Leno wasn't surprised in the slightest—nor did he care.
Whether he would die or could withstand it, he could judge that much himself.
Besides, clashing directly with Garp's Conqueror's Haki coating would deepen his own understanding of it.
If Luffy could get hammered into awakening Conqueror's coating by Kaido's club, why couldn't he?
His cheat ability didn't directly enhance his three types of Haki.
He had to rely on himself.
In terms of theory, he had already grasped most of it—what he lacked was real combat experience.
With that thought—
a trace of madness flickered across his face. He didn't dodge. He stepped forward and threw his punch head-on!
BOOM——!!!
The two fists, each carrying terrifying power, collided violently!
The thunderous impact nearly deafened everyone present.
A devastating shockwave spread outward, pressing a massive crater into the sea surface.
A small mushroom cloud even rose into the sky!
Towering waves surged in all directions, battering all three ships and forcing them apart.
On the Thousand Sunny—
the Straw Hats stared dumbfounded at the center of the collision.
The scene before them completely shattered their understanding of what "strong" meant.
They had never witnessed such a battle before.
"Robin trading herself for our lives… was totally worth it…" Usopp muttered.
"I finally understand what Leno meant when he said he wasn't interested in us…" Sanji's cigarette trembled between his lips.
"S-So strong…" Zoro gripped his swords tightly, his eyes filled with shock and longing.
"No! We have to leave now! If either side frees up a hand, we're finished!" Nami snapped back to reality. Survival came first.
"That's right! Give us time—we'll become that strong too!" Chopper cheered himself up.
Even Luffy—
recognized that this fight was far beyond his current level.
Aokiji narrowed his eyes, staring at Leno within the storm of energy.
"…Just like Borsalino said…"
"After leaving the Navy, Leno's strength has become this terrifying…"
"What exactly caused it…?"
He fell into deep thought.
On the dog-headed warship—
Ain and Tashigi stood frozen in shock.
They exchanged blank stares, disbelief written across their faces.
They knew Leno's previous strength well.
He absolutely hadn't been this powerful before.
The combat power he displayed now was almost on par with a Marine Admiral!
Only now did they truly realize what the Navy had lost.
"Can someone like Koby… really compare to Leno?"
The thought surfaced uncontrollably in both their minds.
Even Garp, clashing fists with Leno, felt his heart tremble with doubt.
It had only been a few days!
How had this brat's strength improved so much?!
If he were given more time to grow… wouldn't beating me be child's play?!
The moment that thought surfaced, Garp's heart sank.
His killing intent toward Leno surged to its peak.
He knew very well that under these circumstances, Leno would never return to the Navy.
Nor would he ever forgive him.
Letting him go now would be like raising a tiger that could overturn the world in the future!
"Brat! You've been hiding pretty deep!"
Suppressing the turbulence in his blood, Garp's voice turned icy.
"But today… you die here!"
"Die here?" Leno repeated, sneering as he wiped a trace of blood from his lips.
"You'd better have the ability first."
At those words, the cold light in Garp's pupils intensified.
The power of his Conqueror's coating surged again, blasting Leno backward with a single punch.
Garp himself only swayed slightly, stepping back half a pace.
After all—
Conqueror's coating was fundamentally different from Armament coating.
And Garp had been immersed in this realm for decades.
How long had Leno even touched it?
The gap in foundation was obvious.
"Brat!" Garp looked at Leno's slightly battered figure, a trace of complex reluctance flashing in his eyes.
Then he spoke in a low voice:
"Come back with me now. From now on, serve as Koby's right-hand man… I'll spare your life."
In his mind, this was the final mercy of a teacher—and Leno's last chance.
But to Leno, it sounded like naked humiliation and charity.
He didn't need it.
"Serve Koby?!" Leno steadied himself, his voice rising with fury.
"I'd rather be a pirate than lick your precious disciple's boots!"
Hearing Leno dare to insult the Koby he placed such high hopes on—
Garp exploded.
The last trace of hesitation and pity vanished instantly!
"Then so be it…" Garp's voice turned colder than ten-thousand-year ice.
"Today, I'll personally clean up my own house! Even if my disciple dies, he will not become a pirate!"
"Is that so?" Leno dusted off his clothes mockingly.
"Should I praise you for being such a great Marine?"
Without waiting for Garp's reply, he continued:
"You've got a son known as the 'World's Worst Criminal,' the Revolutionary Army leader Dragon—and a grandson who wants to be 'Pirate King,' Monkey D. Luffy… and you dare preach this to me? Don't you find it laughable?!"
Those words struck like knives, stabbing straight into Garp's deepest sore spot.
His two greatest black marks in the Navy—his son and grandson.
"You—!!!" Garp's hair stood on end in rage!
Uncontrolled Conqueror's Haki burst skyward, tearing apart the clouds above!
His gaze locked onto Leno—any emotion gone, replaced by pure killing intent.
"You think you're worthy to compare yourself to them?!" Garp growled through clenched teeth.
Before the words even faded, his figure vanished.
The next instant, he appeared before Leno like a phantom!
Leno's pupils shrank sharply.
They said Garp was a monster in team fights but less so alone…
But for him right now, the pressure was enormous.
"Brat! In front of me, you're still too green!" Garp roared, raising a fist crackling with dark red lightning.
He looked down coldly at his former disciple.
"Galaxy Impact!"
This strike held nothing back.
It was aimed to kill.
Leno knew well—using techniques Garp had taught him against Garp himself would not end well.
His training time and comprehension were inferior.
And moves created by Garp would always reach peak power in Garp's hands.
He had to use his own techniques—walk his own path.
Fortunately, during his time in Impel Down's Level Six, he had fused the experiences and combat techniques of Golden Lion, Bullet, Redfield, and others.
He had truly begun developing something that belonged to himself.
"Break for me——!!!"
Leno roared thunderously, the muscles in his arm swelling to their absolute limit.
The power of the Chop-Chop Fruit fused perfectly with the martial techniques he had integrated from countless top-tier fighters.
His development of the Chop-Chop Fruit had long surpassed Buggy's crude body-splitting tricks.
He had pushed it toward something more fundamental—
the decomposition, the shattering of all things.
Haki could resist Devil Fruit abilities to a certain extent—
but it was never absolute immunity.
The two forces offset and clashed against each other.
At this moment—
Leno's jet-black fist met Garp's head-on.
The power of fragmentation activated first.
It began decomposing and dispersing the terrifying shockwave and Haki condensed around Garp's fist.
Once power was scattered instead of concentrated—
its destructive force naturally diminished!
BOOM!!!
Their fists collided violently once more!
Dark-red lightning and invisible tearing force intertwined and annihilated each other in a frenzy!
The nonchalant expression on Garp's face vanished.
In its place—
was unprecedented gravity.
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