"You should hurry up and make a move. If you don't, I think your partner will fall even faster!"
Kronos sneered, pointing at the bloodied Marine soldiers in the distance.
Garp and Zephyr's faces darkened.
"You brat, you really think you've already won, don't you?" Zephyr roared. "Next, I'll teach you a good lesson and let you see the skills of this old man!"
In the next instant, Zephyr launched forward like a cannonball, his speed terrifying. His fist, carrying immense force, crashed down on Kronos.
Kronos seemed too slow to react and took the punch head-on.
The Marines watching from afar erupted in cheers, convinced Kronos wouldn't walk away unscathed. After all, this was Zephyr's full-strength strike—no one could take that unharmed.
But they had underestimated Kronos and overestimated Zephyr.
"Is that all?" Kronos asked coolly.
He raised his hand effortlessly and flung Zephyr away like a rag doll. The spot where Zephyr's fist had landed showed no damage at all.
The Marines froze in disbelief.
"This isn't right! How can this be happening?"
"Didn't Zephyr's punch land directly? Why does it look like nothing happened to him?"
"Could Kronos' body be made of seastone? How else could it be so tough?"
They had expected Kronos to fall, but instead, it was Zephyr who crashed down—their hopes shattered along with him.
Though Zephyr was old, he was still a former Marine Admiral, entrusted by Sengoku himself to handle Kronos. His defeat so easily was beyond their imagination.
"Knew it…" Garp muttered, his gaze fixed on Kronos. "Your strength… it's even greater than before."
Kronos chuckled. "I wonder how much fighting power the Marine hero still has left in him?"
Garp shook his head, his expression serious. "Even if I regained my prime, I wouldn't be your match. There's no doubt—you are now the strongest existence on this sea. No one can rival you."
He sighed heavily. "I'm nothing compared to what you've become."
The Marines were stunned. This was Garp—their idol, the fearless hero of the seas. How could he admit defeat so openly?
What they didn't know was that Garp had already fought Kronos a few months earlier. Back then, Kronos' power had not yet reached its current peak; he had only just begun to master the pinnacle of Conqueror's Haki.
Yet even then, Garp had been defeated.
If he couldn't win before, how could he hope to win now?
Kronos tilted his head curiously. "Since you know you're not my opponent, why come here to die? Or…" His eyes narrowed. "…have you prepared some other means to deal with me?"
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