"Go have a banquet in prison with your sons!"
Garp's jet-black fists gleamed with a metallic sheen, and he shot forward like a cannonball toward Whitebeard.
"Rashness is your weakness, Garp!" Whitebeard's gaze sharpened, his muscles bulging as a shockwave radiated from his fist.
Boom!
The two titans clashed, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that rippled across the deck.
Oden, who had been shouting earlier about dealing with Garp, endured the aftershock, his face contorted with effort.
This was only the beginning.
Garp had not yet faced Whitebeard at full strength.
If he had encountered Gol D. Roger initially, Divine Avoidance would have taught him a lesson instantly, though that lesson would come in time.
Oden, at best, was a rookie Emperor's subordinate, far below Rayleigh, the true vice-captain of the Roger Pirates.
Still locked in battle, Whitebeard glanced at Oden and said in a deep, commanding voice, "Oden, go to the warship and assist Cat Viper and the others."
Witnessing Garp's overwhelming power, Oden's pride gave way to caution.
He leapt toward the warship immediately.
On the ship, Garp sensed the situation worsening.
Only Bogado and a few Rear Admirals remained capable of handling the Whitebeard officers.
Even with Oden entering the fray, the Navy risked near-total annihilation.
Garp tried to reposition, to defend, but Whitebeard's presence made retreat impossible.
His fists weakened involuntarily—a dangerous lapse in battle etiquette.
Whitebeard exploited it, unleashing a shockwave that nearly sent Garp flying overboard.
---
With Oden's arrival, the battle on the warship became almost one-sided.
Marines fell rapidly, including a Rear Admiral who met his end beneath Oden's twin blades.
Oden moved like a predator through the battlefield, while Bogado, Garp's adjutant, fought fiercely but could not match Oden's skill.
Facing Cat Viper and Inuarashi alone had already exhausted him.
He had no reserves to challenge Oden directly.
Anger finally broke through Bogado's usual calm.
He struck back with a powerful Haki-imbued blow, pushing Cat Viper and others away, and charged toward Oden.
"Damn pirates! Stop right there!"
Oden grinned, crossing his swords before him, his Armament Haki cloaking the blades.
"Gun · Ogre Mock!"
Swish!
Oden's form passed through Bogado like a ghost, maintaining perfect posture upon landing.
Moments later, Bogado staggered, clutching his abdomen, his stamina nearly spent.
He had barely escaped defeat moments ago; even his considerable strength was insufficient against Oden.
The Marines watched their strongest fighter fall.
Despair flickered in their eyes, yet none considered surrender.
These were seasoned veterans who had trained under Garp himself.
But this was no training ground.
This was war.
Death was real.
Bogado struggled upright, determined to fight, but Oden's attention had already shifted.
Slowly, he lifted his swords, preparing to deliver a finishing blow.
Suddenly, a dark vortex appeared before Bogado.
The swirling darkness condensed into a humanoid figure: Lloyd.
Bogado's eyes widened.
"You are?"
Lloyd turned slightly, his voice calm and deliberate.
"You've done well, Officer Bogado. Leave the rest to us."
Recognition dawned on Bogado.
"Of course… you're Admiral Zephyr's student, Lloyd!"
Oden, noticing reinforcements, raised his chin.
"So reinforcements have arrived. Excellent, I was getting bored."
Lloyd ignored him.
His gaze swept over the remaining pirates, then he extended both hands.
Dark vortices appeared in his palms.
"Dark · Almighty Pull!"
A powerful gravitational force emanated, drawing the surrounding pirates helplessly toward Lloyd.
Just as they approached, shadowy, blade-shaped spikes erupted from the deck, piercing through the trapped pirates.
By the time Oden realized what had happened, Lloyd stood amidst the aftermath.
The deck was littered with fallen pirates, blood soaking the planks.
"Hmm?" Lloyd's brow arched.
Despite the carnage, he detected signs of life among a few survivors.
He dispersed the gravitational force, and the corpses scattered.
Two figures immediately caught his attention: one with a pineapple-shaped head, blue flames flickering, the other a diamond-shaped human radiating dazzling light.
Lloyd recognized them instantly: Marco and Jozu, the future division commanders of Whitebeard's fleet.
Their Devil Fruit powers made them formidable, but they were no match for his strategy.
Lloyd raised his right hand, collecting the surrounding blade-shaped spikes, reshaping them into the Demon Blade Muramasa.
The chilling aura radiating from the weapon caused Marco and Jozu to instinctively step back.
At that moment, Oden charged like a rampaging bull.
"Bastard! Navy brat, what have you done!?"
Lloyd abandoned any plan to selectively eliminate the pirates.
He enveloped the Muramasa in Armament Haki, sending a jet-black sword energy toward Oden.
As a top-tier sword talent of the Figarland Family, trained under Garling for a month, Lloyd's attack forced Oden to halt, stunned by the sheer force.
Oden's mind raced.
Lloyd appeared the same age as Marco and Jozu, yet his sword energy alone had sobered him from rage, revealing the true scale of his power.
____
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