Chapter 31: Sparring with Garp

Under Garp’s satisfied gaze, Buggy and his two subordinates quickly donned the Navy’s cloak of justice. The bold characters for “Justice” billowed behind Buggy, leaving Garen utterly bewildered.

“Big news, big news!”
“A crew member of the Pirate King has been reformed by Navy Hero Garp and decided to abandon the darkness and become a marine?”
Wallace, whose mind was awash with one sensational headline after another, was beside himself with excitement. Seizing the opportunity, he snapped a flurry of photos of Buggy, the clown, now clad in the navy’s cloak.
Not content with mere photographs, Wallace approached Buggy with a reverent expression, interviewing him face-to-face.
At this moment, the identities of Garen and his companions as law-abiding citizens had been confirmed, so no navy soldier came forward to interrupt the passionate reporter’s activities.

“Oh? A reporter, is it?”
Buggy’s demeanor was calm, a far cry from the panic and distress he had shown just moments earlier.

“That’s right...”
Buggy straightened the somewhat crooked cloak of justice on his shoulders and adopted an enigmatic pose before the camera:
“I’ve long wanted to become a marine.”
“It was precisely because I yearned for justice and couldn’t bear to bring further calamity to the world that I remained dormant in East Blue, refraining from action.”
“Otherwise...”
Wallace’s eyes lit up, cleverly completing Buggy’s sentence:
“Otherwise, with your status as a Pirate King’s crew member, if you’d stayed on the Grand Line...”
“The world would surely have gained yet another Emperor whose name would shake the masses!”
“Exactly, exactly...”
Buggy nodded with satisfaction, then spoke in a deep, measured tone:
“Shanks’ ideological depth still falls a little short of mine.”
“Blindly spreading chaos across the world is not the vision Captain Roger wanted to see!”
“Master Buggy truly has extraordinary bearing!”
Wallace, busy recording Buggy’s remarks, spared no effort in his praise.

“But...”
Wallace’s excitement suddenly faltered: “Why did you fire upon our ship earlier?”
“That...”
Buggy’s face flashed with embarrassment, but in the next instant he regained the aloof composure of a reclusive master:
“It was all a misunderstanding.”
“I thought you were the notorious Steel Blade Pirates, so I decided to strike decisively to vanquish evil!”
Buggy’s performance grew ever more elaborate, his flamboyant red nose unable to halt his ever-expanding imagination:
“When I realized I’d mistakenly harmed innocents, I restrained myself from striking with full force.”
“Letting that knight lad cut me twice was my way of settling the previous score.”
“So that’s how it was!”
Wallace recorded Buggy’s words with utmost seriousness, eyes brimming with reverence.

“Ha ha ha ha!”
Buggy crossed his arms, bursting into a triumphant laugh:
“Yes, this is me—Buggy, the partner of justice—displaying the style of a true general!”
These two kindred spirits left Miss Nami twitching at the corners of her mouth.
After just one day, Nami could no longer resist the urge to measure the water capacity of the reporter’s brain.

Meanwhile...

Having successfully recruited Buggy as a subordinate, Garp, now thoroughly pleased, finally had time to turn his attention to Garen.

“Knight boy!”
Garp strode over to Garen, speaking with enthusiasm:
“Your abilities seem rather interesting... How about a sparring match with me?”
“Sparring?!”
It was the surrounding navy soldiers who exclaimed first, never expecting they’d have the chance to witness Vice Admiral Garp’s combat at such close range.

Smoker, meanwhile, quietly cast Garen a sympathetic glance:
Back at Navy Headquarters, Garp, who doubled as an instructor, enjoyed sparring with talented and capable young officers.
Through such matches, he broadened their horizons and ensured those gifted prodigies understood... just how vast the world truly was.
So, young men who’d sparred with Garp rarely left the training ground on their own two feet...

“With you, sir?”
Garen unconsciously used an honorific for the older man before him, whose aura and strength far exceeded anything he’d imagined:
“I think... I’d rather live a few more years.”

“Come now, don’t talk like that!”
Garp gave Garen’s shoulder a hearty slap and encouraged him:
“To defeat Smoker in three rounds—East Blue hasn’t seen a young man like you in many years...”
“Besides, it’s just a friendly match. No need to hesitate!”

“Well...”
Garen was unsure.
But ultimately, he couldn’t suppress his urge to experience peak combat strength firsthand and agreed to Garp’s somewhat outrageous proposal:
“All right, I accept!”
“But, please, let’s keep it light!”
Garen reminded him earnestly, a little afraid the legendary Garp might get too excited and accidentally flatten him with a single punch.

“Of course!”
Garp smiled amiably: “I’m always careful with my strength!”

The news that the nameless knight of East Blue, with the strength of a Navy Headquarters Admiral, would spar with the Navy Hero Iron Fist Garp instantly ignited the atmosphere aboard the warship.

For a brief moment, Buggy, who had enjoyed the spotlight as a former Pirate King’s crew member, was overshadowed by Garen, who had bested a Logia-type colonel and cut down a Pirate King’s crew member.

The navy soldiers, thrilled, formed a large circle on the deck, focusing their excited gazes on Garp and Garen.

Wallace, too, temporarily abandoned Buggy and squeezed to the front, camera in hand, securing a prime viewing spot.

No sooner had Wallace snapped a couple of shots than the crowd behind him stirred, making way for a sword-wielding young woman.

It was Sergeant Tashigi of Navy Headquarters, a female swordswoman keenly interested in the swordsmanship of Garen, the mysterious “sword hero.”

“Let’s begin!”
Garp crossed his arms, casually taking his place before Garen, and with an encouraging look in his eyes, said:
“Knight boy, you make the first move.”

As he spoke, Garp’s gaze held a hint of anticipation.
He wished to experience firsthand the young man’s unique abilities.

“Yes, sir!”
Garen accepted without hesitation.
He knew that if he didn’t make the first move, he might never get another chance.

“Decisive Strike!”

Garen’s greatsword suddenly shone.

“Oh?”
Garp’s interest deepened:
That glow on the sword...
Strangely, he felt an aura of “justice” and “light.”

It was merely a sword’s radiance, yet it faintly affected one’s subjective feelings, causing even the well-traveled Garp to be moved.

Still, Garp remained standing, seemingly awaiting Garen’s next attack.

Garen wasted no time, raising his sword high and charging at Garp, delivering a straightforward, unembellished slash.

Too slow...
His sword technique was crude...
His victory over Smoker had indeed been a stroke of luck.

Facing the incoming blade, Garp felt no panic. Instead, he calmly evaluated Garen’s strength in those brief moments.

As the sword’s edge was about to descend, Garp finally reacted.

Using no special technique, he simply shifted to the side with effortless, instinctive speed...

With such a vast gap in strength, Garp needed little thought to dodge the attack.

Then, in that split-second...

Garp’s eyes narrowed—

His powerful Observation Haki suddenly sensed danger:

The sword’s edge, which he had already avoided, abruptly changed trajectory, accelerating along his evasive path, and was about to strike his shoulder in the next instant.

But Garp, a world-class powerhouse, seized the moment, even with only a fraction of a second to spare:

“Soru!”

With explosive force, Garp’s legs propelled him with a unique technique, sending his body darting across the deck like a phantom.

For the first time, he had become serious.

Neither Garen, Smoker, nor anyone else present could follow Garp’s movements.

A sudden gale swept the deck, making it difficult for nearby sailors to keep their eyes open.

Garp’s figure appeared instantly more than ten meters away, while Garen stood frozen in place, sword raised, still in the act of striking.

Everything had happened so quickly that Garen wasn’t even sure if his blow had connected.

Yet Garp was even more stunned:

He touched his shoulder, almost incredulous—

His shoulder was largely unharmed, bearing only a shallow cut, barely breaking the skin.

But the cloak of justice and suit sleeve there had been slashed open by the greatsword, leaving him looking rather disheveled.

“I still couldn’t avoid his attack?”

Garp finally showed surprise.

The audience erupted.

“Vice Admiral Garp was actually wounded?!”

Wallace, instinctively snapping photos of the shocking scene, murmured in disbelief:

“Could it be... he really possesses the strength of an Admiral?”