As the two were speaking, Qiu Xia opened his eyes and stood up from his rocking chair. "If they're dead, they're dead. Trash with absolutely no strength yet such arrogance... they really didn't know their place."
Garp said coldly, "You're right, they were weaklings. But killing them will bring a Buster Call down upon us!"
"A Buster Call? Let it come," Qiu Xia replied dismissively. "I'm only one person; they can't catch me anyway. As for any blind fools I run into, I'll just give them a taste of my hammer!"
Hearing Qiu Xia's words, Kizaru's expression grew several degrees colder. The death of the Celestial Dragons didn't have much to do with Garp. Garp was only angry because he was worried the World Government would order the Marines to initiate a Buster Call and start shelling everything in sight.
Kizaru, however, was different. He was the bodyguard for the Celestial Dragons. If they were killed, he would definitely be held responsible. While he might not be imprisoned, his future would certainly be difficult. And if Kizaru's life was going to be hard, he naturally wouldn't let Qiu Xia have it easy.
"Little brother, have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
With a flash, Kizaru appeared directly in front of Qiu Xia. His leg glowed with a brilliant light as he prepared to launch a kick. Kizaru's attack was fast, but Qiu Xia's reaction was faster. Before Kizaru could strike, a Black Hammer appeared in Qiu Xia's hand and slammed directly into Kizaru's buttocks.
The light on Kizaru's leg vanished instantly. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as the force of the blow sent him flying, crashing straight into the sea.
On the other side, Garp's expression became extremely grave when he saw Kizaru get one-shotted. Among the three Admirals, Kizaru might not be the strongest, but he was certainly the fastest.
To defeat Kizaru in a single hit was something Garp didn't think anyone he knew could achieve. Even the strongest person he had ever faced, Rocks D. Xebec, would have needed at least ten moves to bring Kizaru down.
Yet, Qiu Xia had ended it with a single swingand this was against a Kizaru who was in a serious state after witnessing Qiu Xia's previous Conqueror's Haki Infusion. This was a testament to Qiu Xia's terrifying power. If Garp fought him directly, he might not be a match. Therefore, the priority was to rescue Kizaru from the seawater first.
Without a word of greeting to Qiu Xia, Garp prepared to dive into the sea. Just as he took flight to jump, a voice appeared behind him.
"Want to save him? Let me give you a hand!~"
Garp's face changed instantly. He desperately tried to use the Rokushiki techniques to change direction mid-air while simultaneously coating himself in Armament Haki. But if Kizaru couldn't dodge, could Garp? Of course not. In terms of pure strength, a serious Garp might be able to overpower Kizaru, but in terms of speed, he couldn't compare. After all, Kizaru's Devil Fruit primary attribute was speed.
"Taijutsu Secret Technique: One Thousand Years of Death! Millennium Brashi!"
The beginning of the name made Garp's heart skip a beat. He felt that he certainly wouldn't fare well against a move labeled a "Secret Technique," as such moves were usually terrifying. However, after the blow landed, Garp's face turned green.
Aside from the agonizing pain, there was a profound sense of shame. Combined with the crushing realization that his reputation in his old age was being flushed down the drain, the heavily wounded Garp let out a tragic scream and plummeted into the sea.
Standing in the air, Qiu Xia swung the handle of his hammer and snorted coldly. "This is what happens when you disturb me! Against guys like you, I don't even need to use my big moves."
If the pain had been anywhere elsea normal injurya veteran of the battlefield like Garp wouldn't have even blinked. But being hit by the One Thousand Years of Death made even this old soldier tremble with agony. After falling into the water, he choked on several mouthfuls of seawater.
Worse yet, despite the pain, Garp had to grit his teeth and search for Kizaru. Since Kizaru was a Devil Fruit user, he would drown if no one helped him. An Admiral drowning to death would cause the Marines to lose all face forever.
To alleviate the pain slightly, Garp had to resort to a pathetic doggy paddle to find Kizaru. He felt he had never been this humiliated in his entire life.
Perhaps Kizaru wasn't meant to die yet, or perhaps the heavens were looking down on him, because Garp eventually found him and hauled him to the surface.
Between the lethal blow and falling into the sea, Kizaru wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. By the time Garp dragged him back to their ship, he was still unconscious.
Jumping from the water onto the deck, the exertion in Garp's legs and the impact of the landing made him grit his teeth in pain once more.
Seeing Garp return, Bogard asked with concern, "Vice Admiral Garp, are you alright? And Admiral Kizaru...?"
"He's injured. Have the medical staff tend to him!"
"Vice Admiral, would you like the medical staff to take a look at you as well?" Bogard asked softly, noticing Garp's pale face.
"No need, it's just a minor injury!" Garp snapped. Was he joking? If he let the medical staff treat that area, where would his dignity go? As for Kizaru's dignity, Garp didn't carethe man was unconscious anyway. But Garp still valued his own face.
"Vice Admiral, a call just came from Headquarters. The Celestial Dragons have been killed. We are ordered to capture the perpetrator and bring him back to Headquarters for execution!"
Garp's expression turned grim. "With just me, Kizaru, and you, catching that guy is impossible. To capture him, we'd need at least Sengoku, the other two Admirals, and a group of Vice Admirals."
Bogard was stunned. "Vice Admiral, is that person really that strong? To require such a high level of combat power?"
"That person defeated Kizaru in one move. He did the same to me. Although there was an element of a sneak attack, how many people do you think could defeat me in one blow, even with a sneak attack?"
Bogard sucked in a breath of cold air. One-shotting Garp? Where did this powerhouse come from? He estimated that even Rocks D. Xebec back in the day was only at this level!
"Report the situation to Sengoku. I need to go rest!" After providing Bogard with some additional intel, Garp headed straight for his bedroom to lie face down. He felt that both his body and soul had suffered trauma and required a long period of recovery.
Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office
"What! A kid not even ten years old injured Garp and Kizaru? Bogard, are you joking with me, or did I not wake up today?" Sengoku's eyes widened in disbelief as he listened to the report.
Bogard gave a bitter smile. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, how would I dare joke about such a thing? I didn't believe it at first either, but Vice Admiral Garp was very serious. He wouldn't joke about this."
Sengoku calmed his nerves and asked, "How are Garp and Kizaru doing?"
"Vice Admiral Garp's condition isn't obvious, though his face is pale. Admiral Kizaru is unconscious and currently being treated by the medics. Fleet Admiral, what should we do next?"
"Stay on standby. Headquarters needs to hold a meeting to discuss this!"
After hanging up, Sengoku shouted to the guard at the door, "Go notify the Vice Admirals and Admirals! Meeting in the conference room!"
After the guards left, Sengoku picked up a Den Den Mushi and dialed a number, contacting his superior, Kong, the Commander-in-Chief and former Fleet Admiral. When Kong heard that Kizaru and Garp had been defeated by a brat who looked less than ten years old,
he was just as skeptical as Sengoku. (In other worlds, Qiu Xia might look like a teenager, but in the world of pirates, where even children were often massive, they perceived him as being under ten.)
Under Sengoku's explanation, and knowing Sengoku wouldn't joke about such a topic, Kong eventually believed the report. He then prepared to report to the Five Elders. As the Commander-in-Chief of the three branches, Kong was largely a figurehead for such matters; real orders had to come from the Gorosei.
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