At the Loguetown Marine Base, Light moved with complete ease.
The Marines at the entrance showed no intention of stopping him.
They registered his presence efficiently and allowed him to pass without escort.
The Berries he had previously spent here had clearly paid off.
To them, he was no different from one of their own.
Before long, Light arrived outside Smoker’s office.
He knocked once, heard a response, and pushed the door open with a casual smile.
“Surprise, surprise…”
His words trailed off the moment he stepped inside.
Smoker sat behind his desk, polishing his Seastone jitte.
Across from him, lounging on the guest sofa, was a figure Light did not expect to see here.
Monkey D.
Garp.
The Marine Hero was casually stuffing rice crackers into his mouth, completely unconcerned with appearances.
Both Garp and Smoker froze when they saw Light.
“Why are you here?” Smoker shot to his feet, his tone sharp.
Light raised a brow, slightly puzzled by the reaction.
“I’m leaving the East Blue soon.
I came to say goodbye and see if you have a spare Log Pose.
I need one.”
Before Smoker could respond, Garp suddenly slammed his rice crackers onto the table.
“Smoker, sound the alarm.
Evacuate the citizens of Loguetown immediately.”
Light frowned.
“What is going on?”
Smoker’s expression turned serious.
“Portgas D.
Ace is in Loguetown.
We planned to surround him tonight.
Your arrival complicates everything.”
He paused briefly, then continued.
“We expected him to come looking for information about you.
Now that you are here, he may already know and could attack at any moment.”
As he spoke, Smoker reached for a Den Den Mushi, preparing to issue evacuation orders.
Before he could make the call, a deafening roar erupted from outside.
“Fire Fist!”
A massive blaze tore through the Marine base gates.
Flames surged forward, carving a path deep into the base, stretching nearly a hundred meters as if forming a corridor of fire.
Garp’s expression hardened.
Light narrowed his eyes, but his tension eased slightly.
With Garp here, the situation was no longer as dangerous as it could have been.
If things went well, they might even capture both Ace and whoever was with him.
Two figures soon emerged from the flames.
At the front stood Ace, his presence blazing like a furnace.
Behind him was Marshall D.
Teach, his figure less imposing at first glance, yet carrying a dangerous aura.
Light spoke immediately.
“The one behind Ace is Marshall D.
Teach.
Do not underestimate him.
He once clashed with Red Hair Shanks.”
Garp shifted his gaze, studying Teach carefully.
“Clashed with Shanks?”
There was doubt in his tone.
Light nodded.
“The scar on Shanks’ eye was left by him.”
Garp’s expression changed slightly, his brows tightening.
“I thought he was just another pirate.
Looks like I was wrong.
Be careful with that one.”
Neither Ace nor Teach had expected Garp to be here.
According to earlier reports, Garp had separated from Smoker at another Marine branch.
Ace had assumed his grandfather had gone after Luffy.
Seeing him now completely disrupted that assumption.
After stepping out of the flames, Ace shouted toward the building.
“Light, I know you are in there.
I saw you enter.
Get out here.
You coward who killed Thatch using underhanded methods.”
Inside, Light glanced at Smoker.
“Is he always this loud?”
Smoker shrugged.
“You know him better than I do.”
Then he glanced at Garp.
“Right, Vice Admiral?”
Garp’s face darkened, a vein popping on his forehead.
The moment he spoke, he pushed off the ground.
The floor beneath him cracked instantly.
Smoker’s face twitched at the damage, but before he could say anything, Garp had already burst through the window.
Glass shattered as his body shot outward like a cannonball.
“Ace!”
His roar echoed across the base.
Ace’s expression changed the moment he saw him.
“Grandpa?
Why are you here?”
Teach’s face stiffened as well.
This situation had escalated far beyond expectations.
Garp gathered strength midair.
His Armament Haki surged, crackling with overwhelming force as it wrapped around his fist.
“Why am I here?
To teach you a lesson, you ungrateful brat.”
A terrifying pressure spread outward, covering the entire area.
Even Light felt his breathing tighten under that immense force.
The Haki condensed further, focusing entirely into Garp’s fist.
Smoker rushed to the shattered window, his expression alarmed.
“Vice Admiral Garp, this is a Marine base…”
He did not get to finish.
Garp’s fist had already descended.
“Iron Fist, Impact!”
The world seemed to flash white.
A massive shockwave exploded outward, tearing through everything in its path.
The force was overwhelming, as if the sky itself had collapsed.
Light’s vision blurred.
He caught a glimpse of Ace and Teach being swallowed by the impact.
Buildings within the base were torn apart like paper.
The destructive wave surged forward without restraint.
Then it reached him.
Before Light could even react, the shockwave slammed into him and Smoker.
The impact sent them crashing into a wall.
In the next moment, the entire office building collapsed.
The ground shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
The Marine base, along with several surrounding streets, was reduced to ruins in an instant.