One-Punch Man in the One Piece World

42. Direct conflict!

Just as Karp was about to take a step, a pink figure landed as lightly as a feather on the other side of the dock.

Momousagi Gion rested one hand on the hilt of her sword, her long black hair fluttering in the sea breeze.

"Garpu-chan, do you need any help?"

Gion's gaze swept calmly across the scene, lingering on Ace for a moment before settling on Norton.

Garp waved his hand dismissively: "Leave those two brats to me! Gion, you go and deal with those pirate ships at sea! Don't let them get away!"

It's been a long time since such a large pirate fleet has appeared in the East Blue. Although the previous Krieg Pirates also had thirty pirate ships, the one leading those thirty pirate ships was not such a terrifying guy as Silver Hair!

Momousagi nodded slightly: "Understood."

She turned around, her feet lightly touching the ground, and her figure swept across the sea like a pink lightning bolt, landing on the deck of a naval warship in a few leaps.

Almost simultaneously, ten warships on the sea outside the harbor adjusted their cannons and aimed them at the pirate fleet that was gathering.

"Fire!"

At the command, artillery fire erupted!

But faster than a cannonball was a flash of sword light.

Gion brandished her sword, and the clear, sharp sound of the sword drowned out the sound of cannon fire!

A pinkish-gold slash wave burst forth from the blade, initially only a thin line, but after flying ten meters, it surged to a width of a hundred meters!

Wherever the slash passed, the sea surface was neatly cut open, revealing a trench tens of meters deep, with the seawater on both sides rising up like walls!

"What is that...?"

Just as the lookout on a pirate ship cried out in alarm, the entire ship was split in two along its central axis.

A perfectly smooth cut, like a hot knife through butter!

The hull, mast, canvas, and even the cannons on board were all cleaved in two by that sword light, the cut surfaces as smooth as mirrors.

The two halves of the ship slowly tilted and sank into the sea with a deafening cracking sound!

The pirates who fell into the water didn't even have time to call for help before being swept into the sea by the aftershocks of the attack.

The entire pirate fleet fell into a deathly silence.

Then, panic broke out.

"One sword...it cleaved a ship in two with a single strike?!"

"Monster! That woman is a monster!"

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

"Tsk." Norton frowned. "What a troublesome woman."

If a fighting force of Gion's caliber were allowed to intervene in the naval battle between the two sides, there would be no doubt that the Norton Pirates would suffer heavy losses, or even be completely wiped out!

Norton was determined not to let this happen and was about to rush out when Karp was faster.

"Boy, your opponent is me!"

A jet-black iron fist, covered in armored grime, tore through the air and slammed straight at Norton's face!

This punch was devoid of any fancy moves; it was purely the ultimate condensation of power, speed, and domineering aura. The light was even distorted wherever the fist passed!

Norton's eyes narrowed as he faced Karp's full-force punch.

He threw the same punch!

It was just a simple straight punch, without the protection of Armament Haki, yet it was still terrifying!

boom--!!!

The moment their fists collided, the stone slabs within a radius of hundreds of meters centered on the two men simultaneously shattered into dust!

The shockwave spread in a ring, the wooden piles on the dock snapped like toothpicks, and the moored boats were thrown into the air by the waves.

Smoke and dust billowed into the sky!

When the dust settled slightly, everyone watching gasped in astonishment.

Norton and Karp remained in their fist-to-fist stance, neither taking a single step back.

But the ground beneath their feet... remained completely undamaged!

"Ahem..." Garp coughed lightly, withdrew his fist, and a smile appeared on his lips.

it hurts!

He didn't know how long it had been since he had felt this way. This silver-haired brat's fist, despite not being imbued with any domineering aura, still managed to make his hard-earned knuckles ache!

It wasn't a superficial injury, but a deep, bone-deep pain I hadn't felt in decades!

When was the last time I had this feeling?

Garp suddenly seemed to have forgotten something, perhaps it could be traced back to Roger's time, or maybe Rocks' time?

Norton looked down at his fist, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

He could feel that deep within his body, some kind of "shackles" were loosening!

Since breaking through his limiter, his body has remained in peak condition and has not changed for a long time.

Because Norton simply couldn't find an opponent who could give him a good fight, his physical strength couldn't be fully utilized, so there was no need to go any further.

But Garp's appearance changed that!

In order to adapt to Garp's strength, this body, which had remained unchanged since breaking its limiter, has been quietly growing stronger!

However... the presence of that domineering aura was still not detected.

"Interesting..." Norton muttered to himself, then looked up with a wild grin spreading across his face. "Old man, you're quite the punching bag!"

"A punching bag?!" Garp chuckled angrily. "Kid, you've got some nerve—"

Before he could finish speaking, Norton suddenly moved!

This was no longer the casual movement of before, but a true, all-out burst of energy!

No one saw Norton's movements clearly. All they saw was the ground beneath his feet suddenly exploding, his figure leaving a sonic boom cloud in his wake, and his fist tearing through the air with a sharp, ear-piercing bang!

"But don't block the way, old man!!"

Norton felt the pressure from Karp, his blood boiled, and all the cells in his body became more active than ever before.

In addition, there are the changes brought about by adapting to Garp's strength...

Norton unleashed a punch of unprecedented power! A serious, lethal punch!

Garp's pupils constricted sharply, his decades-old fighting instincts screaming at him!

He crossed his arms to protect his chest, pushing his Armament Haki to its limit, the pitch-black Haki almost solidifying into a tangible form!

Fist and arm collide.

No sound.

Because before the sound even reached us, the shockwave had already spread out in a hemispherical shape!

All buildings within a 100-meter radius of the point of impact—stone houses, wooden buildings, warehouses—shattered instantly!

The sea surface was pressed into a huge crater with a diameter of 200 meters, and the moored ships were thrown into the sky like toys!

Then, the sound came.

That was a deafening roar, beyond the limits of human hearing, like the world collapsing!

Everyone watching, whether pirates or marines, lost their hearing at that moment. They could only see the people around them screaming, but could not hear any sound.

At the center of the shockwave, Garp's body was sent flying backward like a cannonball!

He crashed through the entire commercial street behind the dock, one, two, three... crashing through seventeen buildings in a row before finally smashing into the base of a stone clock tower.

The clock tower slowly tilted with a sickening cracking sound, and finally collapsed with a crash, burying it under tens of tons of rubble!

silence.

A deathly silence.

"Are you kidding me? The old man..." Ace's pupils were practically dilating.

He had never seen Garp so disheveled since birth!

"Hey! Ace! Run! This is no place for us to be on the battlefield of these monsters!" Deus tugged at Ace's sleeve.

Ace took a few deep breaths, then suddenly turned his head and looked intently at Deus.

"Deus, you go first! I'm staying to witness the outcome of this battle!"

Ace had never witnessed such a clash before, and for the first time felt his own weakness! If Whitebeard were a man as powerful as Garp or Norton, or even stronger, how would he cope?

Ace suddenly realized that Norton was right; passion alone was not enough to reach the top!

On the sea, the artillery fire suddenly stopped.

Whether they were from the navy or the pirates, everyone stared blankly at the ruins of the port that had been razed to the ground, at the collapsed clock tower, and at Norton.

Naval hero... Monkey D. Garp...

He was sent flying by a single punch?

"No...it can't be..." On a naval warship, a young soldier collapsed to the ground. "Vice Admiral Garp...!"

"A monster..." On another pirate ship, a former member of the Krieg Pirates trembled, "That guy... is he really human?"

Is this King? Every time they thought they had overestimated King's strength, King always managed to redefine their understanding of the strongest!

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the main street of Loguetown, a naval force had just arrived.

Smoker was at the forefront, the two cigars in his mouth burning fiercely from his rapid breathing. He had rushed over at full speed after receiving the report of the attack on the port, but the scene before him froze him in place.

The entire street... no, the entire port area, nearly a quarter of the area, collapsed into ruins!

Buildings, ground, dock facilities—everything was reduced to rubble.

At the end of those ruins, the familiar silver-haired man was slowly withdrawing his fist!

Further away, the ruins of a collapsed clock tower suddenly exploded.

Garp stood up from the rubble, his white navy coat tattered and his strong upper body covered with fine wounds. Most shockingly, there was a continuous trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

He coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Cough... Haha..." Garp laughed, his laughter hoarse yet unrestrained. "I've never tasted... anything like this before!"

Even legendary pirates like Roger, Rocks, and Whitebeard never gave Garp this feeling... this feeling that continuing the fight would only lead to defeat!

"I'm truly getting old!"

"Or perhaps, this silver-haired brat really is a once-in-a-century monster!"

Upon seeing Garp's miserable state, Smoker's pupils contracted to the size of pinpoints.

Vice Admiral Garp... is injured?

Monkey D. Garp, who has roamed the seas for decades, clashed with the Pirate King multiple times, and is hailed as the strongest fighter in the Navy, was actually injured in a head-on confrontation?

"Colonel Smoker!"

Tashigi, standing behind Smoker, also gasped in surprise.

Smoker snapped back to reality, smoke billowing from beneath his feet, and was about to charge forward.

But Garp's voice came first, clearly reaching everyone present: "Don't come any closer!"

Garp wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes fixed on Norton in the distance: "This is my battle! Your mission—"

Garp pointed at Ace and Dews, "It's that kid in the orange hat! Portgas D. Ace, captain of the Spade Pirates! Grab him!"

Smoker gritted his teeth: "But Mr. Karp, you..."

"That's an order!" Garp roared, his voice laced with unquestionable authority. "Leave that kid to me! I'll beat him! Who do you think I am?"

Smoker stared at Garp for two seconds, seeing the determination in the veteran's eyes, seeing that unyielding pride, and finally gritted his teeth: "...Understood!"

He turned around, unleashing the full power of his Smoke-Smoke Fruit, transforming into a white column of smoke as he hurtled towards Ace.

"Tashigi! You take some men and block off the streets! The rest of you, follow me!"

Tashigi drew her famous sword "Shigure," but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the port.

On the sea, Momousagi Gion had just unleashed her second sword strike!

Another pirate ship was cleaved in two, and the pirates on board screamed as they fell into the water. Her expression remained calm, but the hand gripping the knife tightened slightly—not from fatigue, but from some kind of ominous premonition.

Then, my premonition came true!

Gion didn't even see what happened; she only felt the light above her head dim.

The next second, a large hand pressed down on Gion's head!

"Woman, have you had your fun?"

Norton's voice rang in her ears, its calmness chilling.

Gion's reaction was incredibly fast—Konpira was instantly drawn and slashed behind her with a backhand strike! This was a strike of admiral-level quality, enough to cut through steel and tear apart warships!

But the blade missed its target—no, it didn't miss; just as it was about to strike Norton's arm, it was gently caught by two fingers of Norton's other hand!

Momousagi's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and she instinctively tried to dodge.

"you--"

Before Gion could finish speaking, Norton suddenly tightened his grip on Gion's head!

boom--!!

Momousagi was slammed into the sea! The moment her body crashed through the water, a giant wave hundreds of meters high was created!

During this process, a warship was smashed in two by Gion's body!

The sea fell silent once again.

Norton landed on the bulwark of a pirate ship, shook the seawater off his hands, and said to the pirates, "What are you all standing there for? Retreat!"

The pirates then seemed to wake up from their dream.

"Retreat...retreat!"

"All ships turn!"

"Keep up with the White Pearl!"

All the pirate ships raised their sails simultaneously, and under the cover of the thick fog spewed by the mist whale, they began to break out to the open sea.

However, the navy's ironclad encirclement has already taken shape.

Apart from the warship that was cut off, the remaining nine elite warships had already completed their tactical deployment before Momousagi made her move, and were now pressing in from three directions, their artillery fire weaving a deadly net!

"Trying to run? Moonwalk!"

"Stop them! Buy some time for Vice Admiral Gion!"

Amidst the shouts, more than ten figures draped in the coats of justice soared into the sky from the decks of various warships!

They stepped on the air, making loud "bang" sounds, and swept across the sea at an astonishing speed, like sea eagles swooping down on their prey, their target the vanguard of the pirate fleet that was turning and whose formation was slightly chaotic!

The real boarding action erupted on the raging waves!

The White Pearl was the first to be affected.

The three naval officers landed on the wide deck almost simultaneously. The one in the lead had the shoulder insignia of a colonel and a stern face.

The moment he landed on the deck, the colonel's gaze locked onto Nami and Funing, who were standing by the stern wheel.

"Control the helm and the navigator!" the colonel roared, and he and his two majors charged off in a triangular formation.

However, a green figure stood like a rock between them and the steering wheel.

"This road is blocked."

Zoro held Wado Ichimonji in his mouth and slowly drew his Yubashiri and Kitetsu with both hands.

The clear sound of a newly drawn sword drowned out the surrounding artillery fire in Zoro's ears.

"Nami, continue with your work. Leave this to me."

"Three against one, arrogant pirate!" The colonel grinned maliciously, his fist already flying.

Zoro did not answer, but lowered his head slightly, wielding his three swords in a peculiar stance, his eyes seemingly burning with ghostly energy.

"Three-Sword Style: Gyūki - Yōzō!"

The figure darted out like a ghost, tearing apart the colonel's fist. He tried to change his move and block in horror, but Zoro's blade was like a bull's horn, slamming into his chest!

Blood splattered as the colonel was thrown backward by the force of the impact, crashing through the ship's side and falling into the sea.

Two more majors attacked from the left and right. Zoro didn't turn his head, his body spinning like a top.

"Three-Sword Style: Tornado!"

A fierce storm of sword blades instantly formed, shattering and knocking away both of their weapons and attacks.

"So...so strong!" Fu Ning couldn't help but exclaim, gripping the rudder even more firmly.

Nami looked anxiously at the sea: "Don't relax! Another ship is approaching!"

...