Windmill Village dock.
Everyone gazed toward Mt. Colubo at the apocalyptic scene unfolding in the distance.
Continuous thunderous roars, towering dust clouds... even the ground beneath their feet trembled faintly!
"Oh no, our cabin!"
Dadan's face turned ashen as she looked toward the mountaintop where their bandit hideout was located. It was not far from the storm's center and getting closer.
She'd better prepare for bankruptcy.
"How's the battle going?"
Those remaining on the Rayquaza couldn't be at the battlefield personally, so they could only look questioningly at Violet, the only one with telescopic abilities.
But she frowned slightly.
"Can't see clearly. They're moving too fast, and the dust is too thick."
"Wait, the sky is splitting!" Sanji pointed at the sky and shouted.
Ace and Luffy instinctively looked up, instantly stunned by the sight before them!
Above the Mt. Colubo battlefield, the sky's cloud layer had been torn open as if by an invisible giant hand, forcibly creating a massive hole.
Not only that, but the edges of the hole continued to disperse at a visible rate.
Deep in Mt. Colubo, the battle had reached white-hot intensity.
"Iron Fist Meteor Shower!"
"Consecutive Dragon Claws!"
Garp's fists became countless dark afterimages.
Kai's dragon claws tore through the air with incredible sharpness.
Fist and claw clashed.
The ground beneath them, already unable to bear the load, finally collapsed completely under these terrifying impacts, sinking dramatically downward.
BANG! BANG!
Fists and dragon claws struck each other's bodies.
Garp and Kai simultaneously flew back over a hundred meters, crashing into a grove of trees.
"Cough cough!"
Kai swept away the broken wood covering him and wiped the blood from his lips.
This guy Garp was truly vigorous in his old age.
At his age, he still maintained such excellent condition.
But youth was the greatest asset.
"Dragon Pulse!"
A dazzling shockwave shot toward where Garp had been blasted at lightning speed.
BOOM!
A massive explosion echoed from the distance.
Blinding light instantly consumed that area as a huge mushroom cloud shot skyward.
The attack hit its mark.
However, Kai showed no joy on his face.
His Observation Haki hadn't detected Garp's presence in the explosion!
Above!
Kai suddenly looked up.
A towering figure had already leaped high above his head.
Garp's Marine uniform was already tattered from the fierce battle, but his smile grew more excited.
"Kid, take this move!"
Garp raised his dark right fist high, his right arm muscles bulging and completely tearing his remaining sleeve.
"Galaxy Impact!"
Before the fist fully descended, the terrifying wind pressure already pressed down so Kai couldn't get up.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Within dozens of meters around, whether giant trees or rocks, everything shattered instantly and vanished into the air.
At this moment, time seemed frozen.
The dark iron fist kept enlarging in Kai's pupils.
BOOM!!!
Like a real meteor crashing to earth, with the impact point as center, a giant crater over a hundred meters in diameter and dozens of meters deep formed instantly.
To those watching from Windmill Village dock in the distance, it looked like:
"A mountain was flattened!" Dadan stared blankly.
The fate of the bandits' house?
That no longer mattered.
Now she had to wonder... with no mountain left, could she still be a mountain bandit?
Mt. Colubo.
Garp landed lightly at the crater's edge, his expression grave.
There was no sign of life in the crater's center.
Of course he wouldn't think Kai had died from this.
"Phew... That really scared me."
Kai's casual voice sounded behind him: "I almost thought I was going to die."
Garp turned around. Kai stood there perfectly fine.
Though he looked extremely disheveled, he was indeed still alive and well.
Then, continue!
Garp wasted no time, swinging his fist toward Kai.
But this time, Kai chose not to meet fist with fist.
From the previous battle, he understood that in close combat with Garp, who had immersed himself in martial arts his whole life, his current self simply couldn't win.
It was time to use his flashy abilities.
Kai pushed off with his right leg, leaping up. Simultaneously, he opened his mouth as violent energy surged from within, gathering in his mouth.
"Swift Star!"
A large shower of star-shaped energy bullets poured down toward Garp, the dense barrage sealing off his escape routes.
Garp frowned, crossing his arms above his head as pitch-black Armament Haki instantly covered his entire body.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Continuous violent explosions erupted madly on Garp's body.
His arms, chest, legs... every inch struck by the light bullets exploded with blinding radiance!
The dust kicked up around him instantly swallowed him.
Kai's attacks didn't pause for a moment.
"Fire Blast!"
A massive character-shaped high-temperature flame spewed from his mouth.
A towering pillar of fire immediately erupted where Garp stood.
"Next."
"Air Slash!"
Kai repeatedly swung his dragon claws, countless air-formed blades bombarding Garp.
"Enough already!"
Garp's roar echoed from the dust cloud.
Immediately after, a dark shadow suddenly burst from the dust.
Hm?
Not good!
Kai's Observation Haki kept warning him, but his body couldn't react in time.
The next instant, a pitch-black right hand suddenly grabbed Kai's forehead, black-red Haki lightning exploding from Garp's arm.
Kai gripped Garp's right hand and exerted force, trying to break free.
But it was too late.
In that case, he'd trade injury for injury!
Kai's gaze sharpened as he again gathered tremendous energy in his mouth, blasting it out without hesitation.
"Hyper Beam!"
"Galaxy Impact!"
Two destructive attacks erupted simultaneously at the extreme distance where their bodies nearly touched.
Garp was struck hard in the chest by that destructive beam, flying backward like a kite with its string cut.
Kai felt as if his skull had been struck head-on by a high-speed train, the incomparable impact force flowing through Garp's palm unreservedly into his body.
BANG!
The solid ground offered no resistance, shattering thunderously.
Kai was smashed unobstructed into the underground.
A massive shockwave exploded outward.
The air blast swept across the entire Mt. Colubo range, rushing toward Windmill Village without pause.
"Ugh, such strong wind!"
The weaker Sanji and Zoro could barely stand steady, only able to grip the ship's rail tightly to stabilize themselves.
Mt. Colubo.
After a long while, the dust at the battle's center finally cleared.
A dragon claw emerged from the crater's edge, forcefully gripping the ground.
The next second, a tall dragon-man leaped up, landing heavily on the surface.
"Haa... haa..."
Kai panted continuously, his body battered and covered in blood.
He truly hadn't expected Garp could still burst forth with such terrifying power.
Indeed, one couldn't underestimate the older generation of strong fighters.
Kai struggled to stand steady, his gaze turning to the distance.
The wounded Garp lay face-up on the shattered earth, his chest blackened.
Hearing movement, he suddenly opened his eyes and struggled to stand.
His condition was slightly better than Kai's, but only marginally.
Garp knew clearly from their recent exchanges that while he could temporarily suppress Kai, he absolutely couldn't match him in a battle of attrition.
He was ultimately old.
Time was the strongest poison.
Even ten years earlier... no, five years... he'd have confidence in defeating Kai.
Kai slowly walked toward Garp, completely disregarding their current positions, and sat beside him.
"Old man, how about we chat?"
Garp's eyelids half-lifted without speaking.