The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

The next instant, Armament Haki, solidified to a tangible form, erupted from Garp's body as he swung his fist at John once more.

Since natural-type attacks are so easy to dodge, he threw a punch that was larger than John's body, engulfing him completely!

"Fist-bone impact!"

"Not bad, but not enough!"

Laughing loudly, John transformed into lightning and retreated rapidly, instantly closing the distance of over a thousand meters between himself and Capra, causing the massive Armament Haki fist to completely miss its mark.

Immediately afterward, thunder surged and lightning flashed as John suddenly appeared behind Garp, grabbed the back of Garp's head, and lifted him high into the air.

"Falling into the seabed!"

Dark purple lightning surged through the atmosphere. John's arm muscles bulged high, and after gathering his strength, he hurled Karp, whom he was holding, downwards with a heavy thud.

With a thunderous roar, Garp transformed into a beam of light and shot down onto the earth, smashing a bottomless crater into the island's base.

Below the giant crater, Garp was trapped deep in the moist seabed crust, covered in blood, and in excruciating pain as if his bones were about to fall apart, which finally brought him to his senses.

"hateful!"

With great difficulty, Garp pulled himself out of the solid rock and soil, gritting his teeth and looking on in disbelief.

Previously, after regaining consciousness, he was able to use Observation Haki to detect John's presence, but he could not keep up with John's speed.

That guy was incredibly fast!

"You're still using my moves against me!"

The more intense this was, the stronger Garp's fighting spirit became. He unleashed his Armament Haki, which propelled his body into the air like a thruster, propelling him out of the giant crater.

He must defeat John!

Back on the island's surface, Garp couldn't find John. Searching for the scent he could detect with his Observation Haki, he turned his gaze to the Omniscient Tree that was burning fiercely.

Chapter 157 Become a Pirate, Garp!

The Omniscient Tree Internal Library

The multi-tiered reading corridor, built of logs, succumbed to the flames; mountains of books were reduced to ashes by the flames. Yellowed pages, trailing sparks, drifted across the sky, a scene both poignant and beautiful.

However, upon closer inspection, one will find that the pages of those books that were not completely burned, when turned by the flames, contained no words.

They're all props!

John stood in the sea of ​​fire, looking at Clover and Olbia, who stood facing each other with swords drawn, his face expressionless.

Clover and Olbia were both filled with fear, but their bodies were completely immobile; they could neither protect the books nor escape.

They could only stand there dumbfounded in the sea of ​​fire, as if gripped by an invisible hand.

In fact, all the residents and books of Ohara were replaced with clones and props.

In particular, Clover and Olbia's bodies have been specially modified, making it difficult for them to move under the invisible magnetic field.

The sound of footsteps approached, growing louder as Junzi and Kapu, the two main characters, entered the fiery stage one after the other.

As the main characters appeared, Clover and Olbia, who had been standing there in a daze, suddenly came to life. Their faces became ferocious, and they grew fangs. A pair of jet-black bat wings protruded from their collarbones on their backs, bursting out of their clothes.

Then, the two reenacted a scene that had occurred in the Kingdom of Esperia: an old man and a young man wielding swords and fighting each other.

This scene stirred up memories in Junzi's mind, reminding him of the day the Kingdom of Esperia was destroyed.

"what!"

Junzi let out a painful roar, clutched his head, and squatted down, caught in the struggle and entanglement of his own personality.

Further back, Garp, covered in blood, stared at Clover and Olvia fighting each other. Looking at the bat wings behind them, he instantly recalled the scenes that had taken place in God Valley.

At that time, Rocks also took on this bizarre form, losing his mind and even trying to kill his wife and children.

"World Government!"

Withdrawing his gaze from the two fighting figures, Karp turned to look at John, who was smoking in the blazing firelight beside him.

"Just how far do you Celestial Dragons go in toying with life before you're satisfied?!"

"You bastard! I'm going to beat you to a pulp!"

As he spoke, Garp raised his clenched fist, which was cracking loudly, and a cross-shaped red light suddenly shone on the knuckles.

"Shh!"

Faced with the impending attack from Karp, John shook his index finger, signaling him to calm down.

Seeing Karp pause in confusion, John tossed away the cigarette butt from his mouth, lit another one, and raised an eyebrow, saying in a hoarse voice:

"How many years ago was that... I'm too lazy to calculate. Garp, all you need to know is that the woman squatting in front of you is a princess of a fallen kingdom."

"The Kingdom of Esperia, also located in the West Sea, was destroyed by the World Government and its navy, despite being a member state of the World Government."

As he spoke, John exhaled smoke and raised his chin, pointing at Junzi, who was still struggling in agony.

"This Princess Shuri, under the control of Naronaim, the true supreme power in the world, killed her father."

"Then, Princess Shuli's memory was erased and her personality was changed, transforming her into the ruthless Manmaiya army uterus she is today."

"Then, there's the God Valley incident that you and I know about. Rocks D. Giebeck, the overlord who roamed the seas, also ended up like this."

"Finally, Ohara today, and the Kingdom of Felose far away in the East Blue, will be destroyed under the will of Im and the World Government, becoming a past unknown to the world."

"Garp, do you know what role the Navy plays in all of this?"

When asked the question, Karp's parched lips twitched slightly, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.

He knew, he certainly knew, what role the navy had always played, but he consistently refused, or even dared not, to confront the issue.

If even "justice" becomes an accomplice to evil, how dark and hopeless must this world be!

What is justice?

John asked the question again, and before Karp could speak, he answered it himself.

"Justice is defined in the book as...a just and beneficial principle for the people. It is not only a moral judgment, but also the primary virtue of a social system. Different fields have different emphases, but they all point to fairness and justice."

"But who benefits from the Navy's justice?"

Tell me, Garp!

John suddenly roared, startling Karp.

Garp's eyes gleamed as memories and images from his life flashed through his mind.

Born in the Kingdom of Goa in the East Blue, he witnessed the arrogance of the royal family and nobles from a young age. They considered commoners to be dirty and lowly, so they erected high walls to keep them out.

Let civilians live alongside garbage dumps!

"Garbage should live in garbage dumps!"

The nobleman's words still echoed in Kap's ears.

At that time, he had a strong urge to beat those despicable bastards to a pulp, but was stopped by a marine.

The marine told him that if all the pirates and criminals were arrested and the world became peaceful, then the civilians would feel happy.

So he joined the navy.

But after becoming a naval officer, as he captured pirates and criminals time and time again, he learned about their lives...

Is a thief who steals bread to feed his mother a criminal?

Is a father who seeks revenge for his daughter who has been defiled by a nobleman a criminal?

Are commoners, whose family fortunes have been drained by nobles and royalty and who are burdened with debt, criminals who are forced to plunder at sea to survive?

Is a boy who was labeled a pirate and wanted by a naval officer simply for refusing to submit to the powerful a criminal?

Is a husband who fights back when his wife is kidnapped by the Celestial Dragons a criminal?

Is it justice for the navy to arrest these criminals just so that the powerful and wealthy can live in peace?

"The Navy's justice... benefits the powerful and wealthy."

Karp bit his gums until they bled, struggling to recount the harsh reality.

Upon hearing this, John sighed and scoffed:

"Therefore, justice does not exist. Those who claim to be morally superior and righteous are the most hypocritical, cunning, and despicable."

"Don't argue that the Navy has captured many truly evil pirates, making outstanding contributions to world peace and stabilizing the basic lives of the people."

"In this process, the public only benefited incidentally; the navy's main purpose was to protect the interests of the powerful and wealthy."

"Or rather, the people are merely appendages of the powerful and wealthy; they are only saved to protect the 'property' of the powerful and wealthy."

John stepped forward, extended his hand to Karp, and extended a warm invitation.

"Become a pirate, Garp!"

"Join me and turn this damned world upside down! Let the powerful fall and the gods weep blood!"

Chapter 158: The Breakup!

"Are you kidding me?!"

Karp then realized that John had never given up his wicked intentions from the very beginning.

Even though they have become "world nobles" and Celestial Dragons, they still want to be pirates!

"How could I possibly become a pirate!"

In an instant, the cruel acts of those evil pirates—burning, killing, and looting—flashed through Garp's mind, prompting him to raise his fist and smash it towards John, who was standing nearby.

A burst of lightning erupted, and the lightning bolt disappeared from Garp's vicinity as if it had teleported, then reappeared beside Garp, revealing John's figure, who had already raised his waist and swung out a whip kick.

At this moment, Garp's punch had exhausted its old power and had not yet generated new power, so he had no time to make a move and could only watch helplessly as the whip kick came flying at him out of the corner of his eye.

bang

A thunderous roar struck Garp, who was hit hard on the back of the head. His vision went black, and his body lurched forward uncontrollably, plunging into the raging inferno.

John slowly lowered his raised leg and bent down to pat non-existent dust off his trouser leg.

"Garp, you're no match for me right now, so why bother with these pointless moves?"