Pedro was already stronger than most of the crew.
Swordmaster-level blade skill.
Six Powers mastery.
High-level Haki and even the beginnings of emission.
Mink instincts, electric techniques, and White Ghost's lightning-speed training.
A true all-rounder—fast, tough, dangerous, and relentless.
On the ice, he wiped at his cracked Haki coating and stared at Garp, still energetic and smiling.
"Incredible… Navy Hero. The man who chased Roger across the seas."
Garp bared his teeth. "What's wrong, little Mink? Running out?"
"Out?" Pedro smirked. "A man can't say 'out.'"
Garp's eyes flashed. "Oh?"
Pedro roared:
"Lightning Mode—ON!"
Electricity crackled across his body.
He vanished.
WHOOSH!
Garp punched left—
Pedro appeared there and took it, redirecting the impact.
Then Pedro vanished again.
Garp spun into a sweeping kick—
Pedro flickered into place and blocked.
"Top-tier Observation… seeing the near-future?" Pedro muttered, forced to keep moving.
Garp watched him carefully.
Lightning to boost speed and power… like Kaido's style.
This kid's improving in real combat.
Pedro fought for a while, then clicked his tongue and drew his sword.
"Leopard Slash!"
A flying sword wave shot toward Garp.
Garp punched it apart.
Another one who can launch flying slashes… how many swordmasters are on that ship?
Garp's grin widened. "Now it's my turn to attack."
He vanished forward with terrifying speed.
Pedro's eyes widened. Too fast—
He dodged with Soru on instinct, but still—
"Not enough."
Garp's punch sent him flying.
Pedro used Geppo to stabilize. If he flew back to the ship again, the Dragon Emperor would lose too much face.
He spat blood, steadied his breathing, and thrust his sword.
"Leopard Piercing Blade!"
A straight-line sword wave launched.
Garp crushed it with a punch and rushed in again.
Villagers and Marines stared, speechless.
"That leopard man is actually keeping up…!"
Ace watched with fire in his eyes. This is the real ocean… real monsters…
Luffy kept cheering for Garp—loudly, constantly, to everyone's annoyance.
Makino squinted toward White Ghost's ship, searching for Uta, but the distance and chaos made it hard to spot anyone clearly.
Nearby, Ain and Bogard finally ended their duel, both sheathing their weapons.
Bogard looked at Garp's battle and shook his head. "Your ship… it's just one surprise after another."
Ain smiled. "We're still far from finished."
Bogard lowered his voice. "I still don't understand why you chose today to show your hand."
Ain didn't answer directly. "Maybe White Brother has a plan. Or maybe it's to warn off troublemakers."
She returned to the ship with Geppo.
White Ghost pulled her down beside him and treated her wounds with golden flame. Ain let him, wiping sweat with the towel Nami offered.
Ain watched Pedro and murmured, "He might've surpassed me."
White Ghost shook his head. "Hard to say. He has more endurance. You have a Devil Fruit and sword tricks that are hard to guard against."
"But if he enters Sulong, you lose. Sulong boosts everything."
Ain nodded. At their level, even a small increase in speed or power meant a massive gap.
White Ghost's eyes narrowed. "Pedro's about done."
Everyone looked—
Garp surged forward with a final burst of pressure.
"Back you go!"
Pedro could no longer hold.
He flew back toward the ship.
Jango jumped and caught him—then nearly got dragged off his feet by the leftover force.
"Whoa—!" He had to use Geppo repeatedly just to bleed off the momentum before landing safely.
Jango wiped sweat. "That old man… even the after-force is insane."
He started to step forward, ready to restore their pride—
But White Ghost stood, rolling his shoulders, removing his coat.
Jango sighed, defeated before moving. "Yeah… nothing left for me to do."
Dr. Squirrelton, the "little squirrel" healer—and Naqin rushed to check Pedro.
After a quick look, both relaxed.
"Internal injuries," they said. "He'll recover with rest."
White Ghost didn't speak yet—only stared at the ice, where Garp waited, grinning.
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