A barrage of massive wooden fists came crashing down.
But—
Garp simply raised his own fists.
A shocking burst of Haki surged outward. The massive wooden fists, now coated with Kairos Flint's Armament Haki, were instantly shattered into countless splinters by Garp's overwhelming force.
Fist Bone Impact!!!
Garp unleashed his tremendous Haki without restraint.
The force clashed head-on with Kairos Flint's attack.
Each of the colossal fists was torn apart by Garp's brute strength and iron-hard Haki, disintegrating into flying sawdust.
With a single blow—
A third of Kairos Flint's wooden fist barrage was obliterated.
But to Kairos Flint, this didn't matter.
As long as his power kept flowing, even if 80–90% of the giant fists were destroyed, it wouldn't be enough. Under his control, any destroyed fists would instantly regenerate.
An unending torrent.
Still, the fact that Garp could destroy so many with just one attack showed how powerful he truly was.
If the remaining wooden fists had crashed into the G-2 naval base…
That entire base would've been leveled.
The same could be said for Kairos Flint's Divine Skill — Thousand-Armed Buddha. The power was monstrous.
"What overwhelming strength," Kairos Flint murmured.
Garp laughed and spoke with a trace of helplessness.
"But I can't let you keep going like this."
He hadn't wanted to get involved.
After all, Garp had seen too much in his lifetime.
Helping the World Government? Especially cleaning up after the Celestial Dragons' mess? That was something he loathed.
Taking action on their behalf disgusted him.
But at this moment, he had no choice.
If he stood by and did nothing, the three admirals might literally be beaten to death.
The fallout would devastate the Navy's image.
Especially since one of those three was his former student.
He couldn't just watch as Aokiji got trampled in front of him.
"A naval hero as my opponent? I'm honored," Kairos Flint said flatly. "But Garp, if the Navy thinks you can stop me, come on then. Let's see what the legendary hero is really made of."
Kairos Flint wasn't surprised that Garp made a move.
But he wasn't going to treat him any differently just because he was famous.
He owed Garp nothing.
Hero or not, he was still part of the Navy. And Kairos Flint had no reason to give him special treatment.
So…
Divine Skill: Thousand-Armed Buddha – Sky Collapse!!
The shattered fists reformed rapidly, and under Kairos Flint's command, he infused them with the power of the Heavy Stone Slabs ability.
The wooden fists, already immense in size, became immeasurably heavier—far beyond ordinary wood or stone.
They moved.
Behind Kairos, a titanic arm shifted.
Then—
It came crashing down toward Garp with apocalyptic force.
And once again—
Garp didn't dare to let his guard down.
The young man before him…
His strength was absolutely absurd.
Fist Bone Impact!!!
Garp's Armament Haki surged again as he swung.
Another powerful strike.
Dozens of wooden fists were obliterated.
But this time—
He didn't break as many.
He had previously destroyed one-third of the fists in a single strike.
Now, he was only taking out about one-quarter… maybe even just a fifth.
"Did this kid power up again?" Garp muttered.
He was surprised.
But not shocked.
He had seen enough of Kairos Flint's strange powers to expect anything.
Still—
There was something about this young man that defied logic. Every exchange surprised him.
Despite that, Garp didn't hesitate. He focused his Haki, delivering punch after punch.
Giant wooden fists were shattered one after another.
But no matter how many he destroyed—
Some always slipped through.
Those that landed—BOOM!!!
Explosions erupted on the ground like the aftermath of a Buster Call.
No one dared approach.
This was a battle on an entirely different level.
Even the three admirals retreated as soon as the clash between Kairos Flint and Garp began. They gathered what naval forces they could and fell back a safe distance, unwilling to risk being caught in the shockwaves.
After they withdrew—
"This is a battle between emperors…" Aokiji said, his expression grim.
His leg injury was painful, but bearable. What truly worried him was the fight between Garp and Kairos Flint.
Even though he had immense faith in his teacher—
Kairos Flint was still… unknowably powerful.
A deep unease stirred in his chest.
"Damn it! That bastard really has this much strength?!" Akainu growled.
He was furious—not just because the enemy was strong, but because only Garp could stand toe-to-toe with him.
The rest of them… could do nothing.
To a man like Akainu, proud and strong his whole life, it was humiliating.
"To fight Garp to a draw… this guy really is something else," Kizaru muttered.
For once, he wasn't joking.
This wasn't just strong—it was terrifying.
On the side, the Shichibukai didn't move at all.
Not because they were unwilling—
But because they couldn't.
The battle was so intense, so overwhelming, that there wasn't even an opportunity to intervene.
From the moment Garp stepped in, it became a two-man war.
Within their fighting range, the earth and sky were cracking.
Hundreds of colossal wooden fists rained down, regenerating relentlessly.
Only Garp could stand against that.
None of the Shichibukai could have withstood even a few waves.
But—
Among them, one person was watching with a scowl of frustration.
"That shameless old relic! Picking on the younger generation like this!" Hancock hissed.
She didn't bother hiding her disdain.
The other Shichibukai heard her.
So did some of the naval officers nearby.
But no one said anything.
Because from the start, Hancock had been loudly expressing her love for Kairos Flint.
"Damn ice cube! How dare you hurt Lord Kairos?! I'll fight you myself if you touch him again!"
"That creepy-looking general—ugh! Attacking Lord Kairos like that?! Good thing Lord Kairos is too strong for him!"
"Three generals ganging up on Lord Kairos? Tch… He's still standing. They're trash compared to him."
At first, people thought Hancock was a spy from Kairos Flint's faction.
But after listening to her for a while…
They realized something else:
The most beautiful woman in the world was hopelessly infatuated.
She was Kairos Flint's most vocal admirer—no, his simp.
People looked at her perfect, flawless beauty—
Then back at Kairos Flint.
He'd somehow made the world's most unattainable woman worship him like a god.
They muttered bitterly:
"That damn Kairos Flint… what a monster…"