Chapter 276: The Decisive Battle (Final)
"Looks like this 'Hero of the Marines' doesn't intend to let us leave peacefully… Captain Teach."
Shiryu of the Rain clenched half a cigar between his teeth, the glowing ember burning crimson in the darkness.
His expression was tense—
Yet the corner of his mouth twisted upward into a nearly fanatical grin.
"The man from the legends who smashed apart the old era with his fists… I bet his blood tastes far better than the trash back in Impel Down!!"
The instant his words fell—
CLANG—!!!
His military boots twisted violently against the shattered ground, sparks exploding outward as the earth beneath him collapsed into cracks spreading like spiderwebs.
The next moment—
He transformed into a dark crimson flash that tore through the smoke.
So fast that only an afterimage remained.
Raiu ripped through the air, scarlet lightning shrieking around its blade as Shiryu swung directly toward Garp's head.
"Heh…"
A low chuckle escaped Garp's nose.
Cold light burst from his eyes as the star-shaped flare around his fist ignited once more.
The air itself compressed into visible shockwaves around his punch.
BOOOOOOM—!!!!!!!!!!
Fist and blade collided head-on.
At the instant of impact—
The crazed grin on Shiryu's face froze completely.
It transformed into pure disbelief.
"GUH—!!"
PUAH!
A mouthful of blood exploded from his throat.
SHING—!!!
His body became a blurred projectile, crashing violently into the ruins behind him.
One punch.
Just a single straightforward punch.
Shiryu of the Rain—the monster feared by countless prisoners and pirates alike—
Was utterly crushed before "Iron Fist" Garp.
Van Augur appeared silently beside Blackbeard like a ghost.
His hands landed simultaneously on Blackbeard and the unconscious Burgess.
Immediately, ripples spread through the surrounding space as reality itself began distorting.
"Hm?!"
Garp's brows tightened sharply.
Without warning—
Crimson-gold lightning exploded from his body.
Like an ancient beast breaking free from its chains, he launched forward violently, pulverizing the ground beneath him.
As he charged—
His right fist clenched tighter.
Crimson-gold Conqueror's Haki and black-red Armament Haki intertwined like furious dragons around his fist.
CRACKLE— BOOM!!!
The sky itself filled with violent crimson-gold lightning.
That overwhelming pressure—
The absolute dominance of a supreme king—
Actually disrupted the spatial fluctuations caused by Van Augur's Warp-Warp Fruit.
"DAMN IT—!!!"
Blackbeard roared furiously.
He stepped forward and shielded Van Augur and Burgess behind him.
Darkness surged endlessly from all directions, gathering around his own right fist.
"Take Shiryu and the others and GO—!!!"
He roared without turning back.
"This old monster… is mine!!"
RUMBLEEEEE—!!!!!!!!!
The two fists collided in midair.
No tricks.
No techniques.
Just absolute destructive force.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
Blinding white light swallowed the world instantly.
The heavens lost their voice.
The world lost its color.
High above—
A gigantic star-shaped shockwave exploded across the sky.
"GAAAAAAHHH—!!!"
As the light faded slightly, Blackbeard's agonized scream rang out.
His body flew backward at incredible speed before smashing violently into a distant mountainside.
Meanwhile—
Garp merely slid backward through the air for several meters before stopping completely.
From the collapsing mountainside came Blackbeard's furious, disbelieving roar.
"What kind of joke is this…?!"
"You're already… practically one foot in the grave…!!"
Meanwhile, during the brief moment Blackbeard managed to stall Garp—
Van Augur finally broke free from the overwhelming Haki interference.
SWISH!
Spatial ripples spread instantly.
Van Augur, Burgess, Shiryu, Laffitte, and the others vanished from the battlefield.
Almost simultaneously—
Another spatial ripple appeared near the heavily injured Blackbeard and whisked him away as well.
The white light gradually faded.
Shockwaves still echoed through the sky.
Garp slowly lowered his fist and hovered calmly in midair, his Justice coat fluttering wildly.
"Ran pretty fast…"
He glanced toward the empty space where they disappeared but made no move to pursue them.
Time spared no one.
No matter how strong Garp remained, he was already far beyond his prime.
With Blackbeard's bizarre powers and awakened darkness, forcing a fight to the death would carry heavy consequences even if Garp won.
Chasing after them now would only plunge the entire sea into chaos.
Besides—
Blackbeard wasn't Roger.
He simply wasn't worth Garp's obsession.
Soon, the dog-headed Marine battleship slowly approached the devastated island.
Well-trained Marines poured ashore like a tide, beginning the orderly cleanup of the battlefield, recovering bodies and searching for survivors.
"Vice Admiral Garp, you have an urgent call."
Bogard appeared silently beside him, holding out a ringing Den Den Mushi.
The tiny snail wore a miniature Marine cap and tiny round glasses.
"Ha! That old geezer Sengoku, right?"
Garp grabbed the Den Den Mushi carelessly and shouted before Sengoku could even speak.
"Moshi moshi!! Sengoku? What d'you want?!"
He dug lazily into his ear with one finger as he added confidently:
"And let me make this clear first! I absolutely did NOT touch the rice crackers hidden in the metal box at the bottom of the second cabinet on the left side of your office! Not even one!"
Silence.
A suffocating silence.
On the other end—
Veins visibly bulged across Sengoku's forehead.
No wonder his secret stash of premium rice crackers had been disappearing suspiciously fast…
So THAT was the reason!!
No—
Now wasn't the time to worry about rice crackers!!
"GARP—!!!"
The Den Den Mushi erupted with Sengoku's furious roar loud enough to shake the entire warship.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME THIS IS?!"
"This is the critical period where Marine Headquarters is relocating from Marineford to G-1 in the New World!! There are countless matters waiting to be handled!"
"And what did YOU do?! You disappeared without a word!"
"Not only that—you even hung up on Sakazuki's emergency calls!!"
"DO YOU REALLY NOT WANT TO STAY IN THE MARINES ANYMORE?!"
Sengoku's fury nearly blew apart the ship's mast.
What he spoke of truly was the Marines' top priority.
After Sakazuki became Fleet Admiral, the Marines formally began relocating their headquarters into the New World in order to better counter the increasingly dangerous pirate forces—especially the Four Emperors.
But relocating Marine Headquarters wasn't something simple.
Before shifting into the New World, the Marines first needed to stabilize the Four Blues and Paradise to prevent pirates from taking advantage of the transition.
Thus, the Marines launched an unprecedented "Great Purge" campaign.
Only after the remnants of Golden Lion Shiki's Flying Pirates were completely destroyed did the relocation process truly accelerate.
At a critical time like this—
One of the Marines' greatest military powers, Garp himself, had abandoned his post and ignored direct calls from Fleet Admiral Sakazuki.
No wonder Sengoku was furious.
Hearing this, Garp merely frowned.
"Quit exaggerating, old man."
"If I guessed right, you're already on your way to G-5 yourself, aren't you?!"
"A former Fleet Admiral sneaking off during a critical moment doesn't exactly make you look innocent either!"
"And you've still got the nerve to lecture me?!"
"..."