The name of the Marine Hero, Garp, was one that Jack had heard countless times before.
Garp had made his name long before Jack was even born. In the early days, his fame was as resounding as Whitebeard's, shaking the seas with every tale of his exploits.
Older pirates would speak of him with fear, their voices trembling as they recounted stories. Even Kaido, who was otherwise unshakable, spoke of Garp with a tone of respect.
Though no one really understood why Garp had remained a vice admiral all this time, in Kaido's eyes, Garp was undoubtedly the Marine's strongest fighter. Kaido's judgment was rarely wrong, a single word from him carried immense weight.
With such a formidable opponent present, along with the ice-freezing Aokiji, Rim and his group would be utterly useless in this fight.
Letting them escape was clearly the wisest choice. At worst, Jack could endure being beaten within an inch of his life and sink to the seafloor. If they attempted to capture him, it would only result in another destroyed warship.
Thanks to his near-immortal body and unparalleled endurance, combined with relentless training, Jack had developed significant resistance to seastone. While it still nullified his abilities, even the purest seastone shackles could no longer fully bind him—he could snap them with sheer strength.
Seastone was a rare commodity monopolized by the Beast Pirates, making the Navy's supply scarce. High-purity seastone, especially, was almost non-existent. As a result, Jack wasn't particularly concerned about his safety.
The likelihood of him being killed was zero. Captured? Even less. No matter how severe his injuries, he would recover in a matter of days. Such was the power of his near-immortality.
Jack used Geppo to stay airborne until the Mammoth had completely disappeared from view. Only then did he approach the Marine warship docked on a nearby island.
The warship's crew had disembarked to hunt wild game for lunch. A lookout, wearing a cap, lounged on the crow's nest, fast asleep. With both Garp and Kuzan aboard, none of the Marines felt the need to worry about intruders.
Garp sat on the deck, flipping through a newspaper he had just purchased from a News Coo.
"The Clash of Emperors! The World's Strongest Man vs. The Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Air!"
"Kaido vs. Whitebeard!"
"The Loss of the Tobiroppo and the Destruction of the Grand Fleet!"
"The World's Strongest Fish-Man, Gravely Injured!"
"Jack —The Second Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Air?"
"Kaido's Bloodline! The Oni Princess Yamato!"
"The Ruler of Hachinosu, Ochoku, Intervenes, Ending the War!"
The articles detailed every aspect of the recent war. Garp couldn't help but marvel at the lengths that albatross went to gather such detailed information.
How did he manage to do it? Even the World Government couldn't get reports this thorough.
That Fish-Man, Jack, had been making a name for himself over the past two years. A body like Kaido's? Impossible to kill?
If that was true… it was quite interesting.
Not that it was Garp's problem. Let Sengoku or the World Government deal with it. But still, he couldn't help but feel curious. Was Jack's body really as special as Kaido's?
BOOM!
The sunlight was abruptly blocked by a massive shadow, prompting Garp to glance upward.
"Bang!"
"Bring the ship closer!"
Crack…
Aokiji, who had been sleeping nearby, disintegrated into shards of ice before re-forming into his human shape. Removing his blindfold, he muttered with annoyance,
"Ah, a troublesome kid. Looks like my nap is over."
Garp looked up at the towering figure of Jack, then down at the hole the intruder had punched into the ship's deck. Without hesitation, he clenched his fist and charged forward.
"Damn brat!"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to fix a ship?!"
BAM!
Jack, who had been utterly nonchalant, was forced to clutch his head in pain, his face contorted.
"What the hell?!"
"What the hell is this old man made of?!"
Jack's thoughts were spinning. How was this guy hitting so hard?
Garp threw aside his cap and barked at Aokiji, "Oi, Kuzan! Freeze the sea! I'm gonna teach this brat a lesson!"
"Then you can go back to sleep! And the rest of you, move the ship out of here!"
Hearing the command, the Marines scrambled to set sail. Once the warship was safely out of range, Aokiji knelt and touched the surface of the water.
"Ice Age."
The surging waves froze solid, spreading rapidly until the sea as far as the eye could see was transformed into ice. Stretching lazily, Aokiji walked off with the Marines, hands behind his head.
Jack, now recovered, took a closer look at Garp. The old man stood about three meters tall—just around the height of his brother on tiptoes.
His hair was mostly black, save for the white streaks at his temples.
Jack couldn't help but feel surprised. Wasn't Garp supposed to be older than Whitebeard? Yet Whitebeard's hair was entirely white, while Garp's only had a bit of gray.
Was he dyeing it? Pretty vain for an old man. Leaving the temples untouched—was he going for a fashionable look?
Then again, with that muscular frame and the dashing little mustache, he might just have a few elderly admirers swooning over him. After all, he was a well-connected officer with rank and power.
But still… why did his punches hurt so much?
Whitebeard didn't hit this hard! His Haki must be something else entirely!
Garp grinned, baring his large white teeth.
"Heh heh heh! A second 'Strongest Creature,' eh? A body like Kaido's? Let's test that theory, shall we?"
With a roar of laughter, Garp charged forward, fist raised.
Jack, refusing to back down, transformed into his hybrid form and met Garp's punch head-on.
Clang!
Crash!
The impact sent Jack's massive frame flying dozens of meters into the air before crashing heavily onto the frozen sea. Had Aokiji not frozen the ocean, he would have plunged straight into the water and lost all ability to fight.
Despite his age, Garp's raw strength surpassed even Kaido's in his prime. This man truly was the Hero of the Marines.
Jack staggered to his feet, his jaw twitching in frustration.
Having immense power was one thing, but this old man's Haki was beyond strange.
It wasn't just strong—it felt like it pierced through his very core, far more intense than the Armament Haki used by either Kaido or Whitebeard.
Even more unsettling was how Garp wielded his Haki so effortlessly, as though it cost him nothing.
No matter how skilled, even Kaido and Whitebeard couldn't infuse every single attack with Armament Haki—it was a finite resource, after all.
But Garp? He used it in every single blow.
This old man wasn't normal.
Jack clenched his fists, glaring at Garp.
This was no ordinary Armament Haki. Was this… the fabled level?
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg