"Even so… he still has two Devil Fruits!"
"Isn't a person only supposed to have one?!"
For a moment, the entire battlefield's attention was drawn almost completely toward Renji.
It was as if the flow of the war itself had begun to revolve around him.
"Enough!!"
Monkey D. Garp roared, his face twisting with anguish.
"You think I want this?!"
His voice was filled with fury but beneath it, something heavier.
Pain.
Images of Portgas D. Ace surfaced uncontrollably in his mind.
From the moment Ace was born, Garp had protected him.
If not for him, how could the Marines' massive search have ever failed to find Roger's son?
The effort he poured into Ace was even greater than what he had given his own son and grandson.
Ace's laughter.
Ace's mischief.
Ace's stubborn pride.
Every fragment of those memories flashed through Garp's mind again and again.
But duty…
Duty left him no choice.
A violent aura erupted.
Dark Armament Haki surged over Garp's fists as his entire presence turned ferocious.
Without hesitation, he threw a punch straight at Renji.
"Quake…"
Facing that furious blow, Renji didn't dare take it lightly.
His Eight-Sided Han Sword gathered power.
The same technique once used by Edward Newgate on his naginata.
But stronger.
Because this time It fused two abilities.
"Airquake!"
"BOOM!!"
Garp's fist collided with Renji's blade.
The impact shook the air itself.
Renji held his ground.
He had actually blocked Garp's punch.
[You have obtained Armament Haki insight!]
[You have obtained Observation Haki insight!]
[You have obtained Intelligence!]
[You have obtained Agility!]
[...]
A flood of attributes surged into Renji.
Even now, Garp remained a monster among monsters.
Renji steadied himself, staring straight at Garp.
"Ten years… over a decade…"
"And you're going to crush all of it under duty?"
"Pointless!!"
Garp's voice thundered back yet it trembled, just slightly.
Garp stared at Renji.
On the surface, his expression had calmed.
But only on the surface.
The hesitation in his eyes still betrayed everything conflict, doubt, and something dangerously close to breaking.
"I don't care about him."
"He's just the son of the Pirate King."
"He's just a criminal pirate!"
"Lies!"
Renji cut him off immediately.
"If you really didn't care, why are your attacks so weak?!"
And that was the truth.
Garp's blows had already lost their edge.
The ruthless decisiveness from earlier was gone.
What kept him standing now wasn't conviction.
It was decades of ingrained duty as a Marine.
"Enough… enough!"
Garp staggered back a few steps, his face twisted in pain.
Ace alone had already been tearing him apart inside.
Now Renji's relentless words were pushing him to the brink.
"Stop talking… just stop!"
"No."
Renji didn't hesitate.
If words could break a monster like Garp, then that was the best possible outcome.
Because Renji himself was running low.
He still had to save Ace.
He still had to get everyone out of Marineford alive.
Every bit of strength mattered.
"I don't believe you feel nothing for him!"
"How could I feel nothing?!"
Garp roared back instinctively.
His fist lashed out again.
[You have obtained Strength!]
[You have obtained Stamina!]
The strike landed.
But it was weak.
Not completely powerless but close enough.
Even the drops reflected it.
No Armament Haki.
No Observation Haki.
Only two attributes.
For someone like Garp, that was impossible under normal circumstances.
Which meant only one thing.
He no longer had the will to fight.
"Then don't become their accomplice!"
Renji stepped in, his Eight-Sided Han Sword thrust forward again, forcing Garp back.
"Or do you really want to watch Ace die with your own eyes?"
"And spend the rest of your life drowning in regret?"
Renji paused for just a fraction of a second letting the weight of those words sink in.
Renji's tone softened at last,
"Ace… he's still your grandson."
"Enough!!"
"Enough already!!"
"Stop talking!!"
Monkey D. Garp exploded.
Fury.
Chaos.
A terrifying surge of Armament Haki burst from his fists, rising like a storm that seemed ready to tear through the sky itself.
He charged straight at Renji.
"No matter what… he's still a pirate!!"
Seeing this, Renji's heart skipped.
Had he pushed too far?
If he held back now, it would be suicide.
He was just about to unleash everything.
Then he noticed it.
Beneath Garp's rage…
Pain.
Hesitation.
A crack.
It was a gamble.
A dangerous one.
Possibly fatal.
But Renji chose to trust it.
The damaged Eight-Sided Han Sword vanished.
Armament Haki flowed into his fist instead.
He rushed forward.
Both of them moved at blinding speed.
The dozen meters between them vanished instantly.
"Defeat me."
So faint it was almost inaudible.
But Renji heard it.
He had guessed right.
A surge of certainty flashed through him.
He had won the gamble.
"Die!!"
Renji roared, his Haki erupting outward as his fist slammed toward Garp's face.
At the same moment.
Garp's fist struck Renji as well.
[You have obtained Strength!]
[You have obtained Agility!]
The system confirmed it.
At the moment of impact.
Garp had pulled back most of his power.
"BOOM!!"
A heavy sound echoed.
Garp's body was sent flying.
He rolled across the ground over ten times before crashing into a wall and finally stopped.
Motionless.
Silence.
"How… how is that possible?!"
The Marines froze.
Every single one of them.
Watching their symbol watching Monkey D. Garp.
Lying still on the ground.
"Vice Admiral Garp… lost?"
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