For Garp, this was merely a feint, but in that brief exchange, Kuzan managed to gain the upper hand.
"Kuzan, you brat…"
"Garp-san, did you forget? I've already lost my left leg."
When facing Garp's kick, Kuzan chose to block with his left leg, but midway he suddenly abandoned the Haki reinforcement on it. Without Haki, the ice prosthetic shattered instantly.
At the cost of "losing a leg," Kuzan caused Garp to lose his balance momentarily, then drove a punch straight into his chest. Almost at the same time, Queen's mechanical flying claw shot in from afar and grabbed Garp the instant he was off balance.
Boom!
A point-blank laser blast instantly destroyed Queen's mechanical claw, but the charred mark on Garp's chest proved it was all worth it.
One missing an arm, the other missing a leg—these two disabled men used their own way to show Garp that lacking limbs could sometimes be an advantage.
"Go for it, Boss Queen! Take that old geezer down!"
"Come on, Boss Kuzan, he's almost done for!"
Facts proved that even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. For their own safety, the pirates chose to cheer from a distance, keeping well out of harm's way.
"Muhahaha, Garp, how many more of those attacks can you take?"
Queen clearly enjoyed the flattery. Spare parts inside his body quickly assembled into a new mechanical arm, looking ready to go for another round at any moment.
Garp's body was already beginning to show signs of decline, and this triggered a chain reaction.
"Vice Admiral Garp…"
Bogard was already struggling in his fight. Though a veteran powerhouse among Vice Admirals, his opponents were no weaklings either. Even in a one-on-one, it wouldn't have been easy for him, and facing two at once brought him immense pressure.
If not for their goal of capturing him alive, the battle would have been even more difficult.
The sudden change on Garp's side caused his heart to tense, and his weapon swung slightly off course. That tiny deviation caused his weapon to get stuck in the gap of Bastiodon's facial armor.
"Damn it!"
After trying twice, Bogard still couldn't pull his weapon free, and Isuka's heavy punch was already smashing toward his arm. To save it, he had no choice but to abandon his weapon.
But that didn't turn the tide. At best, it bought him a little more time. Steam from overheating was already rising from Isuka's body, further enhancing her speed and strength.
Six consecutive heavy blows slammed into Bogard's chest. Then Sasaki's massive body charged in like a locomotive, stomping the disoriented Bogard beneath his feet.
"I thought you were going to Mega Evolve."
"No need. This level is enough."
Sasaki always found it hard to evaluate Isuka, because she rarely went all out, even in ranking battles. Although Sasaki ranked above her, their positions fluctuated.
[In matches, I win. In a death battle… she wins.]
That was Sasaki's own assessment, though outsiders didn't know it. As the battle ended, the steel shell around Isuka's body disappeared.
"Big Sis, towel, water bottle."
The cheer squad watching nearby handed over the prepared items. After all, canceling the ability didn't mean their condition would recover. Scizor's high-speed combat consumed a huge amount of moisture, and her sweat said it all.
There was no doubt that Bogard was a core pillar among them. Once that pillar collapsed, those on the edges couldn't escape the consequences.
"Cough… have the pirates come again?"
Helmeppo's goggles had shattered into two pieces, revealing his face. He had just gotten close to the breach in the ice wall, only to be kicked back.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong with you guys? So many of you and you still let the enemy break through?"
"Yeah, you're just wasting your strength. If you can't handle it, just hand over your Devil Fruit abilities."
The one who kicked Helmeppo back was none other than the reinforcements who had just arrived by ship.
"What a joke. We were just playing. You guys show up and end our game right away. How are we supposed to pass the time after that?"
"What kind of stupid nonsense are you spouting? Did we come all this way just to watch a show?"
"Those are orders from Lord Queen. If you don't understand, go ask him.
If that doesn't work, there's the big guy over there. Why don't you try fighting that Garp yourself?"
Seeing the overwhelming commotion from deep within the island, the pirate shut his mouth, seemingly forgetting everything he had just said.
At the same time, two scythe-like mantis arms crossed against Kujaku and Hibari's necks.
"Sister Amalee, you're stealing our kill…"
"Wasn't the order to capture them alive? It's no different. Besides, it's already over on that side. How much longer do you want to drag this out?"
Amalee, in her Lurantis form, paid no mind to Briscola's complaint. She was originally supposed to sail out with Shayna, but she had rarely taken annual leave and chose not to set out. Instead, she came here along with the others.
"Don't move, little sister, or your neck will end up just like that gun barrel of yours. Trust me, it won't feel pleasant.
I've heard that even after your head separates from your body, you won't lose consciousness immediately. Want to see what your blood-spraying body looks like?"
The gun in Hibari's hand had already been cut cleanly in two, the cut perfectly smooth. Amalee leaned close to Hibari's ear, "sweetly" persuading her.
Yet that gentle tone brought no sense of kindness. Combined with Lurantis's compound insect eyes, it only added to the terror.
"Aren't you all a bit too impatient? You saw the slightest opening and moved in immediately?"
Hol'D'em's side had stalled slightly. Grus's Glorp-Glorp Fruit lost its original properties after being exposed to high temperatures, and while the hardened rock golems could still fight, defeat was only a matter of time.
"To be honest, killing this kid would be easier than capturing him alive. I still have to worry about accidentally biting his neck off."
"If you're all so relaxed… can you at least send a message back to the island? Does it not cost money to sail these ships out? Do you have any idea how much it costs to mobilize like this? Can't you save some funds?"
Shayna wasn't in charge of Onigashima's finances, but she reviewed the annual expenditure reports every year. Amalee had also handled part of the paperwork and knew some of the costs.
Although this operation had been grand in scale, she felt it was a losing deal.
"Well… just treat it as a drill. Speaking of which, there's still one left over there. Anyone want to handle him?"
Holed'em changed the subject, drawing everyone's gaze toward Koby. Financial issues had nothing to do with them. If anyone were to be held accountable, it would be the one who pressed the action button.
As they pondered how to deal with the last enemy, the central battlefield was also nearing its end.
A mass of plants suddenly sprouted across Garp's body. Complex vines crawled over him, roots piercing his skin and draining his stamina.
The Leech Seed Queen had planted on Garp earlier finally took effect. The sudden wave of weakness completely disrupted Garp's rhythm, and his body was ultimately pierced through by the ice spike in Kuzan's hand.
"Garp-san, just quietly… rest for a while. Ice Time!"
The freezing power spread from the wound, gradually encasing Garp's body in ice. Exhausted from immense stamina loss, he could no longer resist Kuzan's power invading his body, nor did he have the strength to shatter the frost.
"Kuzan… justice will prevail in the end."
"But Garp-san…no, Teacher Garp, the justice you uphold may no longer be justice."
"You brat…"
Before Garp could finish speaking, the frost had already spread to his head. Kuzan's expression was downcast, his elementalized body motionless, lost in thought.
"Oh! We took down Garp!!"
"So what if he's a hero? He still lost to us! The Beasts Pirates are the strongest on the seas!"
The surrounding pirates couldn't help but celebrate, reveling in their victory.
Garp's defeat seemed to mark an end to everything, and the pirates' cheers opened a new chapter at that very moment.
"Vice Admiral Garp!!"
Their comrades were either unconscious and defeated or captured by the enemy, and even Garp, the pillar of the Marines, fell at the hands of Kuzan and was frozen into a state of permanent ice.
"Moo—!"
From the horizon came the sound of an elephant's trumpet. Zunesha's towering figure drew nearer, gradually appearing in the sight of everyone on Socializing Island. Its swaying trunk resembled a mountain range, and a sense of helplessness instantly spread through every part of Koby's body.
"The mission… has failed…"
A streak of light flashed across the sky.
Kizaru was drawing closer to the island while in a chasing battle, but no matter how he pushed himself, things would not go his way.
Countless sails were approaching the island from the sea. With limited landing points, the pirates maneuvered their ships to circle the island, enclosing it in a tightening encirclement.
Even as he flew at the speed of light, Kizaru could feel a peculiar aura. Zunesha's hollow gaze seemed to look at nothing, yet Kizaru felt as though the monster had already seen him.
The colossal elephant standing in the sea, the defeated Garp at the center, the reveling pirates, and the countless pirate ships. For Kizaru, it was a painting straight out of hell.
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