Chapter 438 - 277

Chapter 278: The Battle of Settlement (End)"It seems this 'marine hero' doesn't intend to let us just turn tail and leave comfortably... CaptainTeach."Shiliew of the Rain bit down on half a cigar, its tip glowing crimson in the gloom.His face was tense, but the corners of his mouth twisted into a near-fanatical grin."The man from the legends who smashed through the old era with his fists... I bet the taste of his blood will be much more satisfying than those useless trash in Impel Down!!"The moment his voice trailed off—Clang—!!!The soles of his military boots twisted against the gravel ground, erupting in sparks! The ground beneath him collapsed with a roar, cracks splitting outward like a spiderweb!In the next instant, his entire being transformed into a dark red bolt of lightning, splitting the dust!His speed was so fast it left only a lingering afterimage on the retina!In his hand, 'raimei' tore through the air, the crimson electrical arcs coiling around the blade hissing and shrieking as he slashed straight down toward Garp's head!"Heh..."A low chuckle, devoid of clear emotion, rumbled from Garp's nose.A cold light suddenly burst in his eyes, and on his right fist, the cross-shaped starlight that hadn't yet dissipated flared up fiercely once more!Wherever his fist passed, the air was compressed into visible milky-white shockwaves!Bang—!!!!!!Fist and blade collided solidly!At the moment of contact, the wild grin on Shiliew's face froze abruptly, turning into a look of near-blank horror!"Cough—!!"Pfft!A mouthful of hot blood choked violently out of his throat!Shoom—!!!His body turned into a blurred projectile, crashing headlong into the collapsed ruins of rubble behind him!One punch.It was merely a plain, straightforward punch.The "Shiliew of the Rain" who once terrified countless prisoners and pirates had been defeated so cleanly and thoroughly before "Iron Fist" Garp... Van Auger's figure appeared beside Blackbeardlike a ghost, silent and stealthy.He placed his hands on the shoulders of Blackbeard and the unconscious Burgess. The surrounding space immediately rippled like water, and the scenery began to blur and stretch!"Hm?!"Garp's brow suddenly furrowed.Without any warning, the reddish-gold lightning around him exploded. Like an ancient beast breaking its shackles, the ground beneath him turned to powder instantly, and his figure lunged out with a boom that tore through the sound barrier!His right fist clenched again mid-charge. Reddish-gold Haoshoku and black-red Armament Hakiintertwined like two angry dragons, crazily converging and compressing at the tip of his fist.Zzzzt—Boom!!!With him as the center, the reddish-gold Haoshokulightning instantly filled the sky like a violent lightning prison!This purest, all-crushing kingly pressure actually managed to interfere with and delay the spatial fluctuations triggered by Van Auger's Teleportation Fruit!"Damn it—!!"Blackbeard's eyes nearly split from strain. He gave a wild roar and stepped forward abruptly, shielding Van Auger and Burgess behind him!The muscles in his arms bulged as boundless darkness surged frantically from all directions, converging onto his right fist which he also threw forward!"Take Shiliew and the others and go—!!"He bellowed at Van Auger without looking back, his voice cracking from the exertion."This old monster... leave him to me!!"Rumble—!!!!!!Two fists, carrying world-destroying power, collided in mid-air without any fancy tricks!Boom—!!!An indescribable brilliant white light instantly swallowed everything in sight!Heaven and earth lost their sound; all things lost their color!High in the sky, at the center of the collision, a massive, breath-taking cross-shaped starlight spanning the heavens exploded and expanded!"Cough—Aaaagh!!!"The moment the light faded slightly, a scream of extreme agony rang out!Blackbeard's figure was seen flying backward and tumbling at an incredible speed, smashing hard into the mountain wall that hadn't yet fully collapsed in the distance, kicking up a cloud of dust!As for Garp, he merely slid back about ten meters through the air before coming to a steady halt.From the dust by the distant cliff, Blackbeard's intermittent, shocked, and unbelieving roar could be heard:"You... you've got to be kidding me...!!""You're clearly... already... an old bag of bones with one foot in the grave...!!"Taking advantage of the brief moment Garp was forcefully preoccupied by Blackbeard, Van Augergrit his teeth and finally broke through that suffocating Haki interference!Flash!The spatial ripples surged, and he, along with the unconscious Burgess, Shiliew, Buffett, and the others, instantly vanished from the spot!Almost at the same time, another blurred teleportation ripple flashed beside the dying Blackbeard in the distant ruins, whisking him away as well.The white light gradually dissipated, though the shockwaves still echoed high in the sky.Garp slowly withdrew his fist and stood in mid-air, his Justice coat fluttering in the chaotic air currents."They sure ran fast..."He glanced at the void where Van Auger and the others had disappeared, his brow furrowing slightly, but he did not continue the pursuit.Time spares no one; no matter how strong Garpwas, he was long past his peak years.With Blackbeard's array of bizarre abilities and his awakened Darkness Fruit, if he really fought with his life on the line, the price to take him down would not be small, even if it were possible.Chasing them now would bring no practical benefit other than turning this sea area upside down.After all, Blackbeard wasn't Roger; he couldn't draw Garp in like that!!Soon, the dog-headed warship slowly pulled up to the edge of the now unrecognizable island.Well-trained Marine soldiers poured onto the shore like a tide, beginning to methodically clear the battlefield, collect remains, and search for possible survivors and spoils of war."Vice Admiral Garp, there is an emergency communication for you!"The adjutant Bogard appeared silently by his side, steadily holding a den den mushi that was ringing incessantly.The den den mushi had a miniature Marine cap on its shell and a pair of delicate round black glasses on its antennae; its image was quite vivid."Haha, it must be that old fellow Sengoku!"Garp recognized it at a glance and reached out carelessly to take it. Before the other side could speak, he blurted out first, his voice loud enough for people on the other side of the deck to hear clearly:"Moshi moshi!! Sengoku? What do you want with me?"He spoke while picking his ear with his pinky, his tone completely unapologetic:"Let me state this first! I didn't touch a single one of those senbei you hid in the bottom iron box of the second storage cabinet on the left side of your office! Absolutely not!"On the other end of the den den mushi, there was a brief but suffocating silence.A vein seemed to be throbbing on Sengoku's forehead.No wonder he always felt the consumption rate of that box of specially-supplied senbei was off... So that was it!!Wait! Now was not the time to worry about senbei!!"Garp—!!!"In the next second, a roar loud enough to burst eardrums erupted from the mimicked mouth of the den den mushi, with the receiver practically spitting invisible fury:"What time is it right now?! It's the critical period for the entire Marine HQ to move from Marinefordto the New World's G1 Branch!! There are a thousand things to handle, so many matters waiting for a decision!""And what about you?! You ran off without saying a word! Not only did you run off, but you actually dared to hang up on Sakazuki's emergency contact call!!!""Do you really not want to stay in the Marines anymore?! Huh?!"Sengoku's roar almost knocked over the warship's mast.What he mentioned was indeed the top priority for the Marines at the moment.Since Sakazuki took over as Fleet Admiral, in order to more effectively counter the increasingly rampant pirate forces in the New World—especially to deal with the 'Four Emperors' situation—the proposal to move the Marine HQ's center of gravity forward to the New World had been officially pushed forward.But moving was no joke.Before breaking camp for the New World, they had to ensure the relative stability of the four seas and the first half of the Grand Line, the 'Paradise,' to prevent pirates from taking advantage of the situation.To this end, the Marines launched an unprecedented 'Great Sweep' operation.With the remnants of Golden Lion Shiki's Flying Pirates completely crushed, the pirate forces of the four seas suffered a heavy blow, and the migration plan was only then truly put on an urgent schedule.At this critical juncture, Garp, the Marines' highest combat power, had actually left his post without permission and even refused to answer the Fleet Admiral's calls... No wonder Sengoku was fuming.Hearing this, Garp frowned."Stop pinning labels on me. If I'm not mistaken, you should be on your way to G5 yourself!!""Didn't a former Fleet Admiral also slip away at the critical moment?!""You have the nerve to talk about me?""..."