Garp slowly raised his head, gazing into Luffy's flickering eyes. A slight smile creased his deeply wrinkled face as he said,
"Luffy, this Devil Fruit has truly granted you extraordinary power. But tell me, are you the one wielding it, or is it the one controlling you? Judging by your current state, I fear it's the latter."
Luffy's pupils contracted at his words, turning entirely black. A complicated expression surfaced on his face as he murmured,
"Grandpa, I..."
Before he could finish his sentence, his pupils shifted back to gold—normally a warm hue, yet now carrying an icy chill.
"Garp, you traitor of the D. Clan. You brought this upon yourself!"
Garp's smile faded. He knew the one standing before him was no longer his grandson. His eyes narrowed as he coldly responded,
"I've been a Marine all my life. Though I've made my share of mistakes, betraying my sense of justice was never one of them—never in the past, and certainly not now!"
Luffy was silent for a moment before sighing,
"It seems there's nothing left to say. Your stubbornness is admirable, but misplaced. What a pity... and what a shame."
Garp let out a chuckle, forcing his battered body upright. For a brief moment, he felt as if he had returned to the day he first joined the Marines.
"The real pity is you! Occupying someone else's body while acting as if you're some grand savior. Trash like you has no right to lecture me!"
Luffy's face darkened with anger. His voice was cold as he said,
"I have no interest in wasting words on a traitor like you any longer. Now, you must pay for what you've done."
Garp didn't bother replying. His fists slowly became coated in black Haki.
They stared at each other for a moment before charging forward, their fists colliding against each other's faces.
But Garp's body had long since reached its limit. Even his Haki flickered unsteadily. His punch barely made Luffy's head tilt slightly to the side, whereas Luffy's strike sent Garp flying backward, his body skidding several meters across the ground.
The monstrous strength of Luffy's Nika form was too much. Even without applying Haki, it was a force Garp could no longer endure.
Seeing this, the Revolutionary Army members erupted in cheers, satisfaction clear on their faces. After all, many of their comrades had fallen to Garp's fists.
Yet, Luffy found their cheers grating. He frowned, suppressing his internal turmoil, and stepped toward Garp's fallen figure.
But before he could take more than a few steps, Garp once again stood up. He wiped the blood from his face and resumed his battle stance.
Before Luffy could reach him, Garp let out a roar and charged forward once more.
Luffy gritted his teeth and shouted,
"Stop getting up already!!"
Boom!
Another solid hit. Garp was sent flying again.
This time, Luffy had even infused Haki into his punch. But just like before, Garp forced himself up from the ground and charged at him once more.
Luffy was finally enraged by Garp's sheer stubbornness. He stood in place, allowing Garp to charge over and over, only to be knocked back each time.
After several cycles, even Lindbergh couldn't bear to watch anymore and spoke up,
"Luffy, he's still your grandfather. Everyone's anger has been vented enough. Just give him a swift end."
Luffy grabbed Garp's incoming fist. Feeling the weakness in his strike, he said in a low voice,
"It's time to end this."
Garp, who had been attacking relentlessly, suddenly raised his head. His sharp gaze was like a blade, causing even Luffy's so-called "Drums of Liberation" to momentarily skip a beat.
Luffy quickly regained his composure and thought,
"This is just his last burst of energy before death. A mere traitor..."
His face regained its cold indifference as he said,
"Before this ends, do you have any last words?"
Truthfully, he had wanted to finish Garp off much earlier. However, the original will of this body had been resisting him.
But he had grown sick of this inner conflict. His fist now crackled with black and red Haki, the strength enough to pulverize Garp's heart.
In the past, launching such an attack would have been effortless. But against Garp—someone tied to this body by blood—he struggled to gather his full strength.
Garp's face twitched slightly before forming a smile, one more painful than crying. But to Luffy, that smile felt strangely warm, nearly making his Haki dissipate.
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Raising his fist to aim at Garp's heart, he spoke,
"Nothing left to say? Then let's—"
A hoarse voice interrupted him.
"Luffy..."
Luffy's face stiffened, his pupils turning black and gold once more.
Garp slowly raised his other fist, murmuring,
"It may be a little late... but this is the only gift I can give you now. Take it. Your father once loved it the most..."
Luffy stood frozen. "What?"
Suddenly, Garp's face flushed unnaturally red, the veins on his arm bursting like writhing worms. A bloodstained fist enlarged in Luffy's vision.
"The final... Love-Filled Iron Fist!!!"
Boom!
Garp's fist smashed into Luffy's face. Despite lacking any Haki, the impact sent Luffy's Nika form flying like a bullet, crashing into the Revolutionary Army ranks.
A stunned silence filled the air. When they turned back, they saw Garp still standing in the same pose, unmoving, like a statue.
Moments later, Luffy—now back to normal—emerged from the Revolutionary Army, his cries echoing through the battlefield.
"Grandpa!!!"
He had regained his consciousness.
But Garp could no longer respond.
As his consciousness faded into darkness, a few last thoughts crossed his mind.
"It's finally over... At least, I wasn't killed by my own grandson. Still... what a pathetic sight."
"Dragon... I can finally see you again. I'm sorry—I failed to teach you properly. Will you forgive me?"
"Sengoku, Tsuru, Zephyr... I'm going ahead this time. Once again, I've been selfish. I've caused you so much trouble... sorry."
"Carl... as a Marine... was I finally worthy this time?"
"..."
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+230 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg