"Brat!"
Redfield's face was pale, but his expression remained unchanged as he looked at the two people in front of him.
One was a familiar old man, the other a somewhat familiar kid. He quickly recognized Cross and said in a hoarse voice, "I think I remember you. The little brat I sent flying on Gurri Island last time."
"It's truly an honor to be remembered by a great man like you, Patrick Redfield-san!" Cross smiled shyly. "How about I treat you to a cup of coffee and a retirement in Impel Down?"
"Bwahahahahaha~! Saying something like retiring in Impel Down, you're killing me! Hahahaha—!" Garp burst into laughter, clutching his stomach, tears streaming from his eyes.
At the same time, Redfield's gaze towards Cross turned a shade darker. He said coldly, "Such arrogance. It seems my lesson last time wasn't good enough. This time, I'll let you taste what your own blood is like!"
"You're the one who's being arrogant, Redfield!"
Garp straightened up, wiping the tears from his eyes as he spoke in a cold tone. "The fact that you defeated Kong truly surprises me, but unfortunately, when it comes to arresting pirates, there's never such a thing as fairness!"
"Do you really think you can escape from me in your current state?"
Rumble! Rumble!
The sky above the island was covered by a churning black thundercloud, accompanied by lightning, thunder, and a fierce wind, like the calm before a storm.
The few people stood on the ravaged, desolate island, their imposing auras solidifying. It was as if ferocious beasts were confronting each other, creating a substantial, majestic pressure that warped the light in the air and raised the surrounding dust without a breeze.
Redfield's expression was somber. He narrowed his long, thin eyes, staring intently at Garp, his gaze flickering as he constantly thought of a way to escape.
The news of Kong, a Fleet Admiral of the Marines, being defeated would undoubtedly be a colossal blow to the Marines, so they would absolutely not let him leave.
Furthermore, "Steel Bone" Kong's strength was immense; he was undoubtedly one of the handful of people at the world's peak. To defeat him, Redfield had paid a heavy price, and his stamina was nearly depleted.
Now, there was another person no weaker than Kong in front of him. Continuing the fight would only result in two outcomes: exhaustion and capture, or exhaustion and death.
So, where was the breakthrough? Redfield's expression was cold, his mind racing. His long, flickering eyes fell upon Cross.
BOOM!
However, in the next second, as if he had read Redfield's mind, Garp took an unwavering step forward. He launched himself like a cannonball, appearing in front of Redfield in an instant.
Redfield saw Garp swing his iron fist, the size of a sandbag, in a downward strike. The terrifying force of the punch created a razor-sharp gale that ruffled the two braids behind his head.
"Fist of Iron!!"
RUMBLE!!!
In an instant, the ground shattered, collapsing and caving in under the terrifying force. The surrounding area of over two hundred square meters was torn apart. The violent wind pressure kicked up a large amount of dust, spreading outwards in all directions.
At this moment, Redfield transformed into a crimson streak of light, appearing before Cross like a phantom.
"Solitary Crimson!!!"
The glowing red bat-handled umbrella stabbed toward Cross's face. Its momentum was swift and fierce, and its sharpness seemed capable of piercing even the air.
"Spiky Shadow Lizard!!!"
However, at that very moment, the shadow beneath Cross's feet seemed to come alive, abruptly detaching from the ground and quickly transforming into a black spear that elongated outwards.
CLANG!!
The two attacks, one red and one black, clashed together like two bolts of lightning, erupting in an ear-piercing metallic clang. The air within a hundred meters vibrated violently, then turned into a visible, distorted ripple that spread outwards, stirring up a whistling, fierce storm that blew dust everywhere.
"Nani?!" Redfield's expression changed slightly, his eyes astonished as he looked at the pitch-black spear formed from Cross's shadow. It was even radiating a metallic sheen, clearly coated with powerful Armament Haki.
"Hehehe~"
Cross's lips curled upwards, and he said with a hint of a sinister smile, "It's been two years since we last met, Redfield-san. Don't underestimate me!"
Clang!
As soon as he finished speaking, his hand, which was already gripping the hilt, moved. The renowned blade Shusui at his waist was unsheathed with a fierce motion, transforming into an extremely sharp, crescent-shaped black flash that cut toward Redfield's neck.
Clang!
Redfield retreated rapidly, bringing the bat-handled umbrella in his right hand up to block. After deflecting Cross's fatal slash, he used the force to retreat even faster.
"Surtur, Flame of Ruin!!!" Cross roared in a deep voice.
"Yes, Master!"
The flaming crown on Surtur's head made his expression fierce. He grinned in response, then dropped from mid-air to the ground. His fireball-sized body rapidly grew into a ten-meter-tall fire giant with a savage, wicked face and a pair of long, upward-curving horns, like a fire demon. He opened his mouth and spewed a torrent of scorching flames forward.
WHOOM!
The flames grew with the wind, expanding and spreading at an incredible speed as if they had fallen into gasoline, forming a surging, scorching sea of fire that swept forward, almost covering the sky. The intense heat even made the clouds in the sky glow red.
"Damn it! Solitary Crimson!!!"
Redfield's expression changed dramatically. He felt a rolling wave of heat wash over him, causing his hair to curl. Without a second thought, he raised the bat-handled umbrella and stabbed it forward fiercely.
Whoosh!
With a sword-like hum, a crimson light exploded, and a blood-colored sword wave burst out, cleaving the sea of fire in front of it in two and leaving a deep cut hundreds of meters long on the charred ground.
At this moment, Garp arrived.
"Just surrender quietly!" Without a word, Garp's fists became a flurry of blows, instantly enveloping Redfield's figure.
Boom, boom, boom, boom...
The ground shattered, forming one massive crater after another under the substantial force of his punches, as if they had been hit by heavy artillery. The craters were covered in a network of cracks.
Suddenly, a flash of crimson light erupted. Redfield directly transformed into a blood-red shadow and escaped, like a crimson bolt of lightning, fleeing from Garp's attack.
"Marduk, Mushussu!!!"
"Understood, Master!"
Lightning flashed in the sky. Several bolts struck down, taking the form of enraged serpents that moved rapidly through the air, pouncing from all directions to bite at Redfield.
"Get lost!" Redfield, both surprised and angry, quickly stopped. He swept the bat-handled umbrella in his hand horizontally.
RUMBLE!!
A gigantic, circular crimson slash burst forth, instantly bisecting all the incoming lightning serpents, dispersing them into a scattering of dazzling blue-white arcs of electricity that vanished into the air.
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