Rodin kicked open a cabin door and gently placed Mihoko on a white sheet. "Is the injury serious?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice. He could only offer basic first aid; internal injuries were beyond his ability. Still, he knew that the strong in this world had incredible vitality.
"It's nothing serious," Mihoko said, her pale face breaking into a weak smile. "It's a shame I couldn't finish him off for the captain."
"Don't worry about it," Rodin said, relieved. He then smiled mischievously. "The 'Genius Faucet' was helpful, right?"
Mihoko's body tensed slightly at the memory, a flush rising to her cheeks. Rodin chuckled, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
This battle had given him a clear picture of his star system. A four-star Mihoko was on par with an Admiral, and once she stabilized her power, she would be a force to be reckoned with. Just then, the sound of cannon fire and the rocking of the ship interrupted their conversation.
"You should rest," Rodin said, running out of the cabin. He had told Crocodile to take the helm and leave Loguetown immediately, sensing that Marine support might be on its way. He wasn't afraid of the East Blue Marines, but he had a feeling they were facing something much more dangerous.
On the deck, a bound Tashigi looked at him with a serious expression. "Please, let me go. Surrender now. That's Vice Admiral Garp's ship."
"Thanks for the heads-up," Rodin said. A delicate, beautiful scabbard materialized in his hand from his storage ring. He pulled out the katana, leaped into the air, and with a flash of steel, sliced a rapidly fired cannonball in two.
"A sword that appeared out of thin air?" Tashigi mumbled to herself, her eyes wide with shock. "Is that... a great sword?"
A few hundred meters away, Garp's warship, with a dog holding a bone on its prow, fired another salvo. Garp, wearing a dog hat and a beard, emerged from the deck, eating a donut. "Looks like I can't break my donut-eating record just yet," he said, stretching. He then picked up a cannonball and, with a powerful toss, launched it at Rodin's ship.
Rodin, holding his sword, was about to counter Garp's attack when a sandstorm from Crocodile's body deflected the cannonball.
"It's no use," Tashigi said calmly. "At this speed, you'll never outrun them."
"We'll see," Rodin said, giving Crocodile a look.
"You don't need to tell me twice," Crocodile pouted. She turned into a whirlwind of sand and enveloped the warship's hull and sails. The ship's speed increased dramatically. She knew Garp's reputation and had no desire to fight him head-on.
On Garp's ship, a Marine soldier approached him. "Vice Admiral Garp, we might lose them."
Garp took off his hat. "A sandstorm? Like the Sand Crocodile?" he mused. "I will do it myself." He leaped into the air, using Moonwalk to close the distance.
"As expected of Vice Admiral Garp," a Marine said, a sense of pride in his voice. "He'll never miss."
Crocodile, seeing Garp approaching, gathered a massive whirlwind of sand in her palms. "Desert Storm!" she yelled, launching the attack.
"What a coincidence," Rodin muttered. He had just escaped Loguetown and was now facing a living legend. If Mihoko hadn't been injured, this wouldn't have been a problem. He knew this was a terrible time to be caught off-guard.
"BOOM!" Garp's fist smashed into the sand vortex, creating a massive hole. "You bothered me while I was eating my donuts, now you're going to die!" he yelled, winding up for another punch.
Crocodile used her Desert Sword, a condensed blade of sand, to block Garp's punch. While her Haki was formidable, it was no match for Garp's sheer power. She didn't have time to think.
BOOM!
The sand blade shattered, and she tried to block the swiftly approaching fist with her arms.
"Wahhahaha, a girl!" Garp laughed, not holding back his strength.
The force of the punch sent Crocodile flying back toward the warship like a cannonball. She crashed into a cabin, coughing up blood. Rodin rushed to her side. "Crocodile, you're too weak," he said, moving her away from the wreckage.
Crocodile, ashamed, couldn't find a retort. "Protecting the captain is my mission," she thought. But she knew she was in no position to argue.
"Let her rest," Rodin said, drawing his sword. "I'll handle this." He was buying time for Mihoko to recover.
"Everyone else's strongest crew members are reserved for the end, but with me, it's the opposite," he muttered. He jumped over the railing, his body a blur as he slashed at Garp.
He had only had his Armament Haki for a week, and he could barely coat his sword with it. Still, he gave it his all. "Not enough," he thought.
Garp closed in, a wide grin on his face. "Pirates like you... you must be from the Grand Line, right?" he said, throwing a punch that shook the very air.
"Vice-Admiral Donut, you're wrong," Rodin retorted, focusing all his energy on his sword. He managed to coat his blade with Haki just as Garp's punch hit.
PONG!
Rodin's blade, Snow Walker, shattered and flew into the sky. As Garp's fist rushed toward him, Rodin's Conqueror's Haki flared, causing Garp to pause for a moment.
"Conqueror's Haki?" Garp grinned. "I can't let you go now, boy!"
Suddenly, a sharp flying slash roared past Garp. He casually flicked it away, but it sent him tumbling back several meters. The momentary distraction allowed Rodin to retreat to the ship.
"Captain, I've got this," Mihoko said, holding her white sword Hiru. "Hiru dawn!"
The sky and sea changed color as she unleashed a barrage of slashes. Garp's eyes widened. "Interesting. Another monster," he said, putting all his strength into his fists.
BOOM!
The two titans clashed, each punch and slash blooming into a beautiful, yet terrifying, explosion. When Garp's final punch landed, the small warship was already a speck in the distance. "They got away?" Garp felt a strange mix of frustration and awe. "How did I miss them? In the East Blue, of all places." He was certain that he had just fought one of the great swordsmen, but he couldn't place the woman. It was all a complete mystery.
Rodin, with one hand on the deck, made the warship transparent. The ship, accelerated by Crocodile's sandstorm, flew across the water. Mihoko, having exhausted her power in the final attack, collapsed. Rodin caught her in his arms.
"You were very brave," he said.
"It is my mission to protect the captain," she replied, a faint smile on her face. Rodin smelled the fresh scent of her body, and he felt a little dizzy.
Tashigi, who was tied up in the corner, stared in disbelief. What kind of power did this man possess to command such loyalty from two impossibly strong women? She had seen a woman defeat the world's greatest swordsman and another woman defeat her superior, Colonel Smoker. "This must be something terrifying," she murmured, her mind reeling from the day's events.