“It’s over.
I’m going to die.” Sengoku closed his eyes and waited for death.
The boulder was moving too fast, and Garp had put his own strength behind it.
Sengoku wanted to run, but it was already right in front of him.
Being crushed by a boulder would probably leave an ugly corpse.
He wondered how heartbroken his parents would be when they saw him.
Would Tsuru be heartbroken too?
Garp, you bastard!
In my next life, I’m killing you first!
He waited and waited, but the pain never came.
He wasn’t dead.
“I’m okay?” Sengoku opened his eyes and looked himself over in confusion.
He hadn’t moved, but where was the boulder?
Then he looked up.
It was still right in front of him, close enough to touch.
Jiro stood between him and the boulder, holding it up with one hand.
With a casual toss, he sent it flying over Sengoku’s head.
It landed behind them and smashed a deep crater into the ground, settling there without rolling any farther.
“What are you staring at?
Keep climbing.” Still dazed, Sengoku nodded.
“Oh.
Right.” As he resumed climbing, he kept glancing at Jiro with lingering fear.
How much strength did it take to stop a boulder like that and throw it aside?
Garp’s father was strong—terrifyingly strong.
At the very least, no one in town could compare to him.
Even Aunt Karim, the strongest woman in town, probably couldn’t have stopped that boulder so easily.
Few men were her match, yet Jiro had caught it with one hand and tossed it away as though it weighed nothing.
“So strong.” “What a monster.” “No wonder Garp dared to do that.
His dad is this powerful.” Sengoku still didn’t understand how Jiro had reached him so quickly.
They had been some distance apart, yet all he felt was a gust of wind before the boulder suddenly stopped.
“There’s still half the mountain left.” After the scare, Sengoku paused to catch his breath.
Several times, he wanted to ask Jiro something, but the deep footprints the man left with every step distracted him.
Just how heavy was his body?
“At this rate, Garp will catch up to you.” Sengoku quickly looked back.
Garp was already climbing again.
He had begun his second trip up the mountain.
Sengoku stared in disbelief.
When had Garp gotten behind him?
Hadn’t he just been standing at the summit?
“Hey, Sengoku!
Wait for me!
I’m coming!” This was ridiculous.
Sengoku couldn’t let him catch up.
He still had some dignity left.
“No.
I have to hurry.” “If he catches me, he’ll never stop mocking me.” Driven by pride, Sengoku pushed himself harder.
He stopped resting and focused entirely on climbing.
Competition gave both boys another reason to work.
Neither wanted to lose, so they could only keep moving and force themselves to become stronger.
After climbing a little farther, Sengoku’s strength began to fail.
The boulder felt heavier with every step, while Garp continued closing the distance behind him.
Sengoku checked how far apart they were.
He was going to get caught.
As expected, he couldn’t match someone who had already been training for more than a month.
Garp soon reached him and grinned.
“You’re so slow, Sengoku.
Can’t you move any faster?” He looked far too pleased with himself.
“Take your time.
There’s no rush.” “I’ll go ahead.
You can keep crawling.” Garp quickly passed him, moving at a much faster pace.
Once he was in front, he laughed loudly.
“Hahaha!
Sengoku’s behind me!
Ahahaha!” The mocking laughter continued without mercy, and Sengoku’s face turned red.
Losing was one thing.
Being humiliated like this was another.
“I’ll catch you!” His voice was loud, but his progress remained slow.
He couldn’t catch Garp, who had already gone far ahead.
Jiro walked beside him.
“Don’t rush, and don’t compare yourself to him yet.
For now, reaching the top is enough.” “He used to be just as slow as you.” “You still lack strength.
After a week of training, you might be able to climb a little faster.” There was no point getting impatient.
Sengoku nodded.
He needed to focus on what he could do instead of worrying about someone else’s progress.
“Garp improved one step at a time,” Jiro continued.
“At first, he climbed once in the morning and once in the afternoon.” “Later, it became twice each time—four climbs a day.
He nearly cried back then.
Imagine how miserable he was.” “Now he can manage three climbs at a time, which is already better than I expected.
With your current strength, twice a day is probably your limit.
Even one extra climb would be difficult.” “And mountain climbing isn’t the only thing you’ll be doing.” Jiro glanced at Sengoku with a smile.
To Sengoku, that smile looked extremely sinister.
There was definitely something even worse waiting for him.
“You only have one-fifth left.
You’re almost there.” “Keep going, Sengoku.” Garp reached the summit, went back down, and began his third climb.
He had already passed Sengoku twice.
Sengoku refused to let it happen a third time.
“I can’t lose again.” “I have to reach the top before him.” After struggling this far, he couldn’t allow Garp to overtake him once more.
Sengoku gathered what little strength he had left and pushed forward.
Garp was equally determined to win.
He wanted to crush Sengoku completely, mock him properly, and then watch his miserable face when it was time to jump from the cliff.
Will Sengoku cry?
Hahaha!
Just imagining it makes me want to laugh.
The thought filled Garp with energy.
He sped up, carrying the boulder as though it weighed nothing.
Sengoku still hadn’t reached the summit.
There was time to catch him.
“Sengoku, wait for me!” “Slow down!” Garp shouted from behind while Sengoku struggled ahead.
The difference in their strength was too great.
Before long, Garp caught up again.
He followed directly behind Sengoku and laughed.
“I’m back, Sengoku.
Aren’t you happy to see me?” Sengoku ignored him.
He only wanted to keep moving.
Talking would waste energy, and he needed every bit of strength for the climb.
“You can’t beat me, Sengoku.” “Look how easy this is.” Despite his boasting, Garp wasn’t having an easy time either.
After three climbs, he was completely exhausted.
In the end, they reached the summit almost simultaneously.
Both boys gasped for breath.
Sengoku dropped his boulder and collapsed onto the ground, groaning weakly.
Garp set his own boulder down and grinned.
“There’s something even more fun now, Sengoku.” He looked toward the cliff.
“Let’s go down.” Sengoku’s eyes widened.
No way.
Did Garp mean jumping from here?
So every time he reached the top, he jumped off the cliff before starting another climb?
Sengoku looked over the edge.
It was terrifyingly high.
A fall from here could kill someone.
Garp smiled.
“Come on, Sengoku.” Sengoku shook his head.
A moment later, Jiro sent him flying off the cliff.
“No!” “Save me!” Garp no longer needed his father’s help.
He jumped after Sengoku on his own.
As the two fell, they glanced at each other and had the same thought.
Good friends should share both joy and suffering.
Tsuru should come experience the joy of jumping off cliffs too.