Karl was stunned.
Garp?!
Of all people, it had to be Garp.
This shock alone could've lasted Karl an entire year.
Was it really necessary to send Garp to deal with Kaido?
Wasn't that just straight-up bullying an honest man?
As for why Kizaru hadn't shown up, Karl didn't really care.
If that guy could've come, he would've been here long ago—Karl wouldn't have had the chance to fight Kaido for this long in the first place.
Most likely, he'd been dragged off to help research some laser or light-based nonsense again.
Thankfully, Karl had intentionally kept some distance from the Marine Science Unit.
Otherwise, he'd probably be the one getting strapped to an operating table for experiments.
"I sensed the clash of Conqueror's Haki from really far away," Garp said, staring at Karl in surprise.
"That wasn't you, was it?"
Kaido having Conqueror's Haki was nothing new.
But Karl?
Did this kid really have the qualities of a king?
That didn't seem very likely.
But looking around G-10 Base—
aside from Gion and Ain, Karl was the only possibility.
If it wasn't him, who else could it be?
"Ahem… you caught me," Karl said awkwardly.
"Kaido pushed me a bit too hard, and I just… suddenly awakened it.
Honestly, it scared the hell out of me."
Garp wordlessly knocked Karl on the head.
This brat was really something—benefiting and still pretending to be modest.
If Karl hadn't known Ace's secret, Garp would've definitely given him a couple of Fists of Love already.
"You little punk… I'm not even going to comment."
Garp stood up, rolled his neck, and walked toward Kaido and Akainu, who were still fighting.
At that very moment, Kaido—who had been enjoying the fight—felt a sudden chill down his spine.
A terrible premonition surged up.
He turned his head—
—and what he saw was Garp's massive black fist.
BAM!
Several of Kaido's teeth flew out visibly, and his entire body was sent flying, crashing into the ground and twitching in agony.
"Hiss—"
Karl sucked in a sharp breath.
Garp's strength was terrifying beyond words.
Kaido got knocked down with a single punch!
And Karl hadn't even had time to put a buff on him!
Thank god he'd never sparred with Garp before—
otherwise the consequences would've been unimaginable.
Before Garp arrived, Kaido had been trading blows evenly with Akainu—
punch for punch, strike for strike.
But once Garp joined in, Kaido was completely overwhelmed,
getting double-teamed by magma and iron-hard fists.
Karl frowned just watching it.
Only Kaido could endure something like this.
Anyone else would've been beaten into paste.
"That's enough!!!"
Kaido roared furiously.
"Who do you think I am?!
I am Kaido of the Beasts!!!"
"OOOOOOAAAHHH!!!"
With a furious roar, Kaido transformed into a Azure Dragon and shot straight into the sky, blotting out the sun—a colossal blue beast dominating the heavens.
"Boro Breath—No… Bad Wind!"
The sky darkened as Kaido spat out countless wind blades, like an endless barrage of flying slashes.
It looked as though he was about to completely erase G-10 Base from existence.
Karl's expression changed instantly.
He grabbed Ain and prepared to retreat.
Garp snorted.
With a single stomp, he launched himself into the air, using Moonwalk to chase Kaido skyward.
Facing the storm of wind blades, Garp showed no fear at all, roaring as he threw out a punch of pure justice.
Crack—crack—crack!
The wind blades shattered one after another.
Garp's fist-pressure slammed straight into Kaido, forcing out a series of pained roars.
Kaido glared at Garp unwillingly—
then turned tail and ran, not looking back even once.
Karl scratched his head.
…This wasn't quite how he'd imagined it.
Logically speaking, shouldn't Kaido have burned some stamina, then entered Hybrid Form and fought Garp for three hundred rounds?
Why did he just… retreat?
Kaido: That's because you've never been beaten by Garp, kid.
You don't know how much those fists hurt.
"Karl, are you okay?" Ain said anxiously, tugging at his clothes as she checked him over for wounds.
"You know my ability," Karl replied casually.
"As long as I've still got one breath left, I can recover instantly."
Ain pushed him irritably.
"Stop bragging! Who was it that just got beaten half to death by Kaido?"
"Hey—watch your words!" Karl protested.
"What do you mean 'half to death'?
I cut him hundreds of times, okay?
It's just that his recovery is ridiculous—he heals as he fights!"
Ain took a deep breath, her mood sinking.
"This time… I didn't help at all. I—"
Karl pulled her into a hug and comforted her gently.
"It's fine.
The first time I met Kaido, I was just like you—standing on the sidelines watching.
So don't be discouraged. Just keep getting stronger."
"…Mm." Ain nodded firmly.
"Oh, right—what you unleashed earlier…
That aura—was it Conqueror's Haki?"
Karl scratched his head.
"I think so."
Conqueror's Haki…
Karl had awakened it, while she had only unlocked Observation Haki.
The gap between them felt like it was growing wider and wider.
They'd been trainees in the same class.
Now Karl was a Vice Admiral, while she was only a Colonel—
and even that promotion had been partly thanks to riding Karl's achievements.
But rank wasn't the real issue.
It was strength.
Karl barely trained physically, yet his Holy Light Devil Fruit slowly enhanced his body on its own—
with efficiency far beyond her daily training.
How was she supposed to compete with that?
"So Kaido really just ran off like that?" Gion said, clicking her tongue.
"I thought we'd get to have some real fun."
Karl glanced at her and smiled.
"If you hadn't helped me, Gion, I wouldn't have lasted nearly that long."
"That's true," she admitted.
"But you really are improving fast.
A year ago, even fighting Weevil was a struggle—now you can trade blows with Kaido."
"No wonder Sengoku values you so highly."
Just then, the surrounding air suddenly grew cold.
It wasn't Aokiji—
It was Akainu, walking over.
Garp glanced at him, curled his lip, and clearly had no intention of chatting.
Akainu looked at Karl.
"Since you're fine, I'll be leaving."
"Your talent is exceptional. Don't waste it."
With that, he turned around and left without another word.
Karl wanted to say something—but no words came out.
Akainu really is… decisive.
Once Akainu was gone, Garp walked over, hands on his hips, surveying the near-ruined G-10 Base and shaking his head.
"Karl, I'm leaving too."
Karl froze.
"That fast? Want to sit for a bit longer?"
"Nope," Garp replied bluntly.
"There's nowhere to sit here.
My warship's more comfortable."
"Oh, right—Sengoku will probably ask about this later.
Just tell him I'm off chasing the Red-Hair Pirates and won't be reporting back for now."
"U-Understood! Safe travels, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Garp waved his hand and departed from G-10 Base.
The sudden battle had finally come to an end—
but the aftermath was the real headache.
Casualty reports, repair funding, reconstruction requests…
an endless pile of trouble.
"Sorry about this, Gion," Karl said apologetically.
"You came to visit and ended up dealing with something like this."
She waved it off.
"It's fine. Who could've predicted Kaido would show up personally?
Since that's the case, I won't stay long. I'll come visit again when I have time."
"Goodbye, Karl. Goodbye, Ain.
Do your best~"
Gion winked at Ain.
Ain blushed and waved back.
"Mm! Goodbye, Gion!"
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