Chapter 270: Triumphant Return! The Fluttering Anti-Ship Blades!
On the evening the Martial Arts Tournament was announced to have concluded, the fervently boiling atmosphere had just slowly begun to settle.
Just as everyone was preparing to return, in the center of the ruined arena on the deserted island, Garp and Zephyr had at some point taken up stances facing each other.
The corner of Garp's mouth curled up, his smile revealing pure battle intent as his fists crunched. "Zephyr... you've been holding back this urge to fight for a long time, haven't you?"
Zephyr cracked his neck, phoenix-like azure flames dancing around his shoulders. His gaze was sharp: "Cut the crap. Let's fight!"
"BOOM—!!!"
The two erupted almost simultaneously. The instant their fist winds and arm strength collided in mid-air, the sky above the entire island seemed to be torn open with a deep fissure. The violent airwave caused the distant sea to kick up a wall of water hundreds of meters high!
"These two old men...!"
Roy's pupils shrank abruptly. Sensing the destructive impact brewing, he raised his hand and waved it violently.
"SWISH—!!!"
A dazzling spatial rift tore open instantly, forcibly teleporting the thousands of spectating Marine soldiers back to the safety of Marineford!
Only the high-ranking officers—Sengoku, Tsuru, the Three Admirals, Gion, Tokikake, and a few others—remained, watching the island that was about to be destroyed with grave expressions.
"BANG—!!!"
Garp's Iron Fist and Zephyr's Black Arm clashed with a boom. The shockwave swept out in all directions like a roaring giant dragon!
"CRACK—!!!"
The ground of the deserted island shattered instantly. Fissures spread madly like spiderwebs all the way to the coastline, and the surrounding seawater was violently swept up into the sky!
"RUMBLE-RUMBLE—!!!"
Half the island collapsed directly under the pure clash of their power. An astonishing black lightning scar even appeared in the sky above, as if a god had descended in person!
...
Half a day later
Standing on the deck of a warship, Sengoku's veins popped, his voice overpowering the roar of the tsunami:
"Such a meaningful island... and you two just destroyed it like that?!
When are you two stubborn old fools ever going to learn some restraint?!!"
Covered in dust, Garp laughed loudly, his face full of the exhilarated joy of an unfinished battle:
"BWAHAHA! Don't be so stingy, Sengoku~ It's been a long time since I've had such a satisfying fight!"
Zephyr shook his slightly numb arm. "We can just find another island when the time comes... Besides, what if we left it and the World Government found some leverage against us~"
Tsuru sighed softly, holding her forehead. "These two guys... they'll never learn what 'restraint' means, even in their old age."
On the other side of the warship, Gion stood at the edge of the deck holding her sword, watching the ruined island slowly sink. Her eyes were filled with both shock and awe:
"So this is the strength of legends?"
Tokikake rubbed the stubble on his chin, putting away his usual laziness. "It seems we are still far off..."
As the curtain completely fell on the Martial Arts Tournament, the Marine elites embarked on their return journeys, each carrying new abilities and ambitions.
Sentomaru excitedly tugged on Kizaru's cape, shouting:
"Uncle! Hurry up and send me back to Punk Hazard! The Doctor definitely can't wait to see my Stone-Stone Fruit!
I'm going to remodel the entire experimental island to match my power!!!"
Kizaru pushed up his sunglasses, his drawl as lazy as ever: "So troublesome~ But oh well, the Doctor doesn't like waiting."
A flash of golden light, and the two vanished from the deck.
Upon returning to Marineford, Gion and Tokikake immediately dove into developing their new abilities.
Gion would occasionally seek out Kuzan to request guidance on advanced applications of the Snow-Snow Fruit.
Kuzan originally didn't want to meddle, but looking at Staff Officer Tsuru standing behind Gion...
And then looking behind Tsuru at the two old men rubbing their fists, flexing their muscles, and looking ready to "discuss martial arts insights on the spot" at any moment...
He sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets and exhaling a cloud of cold air: "Arara~ How troublesome..."
...
A few days later, Marine Headquarters · Marineford
The Vice Admirals who had gone out to exterminate pirates returned triumphant one after another, accompanied by the roar of naval guns and the snapping of military flags.
The remnants of major pirate crews in the New World finally breathed a sigh of relief, whispering in the shadows:
"Those Marine maniacs finally left!!!"
"What kind of medicine did they take recently?! Why were they suddenly fighting so desperately?!!"
"I heard even three of the 'Five Buster Call Vice Admirals' were leading troops personally, chopping down any pirate they saw!!!"
Meanwhile, inside the meeting room of Marine Headquarters, a massive leaderboard hung right in the center, making the battle results clear at a glance.
First Place: Strawberry
Subjugation Record: Led his troops to directly annihilate an entire pirate island, destroyed 7 pirate crews, captured 23 wanted criminals.
Reward: Ripple-Ripple Fruit (Paramecia)
Second Place: Lacroix
Subjugation Record: Sank 2 Yonko-affiliated fleets, killed 4 pirates with bounties over 100 million.
Reward: Special Giant-use Armament Sword from the Science Unit (The small wish Roy promised to fulfill)
On the podium, the usually expressionless Strawberry, known for his excessively long head, revealed a rare smile.
He took his reward, the Ripple-Ripple Fruit, and bit into it without hesitation—
"URGH—!!!"
His rigid, stiff face instantly contorted into a knot. The next second, he forced it back into a cold, stern expression, speaking in a low voice: "...Disgusting!"
"PFFT-HAHAHA—!"
A burst of hearty laughter erupted in the meeting room. Even Doberman and Onigumo couldn't help but slap the table and laugh wildly.
"Vice Admiral Strawberry, your expression management failed!"
"Even an iron-faced guy like you couldn't handle it, haha!"
Strawberry's face darkened. He took a deep breath and directly drew the sword at his waist.
"Ripple: STEEL SOFTEN!"
"SWISH—!!!"
The longsword instantly softened into a metallic ribbon, nimbly wrapping around his arm.
He gave a light shout. The sword body hardened abruptly, carrying an ear-piercing whistle as a sharp sword energy sliced through the meeting room's martial arts area!
"This fruit..."
A rare light flashed in Strawberry's eyes as he muttered, "I like it..."
He immediately turned around, looking fervently at the head of the Science Unit: "I want to custom-order two giant anti-ship blades made of extremely high-density compression material!"
"I'll soften them to wear as a cape and scarf normally, and harden them instantly in battle!"
"The next time I exterminate pirates, I will cleave the enemy ship in two with a single strike!!!"
The head of the Science Unit excitedly took notes, his voice trembling: "Understood! We will use the latest alloy developed by Dr. Vegapunk to custom-build them for you!"
Doberman, Yamakaji, Momonga, and Onigumo gathered around, patting Strawberry heavily on the shoulder:
"Beautifully done!"
"Next time, we'll join forces and sweep straight through the New World!"
Strawberry revealed a rare smile: "Thank you... but this merit belongs to all of us who fought together."
He raised his hand, saluting solemnly toward Roy in the distance: "Vice Admiral Roy, all of this... I will remember it."
Roy nodded slightly, his gaze steady: "No need to thank me. It's what you earned."
Out on the plaza of Marineford, the soldiers' blood boiled as they raised their fists and cheered!
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku stood with his hands behind his back by the window. Watching the cheers below, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Roy's plan is starting to show results."
Zephyr leaned by the window. "These brats are finally starting to look like they can hold up the future of the Marines."
Garp, munching on rice crackers, laughed indistinctly: "But the happiest one has got to be that guy Strawberry, right? He usually has such a stiff face, but today he was grinning like an idiot, BWAHAHA!"
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