His words intrigued her, but Kiri ignored them.
With too little information to analyze, she focused on fighting, gathering paper to form weapons.
She crafted paper swords in both hands, using excess paper for ornate guards and hilts, unlike her usual plain designs. Hardened by her ability, they rivaled steel.
Zoro's failure showed swords alone wouldn't win.
But her paper swords weren't metal.
Garp, sensing the danger, tensed and faced her.
"Come on. I'm ready," he said.
Kiri charged, no finesse, straight ahead—a foolish move.
Garp sighed, disappointed.
Matching her speed, he readied a counter.
At the critical moment, Kiri leaped, swinging her right-hand sword. Garp blocked with his left arm, the contact producing a metallic clang. Unfathomable—her blade should have cut flesh, but it didn't, sounding like it struck iron.
Before Garp could counter, Kiri swung her left sword.
He moved to block, but the sword disintegrated before contact.
Intentional—paper scattered before his face, blocking his vision again. Garp flinched, leaning back.
"Whoa!? Again!?" he grunted.
He quickly regained composure, swiping at the paper.
Kiri landed, thrusting with her right sword. Garp dodged, despite impaired vision. But this time, the sword's tip morphed mid-attack, becoming a flat wall, like a stamp, pressing against Garp's face.
Not an attack—just pressure.
Seemingly pointless, it covered his face, proving effective.
"What!? Ngh!" Garp mumbled.
Not just his eyes—his nose and mouth, essential for breathing, were sealed. His body tensed, visibly shocked.
Kiri seized the moment, landing a roundhouse kick to his stomach, a dull thud resounding.
No dodge—her attack landed.
Not wasting the chance, she drew more paper, gathering the scattered pieces to form a massive sword, its blade long and thick, too heavy for normal hands. Hardened to steel-like strength, she glared down at Garp.
He struggled, frantically trying to peel the paper off. It clung tightly, resisting his strength.
A clear opening. She swung the giant sword at his exposed torso.
In that instant, Garp countered.
His fist met the hardened sword, the impact shattering it into countless pieces.
His fists weren't ordinary—likely capable of crushing steel.
Blind, nose, and ears sealed, he still reacted precisely.
Not a Devil Fruit user, yet this response deepened Kiri's doubts.
But he couldn't breathe. He writhed, clawing at the paper. Each sheet clung perfectly, hard to grip, too tough to tear, confusing him.
Kiri, regaining composure, smiled and spoke casually.
"Won't come off, huh? No matter how strong, human bodies are the same. Without a Devil Fruit, it's hard to escape. I trained for this."
Raising the fallen paper, she crafted a new weapon—a paper spear.
Twirling it deftly, she charged.
The large spearhead aimed for Garp's stomach. Even blind, he likely sensed it.
"If you suffocate, it'd be easy. But it won't be that simple, right? So—"
No intent to kill Luffy's kin. But if he pursued, she'd show no mercy.
Targeting his exposed torso, she expected a dodge or block. Fine—stopping his attempts to remove the paper, even briefly, was enough. Any action to save himself would deepen his peril.
Kiri closed in cautiously.
As she thrust the spear, aiming to pierce, Bogard appeared, deflecting it with his sword and standing before Garp.
Kiri's expression shifted—trouble. She thrust twice, thrice, but Bogard parried, rendering her attacks useless. In a brief moment, he sliced the paper from Garp's face.
Garp gasped, breathing again.
Sensing danger, Kiri leaped back, flipping and crouching to assess.
Garp and Bogard together—things had gotten worse.
"Phew! Cough! That was close. You're tougher than you look, kid," Garp said.
"You let your guard down," Bogard replied.
"Hmph, I admit I got carried away. It's been a while. But she's got skill—well-trained," Garp said.
"Don't get too excited," Bogard cautioned.
"Can't help it. You and Sengoku nag so much, I rarely get to fight," Garp grumbled.
Bogard's single slash left Garp unscathed. The paper had clung perfectly, yet his skill was evident—beyond East Blue's level.
Kiri gritted her teeth.
The situation had worsened.
Victory was now impossible. But if the goal wasn't winning, there was still a chance.
She sighed softly.
"Almost had it. Another tough guy," she muttered.
"You're the kid who wrecked the inspection ship. Impressive. But you know it ends here. Tell us where Monkey D. Luffy is," Bogard demanded.
"No way. The fight's not over," Kiri replied.
A subtle shift occurred.
Heavy footsteps crashed through the grass, and Zoro emerged, furious. Blood stained his mouth from Garp's earlier blow—a heavy hit. For a normal person, it'd knock them out, yet he stood, three swords ready. His resilience was astounding, despite the clear skill gap.
Garp growled, feeling the pressure.
To think such talent existed in the "weakest" East Blue.
He and Bogard couldn't help but be impressed by Zoro's aura.
Kiri unleashed all her hidden paper, preparing something big.
"You win. But thanks—seeing the top showed us we can still grow," she said.
"Bogard, don't let them escape. They'll go far," Garp said.
"Indeed… I felt it," Bogard agreed.
Kiri raised her left hand, and countless papers spiraled skyward, filling the air. Seconds later, she leaped, her light paper body soaring dozens of meters with superhuman agility.
Zoro, seeing this, charged forward.
This would be their final clash, driven by desperate resolve.
Garp and Bogard braced silently.
Their mistake was assuming only Kiri and Zoro were the threat.
A sudden gust roared.
Wind from the right-side forest tore past, grazing Garp and Bogard, drawing blood. Minor scratches, but undeniable wounds.
Something was off about that gust.
Noticing the slight pain, they grew suspicious, but with enemies approaching, they couldn't dwell. Zoro charged, spinning two swords, his aura ferocious, almost demonic.
Forgetting the wind, Garp stepped forward.
"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique—!" Zoro bellowed.
"Back off, Bogard. I'll handle this!" Garp ordered.
Facing Zoro, he crossed his arms to block.
He'd stopped swords before; he could again.
But showing his defense earlier proved costly.
Another gust hit—not enveloping, but a precise blade of wind, slicing Garp's leg from the forest.
His stance faltered.
Bogard tried to intervene, but his right hand was cut, dropping his sword. The attack was invisible, unpredictable. Focused on Kiri and Zoro, they'd overlooked her in the distance.
Zoro kicked off, launching forward.
"Three Thousand Worlds!"
He sped past.
Garp blocked just in time, his body slashed but producing a metallic clang—not cut, somehow defended.
Still, it bought enough time.
Above, a massive dome-shaped cage of paper loomed.
Kiri swung both arms down, and it crashed with overwhelming force.
"Design Paper: Twelve Layers!"
Garp, fallen but unharmed, looked up. Bogard tried to dodge, confident in his speed. But sensing the strange wind, he froze.
A thunderous crash, and the cage trapped them.
Layers of paper, twelve thick, formed a hardened dome, rivaling steel, imprisoning them.
Bogard touched it, confirming its strength. Paper, yet oddly solid.
Garp stood, frustrated but amused, scanning the dark interior.
"Locked in, huh?" he said.
"Seems so. They're clever," Bogard replied.
"That wind—was it another Devil Fruit?" Garp asked.
"Someone else hiding, likely. Been a while since I've been injured like this," Bogard said, eyeing his cut arm.
They'd been careless. An ambush wounding them was rare—combat injuries had dwindled as they grew stronger. This was impressive for such young foes.
Brushing it off, Garp rolled his shoulders.
This was getting fun. Their skill sparked joy, not anger.
Finding such promising talents at once.
He wanted them in the Marines, supporting Luffy.
Grinning, he clenched his right fist.
"Doesn't matter. I want them. We'll grab Luffy and take them too," Garp declared.
"They won't agree after resisting this much," Bogard said.
"If Luffy joins, they will. Problem solved," Garp insisted.
"Not that simple…" Bogard muttered.
"First, we break out," Garp said.
He tapped the wall. Not easily broken, but no real threat.
They stayed calm, unfazed.
"How do we get out?" Bogard asked.
"One punch," Garp replied.
He blew on his fist, warming up.
A swift swing shattered the twelve-layered cage, its force tearing through the paper bonds, opening one side.
But breaking one wall caused the ceiling to collapse.
Before escaping, a paper avalanche buried them, silencing the scene.
Seconds later, they burst free.
Heavy—countless sheets weighed them down.
Both struggled to emerge.
"Heavy!" Garp grunted.
"A double trap. Trap us, break a wall, and the rest collapses," Bogard analyzed.
"Annoying. Paper this heavy?" Garp complained.
"They're creative survivors. We underestimated them," Bogard said.
Half-buried, they looked around.
No enemies in sight.
They'd escaped.
Garp's expression soured.
Just when it was getting fun—disappointing.
"Where'd they go?" he asked.
"Got away," Bogard replied.
"Tch, frustrating. They didn't run scared—that's the problem," Garp said.
"Pursue? They can't be far," Bogard suggested.
"Of course. They took my men," Garp said.
Pushing through the paper, Garp marched forward, Bogard following.
The clearing held no trace of their escape. Tracking them would normally be tough, but not for these two.
They sensed their fading presence.
Determined not to let them go, Garp smirked.
"Luffy found good crewmates. The Marines' future looks bright," he said.
"I'm not so sure…" Bogard replied.
---------------------------------------------
🚀 Want more?
📖 On Patreon you can read 20+ chapters ahead, plus there will be exclusive stories available only there.
💖 If you'd like to support me, check it out: patreon.com/Greyhounds
🔓 Patreon will always stay ahead of the public release — and some stories won't be published anywhere else.
✨ All support is completely optional — even if you don't join, I'm still grateful to have you here reading!