"Garp, it seems you're serious now. But my family is on this island. Garp… are you really going to do this?"
"Roger, there's still a chance—just come back with me. I'm doing this for your own good! That dream of yours… it's impossible!"
"Tch… what a pain. For my family's sake, I guess I'll have to burn some of my remaining life force."
"Roger! Then take my strongest punch! If you can't handle it—you die!"
As he spoke, Garp's jet-black Conqueror's Haki surged violently, forming a massive sphere of dark energy crackling with black lightning.
Roger's pupils shrank to pinpricks. His eyes burned crimson, muscles swelling as his body visibly grew more imposing. A towering sphere of black-and-red Haki erupted around him, equally charged with thunderous force.
Before their fists even collided, their Haki clashed midair—this time, the shockwaves dwarfed their previous exchanges. The entire island trembled.
"Fall back! This power will annihilate the island!" Sengoku barked. The Admirals retreated to their warships in a flash.
"What the—?!"
Reid paled. The quakes now were catastrophic, the ground splitting apart beneath them.
"Wah! Almost fell in!" Buggy yelped, leaping aside as a chasm tore open where he'd stood.
"What the hell's happening up there?! How can a fight be this insane?!" Shanks gasped, fear for Roger tightening his chest.
"We need to retreat further. Now." Erio urged.
"Right." Reid nodded. "Everyone, stay close to me—don't scatter!"
On the Navy Warships:
Kizaru slumped lazily, scratching his head. "Sooo scary~ Good thing I didn't charge in. Really, really scary~"
"Damn. I'd rather not die today." Kuzan muttered.
"Aokiji, enough with the pessimism," Sengoku sighed. The kid had spent too much time with Garp—his attitude was just as unreliable.
Akainu seethed, fists shaking as he watched the Haki spheres collide. "Dammit! I can't even intervene!"
Beside him, Zephyr grimaced. "That's Roger's strength. He's a genuine threat to the World Government. And that bastard Garp… he's long surpassed Fleet Admiral Kong, yet he slacks off and refuses promotion."
"Then why send us?! Just let Garp handle it alone! This 'Buster Call' is a joke—useless against a monster like Roger!"
An awkward silence fell. The others knew Akainu wasn't wrong. Against this caliber of power, the Buster Call was mere posturing—a show of force for the world to see.
Kizaru and Kuzan side-eyed Akainu but held their tongues. Of the three, only Sakazuki had such unbridled fury.
"Garp, I won't let you destroy this island. I'll stop you—even if it costs me everything!"
Roger's usual carefree grin was gone. His voice held deadly resolve.
"Roger! To stop your recklessness—I'll hit you with everything I've got!"
Garp roared, his fist plunging toward Roger like a meteor.
"ROGER! GALAXY IMPACT!!!"
Roger's face contorted. His scarlet eyes gleamed demonic as he unleashed a deafening bellow:
"ULTIMATE DIVINE DEPARTURE—ACE!!!"
His supreme-grade blade swung upward, a slash that seemed capable of splitting the heavens.
Garp's colossal Haki-infused shockwave descended from the sky, colliding with Roger's strike. This wasn't just another clash—it was a cataclysm.
Earlier, the island's residents had felt tremors, but now… the very land seemed ready to explode.
"Is the island breaking apart?! What's happening?!"
"Waaaah! Save us!"
"God, spare me! I haven't even gotten married yet!"
Panic erupted. Children wailed, people fled blindly, their prayers lost in the chaos.
"So this is the pinnacle of combat in this world…" Reid's mind reeled. "Roger, alone against six Admiral-tier Marines—including the 'Hero' Garp. If I went there now, I'd gain all their powers at once…"
For a moment, temptation flickered. Then he glanced at Rouge—her swollen belly, her quiet strength—and the thought vanished.
"No. I can't leave Rouge. Not when the ground's shattering around us." He stepped closer to her, jaw set.
"ROGER!!"
"GARP!!"
Their Haki clashed like colliding stars, the roar of annihilation drowning all else.
No more grins. No more laughter.
Only fury, etched into their twisted faces—eyes devoid of anything but the will to win.
No longer were they Roger and Garp—they had become two merciless gods of war, their eyes reflecting nothing but pure annihilation.
BOOM... HISS... CRACK!
The entire Baterilla Island, along with the surrounding seas, was swallowed by darkness. The sky churned with black clouds, lightning splitting the heavens as thunder roared, the very air above the island tearing apart.
"Roger..."
Rouge's heart pounded in her throat. Even as she moved quickly with Linnot's help, fear for her unborn child gripped her. Linnot kept a firm hold on her arm—without it, she might have stumbled into danger.
"Captain... you have to come back safely," Shanks prayed silently, his pulse racing. "You promised... now that you're cured, you can't break your word." His worry was written plainly across his face.
Buggy stood frozen, eyes wide as he took in the devastation around them. Awe, envy, and desperate longing burned in his chest.
"This kind of power... I, Buggy, will obtain it too. One day... I swear I'll reach this level!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The clash between Roger and Garp's supreme Haki intensified—