Chapter 515: Garp's Strength

Boom.

Daniel Davis's punch landed heavily on Kaido's right cheek, the sheer force twisting his face as his body was thrown back nearly a hundred meters, carving a trench tens of meters long into the ground. But a moment later, Kaido shook his head and rose from the ground once again.

"Now that's a tough hide," Daniel thought with a sigh as he watched Kaido get back on his feet. "No wonder battles in this world, especially between fighters of the same level, can last for days and nights."

"Kaido, do you really want to keep going? Navy reinforcements are here." Daniel's gaze shifted towards Red Harbor, where a small Navy ship was speeding through the channel.

Before the ship could dock, two figures leaped from the deck—one charging toward Daniel and Kaido, while the other headed to aid the battered G1 branch.

"Garp and Aokiji… Seems Sengoku is really getting serious." Daniel noted. After Roger's execution, Garp, the Navy Hero, had rarely taken direct action against pirates, usually leaving such matters to the Admirals, even when it came to the Four Emperors.

It was Garp who headed for Daniel and Kaido, while Aokiji moved toward the devastated G1 branch to assist. The fierce dragon battle had made the entire G1 branch a danger zone, and with many Navy ships destroyed, numerous sailors had resorted to jumping into the sea to escape. Despite the turbulent waves created by the dragons' battle, the sea was safer than the land.

Aokiji quickly froze the surrounding waters, creating stable ground for the stranded sailors to climb onto. His freezing techniques avoided all the sailors in the water, demonstrating his mastery of Observation Haki, rivaling even Kizaru's precision with his lasers.

Once the soldiers had climbed onto the ice, they found some relief despite the drastically dropping temperature. It was still preferable to struggling in the cold sea.

After freezing the waves, Aokiji turned his attention to the blazing wreckage of the G1 branch. Kneeling, he pressed his hand to the ground, and in an instant, the entire G1 branch froze, even areas still ablaze or turned to magma, solidifying the destruction.

"Quite the sight…" Aokiji muttered as he stood, surveying the frozen ruins.

"Garp, just in time!" Kaido, spotting Garp's arrival, turned his attention away from Daniel and charged at the vice-admiral. Thunder and lightning wreathed Kaido's fist as he aimed a punch directly at Garp's head.

Boom.

Kaido's form was once again sent flying. Meeting Kaido's punch with his own, Garp repelled him with a single strike, the impact shattering the frozen ground around them.

"Old man, your strength is as fierce as ever," Kaido said, standing up and flexing his neck, his Conqueror's Haki flaring with battle intent. Meeting Garp, one of the few who'd defeated him in the past, rekindled Kaido's desire to test his own limits.

"Today, you're not my target. Kuzan, Borsalino, he's yours to handle," Garp said, casting a quick glance at Kaido before focusing on Daniel.

Garp understood Sengoku's intentions. The brazen acts of the Akatsuki organization had made it clear to both Sengoku and Garp that this group needed to be dealt with swiftly to maintain peace.

For decades, Garp and Sengoku had worked tirelessly to preserve peace across the seas. They would never allow a group like Akatsuki to threaten that stability.

Garp had heard Daniel's self-introduction earlier, and so had Sengoku, as Kizaru had carried a transponder snail capable of connecting multiple participants in real-time—much like a chat room from a previous era.

"You in Akatsuki are trying to throw the whole sea into chaos, aren't you?" With anger building, Garp walked toward Daniel, his fists clenching. He was as serious as he'd been facing Roger or the Rocks Pirates.

"Hahahaha! Loyal to the Celestial Dragons, are you? Blaming us for the chaos is hilarious when it's the World Government and Navy that have caused it." Daniel laughed heartily as Garp approached. He could have left with a single Flying Thunder God jutsu, but since he'd encountered the legendary Garp, he didn't mind testing his strength.

He'd already gauged the power of an Emperor in Kaido, and if he went all out, using all the techniques at his disposal, he knew Kaido would not be a match.

"Celestial Dragon's dog… That's rich." Kaido, who had been preparing to face Aokiji and Kizaru, paused at Daniel's words, turning his gaze toward him and Garp. Reluctantly, Aokiji and Kizaru held back as well.

"I won't let Akatsuki disrupt the peace of these seas," Garp said calmly, undeterred by the insult. He'd heard such accusations before, though they were rarely widespread.

"What a laughable ideal. No wonder your son turned his back on the Navy," Daniel said with a shake of his head.

Garp and Sengoku supported the World Government's rule because they believed that replacing it would lead to an even worse regime, one possibly more tyrannical. Their attitude toward Akatsuki was the same.

Daniel, unfamiliar with Rocks' personality, couldn't fully judge, but he strongly disagreed with Garp's worldview. To Garp, Sengoku, and others like them, anyone with ambitions to rule the world was automatically worse than the Celestial Dragons, including the Revolutionary Army.

Daniel had no idea how profoundly his actions had already changed this world. His focus was primarily on the top figures—the Admirals, the Four Emperors, the Warlords—rather than those beneath them. His intelligence teams mostly sought information on Pure Gold, his primary objective.

Since Daniel began spreading flyers across the seas, the Navy had suffered more casualties in a short period than in the past decade. Desertions increased, and many of those who left joined the Revolutionary Army.

With the Navy's weakening control, pirate activity surged, with pirates now more likely to challenge the Navy head-on. Armed with newfound purpose and support, pirates could no longer be seen as mere criminals.

Garp's face hardened momentarily at the mention of his son, Dragon, though he hid it quickly. Daniel noted the subtle reaction.

Dragon's rebellion had deeply affected Garp. It wasn't just Luffy's piracy that had hurt Garp, but Dragon's rejection of everything Garp stood for, a blow that stung far worse.

"Is your idea of peace the kind that tolerates the trash heaps in the Goa Kingdom, the so-called 'most beautiful kingdom' of the East Blue? If so, then this world truly is at peace." Daniel's taunt struck a nerve.

Garp flinched again. He knew of Goa Kingdom's dark side all too well, but as a Navy Hero, he had no authority to change it.

Garp's eyes steeled as he continued forward, his fists encased in Armament Haki. Unlike Daniel's entire arm, Garp only hardened his fists.

"Let's see what you're made of," Daniel said, covering his right arm in Armament Haki before flashing forward, delivering a punch directly at Garp.

Boom.

Garp met Daniel's strike head-on, their clash resounding through the skies above the G1 branch.

"Garp's power is no joke," Daniel thought, shocked by the force in Garp's fist. Kaido was strong, but Garp's strength surpassed his by a significant margin.

"Only a single step back…" Daniel looked at the ten deep footprints he left in the ice, compared to Garp's single print, feeling a pang of frustration. He'd thought they'd be evenly matched.

But Daniel quickly adjusted his mindset. Though Garp was stronger, if it came down to a life-or-death battle, he was confident he would come out on top.

"Pure physical power won't be enough to beat me."

"Kuzan, Borsalino… Garp, still as powerful as ever." Nearby, Aokiji and Kizaru looked on, surprised at how Garp had barely budged from Daniel's powerful punch. Unlike Daniel, the Admirals had seen Garp in action countless times.

"Not bad at all, but…" Daniel thrust his fist forward, releasing an air-shattering roar. A giant white tiger head manifested in the air—the Daytime Tiger.

"Fist Bone Meteor!" In response, Garp's right fist ignited with flames as he punched forward, launching a fiery projectile toward the Daytime Tiger.

Boom.

Garp's attack obliterated the white tiger, its residual force forcing Daniel to step back to avoid the impact.

"Now that's some power," Daniel marveled at the scorched earth around him. He remembered Garp using this same move on his grandson, Luffy, with far less effect. Now, he realized Garp hadn't been serious back then.

"Fist Bone Meteor Barrage!" Garp took a stance and unleashed a flurry of fiery punches, each one sending a blazing shockwave at Daniel.

"Bring it on! Daytime Tiger Barrage!" Unwilling to back down, Daniel launched his own salvo, summoning dozens of white tiger heads to meet Garp's attacks.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions filled the skies over the G1 branch as their attacks clashed.

"Age has caught up with him… though his strength remains impressive," Daniel noted as they exchanged blows. Garp's stamina wasn't what it once was; he was already panting after just a short

 exchange, while Daniel, though also out of breath, had just come from a battle with Kaido.

"Kuzan, handle Kaido. Borsalino, assist Garp. Capture him at all costs." Sengoku's voice rang out from Kizaru's transponder snail.

Sengoku had been observing the battle and grew more wary of Akatsuki upon realizing even Garp couldn't quickly subdue Daniel.

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