"Come on—fight me!"
Kairos D. Vale's voice echoed across the skies above the deserted island.
The people watching from the sea shuddered when they heard it.
Their hearts trembled at the sight before them, and yet at the same time, a strange surge of excitement rose within them.
Somewhere deep down, an indescribable feeling took shape.
It was as if—
they were witnessing the birth of a new era.
And that era…
belonged to the man blazing with golden light before them.
Some of Garp's loyal supporters wanted to shout back in protest, to mock Kairos for his arrogance.
But in the end—
none of them spoke.
Everyone had seen Garp smash a mountain peak apart with his fists and shatter the earth itself.
Yet even under such overwhelming force, Kairos had stepped forward again.
Without a single sign of defeat.
Which meant—
his strength was not beneath Garp's at all.
He had the right to say those words.
At that moment, the same question rose in everyone's mind.
Who exactly was this man?
Even the Marines who had heard Kairos' name rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
Could this man fighting Vice Admiral Garp on equal footing really be him?
"And you think you're the only one enjoying this fight?!"
Garp stared at Kairos and suddenly took a deep breath.
His chest expanded dramatically, as if he were a whale drawing in the sea itself, sucking the surrounding air into his lungs.
Then he roared.
The shout shook the clouds and rattled the heavens.
The instant the roar ended—
Garp exploded forward like a raging dragon.
The air around him shattered like glass.
Cracks spread across the earth beneath his feet.
Unmatched killing intent surged outward.
Armament Haki—
pushed to its absolute limit.
Garp's mastery of both Haki types was among the greatest in the world. Now, his Armament Haki covered his entire body, black as obsidian armor, radiating overwhelming might.
In a blink, he was already in front of Kairos.
The distance between them—
just a single step.
Kairos' manic grin had not faded.
He raised his blade.
And in that instant—
Boom!!
Garp moved.
His five fingers clenched into a fist.
Just that motion alone created a sonic boom, like thunder rolling through the sky.
He locked eyes with Kairos.
Pulled his arm back—
And punched.
It was a completely straightforward strike.
No tricks.
No flourish.
Yet that single punch tore through the air itself, the shockwave splitting heaven and earth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The space around them seemed to explode.
The crimson light of the setting sun twisted under the pressure.
Though he threw only one punch, it triggered hundreds of detonations. The ground shook violently, and each blast carved enormous craters into the island as if artillery were bombarding the earth.
Then—
Kairos' radiant golden spiritual pressure began to warp.
Garp's punch was simply too terrifying.
For a brief instant—
it surpassed even Kairos' peak output.
And the effects spread far beyond the battlefield.
Though the punch landed in the center of the island—
the sea itself responded.
The sea began to churn violently.
Waves crashed against the coast as if a tsunami were about to rise.
The sky darkened.
The blood-red sun finally sank beneath the horizon.
Everyone watching trembled.
Their legs shook uncontrollably.
Some even lost their hearing for a moment from the thunderous shockwaves created by Garp's strike.
Yet at that same moment—
a deeper fear crept into their hearts.
Something sinister.
Something savage.
It overwhelmed every other emotion they felt.
Even their deafened ears were forgotten.
Every pair of eyes turned toward the island.
The source of their fear—
was not Garp.
It was Kairos.
His figure had vanished.
In its place—
stood a massive, terrifying skull.
The skull shone with golden brilliance, as if forged entirely from molten gold.
It was grotesque and terrifying—
yet at the same time sacred.
Untouchable.
As though nothing in the world could breach it.
This was Kenpachi Zaraki's spiritual pressure—
manifested physically as a defensive form.
The golden skull opened its jaws in a silent roar toward the heavens, as though it were challenging the very sky.
And Garp's fist—
struck it head-on.
Boom!!
An even greater sound erupted, like the legendary clash of gods.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The endless shockwaves continued.
Explosions rippled outward for kilometers.
The wind pressure became blades, cutting through the forest.
Towering ancient trees shattered instantly.
Every plant and shrub was pulverized.
Even the ferocious beasts that inhabited the forest exploded one after another under the pressure, reduced to clouds of blood mist with nothing left behind.
Mountains collapsed.
Entire hills were flattened into barren plains.
"This…!"
Reporter Leika swallowed hard.
The camera slipped from his hand and crashed to the deck, its lens shattering instantly.
For a journalist, a camera was like a second life.
Yet at this moment he didn't even notice.
His eyes were locked on the island.
The Marine colonel stationed in Loguetown staggered backward several steps before his back hit the mast of his ship.
Only then did he realize he had lost composure.
For a commanding officer, that was a serious mistake.
But he didn't care.
Because at this moment—
everyone was watching the island.
The island itself—
was trembling.
As if it were about to split apart.
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