run into the line of fire, don't even think about leaving alive. Perfect, I'll use your lives to vent my anger from earlier!

Perona trembled with fear, curling up into a ball and clutching Ivan's sleeve tightly, her fingertips icy cold. Her voice was trembling with tears. "How... how could this happen... it was Garp and Hawk Eyes who injured you, why didn't you go after them? Why did you have to come after us?"

We didn't do anything, we just happened to see it—"

Upon hearing this, Chinjao's lips twitched violently, his face instantly turning even uglier, and a hint of undisguised humiliation and resentment flashed in his eyes.

Perona's words struck a nerve.

How could he not want revenge on Garp?

He still felt lingering fear from the force of that punch; that overwhelming domineering Haki was something he couldn't possibly withstand right now.

If he could really beat Garp, he would have taken his revenge back when his skull was smashed. Why would he have to wait until today to suffer this humiliation here?

Chinjao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger and resentment in his heart. The ferocity and hatred on his face gradually faded, replaced by a deliberately feigned gentleness. "Kid, Garp is not someone I can handle right now."

In this world, weakness is the original sin. Just as Garp can easily insult me, I, being stronger, can easily insult you as well.

Now, you two quickly use that special Earth Release is a type of magic that allows you to escape) ability to sneak into the room Devil Fruit and steal them out, and I might spare your lives.

Otherwise, you'll all die here today!

Upon hearing this, Perona trembled violently, shrinking even closer behind Ivan. Tears welled in her eyes, and her voice trembled even more. "I—we won't go! Garp and Hawk Eyes are there; going there means certain death! We can't possibly defeat them—"

Seeing this, Cracker snorted coldly and said in a volatile tone, "Enough nonsense! Either go get the fruit, or die right here. Choose one. Don't think you can escape by playing the victim!"

Upon hearing this, Perona was utterly devastated.

Since being adopted by Moria, she had always been a princess on Thriller Bark, never experiencing the harsh realities of society. Little did she know that she would encounter such a dangerous situation so soon after leaving Thriller Bark, wanting to give Lord Moria a surprise.

Stealing Devil Fruit from the heart of a battle between two monsters? That's impossible! That's practically sending them to their deaths!

Damn it, isn't there any other way to escape?

Etc----

Have!

The ability to Earth Release is merely the ability of this nameless stranger beside him; he can do without her.

If she reveals this situation and extricates herself from the situation, she might still have a glimmer of hope!

But, does she really want to do that?

Ivan noticed Perona trembling and realized she didn't want to go there.

Ivan watched Perona quietly, waiting to see what decision she would make!

However, to his surprise, the little girl decisively displayed extraordinary loyalty and courage.

Perona glared hatefully at Cracker and the others, sighed helplessly, and tugged at Ivan's sleeve. "Let's go, if we go steal the Devil Fruit, we still have a chance of survival. If we stay here, we're doomed!"

Perona did not abandon Ivan, a stranger whose name she did not even know, and was determined to go with him.

Seeing this, Chinjao smiled smugly, "That's right! Stealing the Devil Fruit gives you a sliver of hope, but staying here to face two opponents far stronger than you means certain death!"

Perona glared at Chinjao and the others one last time, took a deep breath, and then pulled Ivan along, preparing to head towards the center of the battle.

But when she tugged at him, Ivan didn't budge. She looked at Ivan with annoyance and asked, puzzled, "Hey, why aren't you leaving? Do you want them to kill you?"

Under the fierce, knife-like gazes of Cracker and Chinjao, Ivan suddenly raised his hand and gently rubbed Perona's head. "Perona, even now, you still don't know my name, do you?"

"What's the use of knowing our names now! We're about to die!" Perona said anxiously and angrily, her voice trembling with tears.

Ivan shook his head, turned to look at Chinjao and Cracker, and under their increasingly impatient gazes, suddenly took out a Fox mask from his pocket and put it on his face. "Sigh, I wanted to get along with you as an ordinary person, but I didn't expect to be met with alienation and bullying!"

Forget it, I'm not pretending anymore. I'm just the Fox of the Shadow Garden!