"So it really is you, old man!"
Xiano burst into laughter, "Isn't this a bit too much for the Navy Headquarters? Have they already reached the point of sending you specifically to capture me?"
He had only been in the Grand Line for two months, after all.
This was the kind of treatment reserved for someone like Roger!
"Well, it can't be helped. Over in the New World, Kaido and Whitebeard are going at it fiercely, so manpower is tight. I was enjoying my vacation, but I got dragged into this… Wait, no, this is classified military intel. I can't tell you that."
"But you already told him, Vice Admiral Garp!!!" The surrounding Navy soldiers shouted in frustration.
"Puhahaha!"
Garp scratched his head and laughed heartily, "Ah, I slipped up! It's fine, though. It'll be in the newspapers in a couple of days anyway!" He suddenly turned serious, "Xiano, actually, I'm here on behalf of the World Government to discuss the matter of the Warlord of the Sea with you."
"The Warlord of the Sea?"
Xiano stroked his chin, "So they want to recruit me, huh? Even the World Government is getting involved?"
"That's right, haha. Defeating two Warlords of the Sea in a row has even made the Five Elders restless. Anyway, if you agree, your bounty will be canceled immediately, and you'll enjoy… Ugh, why is this document so long? It's such a hassle. Maybe it's better to meet in person and talk face-to-face!"
"Meeting is fine, but it should just be you coming, right, old man?"
Xiano paused, "Don't let me find out later that there's some creepy guy with sunglasses or an eyepatch lurking behind you."
"Huh? Of course not!"
"Alright, then I'll stop the ship and wait for you. Let me check the map… Hmm, the current coordinates should be around…"
Click.
The call ended.
In the dining room, everyone exchanged glances before their eyes eventually settled on Xiano.
"Bro, are we really going to stay here and wait for the Navy?"
Nami was the first to speak up, her voice urgent, "We can't trust them too easily. What if it's a trap…"
"Relax."
Xiano sat back down and continued eating his breakfast as if nothing had happened, "If it were anyone else, I'd be cautious, but that old man's word is trustworthy."
"Yeah, that's true," Smoker nodded in agreement, "Vice Admiral Garp is indeed like that. Even when facing enemies, he wouldn't stoop to such tricks."
"Even though you've left the Navy, you still seem to hold a lot of respect for him," Robin remarked with a blink.
"The title of 'Hero of the Navy' has been renowned across the seas for decades. Every kid who dreams of joining the Navy grows up hearing his stories."
Smoker sighed.
Unfortunately, not everyone in the Navy's upper echelons is like Vice Admiral Garp.
"Alright, the Captain said there's nothing to worry about, so stop overthinking it!"
Nami was about to say more, but Zeff interrupted with a chuckle, banging his ladle against the pot:
"Let's all just focus on finishing our meal, everyone!"
…
The Sunset dropped anchor and came to a halt.
After finishing breakfast, Xiano lounged lazily under a parasol, waiting. Glancing at the sea nearby, he seemed to remember something and suddenly looked up.
"Hey, Nojiko."
Nojiko, who was on the lookout tower scanning the horizon for any sign of a warship, quickly leaned out.
"What is it, Bro?"
"Freeze this area. Create an ice surface, as wide as possible."
Xiano pointed to the right side of the ship.
"Huh?"
Nojiko was a bit confused.
"You haven't met that old man, so you don't know his temperament."
Xiano smiled, "Whether I agree with the Warlord of the Sea alliance or not, after not seeing each other for so many years, he's definitely going to pester me for a fight once the matter is settled. You wouldn't want us to fight on the deck of the Sunset, would you?"
Fighting on the deck of the Sunset?
Nojiko imagined it for a moment and immediately shuddered. The Sunset had been with them for two months now, and they had grown attached to it. She didn't want it to be destroyed just like that.
"Got it, bro."
She nodded, put the telescope aside, and leaped out from the watchtower.
Headfirst, she let her body fall freely.
Just before hitting the sea, she took a deep breath, pushed her hands forward, and the cold energy stored in her body suddenly erupted—
"Ice Age—Era!"
In an instant, a bone-chilling cold current spread out from her palms in all directions!
Crack, crack—the once turbulent sea surface was instantly frozen into a silver, snow-covered ice field.
Xiano was stunned.
Wait, what era?
How could the name of this move also be a coincidence?
He wondered what Aokiji would think if he saw this.
"How's that, bro!"
Nojiko clapped her hands, grinning as she looked up at Xiano on the ship, "It's about a hundred thousand square meters. Is that enough?"
"Plenty."
Xiano gave a thumbs up, then stood up and walked to the railing. He flipped over and landed on the ice.
Although it was also called Ice Age.
Unlike the smooth, mirror-like ice created by Aokiji's ability.
The ice layer Nojiko created was covered with a half-meter-thick layer of snow, shimmering with fine silver light under the sun.
It crunched underfoot.
"Quite a suitable venue."
Xiano grinned, looking into the distance, "Now, we just have to wait for that old man to arrive..."
...
More than an hour later.
On the distant horizon, the shadow of a dog-headed warship finally appeared.
On the deck, Garp was sitting cross-legged on the railing, munching on a bag of senbei he had stolen from Sengoku's office.
His Lieutenant, Bogart, reminded him helplessly:
"Mr. Garp, we're almost at the destination. Shouldn't you take out the documents and prepare?"
"Puhahaha! What's the rush?"
Garp waved his hand dismissively, "When it comes to negotiations, you should start with some good hospitality, right? Who goes straight to the documents... Huh?"
He suddenly narrowed his eyes, staring at the massive ice field that had abruptly appeared on the sea ahead, "Strange, is this... Kuzan's ability? No, it doesn't seem quite the same."
"It's probably the power of the Snow-Snow Fruit."
Bogart observed for a moment and said softly:
"The ability user is named Nojiko, Xiano's sister. Besides her, according to intelligence, there are two other Logia-type ability users on his ship, both of whom are formidable."
No, more than just formidable.
Bogart sighed inwardly.
Who would have thought? That country boy he had seen in the Corbo Mountains had not only become a renowned figure himself but had also gathered a group of powerful subordinates.
Three Logia-type ability users in total!
Looking across the entire world, aside from their Marine Headquarters and the Four Emperors of the New World, which other force could boast such a luxurious lineup?
"Is that so?"
Garp patted the crumbs off his hands, "I don't really care much about these things, but... did you prepare the venue in advance? Puhahaha, it seems this kid and I are on the same wavelength!"
On the same wavelength?
Bogart was momentarily stunned.
The next moment, he suddenly realized and his expression changed, "Mr. Garp! Please remember your mission this time. You must not act impulsively and..."
"Relax, relax," Garp chuckled, "You've been with me for so many years, you should know I have a sense of what I'm doing."
"Report!"
The lookout's voice suddenly came from above, "Vice Admiral Garp, the Sunset has been spotted ahead! There's also a figure on the ice, it's that Xiano with a bounty of 540 million Berry!"
"Ah, I see him too."
Garp grinned.
His vision far surpassed that of an ordinary person. In his line of sight, he could not only clearly see the figure at the center of the ice.
But also see the other person comfortably lying on a rattan chair under a parasol, drinking beer.
At this moment, it seemed he had also noticed the approaching warship, raising the glass bottle in his hand and giving it a gentle shake in their direction.
"Damn it, I've been running around looking for you, and here you are, living it up, you brat!!!"
Garp laughed heartily and took a sudden leap over the ship's railing.
He didn't use Moon Walk, but instead relied on his terrifying leg strength to leap hundreds of meters high, then crashed down onto the ice like a cannonball—
Boom!!!
The ice instantly shattered into a huge hole, cracks spreading out like a spider's web.
The figure of this Marine hero directly disappeared into the ice hole, leaving only a circle of splashing water.
Huh?
Xiano was taken aback and turned to look at Nojiko.
"Uh, that's the edge area, the power weakens over there."
Nojiko blushed, awkwardly saying, "The center is still about ten meters thick, but over there it's probably only two or three meters... Should I go patch up the hole now?"
Xiano shook his head, "No, it's fine, we'll probably end up fighting in the center anyway..."
Before he could finish.
A series of bubbling sounds suddenly came from the ice hole, followed by—
"Puhahaha! What the heck, this ice is way too thin!"
Garp's head suddenly popped out of the water, a half-eaten rice cracker in his mouth, his hair wet and plastered to his forehead, looking quite comical with his dog-head hat.
As he struggled to climb out, he waved at Xiano:
"Hey! Brat! Aren't you going to give me a hand?!"
Xiano was silent for two seconds, then turned to Nojiko, "...Patch up the hole."
Nojiko: "...Okay."
She crouched down, placing her hands on the ice.
Crack, crack—
The cold air erupted again, and the ice layer quickly thickened. Seeing this, Garp kicked his legs and jumped out of the water with a yell.
"Attempted murder, little girl!"
Garp strode over, grumbling, "Good thing I reacted quickly, or I would've been frozen under the sea!"
Xiano sighed and handed over another bottle of beer, gesturing to the seat across from him. "Sit down, old man. I really can't tell if you're here to negotiate or to perform acrobatics."
I know you like to clown around.
But at least consider the setting, will you!
It was supposed to be such a poignant moment.
On the vast, frozen sea, after so many years, old friends reunite, raising their bottles to share a drink under the umbrella.
But now, thanks to you, the atmosphere is completely ruined!
"Negotiate? That's trivial!"
Garp took the beer, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp, exhaling contentedly. He looked across the round table at Xiano and chuckled:
"Rather than that, why don't you let me see—"
Whoosh!
A fist wrapped in ferocious Haki suddenly appeared in front of Xiano, as Garp's hearty laughter echoed across the icy plain:
"How much you've grown, you brat!"
Xiano had been prepared, his eyes flashing red as he sidestepped.
Garp's fist grazed his shoulder, the sheer force of the punch shattering the chair into pieces and carving a trench dozens of meters long into the ice behind him.
"Hey! Shouldn't we negotiate first?!" Xiano glared.
"Puhahaha! We can talk after we fight!" Garp laughed, launching another iron fist.
"You're even more impatient than I am, you old geezer!"
Xiano cursed, but a fighting spirit began to rise in his eyes.
Fine, a fight first is fine too. After all, he had been wanting to test this for a long time…
To see just how much of a gap still remained between him and Garp after all these years!
Hum, his right arm instantly became coated in Armament Haki, as black as ink, and he met the oncoming fist head-on.
Boom—!!!
The moment their fists collided, a visible spherical shockwave exploded between them.
The entire icy plain, like glass trampled by a giant, cracked into a spiderweb of fissures hundreds of meters in diameter, centered on the point of impact.
The warship that had just docked was violently rocked by the shockwave, and the marines on deck clung desperately to the mast, still being tossed about.
Bogart, however, remained standing straight. Watching the two fiercely engaged in battle, he couldn't help but sigh and facepalm:
"...I knew it would come to this."
He should have expected it.
...
Thud, thud!
Under the gaze of countless eyes.
The two figures continuously clashed, their movements so fast they became blurs amidst the swirling ice crystals. Every collision triggered a chain of explosions.
"Take this punch!"
Garp's fist, wrapped in terrifying force, shot toward Xiano's face. Xiano leaned back to dodge, the wind from the punch grazing his hair and instantly creating a massive crater in the ice.
"Puhahaha! So you've mastered Observation Haki quite well, huh? Nice dodge!"
Garp laughed as he changed his stance, his left leg descending like a battle axe!
"Iron Body!"
Xiano crossed his arms to block, absorbing the full force of the blow, but the ice beneath him couldn't withstand the pressure and collapsed.
He took advantage of the momentum to sink into the ice, only to burst out from behind Garp the next second, his right leg wrapped in dense Haki, lashing out like a whip toward the back of Garp's neck!
Thud!
Without even turning his head, Garp accurately caught Xiano's ankle and swung him around, slamming him into the ice.
Once, twice, three times!
With each slam, the ice surface would crack and shatter into countless fissures. In the blink of an eye, Xiano was tossed back and forth more than a dozen times like a wooden mallet. The faint smile that had been hanging at the corner of his lips gradually twisted into a grimace.
Enough already, you old bastard!
Damn it, this is clearly my signature move!
"My turn!!!"
When Garp once again lifted him to the apex of the arc, Xiano suddenly twisted his waist mid-air and flipped, snapping free from Garp's grip with a burst of force.
As his left hand braced against the ground, his right hand gathered all his strength, delivering a fierce blow straight toward Garp's chest!
"Six Styles Ultimate·Yamabuki-Colored Ripple Dash!"
"Iron Body!" Garp roared in response.
Boom!
The moment Xiano's fist struck Garp's abdomen, time seemed to freeze. Only the ripple-like waves slowly spread across Garp's chest.
And then—
Thud!!!!!
A terrifying shockwave expanded in a spherical shape, sending all the snow on the surrounding ice flying high into the air, as if a blizzard had suddenly descended.
The Iron Body on Garp's chest shattered, and he was sent flying backward by the punch. He skidded across the ice for hundreds of meters before finally crashing into the side of the dog-headed warship, coming to a halt.
"Mr. Garp!"
"Vice Admiral!"
The marines on the deck hurriedly leaned over the railing on this side, their faces filled with disbelief.
Mr. Garp's Iron Body couldn't even block that punch? And he was sent flying so far?
Bogart, however, merely flickered his gaze, remaining calmly in place without a word.
This scene... he had seen it many years ago.
"Mr. Garp," he called out softly to the figure below. "It's clear that the opponent's skills have far surpassed what they were back then. If you don't adjust your mindset and bring out your true abilities, you're going to be completely looked down upon."
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