The overwhelming pressure swept across the entire plaza like a mountain crashing down.
Everyone caught within it felt suffocated.
It was as if the vanished thousand hands were now tightly gripping their throats.
Looking around, not even the Marine officers like Gion dared to move a muscle — let alone the ordinary soldiers.
So this… this was the wrath of a man forced to work overtime?
At this critical moment, the only thing anyone could do was shift their eyes toward Chaton, now in his Golden Kong Ape form.
They all knew — unless someone made the first move, this deadlock of pressure would never break.
Feeling the countless gazes on him, Chaton, locked in Luo Yu's aura, found the absurd thought in his mind growing louder.
If he had a choice, he desperately wished someone would step in and stop him right now.
Just a token gesture — a tug on his sleeve, a word of protest — and he'd gladly back down.
But under this crushing, unexpected pressure, even he didn't dare move recklessly.
Let alone anyone else.
"Haha! Chaton, I always knew you had a problem with this kid becoming an admiral," came a hearty laugh from afar. "But I didn't expect you to force him to fight on his day off. When I made him work overtime, I paid a heavy price!"
The booming voice echoed from the top of the Justice Gate.
Garp leapt down from the towering gate, landing steadily hundreds of meters away.
As he stepped into the killing aura cloaking the plaza — hidden yet suffocating — a flicker of shock flashed in his eyes.
He had sparred with Luo Yu plenty back when the boy was on his ship.
Garp knew full well how terrifying Luo Yu's physical prowess was.
But the techniques Luo Yu had developed recently, and the monstrous pace of his growth, left even Garp baffled.
His instincts told him that, given time, this once-fragile youth would become a monster of unimaginable strength.
And strangely, Garp felt a sense of relief.
Relief that he had insisted on bringing Luo Yu aboard his ship, personally escorting him to Marineford.
Not long ago, he had even stood up for him against Sengoku over the Celestial Dragons.
Because now, seeing how rapidly Luo Yu had grown — like a demon in human skin — Garp couldn't help but feel a creeping sense of danger.
"Garp-san, thank goodness you're here! Please stop Vice Admiral Chaton — don't let him attack!" Tashigi pleaded.
The tension in the plaza shifted again. The suffocating pressure seemed to ease slightly.
Chaton, still locked in Luo Yu's aura, looked desperately at Garp.
Right now, he was praying Garp would step in and stop him.
Just a tug on his sleeve — that's all he needed to retreat with dignity.
But the invisible pressure surrounding him told him one thing: Luo Yu's aura was more beastly than his own.
"Haha, Tashigi, what are you talking about?" Garp laughed, popping a rice cracker into his mouth. "Chaton's already forced Luo Yu to work overtime — why would I stop him now?"
"But don't worry. With me here, nothing will go too far."
"Chaton, if you're not going to attack, how long are you planning to make me wait?"
Garp's gaze shifted to Chaton.
While he was surprised by the wrathful Vajra behind Luo Yu, he also wanted to use Chaton to test just how deep Luo Yu's strength ran.
Chaton was dumbfounded.
Looking at Garp's serious face, this was way beyond what he had expected.
He just wanted someone to pull his sleeve, say a few words, and give him an excuse to back off.
He never imagined Garp would not only refuse to stop him — but would egg him on.
Was this… being thrown to the wolves?
This wasn't how the script was supposed to go!
Feeling the shift in atmosphere, and with Garp's guarantee, the tension that had just begun to ease now surged again.
Chaton felt like a man on a burning platform — no way back.
Retreat was no longer an option.
The only thing left was to grit his teeth and strike.
Break through the pressure before him.
And maybe — just maybe — someone would stop him again.
A storm of chaotic thoughts raced through Chaton's mind.
Suddenly, he looked up at Luo Yu, who stood still with his eyes closed.
Then, the Golden Kong Ape finally let out a thunderous roar.
ROAR!
The deafening bellow shattered the suffocating aura in the plaza.
Everyone's nerves tensed once more. Chaton's muscles bulged as he prepared to strike.
But Luo Yu's eyes snapped open.
His pupils were now blood-red, laced with cold indifference.
The towering Wrathful Vajra behind him — over ten meters tall — suddenly revealed its thousand iron fists, previously hidden in the void.
A sea of crimson fists filled the sky, crashing down toward Chaton like a tidal wave of blood.
The sheer force was like a thunderous tsunami, shaking the entire fortress.
As the oncoming storm filled his vision, only one word echoed in Chaton's mind:
Holy crap!
If he had known it would be like this, he would've backed off earlier — even without anyone stopping him.
Garp's pupils shrank sharply. He had sensed the killing intent in the air…
But he hadn't expected Luo Yu's strike to be this apocalyptic.
As the fists rained down, Garp shouted in alarm:
"Chaton! Did you force him to work overtime without filing an application? You're gambling with your life!"
"Luo Yu! Go easy! I'll file the paperwork afterward!"
His desperate roar echoed across the plaza.
But it was too late.
Jet-black Armament Haki coated Chaton's body — just as the crimson fists came crashing down.
BOOM!
A thousand fists fell, shattering the plaza into rubble.
Ten thousand more followed, blasting the giant ape-form Chaton like a cannonball through the air.
Invisible shockwaves swept the plaza like a Category 12 hurricane.
The sheer speed and force of the impact tore a massive trench through the stone plaza.
With a deafening explosion, Chaton's massive body slammed into the towering Justice Gate.
The impact shattered the thick gate, blasting it wide open.
The shockwave rolled back like a hurricane over the sea, sending waves crashing like a tsunami beyond the gate.
In that instant, everyone caught in the blast struggled to stay on their feet — eyes wide with disbelief.
They were used to overtime.
But this was the first time they'd seen someone nearly die from being forced to work it.