"Surrender, kid, or I won't be merciful," Garp said, smiling confidently as he cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders.
Ayr smirked. "You think I'm an idiot?"
Garp's smile didn't fade. "So you're resisting. That's fine by me. fire!"
Behind him, the Marines raised their rifles without hesitation.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dozens of gunshots rang out, bullets flying like a swarm toward Ayr, filling his entire field of view. The sheer number made it seem like there was no escape.
But Ayr didn't move. No dodge, no blade raised, no Armament Haki. He simply stood there, watching the bullets come.
Garp let out a short laugh. "Seriously? I thought he had some tricks."
But then… the smile vanished from his face.
Because one by one, the bullets hit Ayr, and dropped.
Not a single round pierced his skin. No blood. No wounds. It was like they were bouncing off stone.
"Not even a flinch huh.." Garp muttered, now frowning.
Ayr's body didn't budge. He didn't even raise an arm. The bullets hit him like they were nothing.
That was the power of his Sage Body, now fully into its middle stage. His physical strength, defense, and durability had grown beyond anything human.
Even his own sword, wrapped in Haki, could barely leave a scratch on him anymore. What hope did bullets have?
"H-He's not hurt?"
"What is this guy made of?!"
The Marines were frozen in shock. Their rifles, their best weapons, were useless.
"Rocks really breeds monsters, huh?" Garp muttered, then grinned again. "This is getting interesting."
He dropped the Justice cloak from his shoulders, stretching his arms as his grin widened. "Alright. Fall back, I'll handle this myself."
The Marines didn't argue. They stepped back quickly, not daring to get close.
"Let's see what you've got, boy!"
Garp kicked off the ground—boom!—moving so fast he blurred. In an instant, he was in front of Ayr, fist raised and wrapped in solid Armament Haki.
No swords, no tricks, Garp believed in fists.
His punch came down with incredible force. He wasn't known as "Garp the Fist" for nothing. Even now, in his younger days, his strikes could crush walls and break boulders.
But Ayr didn't back down.
He raised his blade,also wrapped in deep black Haki, and slashed forward to meet the punch head-on.
BANG!
Fist met blade. The shockwave burst outward in all directions, splitting the air and shaking the ship.
The ground under their feet cracked and caved in instantly. Pressure rolled off both men like colliding storms.
Neither held back.
The two clashed with full force, strength pulsing through their bodies with every second.
"It's been a while since anyone blocked my fist," Garp said, smiling through the tension. "You're fun, kid."
For Garp, Marine life was never about promotions or glory. It was about facing the strongest. Fighting monsters. Testing his limits.
And right now? He was enjoying himself.
Ayr narrowed his eyes. "So this is the man they'll one day call a Marine hero…"
His slash, infused with full-body strength and sharpened Haki, could cut stone, split mountains, tear the ground open. But Garp's punch had met it without flinching.
Even so… with time, the balance shifted.
As their blades and fists ground against each other, Ayr's power kept rising, and slowly, Garp began to slide back.
Step… step…
The pressure grew too much. Garp's stance broke slightly, and he was pushed back by Ayr's blade.
The Marines watching from a distance gasped.
"No way… Colonel Garp's being pushed back?!"
"That slash… it's stronger than his fist?!"
"He's the strongest of our generation… and he's losing?! Who is this pirate?"
They were stunned. Garp wasn't just any officer, he was one of the four rising stars of the Navy. His fists had carried him further than most Marines could dream.
But now, here he was, overpowered.
Even among Marines, Garp's strength was legendary.
Yet against Ayr, even that wasn't enough.