The sky filled with spatial cracks and crimson lightning as the clash between Conqueror's Haki and the power of the fruit capable of destroying the world shook the heavens.
The deafening roar shook the entire port city of Nanohara. The people, unaware of the cause, could only panic.
Meanwhile, the two responsible for it remained in the sky, still exchanging power, but it didn't last long before they were both forced back.
At that moment, Garp maintained his smile, while Allen calmly looked at his arm, which had been broken.
'Well, that was to be expected.'
There was no surprise in Allen's expression. Even after increasing his strength, expecting to match Garp was the biggest joke of all.
Garp, on the other hand, was shocked. Even though he had won the exchange, that brat shouldn't have been capable of trading blows with him in the first place.
Allen and Garp landed on the ground after their first exchange and remained silent.
"Your strength and appearance have both changed..." Garp said.
Not just his appearance—even his presence. The previous Allen had given Garp the impression of a brat who had gained tremendous power but lacked the bearing of a true warrior. The young man standing before him now made him feel as though he were facing a genuine rival.
'What happened for this brat to become so strong in such a short time?'
"What about you, old man? You don't look like you're in very good shape compared to before," Allen said with a piercing gaze.
He could feel a strange oppressive aura radiating from Garp. Even while standing still, the veins in his arms were already bulging.
It was like an apex predator about to hunt.
[Allen!]
'I know...'
Just yesterday, Allen had received a massive improvement not only in his base strength but also in his abilities.
Strength: Level 329 (617 million)
Fire Logia Skills:
Hiken: Level 3 > 5
Firefly: Level 3 > 5
Higan: Level 3 > 5
Kyokaen (Flame Mirror): Level 1 > 5
Monkey D. Garp Skills:
Fist of Love: Level 4 > 5
Garp's Physique: Level 1 > 5
Noro Paramecia Skills:
Noro Beam: Level 3 > 5
Rokushiki Skills:
Shigan: Level 3 > 5
Tekkai: Level 3 > 5
Soru: Level 3 > 5
Rankyaku: Level 1 > 5
Tremor Paramecia Skills:
Gura Gura: Level 4 > 5
Ice Logia Skills:
Hie Hie: Level 3 > 5
Ice Saber: Level 1 > 5
Fish-Man Skills:
Arlong's Swimming: Level 1 > 5
Operation Paramecia Skills:
Mes: Level 1 > 5
Light Logia Skills:
Amaterasu: Level 3 > 5
Magellan Skills:
Partial Poison Immunity: Level 1 > 5
Allen was strong. There was no doubt about that.
He was confident he could face any other Vice Admiral, but Garp was different. He was exceptional even among the Vice Admirals. He had never wanted to become an Admiral despite having been able to do so long ago.
That was because the higher your rank, the greater the control the World Government has over you.
An Admiral often receives orders directly from the Five Elders. Even Sengoku himself, despite being Fleet Admiral, was often bound by their whims.
Garp had never wanted anything like that, but even though his strength had diminished with age, he was still at the level of an Admiral.
[What do you want to do? We still have plenty of coins.]
Out of the 1,165 copper coins, Allen had used 494 to raise himself to his current level and another 57 to bring all of his Skills to Level 5, leaving him with 614 coins. If he spent them all, he could raise his strength to one billion.
'However... it still wouldn't be enough...'
Allen relaxed his body, completely losing his desire to fight.
That made Garp frown.
"What are you doing, brat? This isn't an optional fight, a training session, or a game. You're a pirate—a very troublesome one—and I'm a Marine. There's no way out of this without taking my head," Garp said as Conqueror's Haki poured from his body. "At the risk of me taking yours!"
Faced with the overwhelming pressure that had terrified even Yonko Commanders, Allen remained calm and raised a finger.
A flash of light appeared at its tip. Garp clicked his tongue upon seeing that power.
"If you think you can escape from me..."
"Escape?" Allen interrupted with a mocking laugh. "I'm not running away, old man!"
Allen moved his finger and pointed it toward the city.
"...!"
Garp's expression changed instantly.
The threat needed no words to be understood. Allen had taken the entire city of Nanohara hostage.
"You shameless bastard!"
"Me, shameless?" Allen sneered. "There's no such thing as perfect justice. Your Marines permit pirates to be pirates, and after I cleaned up your mess, instead of thanking me, you set up an ambush for me. So who's the shameless one?"
"Ugh..."
Garp couldn't argue against that. The Shichibukai system was yet another example of the Marines' hypocrisy.
"Even so, it doesn't change the fact that using innocent people as shields is despicable!"
"Say whatever you want. There's a lot on that ship that I have to protect, and I'll do whatever it takes," Allen said.
The girls aboard were already preparing to fire the Black Pearl's cannon to give Allen a chance to get away from Garp.
Garp fell silent. He had read the reports, but he had never imagined seeing the Princess of Alabasta and the Demon Child as members of Allen's crew.
"You're naïve! You can't go around the world doing whatever you want and expect everyone not to come after your head!" Garp scolded.
"That's my problem," Allen snorted. "Besides, what are you doing here, old man? Shouldn't you be retired by now? Isn't it a little pathetic to be chasing a rookie?"
"That's..."
Garp remained silent. Every word from Allen landed like a perfectly placed punch, and despite his overwhelming strength, eloquence had never been Garp's greatest trait.
Fortunately, he had a secret weapon, and it appeared at the perfect moment.
....
"That's enough, Allen Walker," Bogard said as he appeared beside Garp.
"Vice Admiral... it's been a while," Allen said with a smile.
"Not long enough for you to turn into this." Bogard narrowed his eyes.
The situation had changed.
When they arrived, they had intended to capture Allen by intercepting his ship. After all, it wasn't difficult to deduce where Allen was headed once they knew the direction he had taken after leaving Alubarna.
Allen simply shrugged before smiling faintly.
"Vice Admiral Bogard, what do you propose? I doubt you came here just to say hello."
Bogard was the brain Garp often lacked—a calm and rational man who frequently kept Garp from getting himself into trouble.
"As Marines, our priority has always been the people. Therefore, we could choose to let you go this time."
"What are you saying, Bogard?" Garp frowned.
"..." Allen remained silent.
"However, simply stepping aside would damage the Hero of the Marines' reputation. Therefore, at the very least, we want you to release the hostages you've been carrying with you."
On the ship, Tashigi and Hina tensed.
Were they really negotiating for their freedom?
No... Hina understood.
She and Tashigi weren't that important. What truly mattered was that the Marines achieved something today despite the circumstances.
Hina's and Tashigi's eyes settled on Allen's back as they waited for his answer, but there was an anxiety neither woman could understand.
What were they hoping Allen would say?
That he would release them?
Yes, it was true that Allen had kidnapped them for a situation exactly like this.
In fact, it was fair to say he had been completely justified in doing so.
All the girls believed it was the right choice—to avoid facing a monster and release the two women who had already declared their intention to remain loyal to the Marines.
Allen smiled, causing Garp to click his tongue.
Being forced to let Allen go left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he trusted Bogard and his judgment. He had done so for many years.
"That's true," Allen said.
A smile spread across his face, but despite saying exactly what everyone expected, his words left Hina and Tashigi with a strange bitter feeling.
Women could be irrational sometimes...
"However... I refuse."
Huh?
Everyone widened their eyes at Allen's answer. Not even Bogard or Robin, the two smartest people present, could understand it.
"Why?" Bogard asked.
His gaze darkened. No matter how anyone looked at it, escaping both Bogard and Garp aboard the Black Pearl seemed impossible. The obvious choice was right in front of Allen.
"I don't know..."
He didn't know?
Allen never took his eyes off Bogard, yet it seemed as though he were speaking to the women behind him.
"Ever since I was born into this world, I've never had a home, so I spent my whole life wandering like a nomad. Honestly, I didn't care."
"My only concern was surviving, and that was enough... then it happened... I found a place."
"What does that have to do with the Marines you kidnapped?" Bogard asked coldly.
"That's true. Tashigi and Hina aren't part of my crew," Allen smiled as he turned toward the two women. "But I enjoy having them around. So if you want to take them back... you'll have to take them from me. I'm a pretty selfish pirate."
Badump.
For the first time, Hina's heart skipped a beat because of Allen, while Tashigi's face turned completely red.
"Bwahahaha!" Garp laughed as he stepped forward. "I like that attitude! You're a selfish bastard, just like a pirate should be!"
Bogard shook his head and disappeared.
"Idiot!" Hina shouted.
How could he fight Monkey D. Garp over something like that?!
Unlike Hina, Nami simply sighed, already knowing what Allen was like.
Nojiko shrugged as if to say this was only to be expected.
Uta laughed, knowing just how stubborn Allen was, while Kaya looked at him with eyes full of admiration.
Mikita pouted in jealousy after seeing Allen willing to face a hero for the sake of those two women.
As for Robin, she smiled warmly, though with concern. Vivi, meanwhile, blushed. In her case, Allen had faced Crocodile to obtain her.
....
Allen signaled to Nami, and she immediately understood it was time to leave, setting the Black Pearl in motion.
Garp did not attempt to stop them. Without Allen, the rest of the girls posed no threat that required his attention.
"Ready to fight, brat?" Garp grinned.
Allen didn't answer. He waited until the Black Pearl had reached the sea, which took nearly three minutes, then looked at Garp and smiled.
"...!?"
Garp's senses went on full alert.
That smile...
The smug grin on Allen's face sent chills down his spine.
"Old man... you've been in this business for fifty years, and you still haven't learned that you can't trust a pirate?!"
Allen vanished and reappeared in the air. His body began radiating a terrifying aura as crimson lightning wrapped around him.
"Impossible! Advanced Conqueror's Haki?!" Bogard exclaimed from the distance.
Garp's eyes widened, but not just because of the Haki.
He recognized those movements.
Allen clenched his fist, and the Haki condensed into a star-like flash.
"You damn brat!" Garp shouted, but it was already too late.
"GALAXY IMPACT!"
Allen slammed his fist downward from the sky.
His punch transformed into a destructive force comparable to an atomic bomb, crashing into the ground before exploding and annihilating everything in its path.
The shockwave spread across the desert and out toward the sea.
This power was none other than Garp's own strongest attack.
The very technique Allen had obtained with a single gold coin.
A one-hundred-million-value coin!
....
Allen appeared aboard the Black Pearl while the girls struggled to keep the ship from capsizing, and he immediately dropped to one knee.
"Allen!" Kaya rushed over to support him.
"I'm fine... just a little exhausted."
[That's what happens when you force yourself to use that Skill. It's far beyond what your current strength can handle.]
Allen's Galaxy Impact was only Level 1, but because it had been obtained from a gold coin, its quality and destructive power were already close to that of Garp's current version.
"We need to get out of here fast. This is the second time I've pulled this on Garp, and he's going to be furious," Allen laughed.
The girls laughed as well.
Their captain was always walking a razor's edge.
"What's so funny?!" Tashigi shouted.
Everyone turned toward the girl, who was practically radiating anger.
"What's wrong, Tashigi?..." Allen asked.
"What's wrong with you?!" Tashigi clenched her fists.
She didn't understand why she was so angry, but she was. Allen's actions had not only been reckless and dangerous—the reason behind them frustrated her even more.
"I already told you! I'm a Marine! You won't convince me to give that up!..."
Allen walked over to Tashigi, who had lowered her head. He gently lifted her chin and made her look at him.
"Yeah, and I already told you that's exactly why I want you even more," Allen smiled.
Tashigi stood there in a daze for a moment before her face exploded into a deep crimson.
"W-What are you saying?!"
Allen laughed at Tashigi's panic, but he didn't get to tease her for long. His Observation Haki warned him that danger awaited if he remained there much longer.
The Black Pearl began sailing away at high speed, leaving the Kingdom of Alabasta behind.
The world would be shocked when it learned what had happened.
Twice!
Allen had survived Garp not once, but twice.
It was no longer a coincidence or luck.
It was undeniable proof of his power and ability.
He wasn't a lucky brat.
He was a monster that had just emerged from the abyss.
....
"Zehahahaha!"
A large, overweight man with missing teeth burst into laughter while holding a newspaper.
It displayed the outcome of the second encounter between Garp and Allen, with the latter once again overcoming impossible odds and escaping death.
"You're getting old, Garp! Don't you know the new generation can't be crushed by old relics anymore?! JUST RETIRE! Zehahahaha!"
That man was none other than Marshall D. Teach, the pirate who had murdered one of his crewmates and deserted the Whitebeard Pirates before taking the name Blackbeard.
"Captain," said a pale man wearing a top hat and carrying a cane.
"What is it, Lafitte?"
"How about we hunt Allen Walker? Now that there's a vacant Shichibukai position, we should take advantage of it," Lafitte said with a smile.
Blackbeard immediately understood Lafitte's intentions and laughed.
"Zehahahaha! That's right, you bastards! Let's go after that arrogant Allen Walker!"
Blackbeard walked out of the bar, with Lafitte following behind him.
Was this the announcement of an inevitable clash between Blackbeard and the white-haired demon?
====