"G–Garp!!"
"It's the Marine hero, Garp!!"
"How can it be that monster?!"
Only now did the pirates recover from the shock of that punch. The fearlessness that once filled their faces vanished completely, replaced by overwhelming terror.
Everyone knew one thing clearly—
Against Garp, they stood no chance.
No one noticed that within the Marine formation, a black-haired youth was slowly shifting his stance, as though gathering invisible energy.
Then, at a certain moment, a streak of black-and-red lightning suddenly burst forth. A violent surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted instantly, spreading outward across the entire island like a tidal wave.
Buzz!
Space distorted as ripples expanded rapidly.
Everything within sight trembled like reflections on the surface of water.
Thud!
The marines closest to Alex were the first affected. Their eyes rolled back as they collapsed unconscious.
Figures fell one after another. Even Kuzan turned blankly, and when he realized the overwhelming aura originated from Alex, he froze.
"Alex?!"
Only those two words left his mouth before his body went limp, eyes rolling back as he fell to the ground.
Centered around Alex, both marines and pirates dropped like harvested wheat, wave after wave collapsing.
Before that absolute, domineering pressure, no one could resist.
Yet Alex himself remained immersed in the punch he was preparing. Following pure instinct, he guided the coiling aura, letting it flow along his arm and gather around his fist.
At a certain point—
His eyes snapped open.
He threw a punch.
Buzz!
The air collapsed. Lightning-like brilliance erupted as a terrifying shockwave shot forward at incredible speed, slamming directly into the pirate crowd and striking the sniper Jerry—the man who had shot him twice.
Jerry exploded.
From that single point, pirates were violently torn apart without even realizing what had happened. The ground rumbled and split again, cracks spreading outward.
Even more terrifying was the sheer range of the attack.
The impact swept across nearly two-thirds of the town, destroying buildings that had survived Garp's earlier strike.
It was like another nuclear blast detonating upon the island.
Alex lowered his fist and fell silent.
He was now certain—
This was Conqueror's Haki infusion.
However, the power of his punch was clearly weaker than Garp's, likely because his own physical strength was still far inferior.
Jerseylo Island fell completely silent.
The marines had all been knocked unconscious. The only one still standing was Garp.
At this moment, even the Marine hero felt his heart twitch repeatedly.
What had he just witnessed?
A seventeen-year-old boy who had only just awakened Conqueror's Haki had already used Conqueror's Haki infusion—a technique mastered only by the world's strongest fighters.
And this boy hadn't even learned Armament Haki or Observation Haki yet.
His hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and marksmanship were practically nonexistent.
It was like a child who had never trained suddenly transforming into a Super Saiyan.
Garp descended from the sky and landed before Alex, staring at him with undisguised shock.
"How did you learn Conqueror's Haki infusion?"
Alex remained silent for a moment before answering with two words.
"Instinct."
Instinct?
Garp blinked. Of course, he didn't believe such nonsense.
But deep inside, he was stunned—no, shaken—by the boy's talent. Combined with Alex's unkillable nature, even Garp could only describe him as a monster.
At just seventeen years old, awakening Conqueror's Haki was already remarkable. Yet he had also mastered Conqueror's Haki infusion.
Even more unbelievable, Garp quickly realized that after this battle, Alex's physical strength had clearly increased again.
"A monster…"
he muttered.
This world had never lacked individuals born with terrifying talent. Figures like Charlotte Linlin and Kaido from the former Rocks Pirates were natural anomalies, monsters from birth.
But someone like Alex—this was the first time he had seen such a case.
Human in appearance.
Yet impossible to kill.
"Kid, I'm going to train you properly. You have the potential to become the strongest!"
"In the future, you might even take my place and turn this world upside down!"
Garp burst into laughter.
At first, he had only been curious about Alex's immortality and appreciated his rebellious defiance against nobles and the Celestial Dragons.
But now, he genuinely believed the boy possessed limitless potential.
With systematic and proper training, Alex would undoubtedly grow rapidly into a force capable of suppressing pirates across the seas.
Alex, meanwhile, stood silently, analyzing his current strength.
His reference point was Kuzan.
Based on observed speed, strength, and destructive capability during battle, he reached a conclusion.
"Kuzan currently holds the rank of Major."
"He just graduated from Marine training and has undergone systematic instruction. He's already strong, but hasn't eaten the Ice-Ice Fruit yet."
"My strength, speed, and reaction ability are roughly equal to his."
Realizing this, Alex fully understood just how powerful his immortality cheat was.
Each death enhanced his strength proportionally to his current base. The stronger he became, the greater the amplification—eventually growing exponentially once he reached the world's peak.
The only flaw was that suicide couldn't be exploited for points.
"In other words, my physical strength is at Major level—about the same as Kuzan."
"But if Conqueror's Haki is included…"
Alex shifted his gaze toward Kuzan, who lay on the ground snoring unconscious.
"I could one-shot him."
With his current level of strength combined with Conqueror's Haki infusion, it was like a stumbling child holding the launch button to a nuclear weapon.
Moments later, the marines gradually regained consciousness, rubbing their aching heads.
"What just happened?"
"Was that Vice Admiral Garp's Haki?"
The veteran soldiers looked confused, completely unable to understand what had occurred.
Kuzan soon woke as well. At first dazed, he suddenly recalled what happened and immediately turned his eyes toward Alex.
He had just been knocked unconscious… by Alex's aura?!
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