Pirates: Your emperor has returned!

"Oh?"

Crocodile became interested, after all, historical records from 800 years ago are extremely scarce. Apart from Ohara, the former holy site of archaeology, perhaps only the World Government has detailed records.

"One of them left a very deep impression on me—"

Grandma Crane recalled the original historical text and recounted:

"When the emperor of the empire arrives on the battlefield with his gravel army, the unfavorable situation will be reversed, the powerful enemy will be crushed, and everything that stands in his way will be wiped out."

"With his brilliant strategic vision, he brought victory to countless wars."

"Soldiers of the Empire, when night falls, there is no need for fear, no need for retreat..."

"That golden armor will pierce through the endless darkness, like the dawn breaking."

The crane slowly said:

"Therefore, eight hundred years ago, Ryan Rowan was nicknamed—[Golden Dawn]."

[Chapter Twenty-Five: The Characteristics of Conqueror's Haki]

Golden armor pierced the endless darkness, like the dawn breaking—

Golden Dawn.

This is Ryan Rowan's nickname, which comes from eight hundred years ago.

Crocodile was well aware that the key point of this historical record was the phrase "eight hundred years ago".

In that era of maritime warfare among nations, there was no world government, let alone the concept of an arrest warrant.

This means that there was no comprehensive information exchange platform in the world at that time, and the idea of ​​a unified world newspaper was simply nonsense.

Therefore, to leave a lasting impression in that era, one had to make the entire ocean remember that person.

Remember his name, remember what he did, remember everything about him...

In other words, a nickname from eight hundred years ago carries far more weight than one does today!

……

"'Using brilliant strategic vision to bring victory to countless wars'...?"

Crocodile recalled the historical records mentioned by Granny Tsuru while gazing at the distant battlefield.

Those gravel soldiers were utterly ordinary; Garp could easily smash one of them with a single punch. Yet Rowan was able to control them, forcing Garp into a protracted battle.

Crocodile murmured to himself:

"Can even Devil Fruit abilities be controlled by tactics?"

Upon closer examination, it's not hard to see that a necessary condition for creating the current situation is that both sides must fight using only "three-tenths of their strength."

If he were to fight with all his might, Garp could completely cover his body with Armament Haki, abandoning any unnecessary defenses, and charge straight at Rowan.

But... who can guarantee that Rowan, who is fighting with all his might, doesn't have any other tricks up his sleeve?

At the very least, those four Sand Guards, whose entire bodies were covered in Armament Haki, have not yet made a move!

Crocodile had to admit that Rowan's strategy of taking the "three-way power" factor into account was a brilliant move.

He steered the battle into a situation no one had anticipated, catching Garp completely off guard!

Tsuru was the first to see through Rowan's intention, and Crocodile was the second to react.

And what about Garp?

As a seasoned naval officer with extensive experience in countless battles, he figured out Rowan's plan almost instantly during the engagement.

But what good would that do?

The three-thirds strength was a condition agreed upon before the fight began. Once one side used a move that exceeded three-thirds of their strength, it meant that they had voluntarily conceded defeat.

Admittedly, Garp could secretly unlock the limits of his own power, and if he only unlocked a little bit, no one would notice, but his pride wouldn't allow him to do so.

The same goes for Rowan.

Left with no other choice, Garp could only patiently continue to fight the gravel soldiers, throwing punches as he went.

As long as Garp finds an opportunity to get close to Rowan, he is confident that he can completely suppress his opponent by covering him with Armament Haki on only one arm!

As for where the opportunities lie?

Garp snapped a sand spear in half with one hand and grinned.

The opportunity is now!

Garp's gaze pierced through the dozens of gravel soldiers and locked onto Rowan in the distance.

He gripped his right arm, which was filled with Armament Haki, and grabbed the head of one of the sand soldiers. Then he bent down, using his right arm and the sand soldier as a shield, and charged forward!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

Garp charged toward Rowan's location like an invincible chariot.

With only one arm capable of using Armament Haki, Garp indeed could not completely defend against the Sand Soldiers' spears.

However, if he were to trade injuries for injuries and force a breakthrough, it would be too embarrassing, and Garp would be unhappy.

Therefore, Karp chose another way—

Since I can't withstand the attack with my defenses, I'll just use my speed to keep those annoying sand particles from hitting me!

As expected, although the gravel soldiers moved quickly, they were not enough to hit Garp, who was charging forward at high speed regardless of the consequences.

In the blink of an eye, Garp had already leaped up and jumped to a position diagonally above Rowan.

With a "bang," the sand soldier in his hand was crushed.

Immediately, Garp clenched his fist, gathering Armament Haki on his knuckles.

"Emperors from eight hundred years ago, taste the backbone of modern people!"

Garp grinned and threw a punch!

Rowan looked up at Garp and let out a soft breath.

He holds the scepter in his right hand, spreads his five fingers on his left hand, and then suddenly clenches it tightly!

Gravel surged.

Swish!

In an instant, five sand soldiers, shields in hand, materialized from behind Rowan, stood in formation, and charged toward Garp!

Karp frowned slightly, not understanding Rowan's intentions.

He didn't think that an ordinary sand shield could stop his punch.

But the next second, Garp's expression turned serious, because he watched as the dark metallic sheen clung to the shields.

Armament Haki, shield covering—

The Imperial Guard's Wall!

Karp's eyes lit up immediately.

He spent countless hours perfecting his Armament Haki, but he had never seen such a way of using it!

Stable and meticulous, with not a single element that could be considered superfluous.

The precision with which it controlled it was terrifying!

"Hahaha, such lavish hospitality! What a hospitable emperor!"

Garp grinned broadly and brought his fist down!

Rowan smiled slightly, gripped his spear tightly, and commanded his gravel soldiers to charge forward!

"drink!"

Click!

Fist and shield collided head-on, and the two bursts of Armament Haki exploded completely in mid-air!

boom!

The black lightning, generated by the collision of Armament Haki, exploded in mid-air!

The soldiers wielding shields were ordinary gravel soldiers, not the gravel guards who were completely covered in Armament Haki.

Therefore, under the violent aftershock, the bodies of the sand soldiers were cracked, and their shields were scattered everywhere, eventually disappearing with the wind.

The remaining shockwaves also impacted their bodies, forcing them to retreat several steps before they could barely regain their footing.

Once they had steadied themselves, they immediately raised their heads, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Again?"

"Again!"

The two uttered the same words, one in a question and the other in an affirmative statement.

Then, Garp bent down, clenched his right fist, and concentrated his Armament Haki to its maximum.

Rowan then planted the scepter in the ground and extended his right hand, assuming a throwing stance.

The sand surged and gathered in Rowan's right hand, forming a brand new sand spear.

The sand continued to compress before being covered by jet-black Armament Haki.

Gravel-black gun—ready!

The sandstorm, which had long since subsided, began to rage again because of the two people's actions.

The sand and gravel flew wildly through the air, each one possessing the power of a lead bullet.

Karp grinned, while Rowan smiled.

They are waiting for the right moment to strike simultaneously.

But in the next second, a figure suddenly passed through the sandstorm, dodging the flying sand and stones, and stood right between Garp and Rowan.

The two men stopped fighting as soon as they saw the man's face clearly.

The dark arms regained their skin color, and the blackness on the spear gradually faded, turning the entire spear into a huge pile of sand.

Who could make these two hot-headed guys stop fighting at the same time?