Chapter 80: The Zodiac? Let's See What You're Made Of!
East Blue, near the Goa Kingdom.
The dog-head warship, HQ-3, sailed across the azure sea, a bone clamped in the figurehead's jaws.
"That brat Luffy! He actually dared to fight his own grandfather! I don't know where he learned that stubborn streak!"
Vice Admiral Garp, wearing his dog-head hat, sat on the deck munching on rice crackers, still annoyed.
"..."
Beside him, his adjutant, Bogard, remained silent.
The Marine Commodore, dressed in a sharp suit and fedora with a katana at his waist, glanced at Garp helplessly.
Where he learned it? Do you really need to ask?
Obviously from the grandfather who punched him into a jungle and left him there because he wouldn't listen!
Out of respect for Garp, Bogard waited a moment before asking, "You could have just knocked him out and taken him with us, sir."
Crunch... Hm?
Garp chewed his cracker, glanced at Bogard, and grinned. "What's the point in that?"
A ship with a forced mast can't survive the storms of the sea.
He wanted his grandson to be a Marine, but...
"That brat has his own path. He has to want to walk it himself!"
He laughed, handing the empty cracker bag to Bogard. "Bogard! Get me another bag!"
"..."
Bogard took the bag with a resigned smile. "As expected of you, sir."
He shook his head and stood up, casually scanning the surrounding sea.
Then...
"Hm?"
His gaze froze.
In the distance, he faintly saw a figure standing on the water.
The figure was extremely far away, just a tiny black dot, and didn't seem to be on a ship. The lookouts hadn't even noticed it yet.
But for a powerhouse like Bogard, it was enough.
"Life Return: Eagle Eye!"
Sensing something amiss, Bogard decisively used Life Return to enhance his vision.
Then...
Seeing the figure clearly, his expression changed drastically.
He realized the figure wasn't standing on the water.
To be precise, he was standing on a... top hat.
The hat was unique. It looked like a small, personal watercraft, emitting steam from the brim as it sailed across the sea.
But that wasn't important.
The sea was full of weird ships—Mihawk sailed around in a coffin, after all.
The key point was the mask on the figure's face... a Pig Mask!
A Sea Beast Head Mask!
And right now, within the Marines, this common South Blue souvenir was a highly sensitive item.
"A Pig Mask... not one of the known ones. Just a copycat?"
Muttering, Bogard placed his hand on his katana.
"One way to find out."
SHING!
He drew his blade.
"Iai Slash: Flowing Water!"
A flying slash shot from the deck, far surpassing Lanley's power.
Yes—although both were Commodores, Bogard was only a Commodore because Garp was a Vice Admiral. He had refused promotion to stay by Garp's side.
In terms of strength, he was no weaker than a Headquarters Vice Admiral!
His slash flowed like water, changing shape as it flew, intending to encircle the figure on the sea.
Clearly...
Without knowing the situation, he didn't intend to harm the target immediately, just trap him.
But in the next instant, his pupils constricted.
He saw it clearly. The moment his slash neared the figure...
VMMM!
Silently, the slash that should have cut the sea... vanished into thin air.
"!!!"
Seeing this, Bogard's heart went cold.
He was almost certain now.
A powerhouse who could annihilate his slash silently—this was definitely 'The Zodiac'! The fourth member, unknown to the Marines!
Why was he in the East Blue? Why near the Goa Kingdom?
Bogard didn't know.
But he gripped his sword again.
Just then...
"Bogard."
He heard a voice.
Turning, he saw Garp standing up.
"Hold this for me."
Garp took off his dog-head hat and tossed it to Bogard, walking onto the deck.
CRACK!
CRACK!
He cracked his knuckles, the sound like gunfire.
A boisterous grin spread across his face. "Perfect. Luffy pissed me off a bit—I'll handle this guy personally."
...
"I actually ran into him..."
On the distant sea.
Under the Pig Mask, Roy's expression was grim.
In the East Blue... as a criminal... running into the Marine Hero.
Although he had a bad feeling about this, seeing the worst-case scenario unfold was still a headache.
"Fighting the old man here is pointless—but luckily, we're still far apart."
"I need to retreat immediately."
Inoshishi thought, looking down at the top hat beneath his feet, feeling slightly reassured.
This hat was a 'forged item' created by fusing a personal speedboat and a top hat using the Munch-Munch Fruit.
It could store items and was fast. At this distance, it should be enough to...
"Hm!?"
Suddenly, Inoshishi's expression changed.
He felt the entire sea vibrating violently.
Something was coming!
"A slash... no, what is that?"
He turned around instantly.
And he saw it.
On the prow of the dog-head warship.
The white-haired Marine's coat fluttered in the wind as he prepared to punch.
And from his gathering fist... Haki, condensed to the extreme, was causing the sea to riot.
Water sprayed, currents churned, and Roy could hear the air cracking and popping across the distance.
"Bwahahahaha! The Zodiac—the guys giving Sengoku and the Government a headache! Let's see what you're made of!"
Garp laughed, his voice booming across the sea.
Black-red Conqueror's Haki crackled like lightning around his fist.
He punched!
"Galaxy Impact!"
☆☆☆
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