Garp became a Marine, and from the very beginning, his career went smoothly.
Well... maybe "smooth" wasn't completely accurate.
But at the very least, every pirate he truly wanted to defeat-
He defeated.
There had never been a pirate he couldn't beat.
Even Roger.
If he had been more resolute back then, Garp believed he could have captured him.
It had always been like that.
So-
Facing Rocks was the first time Garp felt something he had never experienced before.
Powerlessness.
His Armament Haki was exhausted.
His body was covered in wounds.
His Observation Haki could no longer track his opponent's movements.
And his opponent-
Was completely uninjured.
Just standing in front of that man had already cost Garp an enormous price.
This was the first time such a situation had appeared in his not-so-short Marine career.
Fleet Admiral Kong had once told him that after joining the Marines, Garp displayed frightening talent in both physical combat and Haki. He could even use Haki the first time he encountered a pirate.
Because of that, Kong said, the moment when Garp truly encountered setbacks would be the most dangerous.
At the time, Garp never really understood what he meant.
And recently, the pirates he faced felt weaker and weaker. Many of them couldn't even spark his interest in fighting.
Only a very small number could barely ignite some fighting spirit in him.
So-
This was his first real hurdle.
And the contrast before and after was enormous.
Logically, he should understand Kong's words now.
But-
Garp gasped for breath, stared at Rocks, and threw Kong's warning-and everything else-out of his mind.
There was only one thought left.
One thought alone.
"-I must defeat you!"
...
Bang!
Jaden's fist smashed toward Zeus again.
Zeus raised the Spear of Ares and blocked it.
Even without Armament Haki, Jaden's attacks were still terrifyingly powerful. The Helmet of Ouranos on Zeus's head deformed slightly once more, forcing Zeus to rely on the indestructible Spear of Ares to defend himself.
And in the process-
Zeus began to notice something.
Something deeply unsettling.
-The man in front of him was getting stronger.
The longer the fight went on, the stronger he became.
Logically speaking, intense combat should weaken a fighter. Stamina drains. Injuries accumulate. Maintaining peak condition would already be impressive.
Occasionally surpassing one's usual limits would be exceptional.
But growing stronger continuously?
-How was he doing it?
Zeus frowned as he continued clashing with Jaden, using Ares's Spear to slash open several more wounds across Jaden's body.
As for Jaden-
Whether he was injured.
Whether his attacks were blocked.
No matter what happened.
The expression on his face never changed.
Zeus couldn't read him at all.
But-
He knew this battle couldn't drag on.
He wore Gaia's Armor. His stamina was effectively limitless.
But his opponent was a monster who grew stronger with every exchange.
And he hadn't even reached his limit yet.
Bang!
Zeus's spear pierced Jaden's body again.
Jaden ignored it.
He punched Zeus's armor.
This time, a clear fist mark was left behind.
-His attack power had increased again.
And-
-Why isn't he falling?!
Despite the number of gashes torn into him!
No.
Those wounds-
They weren't affecting his combat ability at all.
As the exchanges intensified, Jaden's skin began to turn red. His wounds stopped bleeding. Scalding steam poured from his breath.
Once he entered this state, both his speed and strength surged.
And Zeus wasn't sure if it was just his imagination-
But he felt like he could hear something.
A deep, booming sound.
Like a war drum.
It came from Jaden's chest.
If that sound was his heartbeat...
Monster.
There was no other word for it.
Zeus's gaze hardened.
He decided to end the battle.
His attacks could injure Jaden, but because of Jaden's combat instincts, he couldn't land a fatal blow.
There was no concept of time within the void. He couldn't see the future.
He couldn't use the punch that transcended time.
But-
He wasn't out of options.
Bang!
As Jaden's fist struck his helmet again, Zeus made a short hop forward.
He raised his knee and smashed it into Jaden's right arm.
At the same time, he released Ares's Spear with his left hand, lifted that arm high, and brought his elbow down close to his rising knee-
Clamping Jaden's right arm in place.
His helmeted head pressed forward, bracing against Jaden's fist with his shoulder.
Then-
Zeus kicked the falling Spear of Ares backward with his heel.
His descending right foot curled in mid-air, blocking Jaden's upward kick.
His free right hand caught the upper shaft of the spear.
And he thrust it forward with all his strength.
Like a short spear.
Straight toward Jaden's heart.
Zeus had an advantage.
-He was fully armored.
And he wielded a weapon.
Jaden's attacks struck divine armor. Before those Divine Artifacts were destroyed, the damage Zeus suffered was minimal-and Gaia's Armor healed it rapidly.
Jaden might be growing stronger.
But without a hardened body like that-
He was still flesh and blood.
Zeus had locked him down.
Jaden could only move his left arm.
And now-
He had to stop a divine spear with his bare body.
That was Zeus's plan.
Seize the moment.
Force the rhythm of battle into this state.
If it succeeded even once-
It would be fatal.
Zeus believed this firmly.
But in that instant-
Jaden clenched his left fist.
And drove it directly toward the spear's tip.
The fist and the spear collided.
The outcome was obvious.
Even a child could predict it.
-The one using his fist would be drenched in blood.
And that's exactly what happened.
Blood sprayed into the air from Jaden's left hand.
But-
The Spear of Ares stopped.
After piercing into Jaden's fist, it could not advance any further.
Zeus froze.
Only then did he realize-
Jaden had aimed precisely for the spear tip.
He used the gaps between his fingers to receive it.
After the spear pierced his hand, he tightened his grip.
With pure finger strength-
He clamped the Spear of Ares.
Then-
Jaden slammed his head forward.
Headbutt.
Metal met flesh.
Blood seeped through the gaps of Zeus's helmet, flooding his vision red.
And then-
Jaden pushed.
The force increased instantly.
Zeus felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him.
And-
That sound.
That war-drum heartbeat.
It grew louder.
Clearer.
Almost deafening.
Then-
Jaden's shoulders widened.
His muscles tightened violently.
His upper body seemed to expand.
A bite-like marking stretched from his shoulder to his waist.
And on his back-
The Ogre opened its eyes.