Garp had imagined this scene countless times.
He believed he had prepared himself. He thought he could calmly face his former disciple.
But when the two of them truly met in battle—
He realized he had been wrong.
How was he supposed to face the boy he had watched grow up?
He knew Roldy 's character. The boy was no bloodthirsty brute. And yet, because their paths had diverged, teacher and student now stood on opposite sides of the battlefield.
Was Vice Admiral Basorine's retirement not proof enough?
Four years of teaching had been enough for that man to lay down his rank without hesitation—to give up everything for his student.
And what about him?
Roldy was his first disciple.
"Garp!!!"
Sengoku roared again.
The remaining fragments of the falling island were seconds away from crashing into God Valley. If they did not act now, it would be too late.
At Sengoku's shout, Garp forced his heavy body into motion.
He burst forward at full speed, smashing boulder after boulder out of the sky, treating them like punching bags.
He did his best.
Sengoku did his best.
Together, they had destroyed two-thirds of the massive island. The shattered debris that rained down from that height would no longer cause catastrophic casualties.
But the remaining third—
They could do nothing about it.
They could only watch as those enormous fragments crashed down toward the island below.
Even if only a portion struck God Valley—
It would be more than enough to leave the Celestial Dragons in dire straits.
"Garp! What are you thinking?!"
Having bought a brief moment of breathing room, Sengoku shouted at him furiously.
"Long time no see… old man."
Roldy 's voice drifted down from the sky, heavy with complicated emotion.
Beside Garp stood his comrade-in-arms.
Above him stood his disciple.
And on his shoulders still rested the weight of his belief in justice.
"What… am I supposed to do…"
This was one of the rare moments in Garp's life when he felt lost.
Below them, the Marines and CP agents could only watch helplessly. Their strength was nowhere near enough to interfere in a clash of this level. Their cannons did not even have the range.
But they would not remain idle for long.
"Vice Admiral Roldy … he's finally facing Vice Admiral Garp head-on…"
"Damn it… how did things end up like this?"
"Well… even someone like me wants to drag those ugly bastards down…"
"Are you trying to die?! You can't say things like that!"
"S-Sorry… I misspoke. Huh? Does anyone else feel the ship shaking?"
"The sea… it's getting violent…"
The tremors beneath their feet grew stronger.
A lookout Marine raised his telescope toward the horizon—
And saw something horrifying.
Wave after wave rolled toward God Valley.
Relentless.
Growing stronger by the second.
"That's…"
The lookout's pupils shrank.
Crack!
A thunderous splitting sound echoed across the distance—like the world itself tearing apart.
The already raging sea exploded into chaos. The waves doubled in height with terrifying speed.
After only two surges—
The lookout saw it.
A towering wall of water.
"It's a tsunami!!!"
Before the power of nature, human strength was insignificant.
That tsunami was capable of obliterating the entire World Government fleet—
Perhaps even God Valley itself.
The trained Marines maintained some semblance of order.
The CP agents, however, panicked before the wave had even reached them.
High above, Sengoku's heart sank.
He recognized that tsunami.
This—
This was Whitebeard.
The real war had just begun.
"Garp! Stop hesitating! I'll handle Roldy and Shiki! Whitebeard has arrived—you go stop him!"
In the end, Sengoku relented.
He did not force his old friend to confront the student who tormented him.
As expected, Garp's expression visibly eased at those words. Without hesitation, he rushed toward the surging sea.
"Jihahahaha! Don't overestimate yourself, Sengoku! You think the two of you can stop the Rocks Pirates?"
Shiki's laughter rang out mockingly.
Yet inwardly, he felt a trace of confusion.
They knew the Rocks Pirates would intervene. And yet Marine Headquarters had deployed so little force?
Rocks alone could fight two Admirals at once.
And the division commanders?
Were they truly relying on the World Government's CP agents?
Sengoku had no intention of explaining.
With a cold snort, he charged forward. His golden fist blazed as it slammed toward Shiki.
Shiki drew his twin blades, crossing them to block.
The two were old rivals. Each knew the other's strength intimately.
"Brat—go."
Shiki spoke without looking back.
"I'll handle this. Do what you came here to do."
He spared Roldy from facing Sengoku.
He understood the weight of old bonds.
Better that the boy direct his fury toward the true culprits below.
"Roldy ! Don't keep walking down the wrong path!"
Sengoku's voice cut through the air.
"Think about your teacher! Think about everyone at Marine Headquarters! Are you really going to betray them all?"
"Surrender! I swear, in the name of a Marine Admiral, I will protect your life!"
For a fleeting instant—
Roldy hesitated.
But the hesitation vanished just as quickly.
He cast one long look at Sengoku.
Perhaps the last look that still carried emotion.
Then—
He leapt.
Roldy plunged from the sky like a meteor, crashing straight into a massive World Government warship below.
The ship shattered instantly under his overwhelming force.
"How shameless, Sengoku."
Shiki sneered.
"What do you mean, 'in the name of a Marine Admiral'? You know what that kid has done. Even if Kong staked his own head, it wouldn't be enough to save him."
Then Shiki spat disdainfully.
"He still held onto some gratitude toward you."
"And this is how you treat him?"
"Thanks to you, Sengoku—you've personally severed the last bond between you."
"From today onward…"
"That kid can finally be a pirate without regret."
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