As the smoke and dust in the harbor slowly dissipated, Figaland Garland, who had been blasted into the warship wreckage by Gern’s two fists, remained motionless for a long time.
The Marines watching the battle held their breath, their gaze fixed on the ruins, and for a moment, the air was filled with tension.
On the high platform, Kong’s teacup hung in mid-air, and he was oblivious to the hot tea spilling onto his pants.
Sengoku’s glasses had slipped to the tip of his nose, and his eyes behind the lenses were wide with shock.
Zephyr’s sunglasses were askew, revealing an expression of disbelief.
“Gern’s strength…” Kong’s Adam’s apple bobbed, “Has it increased again?”
“And what was that about his first move just now…?” Sengoku adjusted his glasses, his voice tight.
“Even my Observation Haki couldn’t detect his presence.”
“Garp!” At this, Zephyr suddenly turned to look at a certain grinning individual.
“After Gern lost to Roger back then, you didn’t…?”
“That’s right!” Garp laughed, turning his head to stare at Zephyr.
“After this kid lost to Roger and experienced King-level combat power…
He’s been pestering me to put him through hellish special training again!”
“Hellish training?” The three asked in unison.
“Mhm.” Garp narrowed his eyes, looking at Gern, who was retracting his fists below, and for once, a serious expression appeared on his face.
“For a full six months, he sparred with me without holding back for six months.” Garp narrowed his eyes.
“During this process, other than not going for the kill… I attacked with the most serious attitude every time.”
“Wait!” Kong grabbed Garp’s collar, “You call that training?”
“Don’t be so hasty~” Garp chuckled, swatting his hand away.
“Isn’t there that girl Libo with her Healing Fruit ability!
Every time he was beaten to a pulp, she’d heal him right away, and then I’d beat him again.” He stroked his chin in recollection.
“However, Gern’s growth is also evident to all.
From being defeated in less than four hours at the beginning, he eventually could fight me for three days and three nights continuously, inextricably linked…”
“Fighting you for three days and three nights? Even if you didn’t have the intent to kill like in a real battle, this…” Zephyr was stunned.
“It’s too terrifying! Practicing with Garp to improve his physical combat ability.”
Sengoku looked at the tall figure in the arena: “This kid isn’t a genius at all…”
“He’s a madman.” Kong interjected, “A madman who exchanges his life for strength improvement.”
“Genius or madman, it doesn’t matter.” Garp suddenly reined in his smile, his gaze fixed on the harbor.
“Unfortunately, the troublesome part about the God’s Knights isn’t here…”
“So…” Kong frowned deeply, saying in a low voice,
“That guy… he won’t just end like this, will he?”
“No, if the God’s Knights were that easy to deal with,”
Sengoku pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a sharp glint: “The World Government wouldn’t let them be stationed in Mary Geoise.”
Zephyr crossed his arms, his gaze under his sunglasses heavy: “Garp, what did you mean by ‘what you mentioned’ just now?”
Garp grinned, his gaze still fixed on the direction of the harbor: “Literally.
Those guys’ bodies… aren’t structured like ordinary people.” Before he finished speaking, the ruins in the harbor suddenly exploded, and a golden figure shot into the sky.
Gringo Saint floated in mid-air, his shattered jaw rapidly reforming at a visible speed, flesh and blood wriggling like living matter.
Aside from his chest, which had been shattered by the “Heaven Quake · Instant Kill” imbued with Haoshoku, almost all other areas had recovered.
“Sure enough, it’s still the same.” Garp clicked his tongue, “Exactly like it was at God Valley.”
Kong suddenly turned his head: “Exactly the same?”
“Heh heh…” Garp sneered, “Otherwise, what do you think these bastards relied on to hold back the other Rocks cadres at God Valley?
Forget Shiki, even Whitebeard in his prime would have been gritting his teeth fighting them!”
...
In the center of the plaza, Gern’s pupils contracted slightly.
He clearly saw that Gringo Saint’s shattered bones and internal organs in his chest were rapidly reorganizing.
The flesh and blood beneath his skin wriggled like living matter, and in an instant, he had recovered as before.
Almost fully recovered, Gringo Saint wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, revealing a ferocious smile: “A good punch, but unfortunately useless against me…”
“What a disgusting ability.” Gern sneered, black blade eight desolations twirling in his hand, its blade glinting coldly.
“Surprised, Gern?” Gringo Saint raised his head, his golden long hair still reaching the sky, but at the same time, a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.
“We, the God’s Knights, are ‘immortal’; this is something people like you cannot comprehend.”
Before his words faded, his figure vanished abruptly, and the next moment he appeared before Gern, his rapier piercing straight for Gern’s throat with a sharp sword qi!
“Clang!” black blade eight desolations collided with the rapier, sparks flying.
Gern used the force to retreat, his eyes burning with even greater battle intent: “Immortal body? Then I’ll see how many times you can recover!”
Gringo Saint sneered, his sword stance suddenly changing, a strange black energy coiling around the blade: “Ignorance is bliss.”
Their figures rapidly intertwined on the plaza, amidst the flashing blades and swords, the ground constantly cracked, and shockwaves swept in all directions.
The Marine soldiers had to retreat, fearing being affected by the aftermath.
On the plaza, Gringo Saint’s rapier struck out like a venomous snake, its tip wrapped in Armament Haki, aiming directly for Gern’s throat.
Facing this attack, Gern could have easily dodged, but Gringo Saint’s tactic made him frown slightly.
The opponent completely abandoned defense, allowing black blade eight desolations to cut into his shoulder!
“Pfft!” The sharp blade deeply embedded itself into Gringo Saint’s shoulder blade, and with the vibrating particles, his entire shoulder directly exploded.
At the same time, the rapier also pierced Gern’s left arm, drawing out a string of blood drops.
“Taking it head-on?!” Gern snorted, his left fist condensing vibrating particles and smashing violently towards Gringo Saint’s face.
“Bang!” Gringo Saint’s nose bridge shattered with a crack, but he grinned ferociously, advancing instead of retreating.
He let Gern’s fist smash his face, while his left hand formed a claw, fiercely grabbing at Gern’s chest!
“Rip!” Gern’s black shirt was torn with five bloody gashes, and blood instantly soaked his clothes.
“Hahahaha!” Gringo Saint’s twisted and deformed face returned to normal at a visible speed.
His voice was filled with madness, “Keep going! Let’s see who falls first!”
Gern’s eyes narrowed, finally understanding the opponent’s tactic.
He wanted to rely on his almost immortal recovery ability to exchange injuries, slowly wearing him down to death!
“Gern!” Libo, watching from a distance, couldn’t help but exclaim, her rabbit ears perking up nervously.
“Don’t worry.” Sakazuki pressed her shoulder, his voice low, his gaze fixed on Gringo Saint’s chest, which was slow to heal due to the Haoshoku.
“Even I can see it; there’s no way Gern hasn’t seen it.”
Indeed, Gern in the arena suddenly smiled.
He casually wiped the blood from his chest, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes, and tossed Black Blade into the air.
“Since you want to play exchange injuries…” Before his words finished, Gern’s figure suddenly vanished!
“Quake Flash · Consecutive Stars!”
Gringo Saint’s pupils constricted, his Observation Haki failing again!
He instinctively parried with his sword, but heard a cold voice from behind him: “Too slow.”
“Bang!” A heavy punch slammed into Gringo Saint’s back, the shockwave penetrating his body and instantly shattering his heart!
“Pfft!” Gringo Saint spat out a mouthful of blood, but he grinned ferociously and turned to swing his sword, “It’s useless!”
The sword light flashed, but Gern’s figure disappeared once again.
Immediately following were his left leg, right leg, elbow strike, knee strike; each Quake Flash was accompanied by a heavy blow.
For a moment, from the perspective of others, they only saw countless white starlights flashing around Figaland Garland.
Immediately after, Gringo Saint began wildly contorting his body as if being beaten by the air.
“Exchange injuries? You’re not qualified!” Gern flashed again, his left hand forming a blade, and the hand blade, formed by high-frequency vibrating particles, directly pierced into Gringo Saint’s abdomen!
“Puff!” His palm emerged from Gringo Saint’s back, bringing out a large amount of internal organ fragments.
“Cough…” Gringo Saint coughed up blood from the corner of his mouth, but he was still smiling.
“Is that all? What’s the use?!” He suddenly tightened his abdominal muscles, actually clamping Gern’s arm tightly.
At the same time, he raised his rapier high, slashing down towards Gern’s neck!
At the critical moment, Gern’s right leg whipped out like a whip, fiercely kicking Gringo Saint’s sword-wielding wrist.
“Crack!” The sound of shattering wrist bones was clearly audible, and the rapier flew out of his hand.
“Really? Will you really be immortal? If so, I’m going to have fun playing with new skills.”
Gern said coldly, his trapped arm suddenly furiously condensing vibrating particles, the white energy circle even expanding out of Gringo Saint’s body.
“Explosion!”
“Heaven Quake · High-Frequency Quake Burst!”
“Boom!!!”
Gringo Saint’s abdomen exploded into a huge bloody hole, the impact tearing his upper and lower body almost apart!
His shattered body flew backward like a rag, heavily crashing into the ground.
The entire place was silent.