The silence after the collision was heavier than the roar that came before.
For a heartbeat the deck stood frozen. Jin and the lizard-man locked in place, knuckles pressed, muscles trembling. Then the sound came.
A wet, rattling cough.
Blood sprayed across Jin's chest.
The lizard's body twisted unnaturally, ribs collapsing inward, scales cracking like shattered glass. His arms bent at grotesque angles, claws slackening. His whole frame bowed as though an invisible mountain had pressed him flat.
"Pity," Jin said quietly. His own arm lowered, veins twitching beneath the skin. He flexed his fingers once, wincing faintly. "You lasted longer than I thought. Long enough to bruise my tendons. That's more than most."
The lizard-man's throat gurgled. He vomited another stream of blood and toppled sideways, his scaled features locked in disbelief. His heart stopped before he even hit the deck.
Jin exhaled slowly. He shook out his arm and muttered, "Eight-tenths power. Enough to crush you, but not enough to walk away clean."
The corpse twitched once, then stilled.
It hadn't been a duel. Not really. Just the collision of two predators—and one was heavier, hungrier, more ruthless.
Around them, the world lagged in shock. The Celestial Dragon screamed. The black-suited agents gaped. They had expected a prolonged battle, the kind of clash that dragged on for minutes, an epic. Instead it was over in breaths. The government's prized weapon, a CP0 killer honed in shadows, was nothing more than broken meat.
"CP0…" one of the agents whispered, pale. "How… how can—?"
Their hope fractured with their champion's bones.
The Celestial Dragon—Charlmak Saint—stumbled back, voice shrill and cracking.
"Impossible! That thing— that thing was one of the government's finest! You—you can't kill him, you filthy mongrel! Godee! Call the headquarters! Call the Admirals! Now!"
His words tumbled over each other in panic, his pampered mask torn away.
The officer beside him was already fumbling with a golden-lined Den Den Mushi, sweat dripping down his face. His fingers shook as he pressed the shell to transmit.
On the other end, Jin simply turned away, gaze shifting to Kuma.
The bear was drenched in blood, his roar echoing over the waves. He traded wound for wound, hurling his massive body into the cluster of surviving agents. His fighting style was crude, raw—he had no elegance, no dance of swordplay or finesse of martial discipline. But every strike was absolute.
One man vanished into the sea with half his ribcage caved in. Another screamed as Kuma's paw shattered his spine. The last clung desperately to life, dodging with broken rhythm, eyes rolling white with panic.
It was chaos, and Kuma reveled in it.
"Too wild," Jin murmured under his breath. But his lips curved faintly. "Too honest. Exactly why I trust him."
He left Kuma to finish the slaughter and let his gaze return to the aristocrat. The Celestial Dragon was frothing now, rage and terror tangled. His silken robes were stained with his own spittle as he shrieked for aid.
The agent with the Den Den Mushi bowed low, murmuring into the receiver. The snail's face warped into the steady, hard-lined features of Sengoku the Buddha, Fleet Admiral of the Navy.
The room at Marineford was quiet, save for the bubbling of the snail. Sengoku leaned forward, his frown carving trenches into his face. "Report."
The trembling voice of Vice Admiral Godee came through. "Fleet Admiral, this is Vice Admiral Godee. I am escorting Saint Charlmak. En route through the East Blue, we were attacked by an unidentified warship. Our strongest combatant… has fallen. We request immediate reinforcements. An Admiral—at least."
Sengoku's jaw tightened. "Your strongest? Fallen? Explain. Where are you? Transmit visuals."
"Yes, sir!"
The officer shifted the snail, turning its stalk-eyes toward the deck.
The projection bloomed across Sengoku's desk in hazy monochrome. The image showed wreckage, corpses, blood soaking the planks. Kuma's towering frame loomed like a monster from myth. And in the center, relaxed, hands in his pockets, violet eyes gleaming beneath dark hair—
Jin.
The instant Sengoku saw him, he stiffened. But before he could speak, a booming laugh exploded in the room.
"Kuhahahaha!"
Garp slapped his thigh, grinning wide. "No way! That bastard again? Thought he was hiding under a rock. Turns out he's smashing CP0 like firewood!"
Sengoku scowled. "You know him." It wasn't a question.
Garp leaned back, teeth flashing. "Of course I do. East Blue's little nightmare. Calls himself Jin. Smart-ass, lazy bastard. But a monster all the same." He jabbed a finger at the image. "Told you before—he doesn't look for trouble. But when idiots push him…" He cackled again. "They get flattened."
"This is no laughing matter, Garp," Sengoku snapped. "That's a Celestial Dragon out there. If he dies, the World Nobles will scream for blood—and the Navy will be the hand to deliver it."
Garp's grin thinned, but his eyes still glimmered. "Don't look at me. Charlmak must've poked the hornet's nest. Jin wouldn't go near him otherwise."
Sengoku slammed a fist against the desk. "Enough excuses. You will go. You will intercept him. And you will ensure that Celestial Dragon survives this encounter."
Garp grimaced like a man told to skip his nap. "Really? You want me to babysit that bloated tick? Send an Admiral. I'm a Vice Admiral, remember?"
Sengoku's voice dropped low, dangerous. "If you fail this, consider every one of your shore leaves revoked for the next five years."
Garp twitched. His jaw worked. "…Damn you."
But he took the snail, pressing it to his ear. "Oi. This is Vice Admiral Garp."
On the deck, the Den Den Mushi's eyes blinked, its mouth opening with Garp's booming voice. "Hand that thing to the young man in violet. I need a word."
Vice Admiral Godee swallowed hard, bowing. "Y-Yes, sir." He turned, clutching the snail with both hands, and shuffled forward until he was five meters from Jin. His throat bobbed as he forced out the words.
"Sir… Vice Admiral Garp wishes to speak with you."
Jin didn't answer immediately. He stood in silence, violet eyes resting on the trembling officer. He tilted his head slightly, expression unreadable.
The waves slapped against the broken hull. Kuma's roars continued in the background. The Celestial Dragon whimpered and cursed.
Jin finally stepped forward, slow, deliberate.
"…Garp, huh?" he murmured. His lips curled into a cold smile. "It's been a while."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T/N :
Access 25 chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/GodFic