"Someone like that… being a Marine is a waste of talent."
Roger sighed, watching Garp's ridiculous stunt with a helpless smile. He walked toward the stern, ready to counter the monstrous wave surging toward them—
—only to see the entire wall of water suddenly freeze solid in an instant.
A massive ice slide formed right before the Roger Pirates' eyes, stretching from the crest of the wave all the way down to the sea's surface.
"What the—?!"
"Is that the ability of that brat who was with Garp earlier?!"
High atop the frozen wave, the dog-headed warship now slid downward at breakneck speed, racing straight for the Oro Jackson like a cannonball.
"Oi! Oi! Oi!"
"We're gonna get hit!"
"Turn the helm—move it!"
But before the ship could even shift its course, a flood of bone-chilling cold swept across the sea. In the blink of an eye, the ocean surrounding the Oro Jackson froze solid, locking the entire ship in place.
"We—we're frozen!"
"Captain Roger! The sea's turned to ice!"
Buggy leaned over the railing, staring down in horror at the ice sealing them in.
Roger chuckled softly, his tone calm despite the chaos.
"Yeah, I can see that."
"Seems that old Garp's come up with new tricks again."
He tightened his grip on his sword and stepped to the edge of the deck, watching the fast-approaching warship without a flicker of fear.
"Roger!"
The booming voice of Vice Admiral Garp carried across the frozen sea.
"You're surrounded! Surrender now!"
At just fifty meters apart—seconds from collision—Garp suddenly launched forward, his fist wreathed in roaring black lightning.
He threw his punch.
"Hmph! Looks like we can't dodge this one."
Roger's grin widened.
"Yarudurum~! Everyone, stay sharp—don't die on me!"
He laughed heartily, eyes flashing with excitement as he swung his blade. A torrent of Conqueror's Haki burst forth, coalescing into a jet-black slash that hurtled toward the oncoming warship.
"WMMM!!!"
The two attacks collided once more—their combined Haki detonating with the force of a thunderclap. The shockwave slammed into Garp's ship, filling its sails in reverse. The warship's forward charge halted abruptly, skidding across the ice until it came to a stop—just a few meters away from the Oro Jackson.
Now, the two ships faced each other across the frozen sea, so close that every pirate and Marine could see the expressions on the enemy's faces.
"Roger!!!"
Garp's booming laugh echoed as he crouched low and leapt from his ship, soaring across the gap toward the Oro Jackson like a cannonball.
"You bastard Garp!" Roger roared back, bursting forward himself.
Their figures met midair—Garp's fist crashing toward Roger's face, Roger's blade slashing straight for Garp's body.
Fist and sword collided with a deafening crack, their combined Haki exploding outward like a storm. The frozen sea below shattered instantly, while the clouds above were blown apart, revealing a clean blue wound in the sky.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
They exchanged over a dozen blows in a matter of seconds, each impact shaking the heavens.
Finally, both men landed upon the cracked ice, facing one another with wide grins.
Garp didn't attack again. Instead, he straightened and called out,
"I heard you're planning to go after Big Mom, Roger. What the hell are you up to?"
Roger didn't even try to hide it. He met Garp's gaze and answered casually,
"I'm looking for the Road Poneglyphs."
"That's none of the Marines' business, is it?"
He smirked. "There are plenty of pirates out here—why the hell are you always chasing me?"
His tone carried no malice—just playful irritation, like old friends bickering.
Garp barked a laugh.
"Don't talk nonsense! Catching pirates is my job!"
Then his grin faded, replaced with a faint seriousness.
"Besides… I've got a feeling, Roger—
You're about to stir up something big."
"I still think it'd be better to send you—and your crew—straight to Impel Down,"
Garp said with an easy grin.
He knew a bit about the Poneglyphs Roger spoke of—though far less than Roger himself. Garp only knew that those ancient stones pointed the way to the final island, where the so-called Great Treasure was said to lie.
Every pirate who had ever set sail dreamed of reaching that place.
The truth behind the Poneglyphs had long been buried by the World Government. Garp only knew what he did by chance—but even with that limited knowledge, he had a gut feeling.
Roger's goal couldn't possibly be just treasure.
He'd fought Roger too many times not to know the man's nature. Roger wasn't the sort to kill for gold or fame.
For all their strength, the Roger Pirates were a strange crew. From the East Blue all the way here, they'd never once pillaged a town or harmed civilians. Once, when one of his men tried, Roger himself cut the man down.
When facing the Marines, Roger would avoid fighting unless he had no choice. They'd crossed blades often, yes—but Roger's crew rarely fought to the death.
Most of their real battles were with other pirates.
Still, they were no saints either. Roger had once clashed with the royals of a World Government member nation, and that was enough to brand him a high-level criminal.
Once the Government also learned he was collecting the Poneglyphs—and realized just how powerful his crew truly was—their bounties skyrocketed.
Garp's obsession with capturing Roger was simple:
Roger's power didn't match his actions.
A man that strong… shouldn't be living like that.
He was up to something far greater.
Garp didn't know what that "something" was—but one thing was certain: no pirate set sail for the sake of world peace.
And that was why Garp could never stop chasing him.
"Impel Down, huh?"
Roger smirked. "That place isn't really my style. I'll pass."
"Garp, I—"
Before he could finish, Roger's expression suddenly changed.
"Oden—stop!!" he shouted.
In the brief moment that the two men had been talking, Kozuki Oden had leapt off the Oro Jackson, unable to contain his fighting spirit.
Having felt Garp's overwhelming power, Oden's blood was boiling.
"Oden Two-Sword Style—Momoyama Shirataki!!!"
His body turned into a black blur as he soared high into the air.
Muscles swelled; veins stood out along his arms.
The twin blades Ame-no-Habakiri and Enma crossed into an "X" as he swung them down at Garp. Both swords gleamed with Conqueror's Haki, crackling with black lightning as they tore through the air.
Roger's shout didn't even reach him—Oden was lost in the thrill of battle.
He was once the Second Division Commander under Whitebeard, the only man on that ship whom Whitebeard himself called brother.
Now, facing a new titan of the seas for the first time, Oden couldn't hold himself back.
"Heh-heh-heh!"
"So this is the samurai from Wano, huh?"
"Impressive… truly impressive!"
Garp recognized him immediately. He'd never met Oden face-to-face before, but he'd seen his wanted poster enough times to know exactly who he was.
As the twin blades came slashing down, Garp suddenly extended his right hand—
and caught both swords in his bare grip.
Metal screamed against flesh.
Haki clashed violently, exploding outward in a shockwave that rippled across the frozen sea.
"Hey, samurai," Garp said, grinning, his hand still clutching the crossed blades.
"Can't you see I'm in the middle of a conversation with Roger?"
Then he drew back his left fist. Dense black lightning coiled around it.
"Try this instead!"
He punched.
"BOOOOM!!!"
The sound was like thunder exploding across the heavens.
Oden's body shot backward like a cannonball, crashing straight through the side of the Oro Jackson. The impact tore a massive hole in the hull—and even that didn't stop him.
He flew straight through, slammed into the ice, and disappeared beneath the sea, leaving behind a gaping crater where he'd struck.
The entire battle had lasted one second.
Garp casually looked down at the twin swords still caught in his hand.
"Heh. Not bad."
"These'll do as payment for interrupting my chat."
He slung the two blades over his shoulder and laughed heartily.
"Besides—he's headed for Impel Down anyway. Wouldn't be allowed to bring weapons in there."
With just one punch, Garp had defeated Kozuki Oden—
and even taken his swords as trophies.
(End of Chapter)
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