From a distance, Zephyr shouted urgently at Garp:
"Garp, that kid can manipulate force and space!"
"Once you're locked on, you'll be forcibly dragged toward him!"
His words sent a shockwave through all the Marines present.
Even Sengoku looked astonished, turning to Zephyr:
"Zephyr, are you saying Raiver Sky's ability is... manipulating force and space?!"
Zephyr's expression was grave:
"Correct! If my judgment is accurate, what that kid is controlling is gravitational force! Once targeted by it, your body loses control and gets pulled rapidly toward him."
Sengoku suddenly asked, "Zephyr, when you and Tsuru fought him, did you discover any weaknesses in this ability?!"
Zephyr seemed to have an epiphany upon hearing this and immediately shouted to Garp:
"Haki! Strong enough Haki can break this technique! Garp—"
He roared with all his might:
"Use your strongest Haki! Shatter that space!!"
"Got it—!!!"
In the air, Garp let out a furious roar, his Haki erupting violently around him!
The air within a hundred-meter radius began to tremble, boil, and then—
Explode!
Dark red Conqueror's Haki surged out like a tsunami. Wherever the Haki passed, the force field Raiver Sky had applied began to distort, shatter, and annihilate!
So that's how it is... No matter how powerful a Devil Fruit ability is, Haki can still counter it.
If it can't be countered, it's only because the Haki isn't strong enough!
"Conqueror's Haki Coating?!" Raiver Sky's eyes narrowed.
He hadn't expected Garp to have developed his Conqueror's Haki to this level.
Although he had obtained the system reward of Advanced Conqueror's Haki after his battle with Rayleigh, that only reached the threshold for using Conqueror's Haki Coating.
To master an advanced application technique like Conqueror's Haki Coating would require more research and training.
But Raiver Sky possessed the heaven-defying skill of Voidification, putting him in an invincible position.
Raiver Sky gathered his power and swung his sword!
"One-Sword Style·Secret Skill——Heaven Split!"
The blade descended.
A black lightning extended from the tip of the sword, spreading forward.
Where the lightning passed, space shattered and split apart like glass.
"Come at me—kid!!"
Bzz—!!
Dark red flames surged around Garp's body like boiling fire—the manifestation of Conqueror's Haki Coating.
In that instant, he moved—
His figure shot toward Raiver Sky like a meteor!
He roared, his voice like thunder from the heavens:
"Iron Fist·Fist Bone—"
"Galaxy Impact!!!"
The punch landed.
Like a galaxy pouring forth.
Whoosh—BOOM!!!!
Two destructive forces collided violently, each impact exploding into rings of white light.
Heaven and earth seemed to lose their color as countless purple lightning bolts struck out in all directions, blasting towering columns of water from the sea surface.
Marine soldiers on the warship clung desperately to the railings—some knelt praying, some stood frozen in shock, others vomited uncontrollably.
It was the instinctive fear and awe of life facing power far beyond comprehension.
On the Rocks Pirates' ship, the pirates also held their breath.
Whitebeard gripped his Cloud Cutter tightly, battle intent burning fiercely in his eyes.
Shiki licked his lips, his pupils filled with excitement.
Rocks... smiled.
A smile full of ambition.
As the last streak of white light faded, seawater rushed back to fill the colossal crater.
The sky, too, had returned to calm.
But Raiver Sky was nowhere to be seen at the scene.
Only Garp remained, standing alone a hundred meters in the air, his eyes burning with lingering battle intent.
He scanned his surroundings, his Observation Haki spreading out, sweeping over every inch of space.
Nothing.
Raiver Sky's presence had vanished.
It wasn't death, nor was it concealment, but... a complete departure from the area.
Garp slowly turned his head, looking into the distance.
The fleet of the Rocks Pirates had also vanished without a trace, leaving only a fading black dot on the horizon.
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku, Zephyr, Garp, and the bandaged Tsuru arrived at the door.
Sengoku took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock.
"Come in!"
Kong's voice, suppressed with anger, came through.
The four of them pushed the door open and entered.
"Sengoku, Zephyr, Garp, Tsuru—"
Kong spoke, his voice terrifyingly calm:
"Were you all on a vacation?!"
"Failing the mission is one thing, but you couldn't even protect the Celestial Tribute!"
"And you three, being toyed with by a brat, watching the Celestial Tribute get stolen, watching your comrade get severely injured.
Did you buy your Vice Admiral candidate titles with money?!"
Despite anticipating this, the four were still shaken by the reprimand.
Faced with the Fleet Admiral's questioning, they could only bow their heads in silence.
Because the Fleet Admiral was right.
The failure of this operation not only humiliated the Marines but was also likely to provoke the fury of the World Government's higher-ups.
A deathly silence fell over the office.
After a moment, Kong let out a long sigh, his anger gradually subsiding.
He sat back in his chair, rubbing his throbbing temples, and asked in a deep voice:
"Tsuru, how are your injuries?"
No matter how harsh the reprimand, these four before him were, after all, officers he had personally trained—they were almost like his students.
Especially Tsuru. As one of the rare female high-ranking officers in the Marines, she had earned everyone's respect with her wisdom and abilities, and she was an indispensable core member of the Marine staff.
This concern slightly eased the oppressive atmosphere in the room.
"My body is fine now, but the internal injuries will take time to heal."
"Hmm, rest well during this time. Put your current work on hold for now."
"All of you, sit down."
Kong gestured for the four to take their seats.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?"
"That new Officer of the Rocks Pirates, Raiver Sky—is he really as formidable as you said over the Den Den Mushi? Are his abilities truly that bizarre?"
Based solely on the brief message transmitted by the Den Den Mushi, Kong still found it hard to fully believe.
After all, he hadn't witnessed the battle himself and couldn't imagine how a young brat could simultaneously restrain Zephyr and Tsuru, and even hold his own against Garp.
"Fleet Admiral..." Sengoku smiled wryly and pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his chest.
This was a specially made Marine Visual Den Den Mushi, capable of recording and replaying battle footage.
"This Den Den Mushi recorded everything."
"Play the recording. I want to see for myself how the four of you handled the situation. Such a meticulously planned operation nearly ended in total annihilation.
And that Raiver Sky—is he really that..."
Kong paused, squeezing out two words through gritted teeth:
"Monster."
The Visual Den Den Mushi was activated.
A translucent light screen projected from the Den Den Mushi's eyes, unfolding a clear image on the office wall.
"Is this the strange ability of Raiver Sky you mentioned?"
Kong narrowed his eyes and leaned forward slightly:
"Why does it somewhat resemble Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit? Both cause space to tremble and distort..."
Sengoku stared intently at the scene of Raiver Sky using his ability in the footage, analyzing:
"Correct, but Whitebeard's tremor 'vibrates' space, producing destructive Tremor Waves.
Whereas Raiver Sky's ability seems more like... 'controlling' space, creating gravitational fields, repulsive fields, and gravity fields!
In fact, I have reason to suspect he can manipulate all forces and space!"