"Garp-san..." Kuzan's voice was tense. "The number of Sea Kings is increasing."
Kuzan kept his hands steady, pouring cold air onto the ocean surface to maintain the ice path.
But his eyes were darting around.
He was observing how the legendary Hero would handle such a sudden escalation.
"Hiss..." Garp sucked air through his teeth. "The Calm Belt truly is the Sea Kings' lair. It hasn't been long, and already several more have appeared. It's like kicking a beehive."
Garp didn't need to see them to know they were there.
Through his Observation Haki, the ocean beneath the ice was like a clear map. He could sense the massive heartbeats lurking in the abyss.
"Two of them are 800 meters long," Garp calculated calmly. "And the big one in the back... that one has grown to over 1,100 meters. That's larger than most islands."
BANG!
The ocean surface exploded. Columns of water erupted like geysers, shattering the edges of Kuzan's ice path.
"Garp-san!" Kuzan shouted. "These things are terrifying! They are nothing short of a natural disaster compared to the ones in the Four Seas!"
Three enormous dark shadows rose from beneath the sea.
Torrents of water cascaded down their bodies like waterfalls, creating a deafening roar.
The largest shadow loomed over them, blotting out the scorching sun.
It was a nightmare made of flesh. It had shimmering, emerald-green scales that looked harder than steel.
Its head bizarrely resembled a donkey's—though its ears were short and spined.
Its pupils were as large as small warships, staring fixedly at the two tiny Marine officers standing on the thin strip of white ice.
Slowly, the sea king opened its massive maw. It was filled with rows of serrated teeth, each the size of a man.
"ROAAAAR—!"
The roar blasted the air, shaking Kuzan's bones.
The creature seemed deeply concerned about the Sea King Garp had killed earlier; this roar sounded like a venting of rage and grief.
"It's angry," Garp noted.
He didn't look impressed.
After only a brief observation, Garp had already prepared to attack.
"Rokushiki — Moon Walk"
In Garp's hands, the Six Styles were executed with unparalleled proficiency.
For most Marines, these were difficult techniques. For Garp, they were as natural as breathing.
Garp didn't need to calculate distance, wind speed, or trajectory.
The instincts ingrained in his body through decades of hellish combat provided the perfect solution instantly.
RIIIP.
The muscles in his arms and legs instantly swelled, bursting free from the constraints of his white suit.
His body revealed rock-solid, marble-like musculature that pulsed with power.
BOOM!
The ice beneath Garp's feet was pulverized.
Garp launched himself into the air.
His Moon Walk was so powerful that it crackled through the air like thunder, the sound echoing far and wide across the silent Calm Belt.
Tap, tap, tap—
He kicked the air.
The atmosphere, forcibly pierced by Garp's legs, produced sharp white sonic booms.
In the face of Garp's terrifying power, distance became negligible.
"So fast!" Kuzan gasped.
Garp's speed reached its peak in an instant.
He wasn't just using Moon Walk, he was combining it with Soru.
The alternating use of the two techniques propelled him to a velocity beyond ordinary perception.
Kuzan, who was busy reinforcing the ice to keep them from sinking, looked up.
He could only perceive Garp's figure flickering like a broken film reel.
Garp was in front of the left Sea King.
Flicker.
Garp was above the right Sea King.
Flicker.
Garp was face-to-face with the massive Sea-King.
The three roaring monsters suddenly froze.
Their eyes widened. They hadn't even seen him move.
!!!
Suddenly, blooms of blood erupted from all three bodies simultaneously.
It looked as if invisible spears had pierced straight through them.
The holes in their chests and heads sprayed blood like high-pressure water jets, painting the blue sea red.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The three colossal bodies went limp.
They plummeted back toward the sea, crashing down with force that created massive tidal waves.
Thud.
Garp landed back on the ice path next to Kuzan.
He stood calmly with his arms crossed, not a drop of sweat on his forehead, watching the corpses sink.
"Garp-san..." Kuzan lowered his sunglasses, his eyes sparkling with pure admiration. "That move was incredible! Can you teach it to me? The speed was unreal!"
To Kuzan, Garp's strength was like the stars in the sky—always revealing new wonders the longer you looked.
Garp laughed heartily, turning his back to the carnage.
"Bwahahaha! No problem at all, Kuzan. But you'll have to strengthen those chicken legs of yours first!"
...
In the distance, the outline of a small, lush island gradually grew clearer.
As they stepped off the ice and onto solid ground, the expressions of the two Marines shifted from relaxed to serious.
"Listen, Kuzan," Garp said, adjusting his torn suit. "Dr. Vegapunk is the smartest man in the world. His brain is said to be 500 years ahead of humanity."
"The World Government needs that brain," Garp grunted. "So, the order is strictly to capture him alive. Do not freeze him into a popsicle."
Though Garp looked down on the Celestial Dragons and usually did whatever he wanted, he respected Fleet Admiral Kong's orders when it mattered.
"Fortunately," Garp added, "this mission is only to apprehend a mad scientist organization. A bunch of nerds. I can handle that."
"That guy must have set up countless traps on the island," Kuzan noted, scanning the tree line. "We need to be careful not to let him escape."
They walked cautiously into the dense jungle, unaware that they were already being watched.
Vegapunk had detected them the moment they came within five nautical miles of the island. His sensors had tracked Garp's energy signature.
However, deep inside the base, Vegapunk sat in his chair, watching the monitors.
He showed no intention of fleeing.
He remembered the conversation with Raleigh.
Just as Raleigh had said, in this world, only the World Government had the confidence to support Vegapunk's scientific research.
No other organization could possibly meet Vegapunk's funding needs.
"Let me see the strength of the Marines's hero first."
...
Deep in the forest, Garp and Kuzan had been trekking for an hour.
The island was strange.
The trees were organic, but the ground hummed with underground machinery.
They were searching for the base's entrance, which CP0 intelligence claimed was in the center of the volcanic crater.
Suddenly, the bushes rustled.
Click-whirrr.
Mechanical gears ground together. From the shadows of the trees, shapes emerged.
They were mechanical beasts. But these weren't the clumsy prototypes Raleigh had fought months ago.
These had been heavily modified.
Their armor was sleeker, their joints were smoother, and their eyes glowed with a menacing crimson light.
Dozens of red laser dots appeared on Garp's white suit and Kuzan's chest.
"Gentlemen," a synthesized, mechanical voice echoed from hidden speakers in the trees. "Welcome to my island."
"As you can see, I have prepared a welcoming committee. Defeat them, and you will have the qualification to meet me."
Garp looked at the robot tigers and bears surrounding them. He bared his teeth in a savage grin.
"Heh," Garp chuckled to Kuzan. "It seems this Dr. Vegapunk is very confident in his toys. I just wonder if they're as sturdy as a mountain."
Garp casually flexed his hands, cracking his knuckles again.
"Targets locked," the robots announced in unison. "Activating extermination mode."
"Countdown initiated."
"3... 2... 1... FIRE!"
ZIZZZT! WHOOSH!
Instantly, the forest lit up.
Countless missiles and high-energy laser beams shot from the eyes and mouths of the mechanical creatures.
The air was filled with the smell of ozone and burning wood.
"Damn!" Kuzan was flustered.
He had never seen such concentrated firepower before.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!" Kuzan fired a bird of ice, but the lasers melted it instantly.
"These things are powerful!" Kuzan shouted.
The attacks locked onto his body heat.
No matter how he dodged, the missiles turned in mid-air to follow him.
"Observation Haki!" Kuzan realized.
He closed his eyes for a split second, sensing the trajectories.
He twisted his body, barely evading a missile that grazed his shoulder, exploding behind him.
While dodging frantically, dancing through the rain of fire, Kuzan caught a glimpse of his mentor in his peripheral vision.
Garp wasn't moving.
He was standing perfectly still in the middle of the bombardment while picking his nose.
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator