One Piece: Raijin

The knife slashing toward Hippolyte D. Asa was coated in Armament Haki, and Major General Mozambique went berserk upon witnessing the deaths of his fellow marines.

"Clang!"

With a swift motion, Asa extended his hardened, pitch-black right hand and firmly grasped the sharp blade. Despite the force behind the attack, the knife couldn't move an inch further, and his palm remained completely unscathed.

"Major General, I can only ask you… huh?"

Just as Asa was about to send Mozambique to hell, he abruptly turned his head. He sensed a warship approaching the shore.

On the deck, marines stood in disciplined formation, each one wearing a neatly arranged uniform, with long swords strapped to their backs and rifles in hand. Their expressions were stern, exuding the aura of seasoned warriors who had undergone rigorous training in various combat techniques.

Unlike the West Blue's branch marines, these men were highly disciplined and obeyed orders without hesitation.

Lieutenant General Hagwal D. Sauro stood with his arms crossed, his face solemn as he observed the approaching dock.

"Lieutenant General, we've arrived. Please be ready!" the adjutant reported seriously.

Their orders from Marine Headquarters were solely to support Mozambique, not to engage the pirates. This alone showed that the higher-ups lacked confidence in their ability to handle Asa. Their objective was simply to extract their personnel safely.

"What an annoying fly," Asa sighed in mild irritation.

With a sudden burst of strength, he wrenched the weapon from Mozambique's grasp and followed up with a powerful kick to his abdomen.

The force was overwhelming. It felt as if Mozambique had been struck by a cannonball, sending him hurtling through the air before crashing into a row of buildings on either side of the street. His head tilted lifelessly before he was buried under the collapsing debris.

"I've eaten and drank my fill. Guess I'll play with you guys for a bit!"

"Heaven's Judgement!"

Asa turned his gaze toward the harbor and murmured in a low voice. His Conqueror's Haki spread across the pier in an instant.

"Zzzzzzt!"

A dazzling blue lightning bolt crackled into existence, illuminating the sky so intensely that it overshadowed the sun. The electrified strike shot straight toward the marines on the warship.

"Lightning?! Hippolyte D. Asa has discovered us!"

The brilliant glow caught the marines off guard. Instinctively, they raised their arms to shield their eyes from the blinding radiance.

Then, the lightning crashed down mercilessly!

"Thunder hee hee hee! The control Asa has over lightning is truly terrifying…"

Sauro's massive frame occupied nearly a third of the warship's deck. As the attack descended, he let out a strange chuckle, then extended his thick arms protectively over the marines behind him.

Without hesitation, he used his sheer physical might to tank the blow directly.

Giants possessed incredible strength and vitality. If an attack couldn't break through their natural defenses, it posed no real threat.

And Hagwal D. Sauro was no ordinary giant—he was a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters. His resilience was on an entirely different level.

"Szzzzt!"

"Boom!!"

Sauro absorbed the impact, taking half a step back as he clenched his enormous fist and swung it at the dissipating lightning. A burst of brilliant light flared, and when it faded, a wisp of black smoke curled from his knuckles.

He had blocked Asa's Heaven's Judgement with his bare hands!

The marines, still in the safety of Sauro's shadow, felt a surge of relief and admiration.

"The giants truly are blessed by nature," Asa muttered as he observed the scene.

Not only were they physically formidable, but they also lived over two centuries—far longer than ordinary humans. The only mystery was whether giants could utilize Armament Haki.

Still, given that Elbaf was known as the world's most powerful nation, it was likely that they possessed unique combat techniques. Charlotte Linlin had once expressed that if she could acquire their strength, she would be far more powerful than she was—even after attaining the rank of Yonko.

However, Hagwal D. Sauro was not an Elbaf giant. Whether he possessed any special abilities remained uncertain.

"Lieutenant General, we don't see Hippolyte D. Asa anywhere near the port!" a scout reported from the observation deck.

"Thunder hee hee hee! The Rumble-Rumble Fruit allows for long-range attacks. Don't let your guard down!" Sauro chuckled, but a trace of confusion crossed his face.

For someone so young, Asa was shockingly proficient with Haki. Even though Sauro couldn't see him, the attacks kept coming.

"Boom!"

Another bolt of lightning descended, following the first in rapid succession. The sky darkened as thick clouds rolled in, swirling chaotically. The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on the marines.

"Lieutenant General, be careful!"

"Everyone, prepare to disembark!"

The marines shouted in alarm, while Sauro's adjutant quickly ordered the gangplanks to be lowered.

"I broke the donut-eating record again! Wahahaha!"

Onboard a dog-headed warship, Garp laughed heartily, his iconic dog-head hat bouncing with each motion.

Adjutant Bogart frowned, his expression darkened by frustration.

"Vice Admiral Garp, please be serious! The marines in Carnival City are in danger!"

"Ah, you're right!" Garp scratched his head sheepishly before bursting into laughter again. "But I need to find Roger—that's my mission! That brat Asa is still too young."

The Roger Pirates had disappeared along the fourth route of the Grand Line. Some believed they had been swept away by an upwelling current. There had been no news of them, as if they had vanished into thin air.

But Garp wasn't convinced. Given Roger's abilities, it was impossible for him to succumb to such an event. The pirate captain was undoubtedly in hiding.

This time, Roger's actions seemed different—almost as if he were searching for something.

Marine intelligence suggested that his objective aligned with that of the O'Hara archaeologists: the pursuit of ancient history inscribed upon Poneglyphs.

Following this lead, Garp had traced their movements across various islands. He wanted to determine whether the archaeologists were truly connected to Roger's activities.

Then, Marshal Kong contacted him directly via Den Den Mushi, ordering him to hurry to Carnival City and rescue Major General Mozambique.

"Vice Admiral Garp! The sea ahead is experiencing unusual weather patterns. Should we take a detour?" the navigator reported.

"Huh?"

For once, Garp didn't dismiss the warning outright. His brows furrowed as he observed the ever-shifting clouds ahead. Bolts of lightning flickered within the storm, and he closed his eyes momentarily, using his Haki to sense the presence behind the disturbance.

"Increase speed. Those lightning strikes are unnatural—they're being controlled. It has to be that brat, Asa! I'll go on ahead!"

With that, Garp leapt into the air without hesitation. He propelled himself forward with sheer physical force, moving hundreds of meters in a single bound.

On Sauro's warship, the marines heard an impact even more terrifying than the lightning. When they turned their heads, they spotted a figure soaring across the sky at high speed.

The moment they recognized the man, their expressions transformed into pure elation.

"It's Vice Admiral Garp!"

"Vice Admiral Garp is here—we're saved!"

The soldiers erupted into cheers, while even Sauro breathed a sigh of relief.

Garp's arrival signified hope.

To them, he wasn't just a marine officer—he was a living legend.

(End Of Chapter)

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