Chapter 81: 'Pluton' the Ancient Weapon, A.K.A. Inoshishi!
On the sea, Garp's punch lived up to its name—it was like a meteor shower.
Even from this distance, wherever his fist pointed, the sea surface was forcefully compressed and caved in by sheer power!
Black-red Conqueror's Haki swept through the area, leaving fish and sea creatures belly-up in its wake.
"EH!?"
Even the Marines on Garp's ship stared wide-eyed in shock.
Although they served under Garp, many had never seen his true power. At his age and status, any small-time pirates were usually handled by Bogard.
Even when the old man wanted a workout, he usually just threw cannonballs.
So, this was their first time seeing Garp throw a serious punch.
Is that even a punch? That 'meteor' looks like it could flatten a mountain!
"Vice Admiral Garp's serious punch..."
Bogard, who had sheathed his sword, crossed his arms and looked toward the distant target.
He knew—this wasn't Garp's full power.
But even so, it was a serious strike, infused with Armament and Conqueror's Haki, delivered with the legendary 'Iron Fist.'
Few notorious pirates on the sea could withstand this single blow.
"It's over."
He thought to himself, ready to order the men to retrieve the body.
"Running into a Zodiac member by accident... we have to bring him back to Headquarters."
But just as Bogard made that judgment...
"Hm?"
His pupils constricted.
In the distance.
The top hat beneath Inoshishi's feet bobbed like a leaf in a storm, tilting precariously.
But Inoshishi stood straight as a rod.
He opened his hand toward the massive meteor.
"Munch-Mark: Omni-Gate!"
The powers of the Mark-Mark Fruit and Munch-Munch Fruit activated simultaneously.
VMMM!
The Haki-infused strike was swallowed by the Mark-Mark ability, transferred directly into his mouth.
Then, the Munch-Munch Fruit digested the immense force, turning it into a part of his body.
But...
"..."
Watching the rapidly shrinking fist wind, Inoshishi's eyes under the mask flashed with cold realization.
"I couldn't fully transfer or digest it."
He could feel it.
The fruit combination worked on Garp's punch, but not perfectly.
It was like eating rice mixed with grit—the swallowing and transfer speed slowed down, allowing some residual force to hit him directly.
"Is this the suppression effect of top-tier Haki on Devil Fruit abilities?"
Inoshishi understood.
A Haki user who truly mastered 'Mind, Body, and Technique' could resist or even suppress fruit abilities.
Like Law using Haki to negate Doc Q's disease, or Shanks suppressing Green Bull's transformation from miles away.
Roy hadn't encountered anyone like that before.
But clearly, Garp was that level of Haki master.
His fist force and Haki couldn't be fully devoured even by the Munch-Munch and Mark-Mark combo.
But...
"Even if I can't devour it all, I got most of it."
"Thinking you can defeat me with just the residual force is impossible."
Whispering, Inoshishi let the remaining force hit him.
CLANG!
CLANG!
Force enough to flatten a mountain struck Inoshishi, but it only produced the sound of metal clashing.
Forget defeat—Inoshishi didn't even have a scratch.
If the Revolutionaries were here, they would recognize Inoshishi's physique.
[Munch-Fusion Body: Pluto Alloy]
Yes—as a Munch-Munch user and the creator of Pluto Alloy, Inoshishi had naturally enjoyed a hearty meal of the alloy sashimi.
So, he could transform his body into 'Pluto Alloy'!
As mentioned before, this alloy used to build Pluton was nearly indestructible!
BOOM!
Inoshishi waved his hand, dispersing the remaining fist wind.
He stood firm on the sea.
"Impossible... He took Vice Admiral Garp's punch with his body without dodging!?"
Bogard stared in disbelief.
Following Garp for so many years, he had never seen anyone tank Garp's punch like this. Even Roger wouldn't take it head-on.
"What is that guy's body made of?"
"Bwahahaha!"
Garp laughed loudly. "Young people these days have sturdy bones!"
He didn't seem to mind his punch being blocked.
But as he laughed...
VMMM!
Intense aura and Haki fluctuations interrupted him.
Garp and Bogard turned to see Inoshishi mimicking a punching motion.
ZZZT! ZZZT!
The powerful Haki and surging force were all too familiar to them.
"My Haki?"
Garp was startled.
The next moment, Inoshishi punched!
"Munch-Return: Meteor Shower!"
His body seemed to transform into the 'meteor' Garp had just thrown.
Haki-wrapped fists punched repeatedly, each one launching a slightly smaller version of Garp's meteor!
Even though smaller, the sight of continuous meteors streaking across the sea was terrifying.
"Actually..."
Bogard's usually stoic face showed shock and disbelief.
Garp, after a moment of surprise, laughed again.
"Absorbing my punch and Haki, then returning it? First time I've heard of an ability like that!"
He chuckled, clenching his fist again. "But..."
BOOM!
He punched again.
The approaching 'meteors' were shattered by the shockwave of this single punch!
"Hey! Kid..."
His voice boomed like thunder across the sea. "You think you can beat me with my own fist!?"
Indeed.
To him, these weakened meteors weren't even a threat.
But...
THUMP!
A booming sound from the distance interrupted Garp.
THUMP!
Seconds later, it sounded again, louder.
THUMP!
Ten seconds later, a third time, even louder.
Fourth, fifth—the sound grew until it was like thunder.
"It's that Zodiac guy... what is that sound? Does he have another move!?"
Bogard looked toward Inoshishi. The sound was definitely coming from him.
"Bogard!"
Garp's voice cut in.
"Take everyone into the 'Training Room' in the bilge! Now!"
The usually carefree old man was uncharacteristically serious.
"Vice Admiral Garp..."
Bogard was stunned.
The 'Training Room' in the bilge was where Garp practiced punching. It was lined with the highest density of Seastone on the ship—a nearly indestructible shelter.
"Go. Now."
Garp didn't explain. There was no time.
Bogard didn't hesitate.
"Soru!"
He flashed across the deck, grabbing Marines and throwing them into the hold.
Garp stared at Inoshishi.
THUMP!
The thunderous sound continued.
Garp smelled it.
Something was coming.
His Observation Haki scanned the surroundings.
Then...
"Hm!?"
He noticed an anomaly.
Among the countless 'Meteor Punches' he had just shattered...
In the debris of one meteor, a tiny metal fragment was floating on the sea.
And on that fragment was a microscopic Mark Point!
Meanwhile...
"I know I can't beat you with those punches."
"But I had no choice—at this distance, I can't mark you directly. This was the best way to send the mark over."
Inoshishi thought.
He looked at the distant warship.
THUMP!
The sound exploded again.
It came from inside his body.
If anyone could see inside him, they would find...
A mass of energy was constantly 'exploding.'
THUMP!
Each explosion released immense destructive power, which was then absorbed by the Munch-Munch Fruit!
Then, the absorbed energy reappeared inside him, exploded again, and generated even more power.
[Munch-Munch Fruit: Can swallow and absorb anything into the body.]
[Bomb-Bomb Fruit: Any part of the body can become a bomb, and the user is immune to explosion damage.]
This created Inoshishi's current action.
He was continuously compressing the power of the explosion!
"Every compression takes longer for the Munch-Munch Fruit to absorb. It's too slow and draining for real combat... but in this situation, it's perfect."
THUMP!
The boom was deafening.
"Fifteen compressions—stamina drain is high, and he's found the mark. This is the limit."
Inoshishi whispered.
He opened his mouth.
"Munch-Mark: Fusion Cannon!"
The compressed energy sphere vanished from his body.
Instantly...
VMMM!
A blinding white sphere of energy appeared without warning at the location of the metal fragment near HQ-3!
The seawater evaporated instantly. The ocean surface seemed to be pressed down by an invisible giant hand.
Then...
KA-BOOM—
The explosion happened!
A massive shockwave tore the clouds apart, leaving a giant hole in the sky.
A colossal mushroom cloud rose from the sea.
But...
From within that massive explosion, strong enough to shatter a small island...
BOOM!
Black-red lightning crashed down from the torn sky.
In that moment, Inoshishi felt a terrifying aura and power from within the mushroom cloud.
He saw the flames engulfing HQ-3 actually begin to cave in.
"As expected of the 'Marine Hero'..."
Inoshishi wasn't surprised.
Even with this strike, the outcome was undecided.
That earth-shaking Haki was proof.
"To beat a top-tier monster like that, fifteen compressions aren't nearly enough... I need to increase the speed or intensity."
"But—it's enough to escape this pointless fight."
Whispering, Inoshishi didn't hesitate.
He turned his top hat boat and sped away toward the horizon.
Just as Inoshishi disappeared...
WHOOSH!
The mushroom cloud and flames were dispersed by roaring Haki and fist wind, revealing the HQ-3.
Bogard peeked out from the hold.
And froze.
The HQ-3 was completely transformed.
The warship, built by top Marine shipwrights to weather any storm, was twisted and deformed!
The stern and most of the deck had melted and vaporized in the heat.
Only the cabin area was intact, covered in a layer of black Armament Haki—the reason Bogard and the crew survived.
And...
"Vice Admiral... Garp!?"
Bogard saw him.
Garp's coat and shirt had turned to ash.
And on Garp's body, Bogard saw blackness.
Part of it was his Haki armor.
But the other part... was gruesome burns.
Bogard stood frozen.
He couldn't remember the last time he saw Garp injured like this.
"Bwahahaha! I really am getting old."
Garp, however, seemed in high spirits. "Couldn't completely shatter that explosion. Gotta add extra training tomorrow!"
"But..."
He looked through the dissipating cloud toward the distant sea.
His eyes were serious and solemn.
"The Zodiac..."
It was a gravity the Hero hadn't shown since the execution of Roger 19 years ago.
"That kid wore a Pig Mask. I assume his name is 'Inoshishi'?"
"Y-Yes, sir."
"Report this to Sengoku when we get back. That kid's ability is dangerous."
"Of course!"
Needless to say.
Looking at the scarred sea and Garp's injuries—'dangerous' was an understatement.
Among the known Zodiac members, this one might have the highest destructive power.
But then, Garp mused, "Hmm, and..."
"Yes, sir?" Bogard asked seriously.
"Go get me two bags of rice crackers. They're behind the training dummy in the bilge."
"...Huh?"
☆☆☆
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