The World Government was the same as ever—
report the victories, hide the disasters.
Even now, Headquarters hadn't told most officers the full truth about Arthur.
They knew his name, sure… but not his power.
So when the battle began, many proud vice-admirals and captains still thought he was just another over-hyped pirate.
They realized their mistake the moment they met his eyes.
"Everyone, surround him! Don't give him a chance to attack!
We have the numbers—he can't fight us all!"
"That's right! Swarm him!"
"Kill!"
Arthur's lips curved.
"Heh. Come on, then."
He lowered his arms and stood tall—
motionless, almost relaxed.
The Marines took that as fear.
"Hahaha, look! He's frozen!"
"Guess he doesn't know what to do!"
"One strike—take him down!"
Techniques flared.
"Razor!"
"Tempest Kick!"
From a distance, Kuzan (Aokiji) frowned.
"Don't be careless! That kid isn't simple!"
He was right.
Just as the barrage reached Arthur, his eyes snapped open—
lightning crackling inside his pupils.
"Lightning Armor!"
Zzz-ZZZZZT!
Electricity exploded outward, blinding white.
Drawing on the Third Raikage's Lightning Release Armor fused with Enel's discharges, Arthur unleashed a new, evolved barrier—
and the world lit up.
Snakes of plasma writhed from his skin,
a storm of billions of volts that swallowed the charging officers whole.
The nearest Marines screamed once—then silence.
Their bodies spasmed, smoking, before collapsing like burnt wire dolls.
The outer ring tried to endure with Armament Haki,
but even they staggered under the voltage, teeth clenched, vision white.
Dozens dropped into the sea in seconds.
Only now did the vice-admirals understand what they were facing.
From the front, Sakazuki (Akainu)'s jaw tightened.
He finally grasped what Arthur's earlier words had meant—
to this man, their so-called "elite troops" were no different from cannon fodder.
So that's how it is…
The first to react was Monkey D. Garp.
He cracked his knuckles, fists darkening with Armament Haki.
"Heh! Try this on for size!"
He lunged forward, tearing straight through the lightning field.
Sparks danced across his coat, but he hardly flinched.
Arthur's eyes widened slightly.
Old man's tough… tougher than Rayleigh even.
In the original history, Garp's full strength was a mystery.
Now, face-to-face, Arthur could feel it—
that raw, overwhelming power that once cornered the Pirate King himself.
Garp broke through the outer current and closed in.
"Take this! Fist of Love!"
Arthur's brows knit.
He knew that punch would shatter his barrier outright.
Dark threads of Haki coiled up his left arm.
He met the blow head-on.
BOOM!
The heavens trembled.
An invisible shockwave ripped outward, toppling nearby Marines like leaves.
The residual blast blew apart the lightning veil, hurling charred bodies clear of its range.
Those who survived gasped in relief, hearts hammering.
The two titans slid back three steps apiece—
neither yielding an inch.
"Strong," Arthur muttered.
Since inheriting Roger's Three Types of Haki, few could match him in pure willpower.
Even Rayleigh had fallen behind.
But this punch—
this raw, iron weight—
met him blow for blow.
So this is the man who once drove the Pirate King into a corner…
Magnificent.
For the first time in a while, he felt the thrill of a real fight.
The loneliness of always standing alone at the peak faded for a heartbeat.
On the sidelines, the Marines stared, pale.
Garp's Iron Fist—the legend that terrified even New World monsters—
had been stopped.
The vice-admirals glanced at one another.
What kind of monster is this kid?
Quietly, they began to back away, step by step.
Get too close and we're dead men.
Even Akainu noticed their retreat.
He scowled.
"All of you, fall back!"
The tone left no room for argument.
The officers obeyed instantly, retreating more than a hundred meters, leaving only the highest ranks on the field.
The three Admirals exchanged brief looks.
Akainu in the south.
Aokiji in the west.
Borsalino (Kizaru) in the east.
And Garp to the north.
Four pillars of Marine might—
closing the net.
No words needed.
They all knew: this fight was theirs alone.
Arthur looked around slowly at the circle forming around him.
Then he smiled.
"So… the four of you, all together?"
"Interesting."
A wild heat surged in his chest—
that intoxicating mix of pride and battle-lust.
Once upon a time, I was the one chasing legends.
Now the legends have to chase me.
"Come then," he whispered. "Let's see how far I've come."
Without waiting, he moved first.
Lightning screamed.
"Three-Thousand Volts – Thunder Beast!"
A lupine shape burst from his hand—
a wolf of pure lightning, crackling fangs bared, tearing toward Kizaru.
"Tch—why me first?!"
Kizaru's face darkened.
He raised his Ama no Murakumo sword,
swinging twice in a blur of light.
Two radiant arcs sliced through the wolf,
splitting it neatly into four dissipating halves.
But the instant Arthur attacked,
the other two Admirals moved.
Ice surged.
Magma boiled.
The battlefield became a storm of elements—
Aokiji and Akainu closing in from both sides.
And at the center, Arthur laughed—
electric fire dancing in his eyes.
"Good… come at me together!"
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