Just like before…
Everyone fell silent once again upon hearing Elliot’s words.
*What the hell is this brat saying?!
Does he think single-handedly taking down the Krieg Pirates gives him the right to speak to this man like that!??*
*You bastard, even if you’re arrogant, you need to know who you’re dealing with!!*
Everyone cursed Elliot in their hearts as they stared at him.
Andrew looked like he wanted to remind Elliot of the old man’s identity, but he didn’t dare speak up in front of the crowd.
So, he could only fret from the sidelines.
However…
Garp himself, on the other hand, simply threw his head back and roared with laughter.
“Bwahahahaha!!”
He then lowered his gaze to look at Elliot, his eyes gleaming with increasing amusement as he clenched his fists.
“I never said this was up for discussion, kid!”
Hood’s expression froze when he heard Garp’s words.
His face drastically changed as he immediately shouted, “Garp!!
There are still people around—”
Unfortunately, before the sentence could even be finished, a deafening sonic boom ripped through the air!
Garp wore a wide grin, but his right fist was already hurtling toward Elliot with ferocious momentum, moving so fast it left an afterimage!
That explosive boom was a testament to the sheer power behind the punch!!
*Swish!*
But the very instant the fist closed in on Elliot, he remained perfectly calm and simply tilted his head slightly to the side.
Garp’s fist brushed past, missing Elliot’s cheek by just enough of a margin to avoid grazing him with the wind pressure.
As if feeling a slight sting on his cheek, Elliot leaped backward several paces.
Reaching up to touch his cheek, he raised his eyes to look at Garp.
Garp’s grin only widened as he stared back.
He cracked his knuckles, producing a sharp popping sound.
“You’re a bit tougher than I imagined, kid.”
“No, I should be the one saying that you’re stronger than I imagined, Vice Admiral,” Elliot replied, taking off his glasses.
“I don’t know why you suddenly want to fight me, but it looks like I won’t be able to clock out normally unless I do.”
With that, Elliot glanced at the time on his pocket watch, as if making a mental note of it.
Hearing this, the corners of Garp’s mouth curled up.
“What an arrogant young brat.”
As he spoke, the old man clenched both fists, staring at Elliot with a face full of anticipation.
However…
The bystanders off to the side were completely stunned.
They could clearly sense that these two were about to fight for real!
But what truly shocked them was…
That recruit!
He had actually dodged a punch from Vice Admiral Garp!!
Even though they knew Elliot was incredibly strong—having single-handedly captured the Krieg Pirates, after all…
But…
That was a punch from Vice Admiral Garp!!
A punch from Garp the Fist!!
Hood looked at Elliot, naturally feeling a jolt of shock himself…
He could clearly tell that Garp, that bastard, hadn’t held back at all with that strike.
He had thrown a genuine, full-force punch!
Yet Elliot had dodged it so effortlessly…
Just then…
While everyone was still reeling in horror…
Garp moved!
Accompanied by his booming laughter: “But that’s exactly how young people should be!!”
Elliot didn’t hesitate for a second either, his body vanishing in a blur!
Even though he really didn’t want to fight.
Since Garp was forcing his hand, Elliot had no choice but to oblige!!
Besides, fighting was something he was actually pretty good at.
Fist against fist!!
Garp’s iron fist clashed directly with Elliot’s!
A deafening roar echoed out the very instant they collided!!
A terrifying shockwave erupted from the point of impact, surging out in all directions!
But in that exact same moment!
A sharp cracking sound rang out.
And then…
*Bang!!!*
A massive explosion followed!
A giant crater instantly caved in beneath their feet!
And the moment the crater formed!!…
An even more powerful shockwave blasted outward!
Amidst the billowing dust, many Marines were caught in the blast and the violent tremors, forcing them to stumble backward.
But before anyone could even recover from the initial blast…
*Boom!!!*
Another massive explosion!
The thick cloud of dust was instantly blown away!!
And as the air cleared, everyone clearly saw Garp and Elliot’s fists clashing once again!
But it was only for a split second!!
*Bang!
Bang!
Bang!!*
The two of them fully unleashed their battle!
Every single collision between them produced a sound like muffled thunder or beating war drums, shaking the very heavens and earth!
Each strike was accompanied by wave after wave of ferocious air currents and violent tremors that rocked the base island!
Even the ocean, previously calm, was now churning with turbulent waves due to the sheer force of their clash!
Crashing waves repeatedly battered against the docked warships and the port!
But all of this physical destruction…
Paled in comparison to the absolute horror in the hearts of the onlookers!
Garp!
Even though he was nearing seventy years old, this old man was a bona fide monster within the Marines!
All the infamous great pirates sailing these seas, as well as those rotting in prison!
Without exception, they had all suffered at the hands of this Marine Hero.
The unluckiest among them had been beaten to a pulp by Garp before being tossed into Impel Down.
Furthermore, this old man had long possessed the strength and qualifications to become an Admiral.
He only remained a Vice Admiral because he had repeatedly refused the promotion.
But…
That recruit, Elliot, was facing off against this legendary old man whose name commanded fear not just in the Marines, but across the entire world.
And he wasn’t losing ground in the slightest!
It even looked like he was fighting Vice Admiral Garp to a standstill!!
Down below, Marine Captain Morton wore a look of sheer terror.
If Elliot dodging Garp’s initial punch had made him realize the recruit’s strength exceeded his imagination…
Then right now…
Watching Elliot continuously defend and even launch counterattacks.
Morton suddenly felt that he had fundamentally underestimated Elliot.
All because of Elliot’s gentle, frail appearance.
Even after Elliot had single-handedly defeated the entire Krieg Pirates, Morton had merely thought of him as ‘strong.’
But he hadn’t considered…
or rather, he hadn’t even dared to imagine just *how* strong Elliot truly was.
But now…
He realized how wrong he was!
Meanwhile, Andrew, who hailed from the same island as Elliot, was arguably in the most pathetic state.
Because he had wanted to warn Elliot that the old man was Vice Admiral Garp, he had slowly inched closer to them earlier.
And the sudden clash of their fists had caught him completely off guard.
As a result, when the crater caved in beneath their feet, he had been caught in the crossfire.
However, at this very moment, he couldn’t care less about his injuries or his disheveled appearance!
Because even though he knew Elliot was strong, the person Elliot was fighting right now was Garp!!
The Marine Hero, Garp!
The fact that Elliot could actually hold his own against Garp was simply too mind-blowing for Andrew!!
As Hood watched the two of them fight, he naturally noticed the stares of his subordinates.
He actually wanted to point out that neither of those two was even using their full strength yet, but looking at the uneven, heavily damaged port…
“Do those two bastards not realize that the military budget in the East Blue is strictly limited?!”
Growling under his breath, Hood immediately looked around.
“Morton, get everyone out of here right now!
Have them board the warships and get as far away from this island as possible.”
Beside him, Morton froze for a second upon hearing Hood’s orders.
Then, Hood added, “If those two really go all out, there won’t be a single safe place left on this island!”
“…”
Morton wasn’t the only Marine who heard this; the other soldiers heard it too.
And every single one of them went rigid with shock.
*Boom!!!*
But at the same time….