[67] : Iron Fist Garp
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Rear Admiral Mozambia, enraged by the deaths of his Marines, attacked with a sword wreathed in Armament Haki.
Clang!
Arthur, his right hand hardened with Armament Haki, caught the blade, his palm unharmed. The Rear Admiral couldn't pull back or push forward.
"Rear Admiral, I'll have to send you—" Arthur began, but suddenly turned his head, sensing a warship approaching the island.
The Marines on board were impeccably dressed, swords strapped to their backs, rifles in hand, their expressions stern. They were clearly a seasoned force, their disciplined aura a stark contrast to the West Blue branch.
Vice Admiral Jaguar D. Saul, his arms crossed and a perpetual frown etched on his face, looked towards the approaching dock.
"Vice Admiral, the ship is docking. Prepare for deployment!" his adjutant reported.
Their orders were to support Mozambia, not capture the pirate. Headquarters clearly lacked confidence in their ability to handle Arthur. Their mission was simply a rescue operation.
——
"More annoying flies," Arthur sighed.
He tightened his grip, wrenching the sword from Mozambia's hand, then kicked him in the gut.
The Rear Admiral flew back like a cannonball, crashing into a building. He slumped to the ground, unconscious, buried under the rubble.
"Now that I've had a decent meal, I suppose I can play with you lot!"
<"Divine Judgment!">
Arthur turned his attention to the harbor, his Observation Haki locking onto the Marines on the warship.
Zzzzzzt!
A blinding bolt of blue lightning, brighter than the sun, struck the ship.
"Lightning? Seabury D. Arthur has spotted us!"
The dazzling light drew the attention of every Marine on board. They shielded their eyes from the searing glare.
The blue lightning bolt struck without mercy.
"Dereshishishi! This Lightning Master, Arthur, is quite powerful..."
Saul, his massive frame taking up a third of the deck, let out a strange chuckle as he faced the incoming lightning. He shielded the Marines behind him with his body, his thick arms like massive tree trunks.
Giants possessed immense strength and vitality. Average attacks, unless they breached their defenses, posed little threat. And Jaguar D. Saul was a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters—his strength was undeniable.
Zzzzzzt!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Shielding the Marines, Saul took a half-step back, his mountain-like fist slamming into the lightning bolt.
A blinding flash, and the lightning vanished, leaving a wisp of smoke curling from Saul's fist.
He had blocked Arthur's Divine Judgment with his bare hand!
The Marines, standing in his shadow, felt a sense of security.
"Giants, truly blessed by nature..." Arthur murmured, impressed.
Giants possessed not only immense strength but also lifespans exceeding humans by centuries. The only question was whether they could use Armament Haki.
Elbaf, the island of giants, was known as the strongest nation in the world. It surely held some hidden power. Even Big Mom had once said that if she could obtain that "power," she would become even stronger.
Jaguar D. Saul wasn't from Elbaf. Arthur didn't know if he possessed any special abilities.
"Vice Admiral, we haven't located Seabury D. Arthur in the vicinity of the harbor!" a scout reported from the crow's nest.
"Dereshishishi! The Rumble-Rumble Fruit has long-range attack capabilities. Don't worry!" Saul showed no concern, only puzzled by how such a young man possessed such powerful Observation Haki. He could attack without even seeing his target.
Rumble!!
One lightning bolt followed another. The sky darkened as storm clouds gathered, lightning snaking through the sky. The atmosphere became oppressive.
"Vice Admiral, be careful!"
"Everyone, prepare to disembark!"
The Marines cried out. Saul's adjutant quickly organized the deployment.
——
"I've broken my donut record again! Wahahahaha!" On a dog-headed warship, Garp laughed heartily.
His adjutant, Bogard, his face covered in sweat, yelled, "Vice Admiral Garp, please be serious! The Marines in Carnival City are in danger!"
"You're right!" Garp chuckled, scratching his head. "I have no idea where Roger has run off to. Finding him is my mission. That kid, Arthur, is still very young."
The Roger Pirates had vanished on the Grand Line's fourth magnetic route, likely scattered by an upwelling current. They were completely off the radar, as if they'd vanished from the sea. But Garp knew Roger was too capable to be in any real danger. He must be hiding.
This time, Roger's actions were unusual. He seemed to be searching for something.
The Marines suspected, like the Ohara archaeologists, he was searching for the Poneglyphs.
Garp was following this lead, hoping to find a connection between Roger and the archaeologists.
He had just received orders from Fleet Admiral Kong to provide immediate support to Carnival City and rescue Rear Admiral Mozambia.
"Vice Admiral Garp! Unusual weather patterns ahead! Should we alter course?" the navigator reported.
Garp, unusually silent, frowned at the turbulent clouds and flashing lightning, as if using his Observation Haki to investigate.
"Full speed ahead! That lightning is being controlled. It must be that brat, Arthur! I'll go take a look."
Without hesitation, Garp leaped into the air, his powerful steps propelling him across the sky, each stride covering hundreds of yards.
The Marines on Saul's ship, hearing the sound, louder than thunder, turned to see a figure hurtling towards them. Recognizing their hero, they cheered.
"It's Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Vice Admiral Garp is here! We're saved!"
The Marines admired him. Even Saul breathed a sigh of relief.
Garp's arrival meant they were safe. He was their pillar of strength, their beacon of hope.
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