When the two fists collided, time seemed to stand still for a moment.
Then—
BANG!!!
With the point of impact at the center, a giant black-and-red hemispherical shockwave exploded!
The thick ice field collapsed like fragile glass. Under the extreme pressure, the seawater formed a massive vacuum vortex thousands of meters wide, rolling up into the sky!
"Ka…"
Kizaru, being the closest, was the first to be hit. He was blown back thousands of meters by the aftermath and crashed into a distant warship!
The massive cliffs and walls of Dressrosa trembled violently. Countless pieces of stone rolled down, shocking King Riku and the others watching above into retreating quickly.
Shano and Garp were also forced back by the shockwave. With the help of Moonwalk, they each managed to stabilize themselves on the broken ice.
The two raised their heads at the same time, locking eyes across the shattered ice field. Black and red lightning still crackled wildly between them.
"What's going on, Shano kid!"
Garp shouted in frustration, "How do you know this move too? And you're already so skilled with it! Even that idiot Kuzan hasn't mastered the essence of this old man's signature technique!!!"
"That's called talent. Ever heard of it, old man?"
Shano laughed.
This skill-copying technique was really useful. Last time it was "Divine Departure," and now "Galaxy Impact"—all signature moves, and not a single fake.
Anyway, he was very satisfied.
His luck had always been great!
Whoosh!
Golden light flashed in the night sky—it was Kizaru, turning into a laser and flying back, landing between the two of them. He turned to Garp.
"Why'd you only get here now?"
Kizaru frowned and sighed, "I mean… it took this long to get here from G-1? Your speed's a bit too slow, isn't it, Mr. Garp?"
"Ah, sorry!"
Garp scratched his head.
"Yeah, I was a little late, but what can you do? I was on the road…"
At this point, Garp's eyes lowered and noticed Kizaru's missing arm, stunned:
"Hey, Borsalino, you… you're…"
"This is nothing," Kizaru replied calmly. "If you, the Navy's hero, had shown up any later, I might not have survived."
Of course, he was exaggerating with sarcasm.
Though he lost the fight by being careless—dragged into the sea, a complete disadvantage—defeat was still defeat.
And it was a rather humiliating defeat.
Still, to completely finish him off was pure fantasy.
Kizaru believed no one in the world could do that.
"…You actually beat Borsalino and took off his arm. Now I get why Tsuru and the others insisted on giving you the title of world's strongest swordsman."
Garp looked at Shano with admiration.
"Hawkeye Mihawk couldn't do that. The title of the world's number one swordsman really should be yours!"
"…"
Kizaru opened his mouth, wanting to clarify that his arm wasn't cut off by a sword.
But then he remembered Shano's terrifying "Divine Departure" slash and thought there was no point in nitpicking.
"Thanks for the compliment, old man."
Shano twisted his slightly numb wrist and grinned. "But you didn't come just to chat, right? If you still want to fight, I'm happy to go another round."
"Hahaha! You still want to fight? You're really tough!"
Garp grinned. Though he looked casual with his hands behind his back and his cloak fluttering in the wind, he was secretly rubbing his sore wrist.
This brat…
…was really strong!
"You don't seem to understand the situation, Shano," Kizaru said coldly. "This isn't a one-on-one. I can't just stand by and watch."
"That means you'll face a two-on-one. Are you still that confident?"
"You're in the mood to talk now?"
Shano grinned. "Looks like just cutting off one arm wasn't enough. Also, you're the one who doesn't understand the situation! Who said it's two-on-one?!"
Boom!
A transparent pressure cannon in the shape of a bear paw suddenly shot down from the sky!
Kizaru's eyes glowed red. He quickly flashed aside to dodge and looked up—his expression suddenly changed.
Behind Shano,
Bear and Jack—two towering figures—stepped down with Moonwalk, one to the left and one to the right. They stood behind Shano, glaring at Kizaru.
"Tsk, two troublesome guys…"
Kizaru rubbed his brow in frustration. In his current state, he really couldn't break through these two in a short time.
"Rampaging Elephant" Jack was just thick-skinned. But Bear—
He wasn't just physically powerful, he was fast enough to match Kizaru's own attacks.
Among the Fallen, Shano wasn't the only troublesome one…
"Alright, I didn't come here to fight. I just want to ensure these marines can retreat safely."
Garp picked his nose and muttered, "Some brat stopped me along the way, said he was warning me on behalf of his father. Annoying little punk, but with our current forces… we really can't stay much longer."
"Warned you?"
Kizaru frowned. "Who?"
"It was Marco."
Shano guessed immediately. He raised his eyebrows and scanned the horizon. "Haven't seen that guy in a while. He's here too?"
"Yup."
Garp flicked away the booger. "But don't go looking for him. That kid had the same smug face as Borsalino, so I couldn't help it and punched him. He's probably still flying."
Kizaru glanced at Garp.
"In any case, Whitebeard knew I was coming and tacitly agreed to let me bring the marines back—but I'm not allowed to interfere directly in this battle."
Garp flicked his nose again and laughed.
"Hahahaha, completely unreasonable! What era do we live in? That old geezer still treats the New World like his backyard!"
They had quietly departed from G-1, but were still spotted immediately by Whitebeard's spies?
Kizaru frowned deeply.
Looks like even the mighty G-1 base had some cleaning up to do...
"Whitebeard, Garp... things just keep getting livelier."
Shano shook his head. "I respect you, Mr. Garp, but if all you've got are words, that's not enough for me to let this go..."
Might as well ride the momentum and finish this.
Looking at the shattered ice field, all the high-ranking navy officers—except for Gion, who was still fighting Kuina—had been defeated by his side.
Bear and Jack were now free, enough to stall Kizaru.
As for himself, though he was low on Haki, his physical strength was still intact. Continuing a fight with Garp wasn't a problem.
There was no way Garp could take the navy back without offering something in return.
Of course...
Even if Garp hadn't come, Shano wouldn't go out of his way to slaughter the lower-ranked marines. If they fled, he'd let them.
But those Vice Admirals who'd already lost their combat effectiveness? They wouldn't get off so easy.
"Hmm…"
Garp scratched his head and turned toward his dog-headed warship.
His adjutant, Bogart, who had been waiting on the deck, instantly understood. He used Moonwalk to approach and pulled out a special Den Den Mushi from his coat.
"Here, for you, Borsalino."
Garp had no intention of holding the snail and let Bogart toss it to Kizaru with disdain.
"Your communicator was destroyed in the fight. The people upstairs couldn't contact you, so they called me… Tsk, even though only admirals are technically under their command, they always make exceptions. So annoying…"
Upstairs?
As soon as he heard that, Kizaru knew Garp wasn't talking about Sengoku.
It was...
The Holy Land, Marijoa.
Kizaru caught the Den Den Mushi with his only hand and activated it. The sleepy-looking snail instantly perked up, straightening into a serious and stern face.
"Borsalino,"
A cold, elderly male voice came from the Den Den Mushi with undeniable authority.
"We already understand the situation. Now, I will personally convey the highest decision of the World Government."
"I understand."
Kizaru nodded. "Only Garp and I are present. You can speak freely."
"First, the navy will immediately retreat from Dressrosa and cease all military operations in the country."
Kizaru frowned but stayed silent.
"Second," the voice continued coldly, "as long as Dressrosa continues paying the Heavenly Tribute, its World Government membership remains. But it will be permanently barred from the World Conference. The Navy will not assist with any future crises."
No help?
Bear stepped forward, his fists clenched tightly, anger burning in his eyes.
He'd witnessed the suffering in this kingdom firsthand. For someone to say such things so shamelessly…
How utterly disgraceful!
"Third."
The cold voice paused, then added:
"This operation's failure is entirely due to the Navy Headquarters' own misjudgment. You acted without approval."
"Punishment for you and Sengoku will be decided soon. For now, remember: the current strategy of the Holy Land is to recruit Shano and the Fallen—not destroy them."
"What?!"
Kizaru finally couldn't hold back and narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
The Holy Land's strategy was the complete opposite of the Navy's?
Their goal is... to recruit him?
That made no sense!
They missed multiple chances. Shouldn't they have crushed this pirate crew before it could grow?
He really couldn't understand this logic.
"That is not your concern, Borsalino. Mind your tongue and stop asking questions."
The voice coldly rebuked him.
"Now, dismiss everyone around you—including yourself. I want to speak to Shano directly."
The cold sea breeze blew across the night air.
For a moment, the entire battlefield felt deathly silent.
"…"
Kizaru stared at the Den Den Mushi silently.
Eventually, he handed it to Shano, then backed away with Garp.
Jack was reluctant to leave, but Bear grabbed his shoulder and dragged him away.
…
Now, only Shano stood in the center of the massive ice field.
He held the Den Den Mushi up and studied it with interest. The stern face simulated by the snail was also staring at him.
"Shano."
The snail's voice was low and heavy, full of superiority.
"This may be the first time I'm speaking with you, but I've heard of you. Now, as a mere mortal, hearing my voice directly should be a great honor."
"Honor? What nonsense are you spewing? I'm this close to tossing this snail into the sea. Guess who'll be panicking then?"
Shano sneered. "Also, that voice of yours… Saturn? Saturn Satan, right? The so-called 'Scientific Defense God'? You always do the dirty work, huh? Aren't you the lowest-ranked of the Five Elders? Can't they send someone else?"
"…"
The Den Den Mushi paused, stunned, before its face darkened in silence.
…
At this moment, in the Room of Authority, Marijoa.
Saturn, wearing his flat hat, put his hand over the mic with a sour expression and looked at the other Elders.
"This kid… really isn't ordinary."
The sword-wielding Elder in the kimono narrowed his eyes coldly.
"He's never stepped foot in the Holy Land, yet he knows so much—even your full name. That's no coincidence."
"It's just a guess," Saturn said with a wry smile. "It wasn't completely accurate."
"Even so, his attitude says everything," said the blond Elder, arms crossed. "A lunatic like this, who disrespects the World Government, isn't fit to join the Knights of God."
"That's up to Shamrock, not us," the long-bearded Elder said slowly. "Let him hit a wall on his own."
"What we must do is make sure Shano and the Navy understand our position."
At that moment—
Shano's impatient voice rang through the Den Den Mushi:
"Hey, old guys, you done muttering? Keep dragging it out and I'll hang up!"
Saturn's gaze turned icy.
He took a deep breath and resumed the call:
"Shano, as you just heard, the World Government will now offer three conditions to end this war. I believe you'll find them... very satisfactory."
Huh?
They're really offering terms?
Shano raised his eyebrows in surprise.
These big shots were talking to him like this?
Was the sun rising in the west?