Loguetown trembled that day.
In the distance, a pillar of golden light pierced the heavens, illuminating the entire sky. It became the brightest presence between heaven and earth.
"This is front-page news! I have to get there immediately!"
A reporter grabbed his Den Den Mushi camera and sprinted out of the newspaper office, racing toward the harbor without stopping.
"Move! Reinforce Vice Admiral Garp!"
Marines poured out in waves, flooding toward the coast. Some even launched warships in haste.
All they knew from their reports was that the one fighting Vice Admiral Garp was Kairos D. Vale.
They didn't know the details.
That left them both excited—and anxious.
Excited because they might witness the legendary Marine Hero Garp in action.
Anxious because the scale of the battle suggested a dead-even clash. They feared something might happen to Garp and wanted to be ready to intervene at once.
Soon, ship after ship left Loguetown's harbor, waves churning endlessly behind them.
…
On the deserted island, a towering column of golden light rose into the sky.
Even the setting sun was eclipsed by its brilliance. Golden radiance flooded the heavens, half the sky turning into a shimmering ocean of light.
"What… is that?"
The people who rushed over could only stare in shock.
Neither the reporters nor the Marines dared approach the island directly. Instead, they anchored their ships nearly a kilometer away and raised binoculars toward the shore.
Suddenly—
A mass of golden light crashed down from a mountain peak.
It looked like a raging flood tearing across the land. Trees and boulders along its path were obliterated, and one entire mountaintop shattered under the impact.
Boom!
The golden radiance slammed deep into the island.
A massive shockwave erupted outward, golden light surging across heaven and earth like a miniature sun plunging into the ground.
"What's happening over there?!"
"Vice Admiral Garp's power doesn't look like that golden light…"
"Wait—could that light be coming from Kairos?!"
The Marines who knew fragments of the truth felt their scalps go numb.
This development was completely beyond expectation.
They strained their eyes, desperate to see through the blinding light and understand what was happening—
but it was too bright.
Even with tears streaming down their faces, they could barely make out anything.
Click.
A camera shutter snapped.
Leika, a reporter from the East Wind News Agency, stood frozen in shock. Almost by instinct, he had pressed the shutter of his camera Den Den Mushi.
A photograph slid out.
He lowered his head and looked.
"Hiss—!"
The sight made him suck in a sharp breath.
In the photograph were two blurred figures clashing violently.
One of them stood bare-chested, gripping a jagged-bladed sword.
The other wore the Marine coat of Justice—
Vice Admiral Garp.
The expressions of the two fighters couldn't be seen clearly, only their silhouettes.
But that was already more than enough.
Without a word, Leika tucked the photo away.
This would become the headline of the East Wind News Agency.
Boom!!
Another thunderous explosion echoed from the island as the battle reignited.
"Kairos! If this is all you've got, it won't be enough to defeat me!!"
Garp roared.
Every muscle and bone in his body thundered, his blood surging like a storm.
With that shout, his fighting spirit surged higher.
He stepped onto the air using Geppo and launched himself skyward. Then both fists shot forward toward Kairos, who stood atop the mountain wreathed in golden light.
The wind howled as thousands of fist shadows rained down.
This was Garp's full power.
The might behind it was terrifying beyond measure.
The mountain Kairos stood on exploded instantly.
Even the peak behind him shattered under the impact.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Punch after punch erupted like a meteor shower hammering the island.
Mountains burst apart one after another. Entire ridgelines collapsed beneath the assault.
Dust clouds swallowed everything—
even the golden spiritual pressure surrounding Kairos disappeared within the smoke.
At that moment—
Garp had suppressed Kairos.
"Hm?!"
Yet instead of satisfaction, Garp's eyes narrowed.
Because this situation had happened before.
Every time he gained the upper hand against Kairos—
the young man's strength suddenly surged again and turned the tide.
It was as if Kairos was growing stronger through battle itself.
Getting stronger the longer the fight lasted.
Suddenly—
Garp's eyes widened.
Within the swirling smoke and dust, a brilliant golden light appeared.
Through the cloud of destruction—
Kairos stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
He was forcing his way through Garp's storm of punches.
"Heh… hahaha!"
Kairos laughed wildly.
The laughter carried a madness impossible to hide.
Yet within that madness burned a pure, blazing hunger for battle.
"Garp… defeat me!"
His voice rang across the battlefield.
"Come—fight!"
His shirt had already been blown to pieces.
His body was covered in the marks of Garp's punches, and dust clung to him from head to toe.
It was a completely battered appearance.
Yet anyone who saw Kairos now would never call him pathetic.
Because—
he was laughing.
He looked like a ferocious beast that had just awakened.
And within those eyes burned only one thing—
the madness of battle.
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