"Prepare to withdr—"
Before Monkey D. Garp could finish his sentence, the situation exploded into chaos.
Koby—who had just been helped a short distance away—suddenly wrenched himself free from his comrades' grasp!
As if he had heard something, his eyes locked onto a flame-engulfed alley across the plaza.
"Help! Someone—please save me!!"
A young girl's desperate, tearful cry echoed from deep within the burning passage.
Koby froze.
Then, in an instant, his eyes were consumed by that familiar, reckless fervor—justice, heroism, the instinct to save others no matter the cost.
Without a shred of hesitation, he spun around and sprinted straight toward the alley—a place where fire and shadow intertwined in a way that practically screamed trap.
"Koby! Get back! It's a trap!" the SWORD members and Garp roared at the same time.
But Koby heard none of it.
—or rather, in that moment, his mind had completely short-circuited.
Logic collapsed. Instinct overrode reason. Emotion seized control.
He couldn't make a rational decision anymore.
Idiot!
The same thought flashed through every SWORD member's mind—including his closest friend, Helmeppo.
In the heart of enemy territory, a lone cry for help appearing out of nowhere—what else could it be but a trap?!
And sure enough—
Just as Koby reached the mouth of the alley, a determined light in his eyes—believing that he could both be saved and save someone at the same time—
The air behind him rippled, ever so slightly.
A presence—completely invisible, yet saturated with killing intent—materialized in an instant.
It was Shiryu of the Rain.
His famed blade, Raiu, cloaked in Armament Haki, struck without a sound—fast as lightning—aimed straight for Koby's heart!
This strike had been prepared long in advance.
The angle—perfect.
The timing—flawless.
Exploiting Koby's foolish kindness and that single moment of distraction—
A guaranteed killing blow.
"KOBY!!!"
Garp's eyes nearly split open with rage.
"GET THE HELL—OUT OF MY WAY!!!"
With a thunderous roar, Garp's right fist erupted with unprecedented force, smashing Kuzan away in a single blow. The former admiral was sent crashing into a distant watchtower, collapsing half of it on impact.
Then—
Garp stomped down.
The ground shattered beneath his feet as he launched himself forward with Soru, his body becoming a blurred afterimage as he crossed dozens of meters in an instant—
And appeared behind Koby.
Placing himself directly in front of the killing blade.
"—!!"
Thud.
The dull, sickening sound of steel piercing flesh echoed across the suddenly silent plaza.
Shiryu's Raiu plunged deep into Garp's chest—
And burst out through his back.
Blood erupted instantly, staining his open shirt crimson.
"Guh—cough!"
Garp's body convulsed as he spat out a mouthful of hot blood.
But his hands had already clamped down tightly on the blade protruding from his chest, blood streaming between his fingers.
Only then did Koby turn around.
And saw—
Garp.
Standing behind him.
Impaled.
All color drained from Koby's face. His pupils shrank violently under the weight of shock and crushing guilt.
"V–Vice Admiral Garp?! This is all my—AAARGH!!!"
"Shiryu…" Garp ignored Koby's breakdown completely.
Slowly, he lifted his head, locking eyes with the assassin, who now showed a flicker of surprise at his failed kill.
"You… punk… from Impel Down…"
Before the words even finished—
Garp's left hand clenched into a fist.
Ignoring the blade still lodged in his body, his Haki-coated punch exploded forward at point-blank range—
"BANG!!!"
A direct hit.
Shiryu's face warped instantly, the crack of his nasal bone shattering ringing clear as he was blasted backward. The sword was forcibly ripped free from Garp's body in the process!
Garp didn't even glance at the blood gushing from his wound.
His right hand caught the falling Raiu in reverse grip—
Blade pointed downward—
And he lunged forward to drive it straight into Shiryu's skull!
If that strike landed—
Shiryu would die on the spot.
But at that very moment—
"RUMBLE—!!!"
The entire island of Hachinosu trembled violently.
The ground surged upward, buckling and rolling like waves!
Avalo Pizarro activated his Island-Island Fruit—
An island wave erupted beneath Garp's feet without warning.
Massive chunks of rock surged upward like living beasts, not only blasting the heavily injured Shiryu away to safety—
But also tearing apart the battlefield, instantly separating Garp from Koby and the SWORD members!
Garp's blade strike missed, plunging deep into the shifting rock.
His body swayed—
The massive wound in his chest pouring blood—
But even so, he hurled the sword toward Shiryu's direction before turning back—
Planting himself firmly in front of Koby and the shaken SWORD members.
Guarding them.
In front of him stood—
Kuzan, steadying himself, wiping blood from his lips, his expression complicated.
Samuel the "Plague Doctor," mask cracked, fungal growth spreading across his body, eyes cold and venomous.
Shiryu, returned by the island's shifting terrain, face bloodied, gaze filled with malice.
And Pizarro himself—his presence everywhere, the island humming with his low, ominous resonance.
The full core of the Blackbeard Pirates' stationed forces—
Had gathered.
Encircling Garp and his SWORD squad at the center of the ruined plaza.
Garp breathed heavily.
Every breath tore at the wound in his chest.
Blood soaked most of his body.
And yet—
He stood tall.
Unyielding.
Shielding everyone behind him.
His gaze locked onto the figure at the front—
Familiar.
Yet now utterly чуждый.
The disciple he once held such high hopes for.
His eyes were filled with disappointment.
Pain.
And a quiet, unspoken sorrow.
"…You damn fool of a student…" Garp growled hoarsely.
Kuzan stared at the gaping wound in Garp's chest—the blood still dripping, still flowing—
His eyes trembled for a brief moment.
Then—
They froze over once more.
Cold.
Detached.
He raised his hand.
Ice crystallized in his palm.
"…And here I was, worried about you…" Kuzan said softly, a complicated sigh laced into his voice. "Garp-san."
"Even in a situation like this… you still chose to save someone…"
"You really… haven't changed at all."
The cold surged again.
The battlefield plunged once more into a rising tide of frost.