561-565

Chapter 561: This Is a Monster  

Yoru had no idea that his cautious moves, driven by a gut feeling to have a few backup plans, would cause such a massive misunderstanding at Navy Headquarters. 

So… 

He was completely unaware that, in the Navy’s eyes, he was now an even thornier problem, someone they were guarding against with every ounce of their strength. 

Both sides were on high alert, each wary of the other pulling some kind of trick that could spell disaster. 

But… 

Nous, Lurie, and Burgess clearly didn’t share the same concerns. 

“Wahaha! Captain, you’re practically a god! After sparring with you, my strength’s shot through the roof! Even my Devil Fruit powers have leveled up big time,” Burgess boasted. “Now, I’m pretty sure even Katakuri wouldn’t stand a chance against me.” 

Burgess’s confidence wasn’t just bravado. 

Yoru had genuinely boosted his strength to a level on par with Katakuri. 

As for Lurie and Nous… 

How to put it? They were above the level of a Sweet Commander but just below a Yonko, even stronger than Marco by a notch or two. 

If the two of them teamed up and were willing to pay the ultimate price, they could seriously wound Yoru, a Yonko. 

This was the contingency plan Yoru had set up to deal with any surprises from the Navy. 

“How strong are you now?” Marco asked, staring at Yoru like he was looking at a monster. 

Even Burgess, the weakest of the “Big Three,” felt insanely dangerous to him. 

Nous? Downright terrifying! 

And Yoru himself… 

Marco couldn’t even gauge him. Just being near him felt suffocating, like the air was being crushed out of his lungs. His presence was heavier than even Whitebeard’s back in the day. 

“My strength?” Yoru chuckled lightly. “Eh, about the same as Whitebeard’s, I’d say.” 

For someone like Marco, who was just a temporary ally, Yoru saw no need to spill the full extent of his power. 

A reassuring answer was enough. 

And matching Whitebeard’s level? That was a damn good answer. 

Marco shot him a look that screamed, Yeah, right, I’m not buying it. 

This wasn’t just “matching” his old man Whitebeard’s level. 

He hated to admit it, but his battle-honed instincts told him one thing loud and clear:  

Yoru was stronger than Whitebeard. 

Seeing Marco’s skepticism, Yoru just shrugged, like, Believe what you want. 

It wouldn’t be long before his true strength was laid bare for Marco and the others to see. 

Soon enough… 

They’d know exactly how powerful he was. 

“Captain, we’ve spotted Navy warships not far behind us on the sea…” Lurie reported, walking up to Yoru with a glint of excitement in her eyes. “Should we give ‘em a couple of shots?” 

Yoru nodded. Might as well use this as a test. 

Let’s see what kind of lineup they’re bringing. 

“The Navy moves fast, huh? No surprise there—they are the sea’s top dogs,” Yoru said with a mix of admiration and amusement. 

Lurie, meanwhile… 

She was already hauling out a crate of cannonballs. She exchanged a grin with Burgess, both of them looking like the show was about to start. “Ready?” she asked. 

Burgess let out a booming laugh. “You bet!” 

He grabbed a cannonball, aimed at the Navy fleet trailing them, and hurled it with his bare hands. 

Whoosh! 

The air tore apart with a piercing screech. 

The Marines on the warships, caught off guard by this wildly unconventional attack, stood frozen in shock and horror. 

“He… he threw it by hand?!”  

A scouting colonel gaped, dumbfounded, as the cannonball hurtled toward their ship. 

Chapter 562: This Is How You Use Cannonballs Right 

Whoosh! 

A sword wave sliced through the air, detonating an incoming cannonball mid-flight. 

“That’s one of the three pillars of the Lightning Pirates. It’s no surprise they’ve got this kind of strength!” a rear admiral said, sheathing his sword as he landed on the deck. He glanced at the stunned marines behind him, rallying their spirits. 

“Here comes another!” a marine shouted, pointing ahead in alarm. 

“There’s three of them!” another marine yelled, sweat beading on his forehead. 

“They’re absolute monsters! Their ship is thousands of meters away!” a lieutenant commander said, wiping the sweat from his brow and swallowing hard. 

“Hahaha, now that’s interesting!” a booming voice rang out. “If that’s how they want to play, let me show them how to really throw a cannonball!” 

Amid the marines’ panic, a hearty, confident laugh cut through the tension. 

It was none other than the Navy hero, Garp. He strode forward, shrugging off his coat and rolling up his sleeves. “Hey, bring me some cannonballs!” he called to his adjutant. 

His presence alone was enough to snap the marines out of their fear, their morale instantly restored. 

“Vice Admiral Garp!” the rear admiral saluted respectfully. Garp gave a slight nod in return. 

With a flick of his fingers, he unleashed three bursts of energy, each one detonating an incoming cannonball with pinpoint precision. 

Just like that—calm and effortless. 

Garp’s adjutant wheeled over a pile of cannonballs. Garp picked one up, weighed it in his hand, and then hurled it with terrifying force. 

Boom! 

The sea ahead erupted, trembling from the impact. 

More cannonballs followed, launched from Garp’s hands like a meteor shower, streaking toward the Mandevs, the Lightning Pirates’ ship. 

“Interesting! They’ve got someone that strong on their ship? That’s rare!” Bashas and Ruri, two of the Lightning Pirates’ heavy hitters, sensed the equal counterattack the moment Garp stepped in. Far from intimidated, their fighting spirit only burned brighter. 

When they realized who they were up against, their excitement doubled. 

The Navy hero himself! 

Why someone of Garp’s caliber was out here on a pursuit mission, they didn’t know. But did it matter? 

Nope! Not one bit! 

All that mattered was having a good time, and a chance to clash with a legend like Garp was too good to pass up. They had no reason—none at all—to back down. 

“Is this… the world of the strong?” the rear admiral behind Garp murmured, awestruck by the sight. 

He was at a loss for words to describe the Garp before him. 

The man was a beast! 

A human cannonball machine! 

The rear admiral had never seen anything like it—cannonballs thrown by hand! So this was the proper way to use them! 

“Only a monster like Vice Admiral Garp can take on freaks like the Lightning Pirates,” the rear admiral thought, convinced this was the right approach. 

Let the strong handle the strong. Small fry like him could stick to fighting other small fry. 

“Fist Bone Meteor Shower!” Garp roared, clearly having the time of his life. The mountain of cannonballs at the ship’s bow was dwindling at a visible rate. 

Ahead, the sea was a battlefield of black, heavy cannonballs raining down like a storm, smashing through everything in their path. The air itself seemed to buckle under the pressure, twisting and warping in their wake. 

The power of those cannonballs was terrifying. 

You could tell from the sheer destructive force of the explosions that followed each impact. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

The blasts roared like thunder, punctuated by flashes of fire. 

It was a spectacular sight. 

Chapter 563: The Source of Unease  

“Wahaha! Not bad for a legendary Marine!”  

Bassas watched the scene unfold, practically buzzing with excitement.  

Attacks this ferocious? There weren’t many people left in the world who could go toe-to-toe with them like this.  

And someone who could clash with them this freely? Even rarer!  

“Hahaha, these Lightning Pirates are kinda fun!”  

Garp had already blasted through all his cannonballs.  

Looking at Bassas, Ruri, and the others holding their own against him, he cracked a wide grin.  

This? This was just a little warm-up for the real battle ahead.  

Yup…  

For Garp, an attack like this was barely a stretch.  

The real deal? That’d look a lot different.  

“Something’s off…”  

At that moment, Yoru appeared behind Bassas and Ruri, his brow furrowed. “Garp’s supposed to be retired. A guy with his strength and influence in the Navy shouldn’t be out here. Why’s he chasing us?”  

“A powerhouse like him belongs in the big leagues, not running errands like this. Isn’t it a bit of a waste?”  

Yoru couldn’t shake the weird feeling creeping up on him.  

Something wasn’t right.  

But…  

He couldn’t put his finger on what.  

Garp showing up here was flat-out wrong. It didn’t add up.  

“Nouth, what do you think?”  

Yoru turned to his right-hand man for his take.  

“It’s definitely strange,” Nouth agreed, echoing Yoru’s thoughts. “But pinning down what’s off is tough.”  

He paused, then added, “One thing’s for sure: Marine Headquarters wouldn’t send just this small crew after us. The problem’s gotta be tied to that.”  

Yoru’s eyes narrowed. “You think the rest are lying in wait somewhere?”  

His first thought was that the Navy was setting up an ambush somewhere along the path to the Final Island.  

“But… would it really be that simple?”  

Unease churned in Yoru’s gut.  

Marine Headquarters was home to the sharpest minds and strongest forces on the seas.  

Would they really cook up a plan that obvious?  

No way.  

And…  

“If they’re planning a pincer attack, sending just the Navy’s hero seems a bit too reckless, doesn’t it?”  

“If Garp’s tailing us for some other reason, then what’s his real goal?”  

“Just to follow us?”  

Yoru’s gaze locked onto Garp standing on the Marine warship behind them, his eyes sharpening.  

“Whatever’s going on, let’s test him.”  

With that, Yoru leaped toward Garp’s ship.  

“The Yonko Lightning Killer is closing in!”  

The Marines on the warship spotted him and shouted in panic.  

“Hahaha, Yoru, kid! Take a fist from me!”  

Garp’s voice boomed before he even moved.  

Yoru felt a massive surge of power rushing toward him.  

Heavy…  

And razor-sharp!  

As Garp threw a punch, an invisible force erupted, splitting clouds and warping the air as it barreled straight for Yoru.  

It was suffocating!  

“Still got it, old man!”  

Yoru marveled at Garp’s unyielding strength as he drew his sword and slashed back in one fluid motion.  

Chapter 564: When in Doubt, Fight It Out 

“Boom…” 

It was as if the weight holding them down vanished in an instant. 

All the pirates on the Mandevs felt a sudden lightness… 

The sea split open violently, cracks stretching endlessly as far as the eye could see. 

Roaring waves crashed wildly against everything around them. 

“Hahaha, you’re not holding back one bit, kid!” 

Garp landed on the warship like a fierce tiger, looking up at Yoru soaring in the sky, laughing heartily with bold enthusiasm. 

“It’s rare to see someone of your caliber show up here. Gotta say, it’s enough to make anyone’s heart race!” 

Yoru descended directly onto the warship… 

And just like that… 

Countless Marines immediately went on high alert, staring at Yoru like he was the ultimate enemy! 

No joke… 

This was an Emperor of the Sea! One wrong move, and it’d be total disaster. 

Who’d dare be careless? 

“Hahaha, why can’t a retired old man like me show up here?” 

Garp laughed, though a hint of seriousness flickered in his eyes. 

He could clearly sense Yoru’s aura, surpassing even the Golden Lion in his prime. 

Back then, it took both him and Sengoku, at the cost of half of Marineford, to bring down the Golden Lion. 

And now… 

With Sengoku nowhere nearby, holding off Yoru was going to take some serious effort. 

Most importantly… 

The secret on this warship absolutely could not be exposed. 

If Yoru discovered what was onboard, everything would fall apart. 

“This Yoru guy, landing right on Mr. Garp’s warship? That’s way too bold!” 

Behind the warship Garp was on, two more followed. 

Standing on them were Vice Admirals Peach Rabbit and Tea Dolphin. 

“That guy better not figure out the warship’s secret, or we’re done for!” 

Peach Rabbit’s face was etched with worry. 

“But, man, he’s an Emperor alright. Waltzing into enemy territory like it’s nothing. Does he really not take the old man seriously?” 

Garp grinned, and with a whoosh, he vanished from his spot. 

Before Yoru could react… 

Garp appeared right in front of him, throwing a punch that seemed to churn the air itself, carrying the terrifying force of a star-shattering blow. 

Bang! 

Yoru’s body quickly turned to flames, but he was still sent flying by the impact. 

Garp’s speed caught Yoru off guard. 

“Nice!” 

Seeing Garp land a punch that sent Yoru flying, the Marines on the warship cheered in unison. 

With another whoosh, Garp chased after Yoru’s retreating figure. 

Strike while the iron’s hot! 

“Still sharp as ever, old man!” 

Yoru let out an impressed remark. A massive fiery gash appeared on his body but vanished as flames spread over it. 

His wings stretched out behind him, unleashing a surge of immense power that stopped his retreat and seemed to crush the very air around him. 

“Can’t let you hit me, even if you’re a legend!” 

Yoru’s massive wings swept forward, transforming into a scythe of death. 

It tore through the sky and split the waves, slamming into Garp with ferocious force. 

To onlookers, it was just Yoru unleashing a crimson streak, while Garp seemed to crash into it himself, bizarrely. 

Bang! 

A thunderous roar echoed, as if the sky itself was about to collapse. Garp was sent crashing heavily into the sea! 

“Delusion Breaker, take him out!” 

Yoru swung his blade, and a shimmering streak dove into the sea, followed by a booming explosion. 

He didn’t give Garp a moment to catch his breath. 

The next moment… 

Delusion Breaker returned, and sharp-eyed onlookers noticed blood on the blade. 

Chapter 565: Remnants of an Era 

“Vice Admiral Garp is hurt!” someone with sharp eyes shouted, their face paling in shock. 

Peach Rabbit and Tea Dolphin turned toward the sea, their expressions filled with worry. 

For Garp to be injured so early in a fight was unheard of. 

This made Peach Rabbit and Tea Dolphin deeply uneasy. With Garp’s current strength, even Whitebeard couldn’t have landed such a blow in so little time. 

“Could this guy’s strength really surpass Whitebeard’s?” Peach Rabbit thought, struggling to believe it. 

Yet reality kept hammering home that it might just be true. 

After all, Kizaru himself had admitted he was no match for Yoru. 

“Is Mr. Garp going to be okay?” Peach Rabbit asked, her voice laced with concern. 

Tea Dolphin, unusually serious, replied, “Let’s wait and see. If Mr. Garp is truly outmatched, we can step in. But the secret on this warship cannot be compromised. If it leaks, we’ll never get another chance like this.” 

He spoke with firm resolve. 

Meanwhile, out on the water… 

“Hahaha! Kids these days are something else! Hitting me with a wake-up call like that right off the bat!” Garp burst out of the sea, laughing heartily as he faced Yoru.  

A bleeding wound marked his arm—clearly from a strike Yoru had landed earlier. 

“This is the era of the young,” Yoru said, grinning as he held his blade. “The remnants of the old era fading away is only natural, right? When you’re old, you gotta act like it!” 

With that, he spread his wings, summoning a sky full of flames that turned into a torrential fire rain aimed at Garp. 

Phoenix Fire Feathers! 

Sparks fell like a storm, blooming across the sky. 

“What a pain!” Garp muttered. 

He couldn’t dodge—not with the warship right behind him. Those searing flames couldn’t be allowed to hit it. 

The fire rain was like a net, so dense it left no room to maneuver, suffocating in its intensity. It was as if the entire sky was pouring down a fiery deluge. 

But Garp? He just threw a single punch. 

That one strike seemed to churn the heavens themselves. 

In an instant, the skies shifted, and a massive, invisible force erupted from his fist, shattering the fire rain completely. 

A deafening silence followed. 

“That’s the old man’s Iron Fist Wave!” Fire Fist Ace, watching from the allied side, said grimly. “A casual punch from him can level a skyscraper. If he gets serious, he could smash a mountain.” 

His face paled as he spoke, clearly haunted by some unpleasant memories. 

Whoosh! 

But the moment the fire rain shattered, a chilling glint flashed through the air, piercing straight through Garp’s chest with terrifying speed, tearing the air apart. 

“Vice Admiral Garp!” the marines on the warship cried out in horror. 

“Wait—that’s not Vice Admiral Garp!” a rear admiral suddenly shouted, noticing something. 

The “Garp” that had been pierced slowly faded away. 

It was just an afterimage! 

In the next instant, as if sensing something, Yoru threw a fierce punch to his side. 

His attack, infused with advanced Armament Haki, met Garp’s massive fist head-on. 

Boom! 

The collision felt like it could overturn the world itself. 

The shockwave alone sent towering waves surging across the sea. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

Garp’s fists became a blur, each punch carrying the force to shatter the heavens. 

Yoru drew his blade, meeting the onslaught head-on. 

“He’s… actually holding his own against Vice Admiral Garp. What a monster!” Peach Rabbit said from afar, her words coming slowly as she watched the clash unfold.