Less than two hundred meters away, a mysterious spatial door suddenly appeared without warning.
Immediately after, a figure swiftly emerged from the door—it was Blueno.
When his eyes scanned the surroundings, his face showed astonishment. The area resembled a scene of apocalyptic devastation, ravaged and in complete disarray.
He found himself at the bottom of a massive crater, its ground riddled with enormous fissures and ruins, as if it had endured a brutal battle.
Witnessing this, Blueno instinctively wiped the cold sweat beading on his forehead.
This time, he bore a critical mission: not only to safely deliver Lancelot to this location but, more importantly, to lure Rayleigh here and covertly observe Lancelot's true capabilities, so he could report the details to the Five Elders in a timely manner.
However, to his astonishment, after clashing with Lancelot, Rayleigh was forcefully repelled by the latter's overwhelming power.
Even worse, just as the situation reached a stalemate, Garp, renowned as the Hero of the Marines, appeared as suddenly as a ghost.
And with his very first move, he unleashed a devastating technique, its mountain-toppling momentum striking fear into the heart.
Fortunately, Blueno reacted with lightning speed, tearing open a rift in space at the critical moment to create another escape route, allowing him to narrowly evade the danger and slip inside.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable—he'd likely have met his end right then and there.
Recalling that heart-stopping instant, Blueno still felt a lingering fear, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Gazing once more at the fierce clash between Garp and Lancelot, he couldn't help but inwardly marvel, 'These two are unbelievably powerful, downright monstrous!'
Before this, he had always firmly believed that Lucci was a rare, peerless genius in this vast world, and one of the handful of top-tier powerhouses.
If not for that, given their past transgressions, how could they possibly have been granted the chance to rejoin the CP organization?
Wasn't it precisely because the World Government valued their strength?
Yet, after witnessing the battle between Lancelot and Garp firsthand, he realized that his previous understanding of this world had been far too narrow and superficial.
Indeed, Lucci undeniably possessed remarkable talent and considerable personal power.
And the World Government's regard for them was rooted in this very strength.
However, in reality, they fell far short of the genius, power, and importance he had imagined.
'Whoosh…'
Just then, a sharp sound pierced the air.
Garp and Lancelot each retreated several steps.
It turned out that in that split second, they had exchanged a punch.
Through this "simple" exchange of blows, both had gained a preliminary grasp of the other's depth of power.
Because of this, a trace of wariness surfaced simultaneously on their faces.
But soon, as if sharing a tacit understanding, they both turned their heads to look in the same direction.
Relying on their keen Observation Haki perception, they had detected someone's presence there.
Sure enough, they spotted Blueno, who had just emerged halfway from a mysterious spatial door.
Seeing this, both Garp and Lancelot narrowed their eyes slightly, their gazes locking intently onto Blueno.
'I have to admit, the ability Blueno displayed was truly astonishing.'
Even someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Garp couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock at this moment.
'To think he could open a portal in space!'
As for Blueno himself, he was completely drenched in cold sweat.
After all, being suddenly stared down by two unfathomably powerful figures felt like having thorns pressed against his back, making him so nervous that sweat poured down like rain, soaking him completely.
He immediately declared, "I'm with CP0!"
Afraid of being misunderstood, even though Lancelot knew his identity, Garp didn't know him.
The key point was, Garp was the type to act recklessly—he really didn't want to take one of those punches, that'd be disastrous.
"CP0?"
Hearing this name, Garp couldn't help but pause momentarily.
Not only was he battle-hardened, but his experience was also extremely rich.
He quickly reacted, almost instantly turning his head to look directly at Lancelot nearby.
After all, CP0 was the most elite protective force serving the Celestial Dragons!
They usually guarded the Holy Land and would not leave easily.
Unless they received highly important and confidential missions would they possibly venture out.
Yet now, these mysterious CP0 agents had appeared here—there must be some ulterior purpose behind this.
'What kind of mission could it be? Could the target be him?'
Garp pondered to himself, but then shook his head, dismissing the thought.
What a joke!
Those CP0 agents, if they carelessly exposed their position and were discovered by him, given his temper, he'd definitely beat them to a pulp, leaving them in a miserable state.
This was something probably well known throughout the entire World Government...
Most importantly, he had done this kind of thing more than once or twice in his youth.
So even if CP0 had the guts to track him, they wouldn't dare show themselves easily.
Since that was the case, the target couldn't be him.
After eliminating himself, that left Lancelot as the most likely target for CP0.
After all, on the Sabaody Archipelago, the number of people worth the World Government going to such lengths to send CP0 agents for could be counted on one hand.
One of them was that old fellow Rayleigh, but he had been staying here for many years.
How could the World Government possibly be unaware of this?
Moreover, Sabaody Archipelago was quite close to both the Holy Land and Marine Headquarters, making information transmission very quick and convenient.
Besides, Rayleigh sometimes even pawned himself to get money for alcohol.
If even the World Government and Marines didn't know about him being on Sabaody Archipelago, how terrible would their intelligence capabilities be?
If their intelligence was really that poor, they'd have probably been destroyed by other forces long ago...
So, it could only be Lancelot.
As for that beaten Celestial Dragon, without even thinking, he must have already been taken away by Kizaru.
For rapid rescue, no one in the entire Marines was more suitable than that guy.
...
Under Garp's sharp, scrutinizing gaze that shot over like an arrow, Lancelot met it without fear, then shrugged his shoulders casually, a faint smile appearing on his face, exuding remarkable composure.
He parted his lips lightly and spoke slowly.
"Sending someone like this is nothing more than a test to see if I'll obey and to gauge my true capabilities."
Hearing Lancelot's blunt words, Garp couldn't help but pause, inwardly surprised by the young man's straightforward nature.
Lancelot's unreserved, transparent character—laying everything out plainly—instead sparked a hint of favor in Garp's heart.
After all, he himself was a direct and unrestrained person, never one for those who beat around the bush or feigned sincerity.
However, just as Garp began to feel a sliver of appreciation for Lancelot, the faces of Ace and Luffy—both beloved and exasperating—suddenly surfaced in his mind, instantly complicating his emotions.
The thought of those two mischievous, troublemaking brats made Garp grit his teeth in frustration.
They never listened to advice, always running off on adventures, keeping him on edge day and night.
Yet, despite his scolding, he deeply cherished those two kids...
Thus, the budding affection was swiftly extinguished.
Because of these two troublemakers—one captured by Lancelot, the other severely injured by him—if Garp had arrived any later, the second might have been captured too.
'Crack...'
Garp clenched his massive fist tightly and in an instant, a powerful force surged into it like a raging tide!
The once plain fist was now enveloped in a dense, nearly tangible Armament Haki, from afar resembling a dazzling, blazing miniature sun!
But the astonishing spectacle didn't end there.
At that moment, an unparalleled Conqueror's Haki erupted from within Garp.
In a flash, the golden glowing "miniature sun" gained an additional deep, mysterious black ring around it, like an impenetrable shield tightly encasing it.
Simultaneously, strange, black lightning-like substances flickered and collided around the fist, crackling with explosive sounds, creating an intensely intimidating scene.
Faced with such a shocking sight, Lancelot's bright eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of wariness flashing deep within his pupils.
Although the power of Garp's earlier punch was already formidable, Lancelot knew clearly it was merely a probing strike.
The state Garp displayed now truly represented the terrifying might of this legendary figure going all out!
But wariness aside, it didn't mean he was afraid.
Lancelot also clenched his fists, Armament Haki emerging and transforming into Ryuō, Entangling around both fists.
Immediately after, his Conqueror's Haki converged onto his fists as well, also wrapping around them, merging with the Armament Haki.
Instantly, their imposing presence surged dramatically.
"This…"
Garp was astonished, shocked that Lancelot could also use both types of Haki simultaneously and combine them effectively.
Although the method differed from his.
It was indeed a combination of two types of Haki.
To this day, those capable of combining two types of Haki could be counted on one hand.
Roger, Rocks, Kong, Redfield, plus the two rising stars—Shanks and Dragon.
What kind of people were these?
Roger needs no explanation—the world's only universally acknowledged Pirate King.
Rocks was the earliest legendary pirate, and even his subordinates were no ordinary individuals—many of them later became Emperors one after another.
The fact that Rocks could nurture so many capable figures speaks volumes about his own formidable strength.
Although he was later defeated by him and Roger, it was a two-against-one battle.
Moreover, most of his subordinates were not fully aligned with him, otherwise, he and Roger would have had no chance whatsoever of defeating Rocks.
Kong was the former Fleet Admiral of the Marines, and he, along with Sengoku, was trained by this old man.
His strength is beyond doubt...
Redfield was a man who, on his own, stood shoulder to shoulder with Roger and Whitebeard.
In terms of power, he was undoubtedly one of the strongest after Rocks.
The current "World's Strongest Creature," Kaido, is nothing but a junior in his presence!
Shanks and Dragon, these two rising stars—one inherited Roger's legacy, while the other inherited his innate talent.
And now, there is one more.
Garp retracted his dual Haki because he understood that with the ability to simultaneously use Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, coupled with Lancelot's Zoan Devil Fruit power, defeating Lancelot was no longer a simple matter.
Although he still had confidence in victory, it'd require going all out.
And given his position, he couldn't possibly risk his life against Lancelot.
Thus, their battle was destined to end without a clear outcome.
He then reevaluated Lancelot and, after a long while and said, "Your strength surpasses even Kaido's. It seems that when Kizaru scared Kaido away back then, he wasn't saving you—he was saving Kaido himself!"
That's right.
Before this, even though everyone acknowledged Lancelot's strength, they unanimously believed that he could only hold his own against Kaido without being defeated—and even that was limited by time, with opinions varying on how long he could last.
Now... what expressions would Sengoku, Tsuru, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji wear when they learned of Lancelot's true strength? It'd surely be quite a spectacle!
"Not fighting anymore?"
Seeing Garp retract his dual Haki, Lancelot also withdrew his Haki, looking somewhat surprised.
Garp grinned lightly and said, "I've already gauged your strength. What's the point of continuing? Do I have nothing better to do?"
"Heh..."
Lancelot let out a cold laugh and then looked meaningfully at Garp.
Finally, under Garp's puzzled expression, he walked over to him and whispered in his ear.
"By now, Rayleigh has already taken Luffy away, hasn't he?"
"Huh?"
Garp's face stiffened, and then he scratched his head and laughed heartily, "What are you talking about? I don't know any Rayleigh or whatever."
Seeing Garp stubbornly deny it, Lancelot didn't press further.
Instead, he chuckled lightly and said, "Vice Admiral Garp, whether you know or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you owe me a favor!"
Garp: "..."
His face twitched involuntarily.
Favors are the hardest things to repay in this world.
He couldn't help but curse inwardly, 'This kid isn't just terrifyingly strong—he's also sharp as a tack... Sengoku is going to have a headache dealing with him in the future.'