Garp lowered his head, his face shrouded in shadow.
Seeing this, Luffy spoke calmly, "Have you given up? If you still have even a shred of the dignity of the D clan, I can allow you to return to the Liberation Army. After all, the same blood flows within us."
At these words, Garp's ears twitched. He lifted his head and locked eyes with Luffy, his voice cold.
"So it's true... Luffy's mind has been corrupted by filth like you."
Luffy's expression darkened. "Filth? Who are you calling filth?"
"Of course, it's you, you bastard!"
With a furious roar, Garp's muscles swelled as his entire arms were coated in Haki. With sheer force, he shattered Luffy's gigantic fists apart.
Boom!
Garp stomped in midair, the sheer power of his step creating a thunderous boom. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Luffy, throwing a devastating punch straight into Luffy's face.
The force of the blow dispersed the clouds high above, while Luffy's head was sent flying backward, his neck stretching out to an absurd length.
Clicking his tongue, Garp scoffed, "What a bizarre ability!"
He grabbed Luffy's extended neck and yanked it back forcefully, preparing to land another punch.
However, this time, Luffy didn't give him the chance. With a strangely unnatural movement, Luffy opened his mouth and swallowed Garp's fist whole.
On the back of Luffy's head, an imprint of Garp's fist bulged outward. Garp attempted to pull his hand back, but it felt as if it had sunk into a swamp. Before he could react, Luffy bit down hard and began spinning his head wildly. Garp's entire body followed, spinning like a windmill.
The spinning continued for a while until Luffy's neck twisted into a corkscrew. Then, with a sudden snap, his neck retracted at an even greater speed, flinging the dizzy Garp straight toward the ground.
Boom!
Garp crashed into the earth, sending dust soaring into the sky.
A moment later, a battered and dusty Garp leapt out of the crater. Meanwhile, Luffy clutched his stomach, laughing uproariously in midair, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he had just beaten his own grandfather to a pulp.
Hunched over and coughing due to the lingering dust, Garp's breathing was now ragged, a clear sign that his body was reaching its limits.
At that moment, Lindbergh arrived, dragging a severely injured Bogard with him. He shouted toward Garp,
"Garp! Surrender already! The Marines have lost!"
Garp took a deep breath, lifting his gaze toward Lindbergh as he spoke in a deep voice,
"You brat... I do not represent the Marines. Don't fool yourself."
"Nani? What do you mean by fooling myself!?"
Garp spat blood onto the ground and chuckled disdainfully. "If I'm not mistaken, you lot are the Revolutionaries' main force, right? Yet, instead of being stationed in the New World, you've come all the way to the East Blue. Tell me... what are you afraid of?"
Lindbergh's face changed, looking as if he were suffering from severe constipation.
Seeing this, Garp burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You abandoned your headquarters out of fear of the Marines, yet you dare say we've lost? That's the biggest joke I've heard in years!"
Raising his head toward Luffy in the sky, he shouted, "What do you say, Luffy!?"
Luffy had stopped laughing. His gaze, now cold, was locked onto Garp below.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Garp continued,
"And you have the audacity to demand my surrender? Let me tell you something—I have been a Marine for nearly sixty years, and I have never surrendered to an enemy. Come! I will fight for the Marines until my last breath!"
Bound tightly, Bogard struggled to lift his blood-soaked face. With a hoarse voice, he murmured,
"Vice Admiral Garp..."
Clenching his fists, Garp positioned them at his waist, then roared to the sky before charging straight into the Revolutionary Army ranks.
With just a single impact, countless Revolutionaries were sent flying, their screams echoing through the battlefield.
Lindbergh shoved Bogard aside, handing him off to Gildeo. With a crackle of electricity, he shot toward Garp, intercepting the Marine hero before he could cause further devastation.
Gunfire erupted.
Bullets rained down on Garp.
At this point, his Haki was nearly depleted, no longer able to cover his entire body. He could only reinforce vital areas such as his heart.
Without the protection of Haki and lacking any Devil Fruit abilities, all that remained was Garp's sheer physical toughness.
Legends like Zephyr and Whitebeard had faced similar situations, and their fates had been grim.
As the relentless gunfire ceased, Garp's bare upper body was riddled with bullet wounds.
Unlike Big Mom's "iron balloon" physique, even the strongest human flesh could not withstand bullets forever. Yet, as a top-tier warrior, Garp did not collapse immediately upon being shot.
Ignoring his wounds, he continued to fight with all his might. But with each ferocious movement, fresh blood sprayed from his wounds, until his entire body was dyed red.
Clearing the battlefield around him with a single punch, Garp staggered, exhaustion crashing down on him. His legs gave out, and he fell to one knee.
Luffy had been watching everything from above. When he saw Garp's blood-soaked figure, a flicker of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
As Lindbergh stepped forward, preparing to deliver the final blow, Luffy finally moved. In a blur, he appeared before Garp.
Startled, Lindbergh skidded to a halt, crashing into Luffy's rubbery back and landing on his rear.
Luffy turned around, looking down at the bruised and battered Lindbergh. With an apologetic tone, he said, "Uncle Lind, I'm sorry..."
Lindbergh frowned at Luffy before speaking slowly, "Luffy, I understand your feelings. But take a good look around you. Look at what your grandfather just did."
Luffy slowly surveyed the battlefield. Everywhere he looked, bodies of Revolutionaries littered the ground. Those still standing glared at Garp with eyes full of hatred.
Though only a small Revolutionary force had landed initially, as the battle raged on, reinforcements had continued to arrive. With that, the casualties had mounted.
For the Revolutionaries, Garp was the culprit behind this massacre. He had to pay the price in blood.
Luffy understood this. He turned back to Garp, conflict evident on his face.
-----------
+230 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg