"Monkey D. Garp, you are not worthy of the name 'D'!"
Boom!
Luffy, in his Nika form, shot up from the ground, his enlarged fist hurtling downward toward Garp.
Garp was shocked by Luffy's current form, but what truly stunned him was the Conqueror's Haki wrapped around Luffy's fist—a hallmark of a top-tier powerhouse.
As the metallic sheen of Luffy's fist gleamed and bore down on him, Garp steadied himself, his eyes filled with solemn determination.
He bent his knees slightly before launching himself like a cannonball, soaring toward the massive incoming punch.
Crackle!
Dark lightning erupted as their Haki clashed, sending out a devastating shockwave that rippled through the sky. Even Foosha Village, which was some distance away, wasn't spared—entire rows of houses were instantly reduced to rubble.
Below, most of the Revolutionary Army members couldn't even look directly at the clash above. Many lost their footing and fell into the fissures that cracked open beneath them.
No one knew how long the deafening roar lasted before it finally subsided. Two figures plummeted from the sky, landing on a relatively intact patch of ground, standing opposite each other—Luffy and Garp.
Luffy hung his head low, his arms swaying at his sides like pendulums. Garp, upon landing, coughed up a mouthful of blood. He clutched his injured arm and staggered back several steps before managing to steady himself.
Frowning, Garp glanced at his wounded arm, watching as crimson blood trickled down, splattering onto the ground.
Seeing this, Lindbergh and the others wanted to seize the opportunity to attack Garp. At this point, they no longer cared that he was Luffy's grandfather—after all, Garp had just slaughtered countless Revolutionary Army soldiers. The enmity between both sides had already reached a point of no return.
But before they could charge at him, Luffy's sharp voice rang out, stopping them in their tracks.
Luffy's Conqueror's Haki-infused command alone was enough to freeze the Revolutionary Army where they stood. Lindbergh looked at Luffy in disbelief and asked,
"Luffy, Garp has wounded so many of our people. Are you really going to hesitate now?"
Luffy slowly lifted his head, his expression eerie—half laughing, half crying. His voice was contradictory as well—clearly youthful, yet carrying an immense weight.
"I have to take him down myself. From the Buccaneers to the D-Clan, there are traitors among us... Ha... Hahaha!!"
As he spoke, Luffy suddenly erupted into maniacal laughter. With each chuckle, a resounding drumbeat echoed from within his chest. The white clouds of flames surrounding his body swirled wildly, and the ground beneath him trembled before undulating like ocean waves.
Garp frowned at the bizarre scene unfolding before him and asked,
"Luffy, what's happening to you? What is this power?"
Luffy ceased his laughter and tilted his head toward Garp, replying coldly,
"I have no interest in explaining myself to a traitor."
Being labeled a traitor by his own grandson enraged Garp to the point where veins bulged on his forehead. Clenching his fists, he growled through gritted teeth,
"You brats are all so damn stubborn... Do you even understand? Everything I've done has been for your sake!"
"Ridiculous."
That single word was enough to ignite Garp's fury. He charged at Luffy, roaring,
"Is this what Dragon taught you?! To speak to your grandfather like this?!"
Luffy, equally enraged, stomped the ground forcefully, shouting back,
"You dare mention my father?!"
Buzz!
The earth beneath them surged in waves like a mudslide, crashing toward the advancing Garp.
Garp threw a punch at the oncoming terrain, but instead of shattering it, his strike only left a deep fist-shaped dent. The very nature of the ground had changed—it had transformed into an incredibly resilient rubber-like substance.
Caught off guard, Garp was buried beneath the surging terrain, which stacked upon itself to form a perfectly smooth, towering mound.
The sight left everyone present in stunned silence. Lindbergh gulped and muttered,
"Did... did we win?"
Just as the words left his lips, the mound trembled violently before suddenly being launched skyward. With a deafening explosion, Garp burst free from the debris and soared into the air.
Luffy, unfazed, watched Garp emerge. He wasn't surprised—after all, Garp had once rivaled Roger. Even if there were some discrepancies in their power levels, Garp was still a legend.
Suspended in the air, Garp glared down at Luffy and demanded coldly,
"Who the hell are you?"
He had already sensed something was off. Luffy's current state was eerily similar to Roger's in the past—his form, his abilities, and even his inexplicable laughter. Everything seemed to be connected to that cursed Devil Fruit.
Garp suspected that Luffy had consumed the same fruit Roger once did. More importantly, this fruit appeared to influence the user's mind!
Realizing this, Garp's gaze steeled with resolve.
If his suspicions were correct, then all the more reason he had to capture Luffy. Perhaps all of Luffy's erratic behavior stemmed from the fruit's influence.
But Luffy wasn't about to give him more time to think.
With a single stomp, Luffy launched himself skyward. Combining his own strength with the elasticity of the terrain, he rocketed up in the blink of an eye, appearing before Garp in an instant.
Luffy had no interest in further conversation. The moment he reached Garp's level, he extended both arms and clamped in from both sides.
Smack!
Luffy's massive hands clapped together, trapping Garp in between. Garp's body visibly compressed under the pressure, though he didn't end up flattened like Borsalino in the past.
Gritting his teeth, Garp strained against the crushing grip, sweat beading on his forehead as he muttered,
"Damn it... What is this power? How can a Devil Fruit ability reach this level?!"
He could feel his Armament Haki being rapidly drained away by an unknown force—at an alarming rate, no less.
And this was Garp's Haki—unmatched in both quality and quantity!
Luffy gazed down at his struggling grandfather and spoke in a calm, almost indifferent tone,
"Do you feel it? This is the will of freedom—the power to break all rules, to attain true liberation!"
Garp gritted his teeth and spat back,
"Enough of your nonsense! A brat like you doesn't understand what rules even mean!"
Luffy's golden irises gleamed as he declared,
"Rules form order, which ultimately becomes a shackle that binds people. My goal is to shatter those chains!!"
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+230 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg