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Incomparably brilliant purple light radiated from Arthur. Like a Thunder God, he walked through the air step by step, carrying a terrifying aura that could crush everything in his path.
Each step he took seemed to land directly on everyone's hearts, syncing with their own heartbeats.
"THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP!!"
Watching the worldwide broadcast through the Video Den Den Mushi, everyone felt a crushing weight on their chests, their hearts pounding in perfect rhythm with his footsteps.
After a few seconds, their heartbeats became more and more violent, as if they were about to burst from their chests—an unbearable sensation.
Some couldn't handle it and collapsed on the spot.
The majestic, divine sound echoing within the Thunder was having a devastating effect.
The sound of his steps grew more and more intense. Just as the weaker viewers were about to lose consciousness, the sound suddenly stopped. Arthur's figure flickered, becoming ghostlike, and then vanished completely.
Garp's expression became deadly serious. His Observation Haki was pushed to its absolute limit, predicting exactly where Arthur's attack would come from.
In the next second, a bolt of lightning suddenly materialized in front of Garp and rapidly took human form. A fist wreathed in crackling electricity shot forward, its power like a thunderbolt incarnate, and crashed down.
How strong was Arthur now? Nobody knew, including himself. He only knew he was definitely stronger than the last time he'd fought Whitebeard...
The flashing lightning moved so fast it was impossible to react. At light speed, any strike could unleash unparalleled devastation.
Arthur's downward strike was like a meteor crashing from the sky.
However, Garp, having already predicted the attack with his Observation Haki, was ready to meet it head-on. His entire iron arm transformed into the hardest substance imaginable as he raised it, his powerful muscles intercepting the attack that was faster than the eye could follow.
"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!"
The massive roar of the collision tore the upper half of Garp's shirt to ribbons. The sudden, immense force sent him flying several hundred meters, his legs carving a deep trench in the ground before his body slammed into a tree.
Arthur didn't come out unscathed either. He felt like he'd crashed into a steel wall while flying at full speed. For a moment, his right fist throbbed with pain.
"What a monster."
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Both Observation and Conqueror's Haki had advanced applications.
Naturally, Armament Haki did as well.
Garp was one of the most elite users of Armament Haki on the seas, a legendary powerhouse who had conquered the world with nothing but his iron fists.
But in this world, Haki wasn't the only thing that determined strength.
"Monster? I think that's a word I should be using for you," Garp said, casually ripping off what remained of his tattered shirt, his brows furrowed.
He too felt a sense of helplessness against Arthur.
In just a few short years, that little punk from back then had grown to a level that commanded the entire world's attention. If he wasn't a monster, what was he?
However, the moment that thought surfaced, it was fiercely suppressed. His determination to capture Arthur was unshakeable, stronger than anything else. He had never felt this intensely, not even when facing Roger—
This was a resolve he was prepared to die for.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!"
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!"
Violent explosions continuously erupted from all directions, capturing the world's attention. The wars between Kong and Redfield, and Sengoku and Whitebeard, had reached their climax.
The two combatants paid no attention to the chaos around them, their focus almost completely locked on each other. One grim, one cold, their gazes clashed in mid-air, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
The purple lightning in his eyes threatened to explode.
The electricity surrounding his body grew more and more violent, creating a magnificent spectacle. Arthur flexed his wrist to work out the soreness, and then his entire body suddenly lunged forward.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!"
"CRACK!!"
He stomped down hard on the air itself, and the ferocious, overwhelming force seemed to unleash the terrifying destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
The air shuddered violently, trapped and helpless, as if it were about to be crushed under Arthur's foot.
The force transmitted through the air spread to the ground below. The massive roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove were actually shattered by the sheer power of his step.
The energy borrowed from the air propelled Arthur's Thunder Emperor form—allowing him to appear in front of Garp as if by teleportation. Electrical current converged in his hand, the sharp, piercing sound making eardrums ache.
His fist of condensed lightning blazed with incomparably brilliant light, carrying enough force to pierce the island as it crashed down.
Garp grinned. For some reason, he actually started to smile.
Maybe it was because he'd found, in this battle, the unrestrained joy he used to feel when he roamed the seas.
But as he'd grown older, the Marines and pirates of his era had either died or been crippled. And Roger, the one man he could go all-out against, had been sent to his execution by Garp's own hand.
It had been far too long since he'd truly fought with everything he had, a battle where he'd thrown life and death to the wind.
Maybe... this would be the final all-or-nothing gamble of his life.
"BWAHAHAHAHA!!"
With a joyous, unrestrained laugh, Garp stared up at the descending Arthur.
His knees bent slightly, and his legs exploded with terrifying force as he launched himself off the ground. Using the momentum, he rocketed into the air, his outstretched iron fist instantly hardening. From bottom to top, he swung it up to meet the lightning head-on.
"VMMMMMMMM!!!"
Both men were now giving everything they had. Before their fists even connected, the air, under the intense pressure, began to hum and tremble.
Rings of energy scattered outward, and moments later, a devastating storm formed.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!"
Amid a thunderous roar—Garp and Arthur's fists finally collided—like two meteors crashing together in the night sky, drawn to each other in a brutal, magnificent clash.
The brilliance that erupted in that instant drowned out everything else, bathing the entire Sabaody Archipelago in blinding light.
Everyone watching the broadcast covered their eyes simultaneously, terrified of being permanently blinded.
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A few seconds later, the bright light faded completely.
All the attacks had been neutralized. The two who had just been locked in fierce combat were now separated by several hundred meters.
It was impossible to tell who had been sent flying.
Catching his breath, Arthur couldn't help but feel genuine awe. He'd always thought that only Whitebeard possessed that "Overwhelming" presence, the power to bulldoze through any obstacle with ease.
He'd thought that besides Whitebeard—everyone else was a step below—and that's how he'd become the "World's Strongest Man."
But in reality, at the true summit, there were no gaps.
Whitebeard's strength lay in his terrifying destructive power. In terms of pure physical prowess and Haki mastery, he might not be stronger than Garp.
If Garp had found a Devil Fruit that greatly amplified his destructive capabilities, he would undoubtedly be another "World's Strongest."
It was just too bad that everyone had their own path.
Some people, knowing the terrifying power of a certain Devil Fruit in advance, would bet their lives and dreams on it—just like Arthur and Blackbeard. And some people scorned the power of Devil Fruits, focusing solely on perfecting their physical abilities.
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