Chapter 129

But…

This is how others want the battle to end.

But Kairos Flint and Garp thought differently.

The clash between the two was a collision of the world's top-tier powerhouses—

A battle where no carelessness could be afforded.

So, once they began fighting, they stopped paying attention to anything else around them.

At the very least, both of them were entirely focused on the opponent in front of them.

Their fight could only be described in one word—

Cataclysmic.

Even Aokiji and the other two Admirals watched the battle with pounding hearts.

Yes, they were powerful in their own right.

But much of their power came from their Devil Fruit abilities.

To match the scale of this battle relying solely on physical strength and Haki?

Far more difficult.

After all—

The entire sea knew the truth.

The current three Navy Admirals leaned heavily on their Devil Fruits.

Without them, their combat strength based solely on physique and Haki…

Would place them at best at the quasi-Admiral level.

That's how much Devil Fruits elevated their overall power.

Kizaru muttered, "The kid is too young… Mr. Garp could really be in danger."

Anyone with a discerning eye could see it.

Garp was old.

While his explosive power hadn't declined much,

His body had still been eroded by the years.

Even if he could summon near-peak strength—

An aging body was still aging.

Compared to someone as young as Kairos Flint,

Even Garp's endurance paled.

And that difference in stamina…

Could very well determine the outcome of this battle.

"The Navy cannot afford to lose," Akainu said coldly.

His arm had been severed by Kairos Flint.

But the pain, surprisingly, wasn't unbearable.

Kairos's strike had sealed the wound cleanly.

What bothered him more was the loss of power.

Luckily, his Logia Fruit gave him flexibility.

If he were a pure Haki fighter or swordsman,

Losing a hand would've reduced his combat strength by 30% or more.

Fist-Bone Impact!

Garp's punch roared toward Kairos again.

The force shook the entire G-2 Base island.

Kairos was smashed into the ground by the sheer force of Garp's blow.

But—

He crossed his arms, hardened them with Armament Haki, and took the hit.

When he fell, he used the power of the Earth Stone Slab,

Turning the ground as soft as cotton—

So he suffered no injuries from the impact.

Well—

Except for the force of Garp's punch,

Which left a dull ache in his arms.

Still—

The power of the stone slabs was immense.

He could almost completely negate damage of the same element.

In short—

It was cheating.

No—

He was cheating.

With a sharp roar, Kairos burst up from the earth again.

In the blink of an eye, he charged toward Garp.

God's Technique: Thunder Dragon Fist!

With lightning coiled around his left hand,

Kairos's punch crashed toward Garp.

Garp met the attack with his own full-powered punch—

Another earth-shattering explosion followed.

Once again, the island of G-2 Base suffered heavy destruction.

The Navy soldiers watching around them looked miserable.

This war had started with two sides…

But now it was threatening to sink an entire naval base!

This wasn't just a battle—it was a financial disaster.

In the New World, finding an island stable enough to house a Navy base wasn't easy.

If this island was lost…

That was an entire outpost gone.

Most of the ideal islands were already occupied.

To build another base would mean expanding into the territory of the Four Emperors.

And if the Navy made such a move—

It would be tantamount to declaring war on one of them.

Worse still—

Even if this battle hadn't ended yet,

Anyone with half a brain could see that the Navy had already suffered immense damage.

The incident with the Celestial Dragons had already cost them countless soldiers,

As well as several Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals.

Now, in this fight—

Even the Three Admirals had suffered grievous injuries.

Other general-level officers?

The same.

The only reason the likes of Nami and her team weren't killing Navy officers outright—

Was because Kairos had given them strict orders beforehand:

"Don't kill. Leave them breathing."

They didn't fully understand why.

But they trusted Kairos without question.

So they followed his command.

Five minutes later…

Another tenth of G-2's island had sunk.

Ten more minutes…

Three-tenths of the island were gone.

Thirty minutes in…

Half the island had vanished.

Marineford, Navy Headquarters

Sengoku's expression was as dark as a thundercloud.

And he wasn't alone.

Dozens of naval generals stood beside him, watching the live broadcast.

Only one-third of the Navy's top brass had been dispatched to G-2.

Another third was stationed across various bases.

The remaining third—was here.

It wasn't that they refused to fight.

Sengoku had just believed that the forces he sent were more than enough.

But now…

With several monsters emerging from Kairos's crew—

And Kairos himself proving to be beyond terrifying…

He began to question everything.

"Are all the younger generation this powerful now?"

Outrageous didn't even begin to describe it.

And now—

If Sengoku couldn't see how this battle would end,

He may as well resign.

The answer was already clear:

The Navy cannot win this.

If this continues, and both Garp and Kairos fall…

Then Kairos's allies—Nami and the rest—

Would simply wipe out the remaining Navy forces.

The Admirals were already wounded.

Desperation might let them escape.

But many of the other officers would die.

The loss would be irreparable.

Cutting off a limb might be necessary…

But not the heart.

Sengoku no longer wanted a winner.

He just wanted the fighting to stop.

Otherwise…

This battle could spell the end of the Navy's golden era.

He clenched his fists, and muttered,

"Please… stop fighting… I'm begging you."