On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku fell into a long, dead silence. On the face imitating his expression, the anger and impatience had long vanished. All that was left was a face that wouldn't flinch before a landslide, but beneath it, a storm raged in his heart.
After a long time, Sengoku's voice, suppressing extreme shock, slowly came through.
"I understand."
"This matter is too high-level. I will send someone to handle it."
His tone became extremely serious, holding the decisiveness of a Fleet Admiral.
"And you, you bastard! Next time you dare..."
Klak!
Garp cleanly hung up the phone.
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku held the receiver, listening to the busy tone, as veins bulged one by one on his forehead.
The next second.
"Garp! You irredeemable bastard!"
The Fleet Admiral's roar almost blew the roof off all of Marineford.
On the warship's deck.
Garp casually tossed the Den Den Mushi to Bogard, a wild laugh of a successful prank on his face.
"BWAHAHAHA! That guy, he still gets angry so easily!"
He completely ignored the respectful yet strange gazes from the surrounding Marines, and also ignored the wounds on his body that were still seeping blood.
He sat down cross-legged directly on the deck and closed his eyes.
That massive flood of information once again clearly surfaced in his mind.
[Chakra Extraction Technique]
A brand new power system, completely different from Haki. Extracting energy from the body and spirit, gathering it in the dantian, circulating it through meridians.
For Garp, who had already tempered his physique and Haki to the pinnacle of the world, understanding this theory was simply too easy. He began to follow that method, sinking his mind and sensing the energy within his body.
Very quickly, besides the Haki that rushed like a great river, a faint, brand-new energy, like a mountain stream, was precisely captured by him!
"Oh?"
Garp's grin widened even more.
Found it!
He began to carefully control this new energy, letting it flow slowly through his body along a specific path. This process was so novel it excited him.
After a good while, Garp suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light bursting forth!
He stood up, walked to the ship's railing, and looked at the boundless blue sea below, a wild smile like a child's anticipation on his face.
"All of you, watch me closely!"
Under the astonished and uncertain gazes of all the Marines, Garp stepped one foot right off the railing!
"Mr. Garp!"
Bogard's heart skipped a beat!
However, the expected huge splash of falling into the water didn't happen. Garp's foot landed steadily on the surface of the sea.
Just standing there.
Centered on the sole of his foot, tiny ripples slowly spread out.
"..."
The entire deck was instantly so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, their mouths open wide enough to fit a fist.
What were they seeing?
The Marine Hero, Monkey D. Garp... was standing on the surface of the sea?!
How is this possible! He's not a Devil Fruit user!
Under the petrified gazes of the crowd, Garp took another step.
One step.
Two steps.
He strolled casually on the sea's surface as if taking a walk, his posture even more relaxed than walking on flat ground.
"BWAHAHAHA!"
Garp turned around, looked at the group of subordinates on the deck who were completely stunned, and let out a deafening, wild laugh. The laughter spread across the entire sea!
"Did you see that!"
He pointed at his feet, then at himself, his face full of pride and wildness.
"This stuff!"
"It's really f*cking useful!"
Garp's wild laughter gradually subsided. He stood on the surface of the sea, feeling the gentle touch of the waves under his feet.
This feeling... it's so novel!
He looked down at his reflection in the water, then lifted his foot and gently stepped, sending out more ripples.
Bogard stood at the railing, pushing up his sunglasses. Beneath the lenses, his eyes held an unconcealable storm.
"Mr. Garp..."
"What in the world is..."
Garp didn't turn around, just grinned.
"BWAHAHAHA!"
"My new toy!"
He spoke lightly, but his mind was racing. He closed his eyes, carefully savoring the information that had appeared in his mind.
That method called [Chakra Extraction Technique], every detail was crystal clear. But when he tried to organize it into steps that could be taught, he found it was impossible.
He didn't learn this! It was shoved in! It was that unreasonable, direct-infusion kind of knowledge imprint!
It bypassed all learning and understanding processes, directly becoming an instinct of his body! Just like eating, drinking, or throwing a punch!
It's impossible to teach!
"Tsk."
Garp clicked his tongue, annoyed. He opened his eyes, a deep regret flashing within them.
What a pity.
It's really f*cking pitiful!
If this could be spread throughout the Marines, how much would the survival rate of those young Marine brats increase when on missions at sea? This is way more practical than that damn Rokushiki!
But this thought only flashed for a moment. If I can't teach it, so be it. It's enough that I can use it myself!
His thoughts drifted back to that completely destroyed gorge. Drifted back to that dark-skinned brute wrapped in blue electrical arcs.
More details of the battle surfaced in Garp's mind.
The opponent's thing made of lightning, called "Lightning Release Armour".
That absurdly fast movement speed.
And those three fingers that could easily pierce anything and even made his fist bleed.
Those flashy, but terrifyingly powerful moves...
Garp remembered that the cold mechanical voice called those moves "Ninjutsu".
"Ninjutsu..."
Garp muttered the word.
He spread his palm. A faint, almost invisible, wisp of energy gathered in it.
This is Chakra.
[Chakra Extraction Technique] only gave him this energy.
But how to use it?
How to turn it into Lightning Release Armour?
How to turn it into an indestructible spear?
All he knows now is how to attach it to the soles of his feet to walk on water!
This f*cking... isn't this just a starter pack?!
That guy called the Third Raikage, his way of using it is the true form of this power!
An even stronger excitement and desire surged wildly from the bottom of Garp's heart! The feeling was a hundred times stronger than when he had just learned to walk on water!
So...
That so-called "dungeon" was far more than just a hearty battle!
It was an entire, brand-new power system he had never even heard of!
Garp suddenly turned, his gaze burning as he looked in the direction of the distant Foosha Village.
That look was no longer simple fun and curiosity.
It was... the look of a starving wolf that had just seen an imperial feast!
Since clearing the dungeon could drop the most basic [Chakra Extraction Technique].
Does that mean...
If I fight better, get a higher rating, or... clear harder dungeons.
I can get that dark-skinned brute's other moves?!
He suddenly remembered those colorful "time fragments" he saw before entering the dungeon.
A blond boy gathering a blue energy ball...
A man in black armor swinging a red lightsaber...
A big green guy destroying a city...
And a white-haired dog demon with a giant demon sword...
Those...
Are all other dungeons?!
Behind every fragment, is there a completely different world?
A completely different, brand-new power system?!