"Garp... Tsuru... Is this the hidden move the Marines had up their sleeve?"
On the deck of the Rocks Pirates' main ship, Rocks lifted his gaze.
There was no surprise in his eyes, only the understanding and contempt of a chess master who has seen through his opponent's hidden cards.
From the very beginning of the battle, his top-tier Observation Haki had already enveloped the entire sea.
As for those two powerful auras, deliberately suppressed yet still as conspicuous as lighthouses in the dark night?
How could they possibly escape his perception?
"Heh... Just as I expected. But with a lineup like this, you think you can annihilate my Rocks Pirates?"
Rocks slowly raised his right hand, gripping the hilt of the longsword at his waist.
It was an ancient longsword, pitch-black all over, with a guard shaped like a demon's fangs.
He tightened his five fingers, his knuckles letting out a crisp crack.
"You're... underestimating me far too much."
The moment his voice fell—
The air exploded!
Rocks's figure abruptly vanished from the deck.
The instant he disappeared, a pure white sonic boom cloud was left in his place.
The next moment—
He had crossed several hundred meters of the sea's surface like a demon god descending!
There was no afterimage, no trajectory. He just suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield where Garp and Shiki were facing off!
His right hand, holding the now-unsheathed longsword, trailed black lightning.
The blade's edge was aimed straight for Garp's head!
"Not good—!!"
"Rocks is making a move himself!!"
"His target is Vice Admiral Garp!!!"
The Marine camp was instantly plunged into unprecedented panic.
In contrast, the Rocks Pirates erupted in a roar as mighty as a tsunami.
The eyes of every pirate burned with an almost insane worship and fanaticism, the madness of a believer witnessing the descent of their true god:
"The Captain's on the move—!!"
"Hahaha... The Marines are finished! They're dead meat!"
"Charge with the Captain! Let's send these scumbags to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish!"
"Rocks! Rocks! Rocks!!"
The shouts swept across the battlefield like a tidal wave, even drowning out the roar of cannons and the miserable cries of the dying.
The pirates, as if injected with adrenaline, launched a frenzied counterattack. The hesitation that had arisen from Garp's appearance vanished in an instant.
"Garp! Watch out—!!"
From various parts of the battlefield, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru all shouted sternly at almost the same time.
Garp stomped his right foot hard, his Moon Walk setting off seven sonic booms in the air.
His body shot upward like an arrow loosed from a bow. He pulled his right fist back to his waist, gathering power, twisting his body, and then unleashing the punch!
This fist was named—
"Iron Fist: Fist Bone!!!"
Clang—!!!
The moment the sword's energy and the fist's edge collided, the world lost its sound.
In its place, black lightning exploded!
Pitch-black electric serpents spread through the air like a spider's web, and the shockwave expanded in a sphere.
A tenth of a second after the collision, the sea below abruptly caved in, forming a massive hemispherical crater over two hundred meters in diameter.
The seawater, under extreme pressure, instantly vaporized, turning into a colossal pillar of white mist that shot toward the sky.
Garp's figure swayed violently in mid-air.
A needle-like pain shot through his Fist Bone, and his expression became extremely grave.
"Not bad."
Rocks stood in mid-air, holding his sword, his long hair whipping about like a demon's in the violent blast.
Not only was there no anger in his eyes, but a flash of appreciation for a strong opponent appeared.
"Monkey D. Garp... Truly worthy of a man who bears the name of 'D'."
Rocks suddenly sheathed his sword. The instant the longsword returned to its scabbard, the rampaging black lightning around them receded like a tide, and his voice suddenly grew deep and heavy.
"Join me."
Three words, yet they abruptly changed the atmosphere of the entire battlefield.
"The position of Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates is always open for you."
Rocks's voice carried clearly to everyone's ears.
"You and I are both of the 'D' clan. We should understand... this world needs a thorough cleansing. The corrupt World Government, the hypocritical Celestial Dragons, the people blinded by lies—"
Rocks slowly raised his right hand, palm up, as if to hold up the entire sky.
"All of this should be shattered and remolded."
"Garp, your power should not be wasted on maintaining this filthy order."
"Come to my side. Together with me—"
"Create a new era."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire battlefield fell deathly silent.
Everyone who could understand this speech, whether they were Marine officers or pirate Officers, was utterly dumbfounded, their minds blank.
Recruitment?
Rocks... was recruiting the Marines' Vice Admiral, Iron Fist Garp?!
"Gyahahaha... The Captain wants to recruit that Marine mad dog?!"
Golden Lion Shiki was stunned for a moment, then burst into a wild laugh that nearly tore his throat.
"Interesting! Too interesting! This is even more fun than robbing the Celestial Tribute!"
The members of the Rocks Pirates also recovered from their shock, erupting into a tsunami of excited howls.
"That's our Captain for you! He even wants to poach a Marine Vice Admiral!"
"If Garp really joins, who in this sea can stop us?! The World Government would be nothing!"
"Vice-Captain! Vice-Captain! Vice-Captain!!"
Sengoku snorted coldly. "If that bastard Garp were going to defect, he would have run off with Roger long ago."
He knew Garp too well—lazy, repeatedly disobedient, infuriating Fleet Admiral Kong to the point of jumping up and down, even daring to defy orders from Headquarters to chase Roger...
But the "lazy justice" in his bones was more stubborn than the beliefs of anyone else at Marine Headquarters.
Garp's justice wasn't a clause written in military regulations, nor was it a will imposed by the Celestial Dragons. It was an instinct fused into his blood and carved into his very bones.
That instinct would never allow him to associate with someone like Rocks.
"Gurarara... Sengoku, you don't seem worried at all?"
Whitebeard laughed heartily as he swung Cloud Cutter, the Tremor-Tremor Power condensing into a translucent sphere of light on the blade. His tone was full of amusement.
"Aren't you afraid Garp will actually go with Rocks? That's the position of Vice-Captain, you know!"
"Hmph."
Sengoku's giant palm shattered the incoming shockwave, the golden light of the Buddha as scorching as the sun.
"Don't lump that bastard in with the likes of you."
His gaze turned to Garp, his voice firm and decisive.
"No matter how stupid, how much of a bastard, how much of a headache he is..."
"He is a Marine."
"And always will be."
...
"So, what's your answer, Garp?"
Rocks's voice was as calm as an ancient well, yet it held a demonic power that could sway hearts.
"Will you choose the corrupt Marines and continue to be the Celestial Dragons' watchdog..."
"Or—"
He raised his blade, pointing it toward the sky.
"Choose the dawn that will change the world?"
The sea breeze stilled at this moment.
Everyone's gaze, Marine and pirate alike, focused on the figure in the dog-head hat.
Garp looked up.
The casualness, laziness, and flippancy in his eyes completely vanished at this moment.
In its place was a resolve as solid as iron.
"Rocks."
He slowly clenched his fists, his Conqueror's Haki surging once more.
This time, the pitch-black color was no longer confined to the surface of his body but transformed into tangible black lightning that leaped, coiled, and hissed around his fists!
"Me..."
Garp grinned, revealing his stark white teeth, but his smile held no warmth.
"What I hate the most—"
He pulled his right fist back to his waist, his body squatting slightly like a fully drawn bowstring.
"Are self-righteous bastards like you who treat the world like a toy!!!"
His roar boomed like thunder!
The air beneath Garp's feet exploded as he unleashed a combination of "Shave" and "Moon Walk" that surpassed all limits.
His figure became an afterimage, indistinguishable to the naked eye, as he charged straight at Rocks!
His right fist shot out!
"Iron Fist: Justice!!!"
A cold glint flashed in Rocks's eyes.
His longsword met the attack head-on!
Blade and fist collided once more!
This time—
The entire sky was instantly covered by black electric serpents, completely obscuring the sun and plunging the world into an eerie darkness.
The battle of the pinnacles had erupted in full