BOOM!
A deafening blast shook the air. The shockwave sliced outward like invisible blades, scraping harshly against the barrier with a chilling crackle-crackle.
"Hahaha! Boy, you really do know how to surprise me."
A flicker of genuine astonishment crossed Garp's eyes before fading. His right arm suddenly bulged—muscles swelling, veins writhing like little serpents beneath his skin.
"ORA!!"
Davy's expression changed dramatically—
but before he could formulate a countermeasure, the full weight of that monstrous power slammed into the barrier.
With a grinding roar, the spiritual barrier was dragged backward, gouging a deep trench into the ground.
Despite its toughness, it couldn't withstand the force.
The soul servant shrieked soundlessly, ghostly mist erupting from its form—
evaporating into nothing.
It was dissolving.
Rapidly.
Seeing it fade at a speed visible to the naked eye, Davy's only choice was to keep feeding it soul flames.
But replenishing it wasn't true "healing."
It was soul fusion—
and the soul's capacity was finite.
Feeling the barrier's soul puppet continuing to thin even after absorbing soul energy—
the replenished souls turning into mist and scattering—
Davy let out a quiet sigh.
This was his hard-earned Barrier-Barrier Fruit.
He couldn't allow it to vanish like this.
He fired off a Soru, pulling himself out of the barrier's range.
The instant he left, the barrier soul-servant collapsed into nothingness.
BOOM!
Garp, not expecting the barrier to vanish so suddenly, stumbled forward and drove his fist into the ground—
opening another massive crater.
"Cough—cough…"
Dust billowed.
Garp casually brushed it off and trudged out of the pit, his face smudged with soot.
Seeing Davy disperse the ghostly green flames, he grinned.
"So—
you've made up your mind."
"If you can't beat me, and you can't outrun me, wasting strength is pointless."
"Hahaha, trying to hide your real abilities, aren't you?"
Though he spoke like he was teasing, there was a sharp glint of seriousness in his eyes.
During the fight, Garp had seen enough to confirm two things:
Davy wielded two distinct Devil Fruit abilities,
and one of them belonged to the recently deceased Barto Club boss—Bartolomeo.
A soul-based Devil Fruit?
One that hunts and imprisons souls?
His mind immediately jumped to Charlotte Linlin, "Big Mom," whose Soul-Soul Fruit was infamous.
Meanwhile, Davy's brows tightened.
Their thoughts were indeed heading in the same direction.
Davy knew that revealing such abilities would bring trouble.
This was why he ensured no witnesses survived his previous battles.
But this time—
He simply had no choice.
This opponent was not someone he could afford to hold back against.
Life or death hinged on Garp's mood.
No room to hide anything.
Garp mulled it over, then burst into a wide grin.
"Well, doesn't matter. I'll drill it out of you eventually."
"You said you don't want to join the Marines or be my disciple, right? Fine. Then we'll treat this like a bounty contract."
"Your bounty rewards for this hunt will be used as tuition. In exchange, you get on my ship—
and I'll personally teach you how to use Haki."
Without waiting for an answer, Garp turned on his heel and strode toward the harbor.
"Oh, right! And I already collected your tuition fee. I'm a man of my word—I'll definitely teach you well!"
Hearing that, Davy—who had been considering possible ways to decline—could only let out a long exhale and follow.
There was no room to refuse.
The gap between their power was so vast that running was meaningless—he'd be caught instantly.
Since there was no avoiding it…
He might as well walk forward.
"Good! Sensible. Correct choice."
Garp laughed when he sensed Davy step forward.
His eyes gleamed with growing appreciation.
The boy reminded him of someone—
A man who also loathed evil, intolerant of even a grain of wickedness.
Possessing the qualities of a true powerhouse.
Sakazuki.
The Magma-Magma Fruit user.
One of the Marine Headquarters' Admirals.
Codename: Akainu.
…
Davy boarded Garp's ship.
Of course, he had no intention of becoming a Marine.
His obedient behavior was merely patience—
because there would soon be a perfect moment to escape.
Garp's current mission:
Retrieve the former Marine Captain Morgan and escort him to Marine Headquarters.
And that moment—
would be when Morgan escaped.
In the original timeline, Morgan injured Garp with a single axe strike while the old man was in a stupor from eating donuts for five days straight.
It was a classic moment among fans—
Morgan, the "Axe God," the only man to "injure" Garp.
As long as Davy kept his head down and didn't disturb the timeline, Morgan would flee exactly as before.
He could use that chaos to slip away.
Thus, aboard the ship, Davy acted perfectly well-behaved.
He showed no hint of escape intentions, even getting along with the Marines.
Despite his controversies, Garp was undeniably a hero who saved countless civilians.
Under his influence, his subordinates were straightforward, honest, and easygoing.
A few friendly smiles and diligent training were all it took for Davy to win their goodwill.
Days passed.
Garp, true to his word, personally instructed him in the basics of Haki.
But Davy grew increasingly anxious.
It had been many days—
and Garp showed zero signs of attempting to break his personal donut-eating endurance record.
If he doesn't start binge-eating donuts…
He won't fall asleep for five days…
Morgan won't get a chance to escape…
And then Davy will be dragged all the way to Marine Headquarters—
stuck under Garp's surveillance for gods-know-how-long!
To others, that would be a dream opportunity.
But for Davy?
He had a ghost ship.
He grew fastest through killing.
If he missed the chance to tail the Straw Hats, he'd lose the easiest path toward grabbing Seven Warlords-level power in a single arc.
Worse—
Living under Garp meant no killing pirates at will.
The Marines captured pirates to imprison them, not slaughter them.
His soul puppets consumed soul power with every action.
He needed continuous "income."
Even the brief fight with Garp had cost nearly one-fifth of his soul reserves.
If he stayed here, unable to replenish—
He'd get weaker.
Rapidly.
While he paced anxiously in his room—
A knock sounded.
Before he could answer, the door swung open.
Garp poked his head in with a grin.
"So well-behaved, huh? Adapting real fast.
You're not seriously planning an escape, are you?"
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