White Ghost shrugged off his coat, revealing a lean, powerful build. He rolled his neck—crack, crack—the sound popping in a steady rhythm.
"This old man's still sharp," he muttered, then leapt forward.
"Oh?" Garp looked up at the figure dropping from above. "Finally decided to come out?"
BOOM!
White Ghost landed in front of him, the ice trembling.
"Old man," White Ghost said, grinning, "ever since I went to Marine HQ, I've been wanting a chance to repay you properly for back then."
"Heh." Garp dug in his nose like it was nothing. "If you want to repay me, hand over a few Mythical Zoans. I'll feed them to my grandkids."
White Ghost's mouth twitched.
A few? Like they grow on trees? Even cabbages aren't that easy to find.
He flicked a small vial toward Garp and continued like he hadn't heard the request.
"It's a shame. No idea why we never ran into each other at HQ."
Garp caught the vial, inspected it, and frowned. He couldn't tell what it was—only that his Observation Haki picked up a thick, dense "life" presence from it.
"Since we finally met," White Ghost said, showing teeth, "I've gotta treat you right, don't I?"
Garp didn't hesitate. He popped the stopper and drank it in one gulp.
The instant it hit his stomach, his expression changed.
At their level, control over the body was absurdly precise. He could feel it—pure vitality spreading through his organs, soaking into old wear and tear. Some long-standing hidden injuries eased, just slightly.
"What the—" Garp stared at the empty vial.
His hair—once partly gray—darkened rapidly. In seconds, it turned fully black.
"Ace, look!" Luffy yelped. "Grandpa's hair!"
"I'm not blind," Ace snapped… but he was staring too.
"Oi, oi, oi," Garp barked, shocked. "What is this? It restores youth and works on old injuries? That's—"
White Ghost chuckled. "My ship's doctor just finished an 'extended-lifespan' tonic. It restores some vitality, helps with healing… and it refills stamina too."
"Tch." Garp crushed the glass vial in his fist. "What are you planning, brat?"
"Just a way to make money." White Ghost lifted his hands. "Now then—old man. I'm coming."
"Come." Garp set his stance, not even bothering with Armament yet.
White Ghost didn't use any fancy footwork or Haki either. He simply charged in and threw a straight punch.
Garp answered the same way—nothing but a fist.
BAM!
Fist to fist.
Neither of them moved an inch… but the ice around them shattered outward in a ring.
The cracks raced across the frozen sea—then, almost immediately, the surface began to re-freeze as White Ghost's cold spread through it again.
"Still terrifying, old man," White Ghost said, face twisting with excitement.
"Hahaha!" Garp's grin was feral. "Let's see how much your body's improved!"
"Won't disappoint you," White Ghost shot back. "Just don't cry when I punch you!"
"Cocky punk!" Garp roared. "I'll be the one making you cry!"
They exploded into pure hand-to-hand violence.
White Ghost's fists became a storm.
Garp answered with the same.
BAM—BAM—BAM!
Garp's punch smashed into White Ghost's handsome face.
White Ghost's punch smashed into Garp's shameless old mug.
They both slid back a few steps, then surged in again—laughing and snarling like animals.
Bogard watched, jaw tightening.
He knew how monstrous Garp's raw body was—years of combat, hammered into something beyond human.
But White Ghost was what—twenty-something?
And his physique was already on that iron balloon level. Like Big Mom's absurd toughness—something countless people envied and could never reach.
"So awesome!" Luffy gawked. "That big brother's even stronger than the leopard guy!"
Ace watched with shining eyes. "A man doesn't need to step back. Charging straight in—that's the romance!"
Makino held her hands to her mouth, stunned. "So… that's Uta's captain?"
White Ghost kept hammering Garp. "Hahaha! Old man—outside of Kaido, you're the only Marine who can trade body blows with me!"
"Hahaha!" Garp answered by slamming a fist into White Ghost's chest. "Don't get cocky, brat!"
On the ship, the crew stared.
Senior Pink—just barely awake—went stiff. "Boss's body is that ridiculous…? I got hit once and nearly died. He's tanking those like it's nothing…"
Brook cackled, "Yohohoho! These old bones of mine could never—"
Everyone immediately shot him dead looks.
Didn't your head get knocked off recently and you just… put it back on?
Nami squealed, "White Ghost is amazing!" Stella quickly pulled her close so she wouldn't fall.
Pedro—still bandaged—watched the sparks flying from bare-fist clashes. "So it's true… once your body reaches that level, it's like steel."
The "little squirrel" doctor—eyes shining—nodded hard. "Stick with him. Our future depends on it."
White Ghost smirked mid-fight. "Garp, what's wrong? Your punches getting weak?"
Garp crossed his arms and blocked, then shoved hard.
White Ghost stumbled back, breathing heavier now—then grinned like he'd been waiting for it.
So this is your real strength… he thought. Back at Marineford you weren't 'holding back'—you were holding back the whole universe.
"Hahaha!" Garp roared. "Brat, you the one getting tired? I can fight ten days and ten nights!"
"Stubborn old man." White Ghost charged in again.
By now, both were covered in bruises and fist marks.
White Ghost had two ribs cracked.
Garp wasn't much better.
But neither of them stopped.
Not because they hated each other—because in the language of the sea, this was just… saying hello properly.
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