Chapter 85: Unyielding!

"General Basque St. Andri, shrink the range of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit! Limit Asa's movement space..." Vice Admiral Tsuru's eyes gleamed. Though her combat strength didn't compare to Sengoku or Garp, she was the one best at devising battle strategies.

It was her true strength.

The position of Chief of Staff wasn't earned by seniority—it was earned by talent and precision.

"Understood!!" Basque Andri's hoarse, aged voice echoed through the air via unknown means, and the dome-like barrier began to shrink.

What was once a massive space spanning several Yarukiman Mangroves compressed to a battlefield no more than two hundred meters in radius.

Facing the encroaching Garp and Sengoku, Asa no longer had the strength for prolonged frontal clashes. The shrinking space only made his odds worse.

"Hahahahaha!" Asa had already accepted defeat—whether captured or killed. Escape was no longer on the table. In such a situation, what was the point of speed?

He was going to lose anyway—better to go out swinging.

His laughter grew increasingly deranged. He no longer cared if he died under their fists. He unleashed a terrifying surge of electricity, determined to make them pay before he went down...

"One Hundred Million Volts: Brontosaurus!"

Rooooaaaar—!!

With a thunderous cry, a massive lightning dragon burst from Asa's body and charged Sengoku's shockwave with death-defying resolve.

BOOM!

The two attacks collided, halting Sengoku's advance for a moment as the shockwave dissolved.

Without sparing him another glance, Asa turned to lightning once more. The dim sparks on his body reignited into brilliant blue, and a thunder-coated fist—larger than a human head—rocketed toward Garp.

Zzzzt!

The surging current amplified the punch. The speed was so great that it didn't even leave an afterimage in the air.

The colossal lightning fist looked like a condensed beam of energy, a bolt from an energy cannon aimed directly at Garp.

"You brat… time to get serious!" Garp cracked his neck and tore off his Justice coat, revealing his burly torso.

His infamous iron fist bulged with veins, crackling with immense Haki.

BOOM—!!

Iron Fist met Thunder God's Fist in a cataclysmic explosion. The air trembled. The impact shredded nearby mangroves, and their roots were reduced to splinters. The force swept over Kizaru and Aokiji, still seated and injured, forcing them to raise their arms to shield their eyes as they were pushed to the barrier's edge.

Zzzzt...!

Sizzling electricity echoed throughout the battlefield before fading. The two had left behind a massive crater at the point of impact, seawater slowly trickling in.

Huff… huff!! Asa panted heavily. The lightning around his arm had been shattered, revealing cracked muscles that dripped blood. His arm dangled weakly at his side.

Garp wasn't unscathed. His arm was charred black, scorched by the lightning, giving off the acrid stench of burning flesh.

"This kid… keeps getting stronger," Zephyr muttered grimly as he watched Asa—now half lightning, half human.

Garp's Iron Fist was so powerful that even Roger once hesitated to face it head-on. Very few across the sea could match it. And yet, Asa, reckless and unyielding, dared to trade blows directly. With a mix of thunder and physical strength, he had injured Garp in the process.

Though Garp still held the edge, it was clear: Asa had improved drastically since they last met.

The power of the Thunder Fruit was indeed part of his strength. Combined with his body techniques, Armament Haki, and lightning, Asa had earned every bit of his power.

He had taken Garp's punch and returned one of his own.

Given time, Asa would undoubtedly surpass even Garp.

But time... was what he no longer had.

"What a pity," Zephyr thought bitterly.

To think someone with so much potential would fall here today.

"Shave!"

Zephyr vanished and reappeared beside the staggering Asa. His fist lashed out.

BOOM!!

Asa sensed the incoming strike but couldn't react in time. The punch landed squarely, blasting him back dozens of meters. He crashed, rolling across the ground. The massive Thunder God form shattered completely, vanishing. Asa was forced out of it.

"Asa, surrender!" Zephyr called out.

Though pirates had taken his family, and though bitterness ran deep, Zephyr still clung to his original belief—justice without killing. He had not yet become the vengeful destroyer of the New World he would one day become. Seeing Asa in such a state, he sincerely pleaded for him to give up.

Asa slowly climbed to his feet, blood running from his lips, clothes in tatters. His shoulders trembled.

"Surrender? Hahahaha! Are you joking, General Zephyr? Surrender is a gift from the strong to the weak... You think I'm going to accept that? Beat me to death instead! Hahahahaha!"

He raised his head and roared with laughter. To Asa, surrender was a greater humiliation than death. If he couldn't win, he'd flee. He feared death—but he would never beg for life.

Surrender meant yielding his pride—and that, he would never do.

A weak man who still dares to fight can someday grow strong. But one who surrenders without resolve… is already dead inside.

"Zephyr, enough," Sengoku said coldly. "This arrogant, wicked brat must be dealt with."

Sengoku had always carried out the World Government's orders without hesitation—even when it meant sacrificing innocents.

In the future, he would be the one to execute the Buster Call on O'Hara, sending Navy warships to destroy an island of scholars. He would follow orders, even if it meant clashing with comrades like Hagwar D. Sauro.

"…Why…" Zephyr whispered, sorrow flashing in his eyes. Though his face was stern, his heart remained compassionate.

Sengoku's towering Buddha form stepped forward. His massive golden body blocked out the light as he raised his palm. Shockwaves condensed into his hand, swirling with divine might.

"Hippolyte D. Asa… I told you—your journey ends here, on the Sabaody Archipelago."

From a hundred meters away, the solidified shockwave descended like a meteor.

BOOM!!!

The barrier dome trembled as if struck by a nuclear blast. Shards of ice and stone flew, and another massive crater was carved into the battlefield.

If not for the protection of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, half the archipelago would have been annihilated. Even the mighty Yarukiman Mangroves might not have survived.

Seawater rushed in through the roots.

Garp sprinted forward, leaping toward the crater, worried Asa might drown.

SPLASH!!

Diving into the churning water, he spotted Asa—unconscious and floating.

With one swift movement, he grabbed Asa's wrist.

Zzzzt!

A faint magnetic pulse discharged. But Garp ignored it and clamped a pair of Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs onto Asa's wrists.

Click!

(End Of Chapter)

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