On a distant cliff overlooking Mount Colubo— Portgas D.
Ace, Sabo, and Monkey D.
Luffy sat side by side quietly.
Each held a thick sandwich prepared earlier by Makino.
Far below them— The mountain continuously trembled.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Every collision from the valley beneath sent flocks of birds exploding into the sky.
“Do you think Kahn can win?” Sabo took another bite before asking softly.
His eyes remained fixed toward the battlefield below.
Ace stayed silent briefly.
Then his expression hardened.
“I don’t know.” “But I do know one thing.” Ace clenched the sandwich wrapper slightly tighter.
“If we stop trying to catch up…” “…we might never even see their backs again.” The gap already felt suffocating.
Meanwhile, Luffy simply grinned confidently.
“Kahn-nii’s the strongest!” To him— Kahn represented absolute invincibility itself.
No matter how powerful Grandpa Garp seemed— Luffy still believed Kahn would eventually punch him into the ground.
… Deep within Mount Colubo— The battle intensified further.
Kahn’s daily routine remained absurdly simple.
Eating.
Sleeping.
Sunbathing.
And occasionally— Beating up old men.
Meanwhile, the winds of the new era already blew stronger across the seas.
And at the center of that future storm— Stood a transmigrator from another world quietly observing everything.
Kahn possessed no interest in becoming Pirate King.
Nor did he care about becoming a Marine Admiral.
Those titles felt too small.
Too limited.
What he wanted— Was to become the eternal sun hanging above this sea forever.
Unreachable.
Unchallenged.
Absolute.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds overhead.
Golden rays illuminated the battlefield below.
And instantly— Kahn felt his cells erupt with power again.
The solar energy inside him boiled continuously.
His black pupils gradually deepened into molten gold.
BOOOOM!!
Another violent collision exploded across the clearing.
Monkey D.
Garp’s iron fist slammed directly against Kahn’s own.
A dull shockwave erupted outward.
This time— Garp’s expression finally changed visibly.
The force surging back through Kahn’s fist felt absurdly heavy.
Like an entire mountain collapsing directly onto his arm.
Last year, suppressing Kahn only required half his strength.
At that point, Kahn still existed within the realm of understanding.
A terrifying genius.
But still understandable.
Now?
Fine sweat covered Garp’s forehead gradually.
His muscles tightened to their absolute limit.
Even his bones creaked faintly under the pressure.
Meanwhile— Kahn remained calm.
His golden eyes radiated chilling excitement instead.
“Old man.” “This is your full strength?” His voice stayed perfectly steady despite the violent clash.
He even casually adjusted his footing mid-exchange.
Garp remained silent.
A strange bitterness rose inside his chest.
For decades, his fists crushed countless monsters throughout the New World.
Pirates worth hundreds of millions usually collapsed within several punches.
Yet now— A nine-year-old child forced him toward full power.
Suddenly— Garp withdrew his fist.
Then attacked again instantly.
Dozens of punches erupted within a single second.
A brutal variation combining Shigan with wild brawling techniques.
Every strike carried enough force to split warships apart.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The air screamed continuously.
Yet Kahn still refused dodging.
Golden energy surged throughout his body.
Then— He met every punch head-on.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!!
The valley echoed with metallic explosions.
At this level of physical force— Flesh colliding against flesh no longer sounded human.
It resembled giant steel weapons smashing together repeatedly.
In the distance, Bogard had already gripped his sword hilt tightly.
The calm composure on his face vanished completely.
Because Garp had stopped holding back physically.
Aside from avoiding truly destructive Haki techniques— The Vice Admiral was already fighting seriously.
Yet Kahn remained immovable.
Every collision shaved layers from the surrounding terrain.
Massive cracks spread throughout the earth.
Garp’s shock deepened further.
Last year— Kahn’s body still resembled an extraordinary human’s.
Now?
No.
This thing transcended biology itself.
Striking Kahn felt like punching ancient burning metal pulled directly from the sun.
And worse— Kahn continuously grew stronger mid-fight.
The solar energy flooding his cells amplified every second beneath daylight.
This completely violated natural growth laws.
Even monsters like Kaido or Gol D.
Roger never possessed this level of monstrous physicality at age nine.
Garp suddenly pivoted violently.
His leg whipped sideways.
This time— Black lightning flickered faintly around the strike.
Busoshoku Haki hardened around his leg completely.
BOOM!!
The kick slammed directly into Kahn’s raised knee.
The resulting shockwave flattened nearby trees instantly.
But— Garp’s eyes widened slightly.
It felt like kicking an immovable steel pillar.
The recoil nearly disrupted his balance.
Kahn hadn’t even coated himself with Haki.
He endured the attack using pure physical durability alone.
Garp slid backward several meters afterward, crushing broken stone beneath his sandals.
His shirt already clung to his body from sweat.
Meanwhile— Kahn casually rolled his neck.
Crack.
Crack.
“You’ve gotten weaker, old man.” He grinned afterward.
Normally, such provocation would trigger another punch instantly.
But this time— Garp only stared silently toward Kahn’s leg.
A faint red mark lingered there briefly.
Then gradually faded at visible speed.
Regeneration.
Absurd durability.
Endless stamina beneath sunlight.
This brat genuinely resembled some immortal monster wearing human skin.
Garp finally understood something clearly.
If they continued competing through raw strength alone— He would eventually lose.
Not because Kahn currently surpassed him entirely.
But because Kahn’s growth speed completely ignored reason.
And that realization unsettled even the Marine Hero.
Slowly— A different aura began leaking from Garp’s body.
Heavier.
Denser.
Far more oppressive.
The air itself trembled faintly.
Invisible pressure spread outward across the valley.
Black sparks flickered intermittently around Garp’s fists.
Not Armament Haki.
Something beyond it.
The advanced domain standing at the summit of monsters.
Haoshoku Haki infusion.
The power capable of splitting heavens themselves.
The same terrifying force wielded by Roger, Whitebeard, Kaido, and the greatest monsters alive.
Yet— Garp hesitated.
Because this was no longer ordinary sparring.
One mistake— And Mount Colubo itself might disappear.
More importantly— Kahn was still only nine years old.
Even if the brat behaved like a demon, he remained family.
“Why’d you stop?” Kahn immediately sensed the change.
That pressure.
That overwhelming destructive will.
Heavy enough to crush weaker minds unconscious instantly.
His golden eyes brightened visibly.
Excitement.
Real excitement.
“Old man…” “…are you finally considering using that black lightning?” Kahn slowly stepped forward.
Crack.
Spiderweb fractures spread beneath his feet instantly.
Garp silently adjusted his stance again.
Inside his mind, he calculated rapidly.
If he truly unleashed Advanced Conqueror’s Haki here— The collateral damage would become catastrophic.
But before he could decide— Kahn spoke again.
This time— With unmistakable anticipation.
“Don’t underestimate me.” The golden energy inside Kahn’s body erupted outward violently.
Wind exploded across the clearing.
Even the sunlight itself seemed to distort around him briefly.
Then Kahn slowly raised one hand.
And pointed directly toward Garp’s fist.
“Come on.” “Use your Conqueror’s Haki infusion on me.” “I want to know…” “…whether the strongest Haki on this sea can actually hurt me.”