One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

If not for the trouble caused by that maniac, "Phantom Gun," Mad Hat Island wouldn't have suffered such calamity.

The pirates, who should have been bystanders, cursed their luck while scrambling to figure out how to escape safely.

Garp, however, didn't spare these small-time pirates a glance. His sole focus was on Sol, who was desperately fleeing using Moonwalk.

As for the town's pirates, they were left to be handled by Tsuru and the others.

Sol dashed through the air with Moonwalk, ignoring Garp's taunts and focusing solely on escaping.

Seeing that his words had no effect, Garp didn't waste any more breath. He dashed through the streets, steadily closing the distance between them.

Once he got close enough, Garp grabbed a random pirate from the chaos as he ran.

With a powerful leap, he shot high into the air and, using his immense strength, hurled the pirate's body directly at Sol.

The unfortunate pirate didn't even have time to scream before the sheer force of Garp's throw killed him instantly, turning him into a lifeless projectile hurtling toward Sol.

Hearing the whistling sound of something cutting through the air behind him, Sol cursed under his breath. He shifted his Moonwalk trajectory to dodge the flying corpse.

As Garp finished the throwing motion, he used the momentum to flip forward, stepping on air to regain balance. His massive frame hurtled downward like an arrow, landing with enough force to immediately resume his breakneck chase.

The sheer physicality and coordination of his movements were nothing short of astonishing.

Garp repeated his tactic, continuously grabbing nearby pirates and flinging their bodies toward Saul.

Frustrated, Sol had no choice but to dodge each corpse hurtling his way.

If he could free up his hands, Garp wouldn't be able to act so recklessly.

But Garp was well aware of this. That's why he attacked with such impunity.

The relentless barrage slowed Sol down significantly, the distance between them shrinking rapidly.

The wall at the island's edge was now within sight.

As long as he made it past that wall and leapt off the cliff near the pig farm, he'd be free.

Once off the island, Sol could escape without Garp catching up, even with Moonwalk.

But…

"Not enough time."

Sol's heart sank.

"What about another route?"

He quickly scanned his surroundings for alternative escape paths.

Information flooded his mind in an instant, and he made a swift judgment.

No.

Changing direction now would only give Garp a better opportunity to close the gap.

If things continued like this, he wouldn't even make it to the cliff, let alone leap off it.

The only solution was to free up his hands and use his flintlock pistol to interfere with Garp's pursuit.

But since that wasn't an option, the situation had become dire.

"Damn it."

Sol cursed again.

Age had taken its toll. His body wasn't what it used to be.

Yet the relentless Garp, despite being over seventy, moved with the vigor of a man in his prime.

Sol gritted his teeth.

In this moment of crisis, he had to make a decision.

If he wanted to escape unscathed, abandoning Maude and Sunny was the simplest and most brutal choice.

But that was something Sol would never do.

Maude carried the potential for a brilliant future that Saul wanted to witness with his own eyes.

Sunny shared his bloodline, her life tied to his own.

[TL/N: What?! ]

He couldn't allow harm to befall these two fledgling lives.

Relying on his years of experience, Sol made his decision within seconds.

With a sudden twist, he flipped his body upside down, driving his legs down forcefully against the air.

The resulting explosion of pressure sent him, along with Maude and Sunny in tow, plummeting toward the residential district below.

As they neared the ground, Sol deftly flipped again, landing firmly on his feet.

Setting Maude and Sunny down, Sol spoke in a calm, steady voice: "Listen carefully. You two need to run to the cliff by the wall as fast as you can."

"What about you?" Sunny asked anxiously.

"I'll meet you there," Sol replied evenly. "Now go. Quickly."

Turning toward Garp's direction, his tone betrayed no emotion.

"But—"

"Sol, we'll wait for you there," Maude interrupted, cutting Sunny off.

Sol said nothing more. He raised his rifled musket and pointed it toward the wall in front of him.

With Observation Haki, he aimed directly at the oncoming Garp, even through the wall.

Maude and Sunny turned without a word, sprinting toward the distant wall.

They knew they had become a burden to Sol. To lighten his load, they had to follow his instructions.

They would run to the other side of Mad Hat Island as fast as they could.

As their presence faded into the distance, Sol steadied his resolve. His old eyes glinted with a frosty determination.

He infused Armament Haki into his musket, the weapon quickly turning pitch-black under its influence.

Taking aim, he pulled the trigger.

The gunpowder ignited with a loud bang, and the Armament-coated lead bullet shot out of the barrel.

As it emerged, the residual smoke condensed into a series of rapidly expanding rings under the influence of the Haki.

The bullet passed through the rings in an instant, tearing forward with immense force.

Boom!

The wall ahead was punctured with a clean, circular hole.

The bullet continued its path, smashing through multiple barriers, until it reached Garp.

Without hesitation, Garp met the incoming bullet with a punch, his fist enveloped in advanced Armament Haki.

Bang!

The two forces collided, creating a deafening explosion.

The seemingly unstoppable bullet shattered into dozens of tiny fragments upon impact.

These fragments scattered like shotgun pellets, carving craters into the ground around Garp.

Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the scene.

Nearby pirates, startled by the noise, turned to look but couldn't discern what had happened.

Those lucky enough to witness the moment were equally confused.

All they saw was Garp throwing a punch, followed by a series of explosions that left the ground pockmarked with craters.

They didn't need to understand. Knowing they had to flee was enough.

In a narrow alley, Sol watched as Garp shattered his bullet with a single punch. His expression darkened.

"This is why I hate fighting monsters like you…"

Sol didn't fire another shot. Instead, he holstered his musket and leapt onto a nearby rooftop, glaring coldly at Garp.

There were no other Marines within his firing range.

Garp wasn't stupid. Having faced Sol numerous times, he would never allow his subordinates to become targets.

Garp looked up, meeting Sol's gaze with a grin full of unyielding battle spirit.

Two relics of an older era locked eyes, their unseen clash of wills creating a suffocating atmosphere that enveloped the entire street.

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