CHAPTER 27

"I… but I haven't fallen yet?" Garp gritted his teeth, his voice filled with stubbornness.

Despite his defiant words, he knew the truth—he wasn't Ayr's match. His body barely held together, and standing upright was an act of sheer willpower. Attacking Ayr? That was impossible now.

Then—

"Tap, tap, tap!!!"

Heavy footsteps echoed through the battlefield. A massive force of Marines surged forward, their weapons drawn. At the forefront stood Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru—three of the Marine Headquarters' greatest strategists and fighters.

Ayr's gaze shifted, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Tch, just my luck—three more troublemakers."

Garp was a formidable opponent, and even though Ayr had brought him down, the battle had taken a toll on his body. Facing Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru—three warriors on Garp's level or higher—was a fight he wasn't confident he could win right now.

"Garp!!!"

As the three senior Marines arrived, they saw their comrade covered in blood, barely conscious. Sengoku's eyes widened in shock, and his voice was laced with worry.

Hearing his name, Garp forced a weary smile. "Sengoku… you're late." With those words, his knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Now that reinforcements had arrived, there was no reason for him to force himself to stand. His body had reached its limit.

"Colonel Garp!!!"

Marines gasped in horror at the sight of their strongest rising star defeated.

"Impossible! Garp was defeated?!"

"Who… who is this guy?! Could he be one of Rocks' top commanders? How can he be this strong?!"

A Marine's voice quivered as he read the bounty poster clenched in his hands. "Ayr… 100 million berries."

Silence. Then—

"WHAT?!"

The soldiers stared at Ayr in disbelief.

"That must be a mistake! A pirate with a 100 million bounty shouldn't be able to fight Garp on equal terms, let alone defeat him!"

"Garp took down pirates worth hundreds of millions before—he should've crushed this guy!"

Their confusion and fear mounted. Garp was no ordinary Marine. Even though he was only a colonel, his potential and strength were recognized by the highest authorities in the Marine Headquarters. He had already been considered a future Admiral or even Fleet Admiral!

And yet, he had been utterly defeated.

Worse—

Ayr didn't even have a single visible injury.

Garp was battered, bleeding, and barely breathing. Ayr, on the other hand, stood there as if he had just taken a casual walk. Not a scratch. Not even his clothes were torn.

"…Doesn't this mean this guy's strength is already far beyond Garp's?"

"That means… he's a monster…"

The realization sent chills down their spines. Ayr wasn't just strong—he was young. Younger than Garp. And yet, he had crushed one of the Marines' most promising warriors without taking damage.

If Garp was considered a future Marine legend… what did that make Ayr?

How strong would he become in the future?

The more they thought about it, the more terrifying the answer seemed.

---

Sengoku and the others hurried to Garp's side, propping him up as his body trembled from exhaustion.

"Garp, how did this happen?" Sengoku asked, his voice heavy with concern.

"…I underestimated him," Garp admitted, shaking his head with a bitter laugh.

Sengoku clenched his fists, his face grim. "I told you not to be reckless!"

"I'm sorry." Garp sighed. He truly hadn't expected Ayr's power to be this overwhelming.

Zephyr, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke. "No, Sengoku… Garp did the right thing."

Sengoku and Tsuru turned to him, frowning.

"What do you mean?" Tsuru asked.

Zephyr's eyes darkened as he looked at Ayr. "If Garp hadn't fought him today, we never would have realized just how dangerous this guy is. We never would have known that the Rocks Pirates had recruited a monster with unlimited potential."

If Ayr had been just another of Rocks' veteran fighters, it would have been one thing. The Rocks Pirates were filled with powerful warriors, after all.

But Ayr was different.

Despite being a relatively new name in the New World, his bounty had only reached 100 million berries. Nobody had taken him seriously.

Yet today—he had effortlessly defeated Garp.

Zephyr couldn't help but shudder at the thought. If Ayr continued to grow under Rocks' command, how terrifying would he become in the future?

"If we hadn't seen it with our own eyes," Zephyr continued, "we would have continued treating him as a minor threat. He would have kept growing in the shadows, unnoticed—until it was too late."

Tsuru's eyes glinted with understanding. "Yes… thanks to Garp, we've uncovered the truth before it was too late."

She turned to look at Ayr again, her expression filled with unease. If this boy wasn't stopped soon, he wouldn't just be another dangerous pirate.

He would become another Rocks.

No—worse.

He would surpass Rocks.

Unlike Ayr, Tsuru had seen classified Marine reports about Rocks' past. She knew how terrifying the man was, even in his youth.

But even Rocks hadn't been this strong at Ayr's age.

If Ayr was already stronger than a young Garp—what would happen in five years? Ten years?

Sengoku took a deep breath, shaking his head. "A monster beyond common sense…"

They couldn't afford to let this slide.

"Let's move," Tsuru ordered, her voice serious. "With all this noise, the Rocks Pirates will be here any minute. We have to retreat and report this to Marine Headquarters immediately."

Sengoku clenched his jaw, nodding reluctantly.

The battle was over, but the war had just begun.

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