Chapter 14: Barrett vs. Garp!
Barrett was, of course, very familiar with Garp.
During his years with the Roger Pirates, whenever they encountered the fleet led by Garp, their side would inevitably fight while retreating.
Garp's terrifying combat power, capable of matching Roger's, had left an extremely deep impression on him.
Although he was confident that with a few more years, his strength could definitely rival Garp's, and in another ten years, forget Garp, even if Roger were resurrected, he should be able to defeat him.
After all, both Garp and Roger were much older than him.
The problem was, at this stage, he knew full well that Garp was still stronger.
But so what?
Barrett's eyes sharpened, his aura and fighting spirit burning fiercely like blue flames.
"Even you, Garp, will have to pay a price to defeat me!" he sneered, cracking his thick neck.
"Hahahaha, not a bad aura! It's just a pity you became a pirate. You used to be a kingdom's general, practically military-born. How did you end up on that bastard Roger's pirate ship?"
Garp looked at Barrett with eyes full of regret for wasted talent, then continued:
"And you ate that useless fruit! What the hell good is that thing for you? That bastard Roger didn't even stop you!"
Hearing Garp call Roger a bastard repeatedly, Barrett grew even more furious.
Roger was, after all, his former captain, and the target he chased in life.
How could he allow others to insult him like this?
"Joining Roger's ship—I don't regret it!"
"If it weren't for this Clank-Clank Fruit, I would have died long ago in that country where the war never ended!"
As soon as his voice fell, a surging wave of deep blue energy erupted from Barrett, sweeping outwards in all directions.
Garp's expression remained unchanged as the wave washed over him.
Apart from his Justice Coat fluttering loudly behind him, his figure stood as firm as Mount Tai.
"So you can freely control Conqueror's Haki now? Not bad. Much stronger than the last time I saw you," Garp commented casually.
"But you've caused too much trouble this time, kid. I'm definitely taking you to Impel Down. So cherish this fight, because for the long years ahead, you'll only be staying in a dark cage."
"Old man! Don't look down on me!"
Barrett roared in fury, his eyes filled with killing intent.
He struck first, his entire body enveloped in a deep blue aura, charging forward like a raging comet skimming the ground.
The earth cracked and sank layer by layer wherever he passed.
"Die!"
He crossed the two-hundred-meter distance between them almost in the blink of an eye.
His pair of blackened fists, glowing faintly blue, were held together above his head like a battering ram, accompanied by a sonic boom, smashing down fiercely towards Garp from above!
[Dong————]
A black iron fist, looking several sizes smaller, met it from below.
Instantly, a deafening sound of metal colliding rang out.
Rings of translucent, ripple-like shockwaves spread out wave after wave from the point of contact between the fists.
The ground within a hundred-meter radius beneath Garp's feet completely shattered.
Large swathes of surrounding buildings were lifted and collapsed by the fierce wind.
"How is that possible!"
Barrett's eyes looked like they were about to crack.
He discovered that the combined force of both his fists couldn't shake that 'tiny' black iron fist at all.
[Thump!]
The next moment, sharp pain erupted from his abdomen.
Garp's other iron fist had smashed viciously into him.
[Boom!]
As the terrifying fist power exploded in his gut, Barrett was sent flying backward even faster than he came, ultimately crashing hard into the rocky mountainside behind him, kicking up a large cloud of dust and smoke.
"Brat, if you want to beat my iron fist, you need another hundred years of training!" Garp laughed heartily.
At the same time, he thought to himself that the rumors of Barrett fighting Rayleigh to a draw were indeed unreliable, or perhaps Rayleigh had intentionally held back.
Because judging from the power Barrett had just displayed, he hadn't yet crossed the threshold of the world's top powerhouses.
Meanwhile, the rocks burying Barrett began to tremble, the shaking area rapidly expanding and rising.
In just ten seconds or so, a rock giant, visually estimated to be a full thirty meters tall, stood before Garp.
But it wasn't over!
A layer of blue-black substance spread rapidly over the rock giant like wet paint, covering it from top to bottom.
In an instant, the originally earth-yellow giant transformed into a blue-black giant gleaming with a metallic luster.
It was so tall that even the Marines on the warships patrolling outside the island could see it at a glance, causing quite a stir.
However, seeing Barrett's transformation, Garp looked bored, picked his nose, and sneered dismissively, "Looks impressive, but it's completely useless!"
On this planet, size means nothing to experts who have mastered Haki.
So what if it's a Sea King thousands of meters long and nearly a hundred meters tall? Can't it still be sliced up by a Marine Vice Admiral with one stroke to supplement the rations?
However, if a giant also masters the power of Haki, that's a different story.
This is why Elbaf is called the world's strongest nation.
Among Haki users of the same level, the Giant Tribe's strength indeed holds a greater advantage.
"Come on! Garp!"
"Let's have a real brawl!"
Transformed into the blue-black giant, Barrett roared towards the sky.
His two massive, thick arms swung, tearing the air with sharp sonic booms, transforming into a sky full of fist shadows that rained down overwhelmingly towards Garp's position.
"Gatling—Heavy Cannon—"
[Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!]
A continuous barrage of heavy punches rained down relentlessly, instantly overwhelming Garp's entire figure.
Only the constantly sinking, shattering ground and plumes of thick, blinding smoke surging skyward could be seen.
Barrett's eyes were filled with madness.
At this moment, Roger's image surfaced in his mind.
Why?
Why did an unbelievably strong man like you just die like that!
I told you clearly, only the weak! Only the weak die so easily!
He still clearly remembered his challenge to Roger.
What now? Who should he surpass? Who must he surpass, who must he defeat, to become truly the world's strongest?
"Kid, concentrate when you're fighting!"
Just then, Barrett, still swinging his giant fists, suddenly heard a voice from behind him.
Garp's figure had appeared there at some unknown point!
Just as he was about to turn his head, a black iron fist, minuscule compared to his own body, struck fiercely against his cheek.
The immense power contained within it wrenched his neck, twisting and stretching it, causing his massive body to crash to the ground with a loud thud.
Pain!
Excruciating pain!
Barrett hadn't expected Garp's fist to inflict such intense pain.
His body was clearly encased in a large amount of rock and covered with the Armament Haki he prided himself on.
But this small fist seemed to carry a strange force, ignoring all the defenses on his body's surface, drilling into him like a nail.
"Kid, you're lonely, aren't you."
End of Chapter