"Bang!"
The moment their fists collided, a dull thud echoed out, and even The Logan trembled slightly. The force didn't manifest outwardly like Jason's usual explosive strength, but rather seemed condensed into a single point before erupting violently.
In just a split second, Jason flew off the deck like a ball, crashing into the sea with a loud "thump!"
Seeing this scene, everyone on board had a drastic change in expression, their eyes filled with shock.
"Jason!"
"Big Brother Jason!"
Crocodile and Trens were both alarmed.
Crocodile's shoulder crocodile instantly turned to sand, and Trens twisted his wrist, his gun pointed straight at Garp. But Garp merely laughed heartily, took a step forward, and threw another punch.
This strike was so fast that before Crocodile could even react, it landed squarely on his body.
"Elementalization!" Feeling the terrifying speed, Crocodile shivered and mentally shouted to himself. But it was useless. That punch landed cleanly, sending him flying like Jason and crashing into the sea.
"Bang!"
At that moment, Trens fired his gun.
Garp's body flinched slightly. He turned his head toward the gasping Trens.
"You've got some guts, kid. Since you're already injured, I'll let you off without a swim."
Then, with one swing of his fist, Trens was also sent flying, smashed into the rear bedroom wall so hard that he struggled to breathe. The overwhelming strength of the Hero Vice Admiral was on full display. In just three rounds, Rojen's crew had been utterly defeated.
Every single one of them, regardless of their bounty or strength, was taken out with a single punch.
"Isn't this a bit rude, treating my crew like that?" At that moment, Rojen's cold voice finally came.
He stood back-to-back with Garp, facing the Marine officers, whose expressions were now filled with dread.
"Hahahaha! So what are you gonna do about it, kid?" Garp laughed loudly and began to turn around.
But just then, an overwhelming and domineering aura burst forth from behind him. Though Garp didn't feel the full brunt of it, the shockwave alone sent a chill through him.
The group of Marines facing Rojen, however, turned pale. They felt an unbelievably powerful and oppressive will crash down upon them like a mountain, crushing their mental defenses in an instant.
"Thump!"
One after another, the Marines collapsed to the ground. In the blink of an eye, only one was left standing, barely conscious, eyes rolling into the whites.
"Now, things are fair."
Rojen turned to face Garp directly. Garp, now feeling that familiar aura, opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.
Finally, he stared at Rojen in astonishment.
"You… you little brat!"
There was no mistake; what he felt was Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki)! This kid, at such a young age, had already awakened Haoshoku! That was simply… shocking beyond belief!
Rojen calmly met Garp's gaze, showing not a trace of fear. He was indeed cautious of Garp, but not frightened.
Right now, his system balance still held 1.25 billion belly. It had previously been 1.35 billion, but summoning the female giant had cost 300 million. Then Jason and the others recovered 200 million, bringing it back to 1.25 billion.
Though this wasn't an astronomical sum by his standards, it was enough to live comfortably. He could easily summon a 100 million-level soul possession to gain overwhelming power.
With such a trump card, he naturally had no fear. This was also why he dared to charge straight into the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Haoshoku…" Garp murmured. Then he took a deep breath and looked at Rojen with an even more complex expression.
He was hesitating. A young man like this was far too terrifying. It was hard to imagine, give it another ten or twenty years, and would there be another Roger? And by then, he himself would be old. Among the next generation of the Marines, how many would be able to stand against this guy?
A man with this level of talent, this natural domineering aura that seemed destined to rule the world, for the world, for the Marines, was a threat.
The two of them stared at each other, and gradually, an invisible pressure spread out from both sides, clashing against one another. The ones who truly suffered were the trainee crew members behind them, crushed under the weight of this aura, unable to even speak or breathe properly.
Thankfully, after only five breaths' worth of time, Garp withdrew his presence.
"You really make things difficult for me, kid! Too much trouble to catch you… so I'll let it go!" Gritting his teeth, Garp finally pulled back.
Rojen also quietly let out a sigh of relief. At this point, getting into a fight with Garp wasn't what he wanted either.
"Go fish Jason and Crocodile out of the water." Turning back, he instructed the trainee crew.
The six of them immediately dove in, swimming toward the still-shouting-for-help Jason and Crocodile.
"Come with me. I have something to say to you." Garp turned around, casually kicking a few Marines back onto the warship, one in each hand.
Once he'd jumped back over, the Hero Vice Admiral didn't forget to mumble: "What a disgrace… couldn't even withstand a single round."
The way these officers performed made Garp even more worried about the future of the Marines. But thinking it over, that kind of stuff was Sengoku's responsibility anyway, so he put it out of his mind.
Rojen saw Jason and Crocodile had already been brought back on board and were now spitting out bubbles. Finally reassured, he leapt onto Garp's warship.
Looking around, Garp saw that there wasn't a single Marine left standing on deck. He rubbed his forehead and sighed, speechless.
"You brat… I don't even know what to say."
"Then don't." Rojen shrugged and acted as if he were about to leave.
"Hold it. I have something to ask you."
"What is it?" Rojen asked.
"Rouge, is she with you?" As he asked this question, Garp's face turned deeply serious.
He had once promised Roger that he would take care of that mother and child. But he had failed to do so, and it remained a painful regret in his heart.
"Yes." Rojen didn't hide it and nodded directly.
"Then hand her over to me." Garp was direct.
"You're dreaming." Rojen stood up, clearly no longer interested in chatting.
"Wait, kid, at least hear me out!" Garp looked utterly exasperated.
"Fine, talk." Rojen sat back down with a casual, "go ahead, I'm listening" expression.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're heading to Sabaody Archipelago."
Garp said seriously.
"Correct."
After a moment of silence, Rojen nodded.
"You got involved in that Celestial Dragons incident. I don't know what to say about that. It's your business, and not something I can interfere in. But just a few days ago, they requested Marine support to take the fast route to the Holy Land. And in the process… they gave the Marines your crew's exact location."
Rojen's pupils contracted sharply when he heard that.
"So, those people you thought were safe… are not safe at all." Garp's voice was deep, and it made Rojen's heart grow heavy.
(End Of This Chapter)
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