As soon as the leader finished speaking, the shorter figure beside him stepped forward and raised his head to look at Bogard.
Bogard immediately noticed half of a furry face hidden beneath the cloak.
His gaze sharpened.
A Zoan user?
The figure casually shook his sleeve, revealing a pair of furry paws.
Crackle!
Silver arcs of electricity burst from his claws, dancing violently through the air.
Bogard's expression shifted instantly.
"The Mink Tribe!?"
Before he could react further, the short figure vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of Bogard.
A claw shot forward.
Bogard had prepared himself for an attack, but the opponent's speed far exceeded his expectations.
Without hesitation, he raised his sword to block.
Bang!
The moment claw met blade, an overwhelming force surged through the sword.
Bogard was blasted backward several meters.
The short figure moved again without pause.
Electricity crackled around him as he swept through the battlefield, knocking down the remaining Marines one after another.
Screams echoed briefly before silence returned.
By the time Bogard steadied himself, he realized he was the only Marine still standing.
But he had no time to assess the situation.
The enemy was already in front of him again.
Their earlier clash had made one thing painfully clear.
In terms of both speed and strength, this opponent completely surpassed him.
Winning was impossible.
His only option now was to endure.
If he could stall long enough for Vice Admiral Garp to arrive, there might still be hope.
Grinding his teeth, Bogard tightened his grip on his sword and charged forward.
However, reality proved far crueler than he had expected.
The gap between them was enormous.
After barely ten exchanges, Bogard's body was already covered in wounds.
Scorch marks lined his arms and chest, left behind by electrified claws.
His breathing grew ragged.
Then, with another burst of crackling electricity...
Thud!
Bogard crashed heavily onto the ground.
Struggling to rise, he planted his sword into the dirt for support.
The shorter figure looked at him quietly before speaking in a deep voice.
"We came here without ill intentions."
"Why insist on stopping us?"
Bogard forced himself upright and coldly replied:
"A group hiding their identities wants to enter the village, and you expect me to trust you?"
"I'm a Marine."
"It's my duty to protect this place."
The short figure fell silent for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"You're an admirable soldier."
"But you're standing in our way."
The moment those words fell, he disappeared again.
Electricity surged around his paw as he lunged toward Bogard's abdomen.
At that exact moment...
Boom!
A figure descended from the sky like a cannonball.
A fist slammed downward.
The ground exploded.
A massive crater appeared instantly.
Bogard's eyes widened.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
Garp landed beside him, casually shaking his fist.
"Well done, Bogard."
Seeing Garp's arrival, the tension in Bogard's body finally loosened.
Leaning against his sword, he spoke weakly:
"Vice Admiral Garp... these people are suspicious."
"They're extremely strong."
"You should be careful."
Garp nodded once.
Then he slowly turned his attention toward the cloaked figures ahead.
Whoosh!
A shadow burst out of the crater and quickly returned to the group.
The leading figure looked toward the short person and asked softly:
"Uncle Lindbergh, are you alright?"
Lindbergh coughed twice and rubbed his chest.
"It hurts a little."
"I didn't expect Garp to be here."
He glanced toward the leader.
"What should we do?"
The leader remained silent briefly before replying:
"We leave."
Hearing this, Garp let out a cold laugh.
"Leave?"
"You injured my men and think you can just walk away?"
His gaze turned fierce.
"What, do you think this old man doesn't exist?"
The atmosphere instantly changed.
A terrifying pressure erupted from Garp.
His fist darkened as Armament Haki coated it.
Without warning, he shot forward like a charging warship.
The force beneath his feet shattered the ground.
Facing Garp's overwhelming momentum, Lindbergh gritted his teeth and stepped forward again.
Electricity exploded around his claws.
Yet this time, things were completely different.
The lightning striking Garp's body felt utterly ineffective.
Like scratching an itch.
Garp did not slow down in the slightest.
Lindbergh's claw could not even properly touch Garp's fist.
The overwhelming force of Garp's Armament Haki repelled the attack before direct contact could be made.
Boom!
Haki lightning exploded between them.
The violent shockwave tore across the battlefield.
Dust scattered into the air.
The cloaks of the mysterious group were blown away completely.
Their appearances were finally revealed.
Garp narrowed his eyes.
When he saw the furry cat-like face standing before him, his expression changed.
"The Mink Tribe?"
He frowned.
"That face looks familiar... wait!"
His eyes widened.
"You're Lindbergh!"
"The Revolutionary Army's Southern Army Commander!"
Sweat dripped down Lindbergh's forehead.
Since his identity had already been exposed, he gave an awkward smile.
"Mr. Garp..."
Garp's face darkened immediately.
Powerful Haki surged from his body.
"You bastards from the Revolutionary Army actually dare show up here!?"
With a roar, he threw another devastating punch.
Lindbergh's expression changed.
He could no longer hold his ground.
Boom!
He was blasted backward.
But before he hit the ground, another figure suddenly leaped into the air.
The newcomer's body rapidly expanded into a massive sphere.
"Gum-Gum Balloon!"
Bang!
Lindbergh crashed harmlessly into the soft rubber body.
Garp instinctively looked up.
The moment he saw the person who caught Lindbergh, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Luffy!?"
His voice trembled.
"Are you... Luffy?!"
Luffy gently landed on the ground, placing Lindbergh down.
Then he raised his head and looked at Garp.
His expression was complicated.
"Grandpa..."
Dragon had raised Luffy personally.
Meanwhile, Garp had spent years stationed elsewhere.
Because of that, this was their first real meeting.
Still, Luffy recognized Garp immediately.
Dragon had told him many stories about his grandfather, and he had seen plenty of photos.
Likewise, Garp knew of Luffy through Dragon's letters.
In recent years, Luffy's face had also appeared in newspapers often enough for him to recognize him instantly.
Grandfather and grandson stood there silently.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
For a long moment, they simply stared at each other.
Finally, Garp broke the silence.
"Luffy."
"Why are you here?"
"And why are you traveling with members of the Revolutionary Army?"
Luffy lowered his gaze briefly.
"I just returned to the East Blue."
"I wanted to see Father's hometown."
"As for the Revolutionary Army..."
He glanced toward Lindbergh and the others.
"They're Father's friends."
"They helped raise me."
"Is it strange for me to be with them?"
Lindbergh rubbed his swollen arm and stepped forward.
"Old Man Garp."
"You're Commander Dragon's father."
"Please believe us."
"We genuinely came without ill intentions."
"We don't want to fight you."
"And we definitely don't want to make things difficult for you."
He paused briefly.
"If you don't want us entering the village, then we'll leave."
After saying that, Lindbergh gestured toward the others.
They began retreating.
Garp stood rooted in place.
Silent.
Unreadable.
No one knew what he was thinking.
Luffy sighed softly.
"Grandpa."
"We're leaving."
He looked at Garp one last time before turning around.
The Revolutionary Army members followed.
But just as they had taken a few steps...
"Stop!"
Garp's voice thundered from behind them.
His expression hardened.
"You should all come back with me!"
===
Get access to the entire catalog on Patreon, where all chapters are conveniently organized into collections.
If you prefer not to pay for a monthly membership, this is a more affordable option that gives you access to the content you want.
(Buying the collection gives you access to all chapters in it.)
Search for "_Zeph" on P@treon to get started.