The handmaiden following behind Hancock reported, "Your Majesty, Lady Lalia was defeated by Lady Sandersonia during the arena matches a few days ago and is currently recovering from her injuries…"
"Anyone still wounded will remain here to guard Amazon Lily and defend against any surprise attacks from the Marines," Hancock ordered.
She then spoke into the transponder snail to Violet: "Use your ability to monitor the situation closely!"
"Understood!" Violet replied before ending the call.
Following Hancock's urgent command, one‑third of the Kuja warriors set sail for Artemis Island.
Knowing their opponents this time were far from ordinary, Hancock did not bring Shirahoshi along. If the girl were drawn into the conflict, the consequences would be unimaginable.
More importantly, however, she wondered — that woman Jaina had promised the teleportation gates would be ready by now, so why was there still no sign of them?
---
Hundreds of nautical miles southeast of Artemis, Garp was hurling cannonballs nonstop, forcing Strugos's three ships to retreat step by step.
They had no chance to counterattack and could only focus entirely on dodging and blocking the incoming fire.
"Still firing those relentless barrages as always, Garp!" Strugos shouted, leaping into the air and swinging his great sword to slice each cannonball clean in half, so they exploded harmlessly before reaching the hulls.
Landing back on the deck, Strugos — who already had experience fighting Garp during his time with the Golden Lion's fleet — quickly gave orders: "First squadron to port, second to starboard — spread out and look for openings!"
"Aye!"
The three vessels bearing Grimm's emblem quickly split apart and began to encircle the warships from three directions. This scattered Garp's attacks, greatly reducing their overall impact.
"Are those the brats from Shiki's old crew?" Garp muttered, lowering his next cannonball. "They seem to know my style of fighting far too well."
He had heard that the remnants of the Flying Pirates had joined Grimm, but seeing it firsthand confirmed the rumors were true.
Standing beside him, Zephyr frowned. "Garp — our orders are to gather intelligence, not to wipe them out. Why did you open fire first?"
Garp just laughed loudly, completely unfazed. "They would have spotted us eventually anyway. Better to strike first and seize the initiative!"
Zephyr sighed, though he had to admit there was some sense in what Garp said.
"All hands — spread out and prepare for engagement!" Garp called out, cracking his knuckles as he addressed the thousands of Marines aboard the two warships.
"Sir!" The rows of men in their blue‑and‑white uniforms snapped to attention, ready for battle.
"By the way — if that rascal Grimm shows up, stay back and let me handle it," Garp warned.
"The last thing we need is for your condition to get worse. Vegapunk… well, he's not some miracle worker who can fix everything!"
He hesitated for barely a second when mentioning Vegapunk, then quickly resumed his usual rough tone.
"I know," Zephyr replied calmly, though deep down, suspicions were already growing.
There was something Garp, Sengoku, and the others were hiding from him — that look of pity in their eyes… what exactly did it mean?
---
WHOOSH!
A sharp, piercing sound echoed from above. Everyone looked up to see a flood of golden light descending from the sky, which then coalesced into the shape of a man standing directly opposite Garp and Zephyr.
"One of the Four Emperors… Grimm!"
Every Marine on deck took an involuntary step back, eyeing the glowing figure with wariness.
"Lord Grimm has arrived!"
"We've got this in the bag now!"
Grimm's own crew cheered loudly at the sight of their captain.
"What are you all afraid of?" shouted one of Zephyr's senior officers. "He's just one Emperor! We have Instructor Zephyr and Vice Admiral Garp on our side!"
Hearing those words, the Marines' expressions brightened, and their confidence surged.
After all, they were facing an Emperor — but they also had the Hero of the Marines, who had once chased the Pirate King across the entire ocean, and the man known as the Navy's strongest master of Armament Haki.
"Zephyr — stay back!"
Garp stepped forward, positioning himself between Zephyr and the newcomer. Grinning broadly, he clenched his fists until they cracked. "Leave this little brat to me!"
"Long time no see, Garp… and the Red Dog — no, wait, Zephyr! May the Holy Light confuse you!"
Grimm's gaze lingered on Garp for a few seconds before shifting to Zephyr, his eyes locking onto the man's discolored, blood‑stained right hand.
"How do you like the power you took from me? I hear you've been using it as a Commodore to take down many famous pirates. So tell me — how does it feel to fight pirates using the very power of a pirate like me?"
Zephyr remained unmoved by the obvious provocation. Such taunts were far less sharp than anything Whitebeard had ever thrown at him.
"If taking up a pirate's power serves justice, then it is righteous. Even without a weapon, even if I have to use my bare hands, I will still strike down pirates!"
Bare hands? Grimm thought to himself amusedly. You sound like someone who thinks he can talk his enemies to submission…
"You seem very calm and rational," Grimm said with a gentle smile.
"But I wonder how long your loyalty to the Navy will last. The Curse of Kazan is spreading faster than you know. You don't have much time left before you turn into a true monster."
His words immediately sparked murmurs among the pirates and even the Marines.
The Navy and Government had officially described Zephyr's condition as a non‑contagious blood disease — but what Grimm was saying painted a completely different picture.
Seeing the wavering morale behind him, Garp decided there was no point in wasting more words. He struck his right fist against his left palm with a loud CRACK.
"Quit running your mouth like a nagging old woman! Let's just get this fight started!"
As he spoke, two magnificent golden wings unfurled from Grimm's back.
Even more strangely, his clothes transformed into a soft white fur‑lined robe — and on his head sat a large, fluffy fox‑shaped hood.
Garp blinked, momentarily confused.
What in the world…?
It looked ridiculous, and yet somehow… strangely cute.
---
[Battle Spirit Heavenly Dance Set]
This was an armor set Grimm had exchanged for 50,000 Holy Light Points through his system, which he had never worn until now. It was time to test its true power.
Set Effects:
1. Skill damage, movement speed, strength, defense, and healing effectiveness increased by 25%.
2. Automatically maintains the effect of Avenging Wrath at all times while equipped. The Hand of Silver ability is disabled, and all healing or buff spells cannot be cast on others.
3. Cannot be removed during combat.
4. Stamina is infinite.
5. Maximum number of revival tokens usable in this battle: 8.
6. Wearer gradually loses his usual sense of propriety and seriousness.
7. Automatically draws all enemy aggression and attacks.
8. Indestructible.
Clad in his new "Fox Outfit," Grimm felt invincible.
Garp nodded in sudden understanding — now he finally knew why the Holy Light Pirates' emblem had changed from its original dignified knight's head into something far more whimsical.
Feeling refreshed and energized in his new gear, Grimm grinned and called out, "Hey there, old man Garp! Word has it your grandson back home is playing pirate games with a boy named Ace. Aren't you going to do something about it? Why come all the way here looking for me? Did you forget what happened between us two years ago?"
The veins on Garp's forehead bulged. That boy of mine wanting to become a pirate — half the blame goes to you! he fumed silently.
You were the one who went and told him, "Hey kid, be a pirate! You can sleep all day, eat as much meat as you want, and even beat up your grandfather with a clear conscience!"
__________________
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