The Marines were now in absolute disarray. Although Garp was holding the line—preventing a total breakdown in morale—the opponent's overwhelming ice control had dealt the Marines a punishing blow, leaving their ranks shaken.
Meanwhile, the other members of the Sunagakure Pirates emerged from the rear, placing immense pressure on the Marines' flank.
Uchiha Madara's overall strength was by no means inferior to Aoki Shiraishi's. With Madara still preserving much of his stamina, Garp knew he couldn't afford to hold back. The moment he stepped forward, he unleashed his most devastating fist!
In a fraction of a second, as Shiraishi shifted into a blurred flurry of afterimages, Garp aimed squarely at the shadow to his left and threw a heavy punch.
Zzz-zzz-zzz!
Behind his back and beneath his feet, a layer of Armament Haki expanded, acting as a propulsive air cushion that propelled Garp forward with explosive momentum.
He materialized directly behind Shiraishi's shadow, driving his fist toward the back of the young man's head without losing a fraction of speed.
So this is the Haki of a top-tier powerhouse?!
Shiraishi's pupils contracted sharply. In that instant, golden Nihilego neurotoxins condensed into razor-sharp needles around his body.
Yet Garp didn't pause for even a microsecond. It was as if he had seen through the insidious neurotoxin strike in a single glance. Strengthening his Armament Haki coating instantly, a raw shockwave from his fist shattered the incoming poison assault into fine mist.
What a troublesome Iron Fist...
At present, Marine Headquarters formally maintained only two Admirals: Sengoku the Buddha and Zephyr the Black Arm. Although "Fist" Garp held the rank of Vice Admiral, he was universally recognized as possessing Admiral-level combat power.
The battle at Loguetown was something Marine Headquarters took with absolute seriousness—deploying an Admiral-level fighter paired with two top-tier swordsman Vice Admirals. Yet even so, they were struggling to contain the Sunagakure Pirates.
Amidst these flashing thoughts, a fierce glint sparked in Shiraishi's eyes. He pitched his torso forward, narrowly dodging the heavy fist whistling past the back of his head. Using the momentum, he threw his left arm backward as if instinctively maintaining his balance.
BANG!
Garp dropped his shoulder, forcibly redirecting his punch mid-flight. Coated in invisible Armament Haki, he delivered a crushing hammer blow.
At that exact second, a golden dragon of venom erupted from Shiraishi's raised left arm, exploding in a shower of corrosive liquid that drenched half of Garp's torso!
The terrifying corrosive toxin instantly blackened and melted Garp's pristine white Marine coat. The skin across Garp's arm, shoulder, chest, and face rapidly inflamed, as Nihilego's venomous energy squirmed, attempting to burrow into his flesh.
The excruciating pain drew a cold grunt from Garp, but his hammer blow did not decelerate in the slightest. Though his body staggered involuntarily for a split second, Shiraishi used the brief window to accelerate away.
Garp's iron will remained unshakeable. Enduring the burning pain, he unleashed an even more powerful punch. As Shiraishi caught the strike with one hand, he was driven backward repeatedly, and Nihilego's internal form suffered a heavy jolt.
A devastating blow!
Garp's aura flared wildly. Haki wrapped around his body like rolling flames, flowing across his skin and igniting his wounds. The force of his invisible Haki began actively purging the invading toxins, driving out Shiraishi's venom bit by bit until it was completely expelled.
Is this the true strength of the Iron Fist?
Shiraishi felt a faint numbness in his arm. Still, he wasn't someone who gave up easily. Clenching his fists, he drifted smoothly across a streak of silver light, sweeping back in a high-speed assault.
As invisible Haki gathered around Garp's forearms once more, Shiraishi suddenly opened his fist into a palm, pressing down with immense force. Twisting his back, he flipped upside down directly over his opponent, driving his left fist downward straight toward Garp's crown!
Garp responded with calm precision, a powerful gust of compressed air erupting around him as he met Shiraishi's downward fist head-on once again.
Fists crossed—the surrounding air shattered!
Enduring the shockwaves, Shiraishi opened his left hand again, lightly tapping against Garp's incoming fist to inject a surge of blizzard energy.
Using the recoil to flip behind his opponent, Shiraishi straightened his right leg in mid-air—snapping it backward like a steel whip mounted on a heavy spring!
PAK!
With sheer, tyrannical punches, Garp repeatedly forced Shiraishi back, leaving zero breathing room.
Shiraishi cycled through fists, palm strikes, ice blades, and rapid silver-blade quick-draws—combining his arsenal into a dizzying assault. Garp, however, remained rooted like a mountain, countering every variation with absolute simplicity.
After a stretch of intense close-quarters combat, Shiraishi was panting heavily, while Garp's breathing remained remarkably steady, highlighting the current gap in their raw endurance. Still, watching this clash sent shockwaves through the entire battlefield.
Taking on Garp right now really is a monumental task...
"A Marine Vice Admiral possesses this level of power...? Then what about the Admirals above him?"
Madara watched Garp's performance with a trace of surprise. Ace, however, shook his head: "Marine Headquarters only has one Vice Admiral like him..."
"Garp... you can't even handle a mere brat?"
An ice-cold voice echoed across Loguetown. Draped in a blood-red cape, Patrick Redfield stepped onto the frozen sea with a slender rapier in hand.
"Haha! This brat is no ordinary brat..." Garp chuckled, wiping a line of frost from his face.
"The Grand Pirate—Patrick Redfield!"
The arrival of the Red Count made the situation infinitely more delicate. However, the legendary pirate ignored Shiraishi and focused his gaze directly on Uchiha Madara standing further back.
"Are you the one who killed Chaikaf?"
"I am..."
The moment the words left Madara's mouth, Redfield dissolved into a streak of crimson light, reappearing directly behind Madara: "In that case... your life ends here!"
Redfield's sole target was Madara—the pirate vice-captain who had publicly executed his nephew.
While Shiraishi was also on his list, Redfield's insufferable pride would never allow him to team up with Garp to jump a junior. Thus, he turned his full lethality onto his primary target.
In this world, those who can block my fatal strike can be counted on one hand...
CLANG!
In the split second their blades intersected, Madara's gunbai war-fan blocked Redfield's rapier. Observation Haki flared in Madara's eyes as a sharp red gleam locked directly onto Redfield: "Regrettably for you... I'm still breathing."
Impressive Observation Haki!
As Redfield executed a high-speed flash, Madara spun around, sweeping his war-fan through the air as ghost flames condensed instantly.
BOOM!
Exploding ghost flames erupted around Redfield. The Red Count parried with his rapier, but Madara closed the distance in a flash, drawing his secondary weapon—a heavy scythe!
The war-fan and the scythe—Madara's signature dual weaponry!
Parrying with the scythe, Madara simultaneously condensed the surrounding ghost flames into a massive, dark fireball.
Darkness Style: Majestic Fire Destruction!
An absurdly massive ball of dark flames roared forward. The sea frozen by Shiraishi rapidly evaporated under the searing heat of the rolling black firestorm!
Coating his rapier in dense Haki, Redfield transformed into a crisscrossing crimson sword-beam, clashing head-on against Madara's massive black fireball.
Shattered embers rained across the frozen sea. Madara suddenly noticed seven distinct afterimages appearing above him, each emitting a razor-sharp sword aura.
In that instant, nine fiery tails manifested behind Madara's back, whipping up a massive vortex of fire that collided violently against the incoming sword strikes.
BOOM!
When the explosion cleared, Redfield flashed to the side, the edges of his coat slightly charred. Madara, however, bore a deeper injury—a sharp slash across his chest left by the rapier.
"Formidable strength... What a pity."
As a super pirate of the Grand Line, the Red Count's strength was beyond question. Yet Madara's performance against such a legend left everyone present at Loguetown utterly speechless.
Just as Redfield prepared to continue his assault, he suddenly paused. His eyes drifted to Unohana Retsu, who stood quietly to the side without making a move. His heart sank slightly.
That woman... is also a Grand Swordsman-level entity...
A sudden chill ran down his spine. Redfield realized he had severely underestimated the Sunagakure Pirates' overall lineup. Whether it was Uchiha Madara or this mysterious sword-bearing woman, neither could be taken down easily.
"Are we dreaming...? Neither Redfield nor Garp could suppress the Sunagakure Pirates?!"
Although Garp and Redfield were not cooperating, the fact that the captain and vice-captain of the Sunagakure Pirates could simultaneously hold off two top-tier legends showed the terrifying depth of this new crew!
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