Chapter 48: The Clash
Garp grinned as his ship sailed toward Sabaody Archipelago.
"Bhahaha! Who would have thought I would get to meet him so soon?"
Garp's eyes burned with battle lust. He was at the end of his absolute prime. Age would soon catch up to him. His strength and stamina would decrease. So would his body as it gradually grew weaker.
He wanted a fight to his heart's content. After Roger's death and Shiki losing his legs, not many were his equals.
As a Marine, he couldn't go around picking fights with the Empress. But Ron was still bountiless.
Kizaru sighed while looking at the excited Garp.
"Sigh... we just fought Kaido and others. Do we really have to fight?"
He really just wanted to slack off a little. Was that really too much to ask?
Garp ignored him.
On the warship, Sengoku and Zefer stood shoulder to shoulder.
"Do we really have to go? Two Admirals, plus Vice Admiral Kizaru, Marine Hero Garp, and hundreds of elite soldiers just for one man and an unknown woman?"
Zefer was really confused. Wasn't this overkill?
Sengoku sighed.
"This battle isn't as simple as defeating him. It's a political move. Whoever wins will have the say."
"If Ren wins, he will become the Fourth Emperor, with Kaido, the Third Emperor, serving under him. Which will crack the balance. And since Newgate is actively siding with Ren, Big Mom won't fight three Emperors alone. This is a disaster."
Sengoku said with gritted teeth as veins popped around his arm.
Even Zefer froze as he finally understood.
"So we have to make sure he doesn't leave Sabaody alive, or at least not in victory?"
Sengoku nodded.
"Our job is to keep him here till Garp arrives. Then I and Garp will fight Ren while you keep the Goro Goro no Mi user away."
Zefer nodded, taking deep breaths and calming himself.
On Sabaody, Morgans ran toward his freed journalists.
"Bosss—!"
The emotional journalists ran toward Morgans in tears. Their boss had come to save them personally. How could they not be moved—
"Shut up. Take those and spread the news. I want newspapers falling on every island ASAP."
Morgans threw his Den Den Mushi at the reporters.
"???"
The reporters stood frozen, unable to understand. Then journalist instincts took over them as they ran toward their nearest office.
Morgans took out another Den Den Mushi.
"Kahahaha! How can I leave this juicy news?"
The news he had given the journalists was enough to turn the world upside down.
But more news was waiting for him.
Ren sat on the port, looking toward the sea.
"So you wanna make this really troublesome, don't you?" Shakky asked speechlessly.
They could have just taken Boa and her sisters, beaten up the Celestial Dragons, and run away while taking Fish-Man Island and Amazon Lily.
"It's necessary. If they see our strength, they will at least keep quiet for a while. They need to know who I am. How strong I am. Just like Newgate, I need to create an image in their minds that I'm too troublesome to go into an all-out war with."
Ren said, grinning as a bottle of alcohol floated near him.
He gripped it and took a sip.
Shakky looked at him, surprised.
"You? Drinking?"
Ren kept drinking. After chugging down half of the bottle, he grinned.
"Well, I'm just in a good mood."
Shakky shook her head in amusement as she disappeared.
Ron sat on the empty port drinking.
After a few hours, silhouettes of warships started appearing on the horizon.
Ron grinned as cannonballs started floating around him.
All the cannonballs started rotating in a cycle as their speed increased.
After gaining enough momentum, they shot toward the warships.
SWOOOSH!!!
On the warships' deck, Marines were preparing for the upcoming fight.
Zefer and Sengoku stood on the leading ship.
Zefer looked at Sengoku.
"Is it really necessary? Shouldn't you and I have been enough?"
He felt like it was unnecessary to call Garp, him, and Sengoku here.
In his eyes, even sending him and Sengoku was going overboard for a no-name pirate.
Sengoku's mouth twitched.
He knew Zefer was upset because the Gorosei and Kong had ordered him to engage the lightning Logia user while leaving Ren to him and Garp.
He felt like they were underestimating him.
But Sengoku and Garp were the only ones with Advanced Conqueror's Haki.
Before he could say anything, he and Zefer froze.
Their Observation screamed warnings as both shot toward the front of the ship.
Sengoku shouted—
"Enemy attack! Everyone on your guard!"
After saying that, he and Zefer shot into the sky with Moonwalk.
Both clenched their fists, and they darkened with Advanced Armament Haki.
"HAHH!"
BOOOOMMMM!!!
Both swung their fists as Armament Haki surged out.
The cannonballs exploded after coming into contact with the shockwaves.
But the cannonballs kept coming.
Ren sat casually drinking while explosions kept ringing across the distant sea.
BOOM! BOOM! CRASH! BOOOOMMMM!!!
The sky darkened with thunder clouds as lightning roared through the sky.
Wind started howling and rushing toward the warships.
"Since you dare set your eyes on Wano, be prepared to face the consequences of it."
Ren said as the calm sea became violent because of the wind.
Waves started rising and rushing toward the warships.
Sengoku and Zefer landed back after stopping the cannonballs as their faces darkened.
"An ability to affect weather?"
Sengoku muttered with a dark face.
Zefer's face grew serious.
"We can't allow him to roam freely—"
The waves arrived with rushing winds.
Soldiers moved as they prepared the warships for the incoming storm.
Sengoku looked at the incoming waves and removed his white cloak.
"I will go ahead."
After saying that, he shot into the sky with Moonwalk, rushing toward Ren.
Ren, drinking, sensed him.
"Ohh, coming yourself? Good plan... looks like it's time."
He stood up.
Yamato, Hancock, and Ulti were peeking from afar.
Though Ren had sent everyone away with Gloriosa, the three of them remained curious about the fight.
They had never seen him fight with all his strength.
Gloriosa agreed since she couldn't really take everyone out of there at once.
Though she made sure they were at a safe distance.
"Woooh! He is finally getting ready!" Ulti shouted in excitement.
Yamato grinned as her eyes were fixed on Ren.
"It's coming."
Hancock looked confused.
"What's coming?"
Yamato and Ulti grinned.
"The greeting of Supreme Kings."
Just as they finished, Ren's Conqueror's Haki flared as the world lost its color.
Gold and silver lightning exploded from him.
Sengoku's Conqueror's also flared in response as golden lightning collided with Ren's gold-silver lightning.
BOOOOOOMMMM!!!
The wind howled.
The earth cracked.
Heaven itself split.
Hancock's eyes widened at the display.
"This—"
The pressure of their Haki clash even reached them as a massive pressure slammed onto all three of them.
Yamato's Conqueror's also flared unconsciously, but it was powerless in front of theirs.
Sweat formed on her forehead.
Ulti's knees trembled, yet she bit her lip, refusing to bow.
Hancock was in the same position.
Her mind was screaming at her to bow.
Yet something inside her refused.
As the pressure grew, something inside her snapped.
Ren's words echoed in her mind.
Her Conqueror's awakened as it resisted the pressure with Yamato's Haki.
Yet both were powerless.
Gloriosa appeared behind them and grabbed all three as they lost consciousness.
"Monsters."
She muttered while looking at the three unconscious girls.
Shaking her head, she took them and left.
On the port, Ren and Sengoku clashed as their fists collided.
BOOOOOOMMMM!!!
The ground was destroyed as wind blasted backward.
Conqueror's Haki burst everywhere.
Mangrove trees trembled from the force of the collision.
Shakky sat on a mangrove tree eating skewers.
Her Observation covered everything.
Her opponent was Zefer, so until he landed, she was just going to relax.
On the sea, multiple lightning bolts were falling onto the warships.
KRAAAK!!!
BOOOOMMMM!!!
Zefer gritted his teeth as he was busy defending the warships.
Shakky giggled.
"Well, looks like he won't be getting here soon."
As more bolts of lightning fell, three warships were hit as Zefer was unable to save every ship.
CRASH!!!
BOOOOOOMMMM!!!
The soldiers who fell into the sea were electrocuted to death.
Zefer's eyes turned blood red from anger.
"You bastards!"
He roared in anger.
Shakky's figure formed in the sky, floating as blue arcs of lightning cracked around her.
"Ohh my, I didn't know Admirals couldn't even protect their own soldiers."
Zefer looked up in anger, just as he froze.
His eyes widened.
"Sh-Shakky???"
Many old-time soldiers also froze in disbelief.
The woman who was presumed dead was floating in front of them like a lightning empress.
Still charming and young.
"How?"
Zefer's mind froze.
He really didn't know how to react.
The Empress of Kuja, the treasure of Hachinosu, was standing in front of them still young and beautiful?
How?
Why did she look like she hadn't aged, and why was she suddenly so strong?
He shook the thoughts away and looked at her.
"No matter what, you will pay for what you have done to all those soldiers!"
He shouted as his fist darkened with Armament Haki.
Shakky laughed.
"My, how scary—"
BOOOM!!!
A slender leg covered in blue lightning and Advanced Armament Haki appeared at Zefer's side.
His Haki screamed danger, but he had no time.
All he could do was cover his side in Armament as the kick connected, sending him flying.
"AAAAHHH!"
"How does a thunder kick taste?"
Shakky asked as she teleported behind the still-flying Zefer.
Another thunder kick was ready, but Zefer was also prepared.
Still flying, he threw his fist.
BOOOOMMMM!!!
Kick and fist collided.
Blue lightning and Advanced Haki clashed.
The soldiers finally realized their Admiral had been sent flying by a kick.
Just as panic was about to erupt, some experienced soldiers took command as the ships started moving toward Sabaody Archipelago.
Shakky and Zefer separated as Zefer used Moonwalk to stay in the air.