"This monster..."
Fire shot into the sky.
The entire sea surface began to turn red.
Waves of extremely scorching heat kept coming towards my face.
Faced directly with the giant dragon covered in blazing flames and emitting terrible heat, making it impossible for anyone to get close to it.
"Even for the legendary phantom beast species, such a temperature is a bit too outrageous!" At this moment, Vice Admiral Stainless of the Navy Headquarters was all black and shiny, with a solemn and horrified expression. He had already covered himself with Armament Haki for the first time, resisting the astonishing high temperature.
The samurai sword he was holding tightly had a blade that was extremely black…
It could barely block the ferocious giant claw.
But it was burned extremely red.
The amazing heat continued to transfer to the handle of the sword.
It was so hot that he almost couldn't hold it.
The blade almost slipped out of his hand.
"Shave!" Stainless stamped his feet fiercely.
His hands were unbearably hot, and he couldn't help but feel the burning pain.
Naturally, he would not be foolish enough to continue the stalemate with Ren.
He immediately retreated.
"Snap… snap…"
The moment he stabilized his body,
The terrifying and frightening dragon chased after him.
He had no hesitation and his legs turned into afterimages.
He continuously kicked towards the giant flame-covered beast in front of him.
"The feet are messy!"
"Whoosh…"
The sound of breaking through the air continued.
One after another, light green slashes came, relentlessly attacking the giant and ferocious dragon, which was bathed in flames.
"Boom… boom…"
Fire shot into the sky.
There were constant loud noises and billowing smoke.
Ren, who had transformed into a giant beast, couldn't dodge at all.
He allowed those astonishing slashes to hit him one after another.
The thick scales were incredibly tough, firmly covering his huge beastly body.
The slashing wave kicked by Stainless couldn't directly break through his defense.
"Hey, are you tickling me?"
The next moment.
In the horrified eyes of Stainless,
Ren, who was unharmed, sneered and charged forward.
"Asshole!"
Stainless heard this.
He was a little angry and rushed out, unwilling to be outdone. "Don't be too arrogant, you kid from the East Blue!"
His eyes were stern.
He waved his katana.
The blade was wrapped with Haki energy.
It tore through the atmosphere and struck with force.
"Sonorous…"
Sparks sputtered out.
The extremely sharp blade was directly blocked by Ren's incredibly ferocious scales.
Pieces of fiery red dragon scales looked like cast steel.
Indestructible and unshakable.
Only shallow scratches remained on them.
"What!?"
Witnessing this scene,
Stainless turned pale with horror.
"As expected of the Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters…"
The entire body was bathed in fierce flames.
The three-meter-tall, extremely ferocious dragon beast sarcastically said with a mocking tone: "Keep up the hard work, I'm starting to feel a little pain!"
It stepped on the warship suddenly.
At the moment when the deck was crushed, it even burned through it.
The ferocious and terrifying dragon jumped up again.
Stepping on the auspicious clouds,
Carrying a rolling heat wave,
At an astonishing speed, it moved like a fiery red stream of light, as fast as lightning.
It constantly pounced towards Vice Admiral Stainless of the Navy Headquarters.
"Bang bang…"
"Ah… ah…"
Although Ren didn't pay attention to the ordinary Navy soldiers,
His huge body was enough to cause intense heat waves.
Along the way, those Navy men who had no time to dodge were knocked away like wreckage.
Many were even affected by the flames and their bodies were set on fire.
Those who reacted quickly jumped into the sea immediately.
If they were too far away, too slow, or completely frightened and panicked, they just kept rolling over.
In the blink of an eye, they were burned to coke or even reduced to ashes.
…At this moment.
Far away at Marineford, Navy Headquarters.
Inside the grand and solemn naval complex, in the Marshal's office on the highest floor.
"What?! That guy Aokiji ran off again?"
Inside the spacious, brightly lit room, Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed his hand onto the desk. His expression darkened instantly after hearing the report from his adjutant.
"That man neglects his post whenever he feels like it! If one of the Four Emperors suddenly attacks headquarters right now, who's supposed to defend Marineford?"
"Contact him immediately. Tell him to get back here at once!"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Brannew wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded quickly.
"Hahahaha, what's the big deal?"
On the sofa nearby sat a tall, broad-shouldered old man with white hair and beard, dressed casually in a gray suit. Monkey D. Garp lounged comfortably, arms full of donuts, stuffing them into his mouth with carefree enthusiasm.
"Aokiji's been cooped up here for months. Let the kid go out and get some fresh air. You've still got me and you here, don't you?"
"You're really in the mood to joke?"
Sengoku shot him a sharp glare.
"I haven't even settled accounts with you about your grandson yet!"
Garp froze for half a second, then laughed loudly, pretending not to understand.
Behind Sengoku's irritation was a deep, familiar headache.
A hero of the Navy.
A son who founded the Revolutionary Army and openly opposed the World Government.
And now a grandson who chose to become a pirate, repeatedly stirring chaos across the seas.
Any ordinary officer with that kind of background would have been dragged to Impel Down long ago for questioning.
But Garp's status as the "Hero of the Navy" made everything… complicated.
"Hahahaha…"
Garp scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. Truthfully, he hadn't expected Luffy to run off and become a pirate either.
Not only that, but the boy had formed the Straw Hat Pirates, defeated Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and caused a massive incident at the G-8 Branch, resulting in heavy casualties.
This was no longer a minor offense.
Even Sengoku could no longer ignore it. The Straw Hats' bounty had been sharply increased, and the only reason a full-scale fleet hadn't been dispatched yet was out of respect for Garp.
"This is the Navy, not a playground."
Sengoku took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Unless there are special circumstances, at least one Admiral must remain stationed at headquarters at all times, ready to respond and assist with any major incident."
"And right now, Aokiji is officially on duty. Leaving his post like this is unacceptable!"
He narrowed his eyes and looked straight at Garp.
"That man is your disciple. You trained him personally. If he's turned into a lazy menace, then the responsibility lies with you."
Aokiji hadn't always been like this.
He used to be hot-blooded, energetic, stubborn but driven.
Now?
Rules were being bent. Discipline was loosening.
It was a dangerous sign.
"I've eaten ninety-nine donuts today. Sengoku, you're definitely going to lose!"
"Damn it, old man! Leave some for me—!"
"No dodging the issue! Take this seriously!"
Sengoku's eyelid twitched violently.
Annoyed, he stood up, marched over, grabbed the donuts straight out of Garp's hands, and shoved them into his own mouth.
"Hey! Sengoku!"
"Stop messing around!"
Because the door hadn't been fully closed, a passing Marine lieutenant colonel carrying documents happened to witness the scene.
He froze in place.
These two were legends admired by countless Marines.
The Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha.
And Monkey D. Garp, the Hero of the Navy.
Yet here they were, fighting over donuts like children.
"Still acting like this at your age…"
A calm but authoritative female voice interrupted them.
An elderly woman wearing a Justice cloak stepped into the office.
She was one of the most respected figures in Marineford, one of the few women to rise to the highest ranks of the Navy.
Vice Admiral Tsuru.
A former comrade-in-arms of Sengoku and Garp, and the Navy's chief strategist.
"Tsuru? You're here…"
Garp quickly swallowed the donut in his mouth and straightened up, suppressing his grin.
"Ahem. This is all Garp's fault!"
Sengoku coughed dryly, regaining his composure as he returned to his seat behind the desk.
He sat upright, his expression once again dignified, and looked at his longtime comrade.
Tsuru looked older now, her temples white, fine wrinkles lining her face. Yet her eyes remained sharp, calm, and piercing.
Her expression was solemn.
And heavy
Comparing her to the memories of the past, she had once been so heroic and radiant, a presence that captivated countless young elites.
Even he himself had secretly admired her when he was young.
A flower admired from afar.
Time could not help but stir regret.
He hated it, but he had been one step too late.
He had always been shy when it came to such matters. By the time he finally made up his mind, that "flower of the Navy" had already been taken by someone else.
Now, they even had a granddaughter.
For a brief moment, Sengoku felt a faint ripple of emotion.
But it passed quickly.
As Fleet Admiral of the Navy, sentimentality was a luxury.
He suppressed the complicated thoughts in his heart and focused his gaze on the woman before him.
"Tsuru, what is it?"
In public, Sengoku always addressed her respectfully as Vice Admiral Tsuru, sometimes even "Great Advisor Tsuru," emphasizing her status as the Navy's greatest strategist.
But now, with only old comrades present, there was no need for formality.
Tsuru's expression was solemn.
"Ten minutes ago," she said slowly, "the fleet led by Vice Admiral Stainless, which was tasked with pursuing the Tiger Shark Pirates, sent an emergency report."
"They encountered the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates in the waters of Bocris."
She paused for half a breath.
"The operation code-name: Prison 'Rain's Raid'."
Her voice lowered.
"At present, the entire fleet has suffered severe losses. Vice Admiral Stainless is still engaged in combat, but the enemy's strength far exceeds expectations."
"They are requesting immediate support from headquarters."
"What?!"
Sengoku's face changed instantly.
"The Straw Hat Pirates… again?!"
His expression darkened, veins faintly bulging on his forehead.
Slowly, he turned his head.
And glared straight at Garp.
The air pressure in the room plummeted.
Garp, standing off to the side, froze for a moment.
Then, as if nothing serious had happened, he burst out laughing and scratched the back of his head.
"Hahahahaha! Those brats really know how to cause trouble!"
He turned around, preparing to leave casually.
"Ah, right. I just remembered there are a few packs of senbei in my office—"
However.
Before Garp could finish his sentence—
Sengoku's fist, wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki, had already swung out.
"BOOM!!"
The impact shook the room.
"Bang! Crash! Clatter!"
"Gah—! Ahhh—!