Chapter 108: Exhausted!

The giant lantern fish convulsed violently in the deep sea, the pain in its stomach nearly driving it insane.

Undercurrents surged beneath the surface, sending huge waves crashing above. Eventually, the massive beast lost consciousness entirely, and its enormous body began to float toward the surface.

...

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Garp hacked violently, acid still clinging to his skin and clothing. Having just fallen headfirst into the corrosive gastric fluids, his entire body was in agony. If not for his monstrous physique and extreme mastery of Armament Haki, he would've been dissolved on the spot.

Even so, he stood back up, not even letting out a groan.

His endurance was monstrous.

When it came to Armament Haki, no one on the sea could rival him—and its strength was directly tied to one's physical condition.

Gravel islands had sunk one by one. The battleground was unrecognizable, reduced to wreckage. Only a few crumbling stones remained for Garp and Asa to stand on.

"Old man Garp really is a legend..." Asa panted, his face deathly pale, arms limp at his sides. He looked like he didn't have the strength to even stand.

While he was stunned by Garp's resilience, he didn't realize—

Garp was even more shocked by him.

"Hahahahaha! You bastard kid… you're something else!" Garp forced out a laugh, though his breath was labored. "If no one slows down your growth, you'll rule the ocean one day."

"That's why… to protect the seas from lawless pirates, you have to come back to Impel Down with me—today!!"

Summoning the last of his strength, Garp used the stone underfoot to push off and burst forward with Soru, closing the distance instantly.

"Impel Down? What a joke! Hahahaha!" Asa's voice was hoarse, his face pale as death, but his expression was still wild and elated.

This battle had been intense, pure, exhilarating—everything he lived for. Even his goal, pure gold, had been pushed to the back of his mind.

"Old man Garp! Today… I'm going to defeat you!!"

Asa cackled maniacally, and the blue lightning that had long since faded flickered back to life.

He didn't have the stamina to activate his full Thunder God form—but he could still force out a half-transformation, squeezing the last drops of energy from his body.

Crackling arcs surged across his body, forming a partial lightning armor. He locked eyes on Garp streaking toward him.

"Zzzzzzztttttt!!"

With a flash, his weakened Raijin form took shape.

In an instant, his body vanished—reappearing directly in front of Garp, fist already driving forward.

"BOOM!"

Garp took the full hit, launching backward like a cannonball. But before crashing, he twisted midair and used Geppo, stomping the air and launching himself forward again.

His iron fists, glowing with haki and blackened from previous hits, clashed with Asa's thunder-charged punches.

The two collided in midair—and neither held back.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

Fist after fist landed—neither dodging, neither caring. Each blow was an attempt to knock the other down first.

Their fists flew like machine guns.

"Bang bang bang bang bang!!"

The violent sounds of flesh and power colliding rang out in rapid succession.

Asa's mind began to blur. His body throbbed with pain, as though he were splitting apart.

"PFFFT!!"

Blood burst from his mouth, staining his clothes. He'd hit his limit.

His body crumpled, tumbling down from the sky.

Garp wasn't in much better shape. The lightning hadn't just burned—it paralyzed. Even with Haki armor, it had overwhelmed his nerves. As his body slumped, he too fell through the air, landing hard into a pool of gastric acid.

His eyes shut. He was unconscious.

...

"Bang bang bang!!"

The distinctive sound of Geppo echoed through the stomach.

Akainu, who had spent the past few days searching for Vice Admiral Tsuru and Mischia Olga, had no choice but to return when the trail went cold.

What greeted him was devastation.

All three warships were overturned. The Navy soldiers aboard, unlike Garp, had no defense against the acid. All had been melted—down to the bone.

There wasn't even a trace of wreckage left. The gravel island once used as a dock was gone. Everything looked like it had been bombarded and erased.

"What happened here...? Could it have been that shockwave from half a day ago?" Akainu's face darkened as he scanned the wreckage, searching desperately for Garp.

He had trusted Garp to handle Asa—but this?

"Bang bang bang!!"

Following the echoes of Geppo, Akainu finally found Vice Admiral Garp lying in a pile of rubble that had managed not to sink.

Garp was dressed only in his shirt and underpants. His fists were white to the bone, his face battered, and yet—

A giant snot bubble rose from his nose as he snored peacefully.

He had passed out from sheer exhaustion.

"Vice Admiral Garp!! Wake up! What happened?! Where's Asa?!" Akainu shouted, shaking him.

"Zzzzzhh... hrrrkk..." Garp groaned, blinking slowly awake. His eyes adjusted, and he instantly remembered—

"Sakazuki?! Where's Asa?! Catch him! He's out of energy—don't let him recover!!"

"Vice Admiral, I've searched everywhere. There's no sign of Asa—or the sailors. You're the only one left here!" Akainu's voice was tight, grim.

"What...?!" Garp stood slowly, scratching his nose. "That brat… he must've regained his strength and escaped already…"

...

Asa's eyelids fluttered.

Then finally, they shut.

His last memory was of Garp's iron fists battering him like hammers. He remembered the crash, the rock, and then—nothing.

In the haze of unconsciousness, he thought he heard whimpering… something biting at him… someone nudging him, trying to wake him up...

(End Of Chapter)

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