Chapter 127

While Hancock was still gushing with admiration…

On the battlefield, the intense clash between Kairos Flint and Garp raged on.

Despite Kairos's relentless assault, his attacks were proving largely ineffective against the seasoned naval hero. Garp, with his years of experience and tremendous strength, neutralized each strike with ease.

Their physical capabilities were both at the level of emperors. In a prolonged confrontation, Garp wouldn't need to worry about stamina—his legendary endurance and mastery of Haki had long been established.

But Kairos was no slouch either.

Though his divine technique consumed massive amounts of stamina, his emperor-level body (3/10) could sustain the pressure. A long, drawn-out battle with Garp? Not a problem.

And even if it were a problem, he had contingency plans.

Two epic-tier Physique Crystals sat within his inventory. Each one could restore a staggering 70-80% of his stamina. If things truly dragged out, he could keep fighting for two, maybe even three days straight without slowing down.

Hell, he even had lower-tier crystals. With those, a five- or six-day war wasn't out of the question.

But that was exactly the concern.

They'd been fighting for less than ten minutes.

And already, the G-2 base around them looked like a war-torn ruin.

If this truly became a multi-day war of attrition… would the island even survive? Could it withstand the scale of their battle?

Unlikely.

At their full strength, both of them had held back. But if they really unleashed their power… this place wouldn't last a single day.

Kairos gritted his teeth.

"As expected... my Armament Haki and Observation Haki—both at general-level—just aren't enough against Garp."

His massive wooden fists, conjured by his divine technique, hadn't drained his stamina much—but the same couldn't be said for his Haki reserves.

Covering each blow with Armament Haki burned through energy far too fast.

"This consumption... I can't sustain this."

He made a decision.

"It's time to upgrade."

From his portable space, Kairos retrieved two crystals—one Epic Armament Haki Crystal, and one Epic Observation Haki Crystal.

With a casual motion, he popped both into his mouth and swallowed them.

The crystals dissolved instantly, flooding his body with raw, elemental power.

Inhale.

Exhale.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three...

By the tenth breath, the transformation was complete.

His Armament Haki surged to the imperial level.

His Observation Haki soared to the emperor tier.

He grinned.

"Internal Destruction—check."

He had now mastered the emperor-tier advanced form of Armament Haki.

"Future Sight—check."

With his upgraded Observation Haki, he could now foresee incoming attacks before they even happened.

With his new power under control, he stopped the rain of divine wooden fists from the sky.

Garp, seeing this sudden shift, bellowed across the battlefield:

"Kid! What, giving up already?"

Kairos raised an eyebrow, then chuckled.

"Your strength is too solid to waste time on ranged attacks. So I'm switching tactics. Let's test your old bones in a close-quarters brawl."

He leapt down from the top of his divine construct.

Landing with a heavy thud, he slowly approached Garp.

"Let's see how long that heroic legend of yours holds up when I drive my iron fist through your skull, old man."

Garp burst out laughing.

With a grin of his own, he stepped forward—his fists still glowing with fierce Armament Haki.

"Heh. Been a long time since someone dared speak to me like that."

Despite the hostility, Garp clearly enjoyed the challenge.

If Kairos hadn't murdered the Celestial Dragons and declared himself an enemy of the World Government, the old man might've actually liked him.

But things were as they were.

"Let's see whose head gets split open first, kid."

The two drew closer with every step.

Then—

Fist Bone Impact!

Garp charged forward, his arm laced in potent Armament Haki, and unleashed a punch with the force of a meteor.

Kairos didn't flinch.

"That's all you got? You're punching like you skipped breakfast!"

He countered with his own punch.

God's Technique: Thunder Dragon Fist!!!

His knuckles glowed—hardened with Armament Haki, amplified with Conqueror's Haki, and charged with the raw power of Thunder Stone and Heavy-Light Slab energy.

BOOM!!!

The shockwave tore across the entire G-2 base.

The very island shook.

Boulders flew.

The sea itself quaked—massive waves rolling out from the impact.

Even the largest warships were tossed like toy boats on the water.

The navy's top brass, the Three Admirals, and the Warlords of the Sea had to shield their faces and brace themselves against the gale-force wind and flying rubble.

They stared in awe.

This wasn't a simple clash.

This was a clash of legends.

The Hero of the Navy vs. the God-Killer.

The dust lingered like a veil over the battlefield.

Slowly, the smoke cleared.

And both men were still standing.

Neither Garp nor Kairos had fallen.

Their fists remained locked.

All their power from that punch had been spent in that single, earth-shaking exchange.

The ground around them was cracked and scorched, blackened from the sheer force of the impact—and from the electrical thunder Kairos had channeled into the strike.

Even the sky above them had split.

The clouds parted as if the heavens themselves had been torn open.

This single moment had shown the world:

Neither of these men was to be taken lightly.