— — — — — —
"Meh."
Renzo shrugged. "If that's what you think, then sure. Let's go with that."
He cracked his knuckles, smiling. "How about we warm up first, then have a nice little chat after?"
"Renzo! You promised I'd go first!"
Kuina stepped forward, her aura exploding as a sharp, overwhelming sword aura filled the air. Small animals and even insects in the area scattered in terror.
She drew her Wado Ichimonji with a calm, focused look and locked eyes on Garp.
"Gramps, I'll be your opponent first!"
"Oh?"
Garp raised his eyebrows in surprise at the immense pressure she was giving off, then laughed heartily.
"Ha ha ha! Incredible! You're that little girl who used to trail behind this brat, right?"
"Not only have you grown up, but you've already reached the level of a master swordswoman? Damn terrifying! 'Genius' doesn't even begin to cover it."
Kuina smiled slightly. "It's all thanks to my Renzo's training. Now, here I come!"
Without warning, she swung her sword in a powerful arc—sending a flying slash dozens of meters long hurtling toward Garp.
"Haha! Now that's more like it!"
Garp laughed and blasted forward, punching straight through the slash and charging in even faster with his Iron Fist aimed directly at her.
CLANG!
Fist met blade, and the two clashed fiercely.
Neither could overpower the other for the moment.
Of course, Renzo could tell—Garp wasn't going all out, and Kuina was clearly holding back too. This wasn't a death match, after all.
"Let's move. Take the kid down first."
Sengoku gave the order coldly.
"Understood."
The Admirals didn't hesitate.
"Hell Hound!!"
"Light Kick!"
"Ice Age!!"
The three of them unleashed their Devil Fruit powers in unison.
But—
"Takamagahara: Absolute Suppression."
With a wave of his hand, Renzo's domain descended over them like a divine law, and in an instant—
All three Admirals felt their powers vanish.
They couldn't use their Devil Fruit abilities anymore.
"What?!"
"What the hell's going on?"
"No way…"
The three Admirals—and Sengoku—stared at their hands, then at Renzo, completely stunned.
They had no idea what just happened.
"Huh?"
Even Garp heard the commotion. He forced Kuina back with a powerful punch, then turned and asked, confused:
"What's going on with you guys? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
"We… can't use our Devil Fruit powers."
Sengoku's expression was dark as he answered.
"…What?"
Garp blinked, like he'd just heard the world's dumbest joke.
"Is that even possible?"
He couldn't help but look at Renzo. "What did you do, kid?"
Renzo just smiled. "Oh, not much. Just temporarily disabled your Devil Fruits. That's all."
"In my domain, I control the rules. And that includes your powers."
"In other words—you never had a chance. I'm just proving a point: you're better off cooperating."
He'd come here to dominate them into listening, plain and simple.
"No Devil Fruit? Fine!" Akainu wasn't ready to back down.
"I don't believe you can suppress my fists too!"
With a roar, he bolted toward Renzo, using Shave to close the distance in a flash, and swung a blazing punch straight at his face.
His hand-to-hand skills weren't weak by any means—his speed was top-tier, too.
But in Renzo's eyes, it was slow as hell.
Just before the punch could land, Renzo casually sidestepped—and countered with a clean shot to Akainu's stomach.
CRACK!
Akainu's body folded like a bow, eyes bulging as pain ripped through his stomach.
He flew backward, gasping for air.
SPLURT!
Blood burst from his mouth.
But Renzo didn't stop.
He flashed forward and smashed his fist down on the back of Akainu's head.
BOOM!!
The blow drove Akainu straight into the ground—head and upper body buried deep in the dirt.
He didn't get back up.
The man was out cold.
"Whoa whoa whoa! That was brutal! Sakazuki, are you still alive?!"
Aokiji called out.
But Akainu didn't respond.
Not even a groan.
They didn't need confirmation.
Akainu just got one-shotted.
Crack, crack.
Renzo twisted his knuckles, then glanced at the remaining Admirals with a wicked grin.
"Alright, who's next? Looks like the only way to make you guys cooperate… is to beat you into submission."
"You—!"
Sengoku wanted to snap back with something fierce.
But Renzo didn't give him the chance.
In a blur, he appeared right in front of Kizaru.
"Not good!"
Kizaru's instincts kicked in—he tried to phase away with his Devil Fruit…But nothing happened.
Right. His powers were still sealed.
All he could do was throw his arms up to block.
BAM!
Renzo's punch sent him flying.
Kizaru felt the bones in both arms snap on impact. He couldn't help the rising dread in his chest.
"Why me?! I didn't even do anything!"
All he wanted was to coast through life like a lazy salaryman—not get his bones shattered by some overpowered lunatic.
"You're not getting away with this!"
Sengoku and Aokiji moved in the second Kizaru was sent flying, throwing punches from both sides.
But Renzo casually raised both hands and caught their fists.
He didn't even flinch.
Then, with lightning speed, he twisted his body and launched a brutal double kick—
WHAM!!
Both of them were sent flying in opposite directions.
"Cough—!! Blagh!!"
Sengoku and Aokiji hit the ground hard, blood pouring from their mouths.
"Oi oi oi, seriously?!"
Garp couldn't help but groan from the side.
"Sengoku! Kuzan! You guys are that soft now? Coughing up blood after just one kick? What is this, rookie hour?"
Were they really getting tossed around this easily?
"Cough!"
Sengoku clutched his stomach, glaring at Garp like he wanted to strangle him.
"You try taking that monster's kick and see how you feel! His strength is insane—I think my organs are scrambled! Cough, cough! Garp! Be careful! His hand-to-hand might actually be stronger than yours!"
"Wait, seriously?!"
Garp's face finally turned serious. Seeing Sengoku like this wasn't something you could fake.
He looked at Renzo with a deep frown.
"You brat… what the hell kind of monster have you become?"
"Here, why don't you see for yourself?" Renzo grinned.
Garp didn't hesitate.
He pushed off hard, closing the distance in a blink.
"Iron Fist: Galaxy Impact!!"
His full power—no holding back.
Renzo just smiled, twisted slightly—
And punched back.
BOOOOOM!!!
The shockwave from the collision shattered the air and caved in the ground beneath them.
The raw force slammed into Garp's body like a runaway train.
He was launched back over a hundred meters, flipping through the air as he tried to slow himself down using Geppo.
He barely managed to stop himself in midair.
He glanced at his fist—torn skin, blood dripping, bones creaking under the strain.
"…Tch. Unbelievable."
Garp's expression twisted.
"This is the first time I've ever lost a clash of fists."
"Looks like... no one can stop you anymore."
He suddenly laughed loudly.
"But still—that kind of strength alone won't be enough."
"Ha ha ha! The World Government's real trump cards aren't just the Five Elders or what they show on the surface. No…"
"Garp!!"
Sengoku's face suddenly changed as he shouted, trying to shut him up.
That name—that information—wasn't supposed to be mentioned, especially in front of outsiders.
"Tut tut." Renzo smacked his lips and grinned.
"Of course I know the Celestial Dragons have something else backing them. You mean Imu and Uranus, right?"
"What, you thought I just popped in here without knowing anything? Thought I was just some hot-blooded idiot yelling about taking down the World Government?"
"Come on. Really? You think I'd make a move like this without being absolutely sure?"
He grinned wider.
He wasn't rushing out of blind confidence.
He had the power. He had the plan. And he was only getting stronger with every passing moment.
Even if he didn't do anything, his clones were training day and night, constantly pushing his strength to new heights.
This was just the beginning.
.
.
.