As time passed, the Radiant Eclipse neared Reverse Mountain, approaching the Red Line.

“Captain, a marine ship has appeared from the Grand Line,” said Lily, acting as the temporary lookout, from her position atop the ship’s mast, binoculars in hand.

A lone marine ship rode the current, descending to the sea’s surface.

“It’s likely a ship coming from the Grand Line,” Lily added.

“Could it be the Navy’s task force arriving this quickly?” Stussy asked, her gaze fixed nervously on the distant ship. Was the Navy planning to hunt down The Sun and Moon Pirates, crossing vast distances to put an end to them?

“Who’s on board?” Kuke asked, glancing up toward the distant vessel without a hint of worry.

The Sun and Moon Pirates had grown strong. One admiral wasn’t enough to threaten them anymore.

Two admirals? Maybe. But even then, they had an advantage—The Radiant Eclipse had one hour of invincible defense each day. And with their crew’s ability to revive, they were far from being easy prey.

Once a month, every crew member could revive:

Not at the same spot they fell, but aboard The Radiant Eclipse, which acted as a resurrection point.

No matter where they died, they would respawn and fully recover on the ship. It was far better than reviving on the spot, where enemies might still be nearby, ready to strike again.

Here, on The Radiant Eclipse, they would revive and be protected by the ship’s invincible defense window, giving them a decisive advantage.

With this in place, Kuke wasn’t worried. Even if three admirals arrived, they wouldn’t stand a chance of wiping out The Sun and Moon Pirates.

Kuke and Gion could hold off the admirals, allowing the ship to escape, and leaving the battlefield behind. They had already secured a position of unshakable defense.

“It’s Vice Admiral Garp,” Gion said, her tone serious.

The infamous marine hero.

He was not only the most respected figure in the Navy but also the one whose strength was feared the most, an old-generation monster.

“It seems Garp is just on his way home,” Kuke understood. “No need to avoid him. Move closer.”

“Move closer?!” the women exclaimed in shock.

“Captain, Vice Admiral Garp is a legend, the man who once hunted down the Pirate King Roger himself! Are you sure you want to get near him?” one of them asked, worry evident in her voice.

“It’s said that Garp is even more fearsome than an admiral,” another added, visibly nervous.

But Kuke remained unfazed. “Like I said, we can’t die right now. As long as we don’t die twice in a month, we can revive.”

Kuke’s words brought disbelief to their faces.

The ability to revive—it was simply too unreal.

Reviving wasn’t something you just heard about, let alone an entire crew with such an ability.

“Trust the captain. His orders are law. Kuke has never lied to us before. The invincibility of The Radiant Eclipse seems unbelievable, but it’s true. Don’t try to understand it with your common sense,” Gion, the vice-captain, firmly reminded the crew.

“Sorry, Captain. We were just a bit hesitant earlier,” they all apologized in unison.

Meanwhile, on the marine ship, Garp sighed and scratched his head, staring at The Sun and Moon Pirates’ ship that was heading straight toward him.

He groaned, “Of all the ships to run into…”

He had hoped to just pass by them and pretend he hadn’t noticed. But now, with their ship heading directly toward him, that was impossible.

“Vice Admiral Garp, let’s destroy theThe Sun and Moon Pirates here! Fleet Admiral Sengoku would be thrilled if we took them down,” one of his subordinates said excitedly.

Every marine aboard the ship was eager.

They had been searching for this notorious crew for a long time. And now, they had a chance to confront them.

“You think they’re some small fry?” Garp groaned again, feeling the weight of the situation grow. “That’s theThe Sun and Moon Pirates.”

“What about it? We’ve got Vice Admiral Garp! Even the Roger Pirates couldn’t handle him,” one of the marines responded confidently.

“No pirate can escape from Vice Admiral Garp once he sets his sights on them!” another marine added, staring in admiration at their commanding officer.

Garp sighed deeply, realizing there was no avoiding this now. “Fine, fine… I guess I can’t just look the other way.”

Garp stripped off his marine coat, revealing his powerful, muscular frame underneath. He stretched out his limbs, the sound of his bones creaking ominously in the air.

Garp stomped one foot against the deck of the ship, and the entire ship shuddered, sinking several meters into the sea from the force.

Then, like a monstrous beast, Garp leaped from the ship, crossing the distance between his vessel and The Radiant Eclipse in an instant.

“Vice Admiral Garp… is this the same man I know?” Makino, who recognized Garp, slowly dropped her jaw in awe.

This was nothing like the carefree, easygoing old man she had known.

“This is unreal…” Kuina gasped, eyes wide as she watched Garp’s massive figure rocket through the air, shattering the very atmosphere as he went. She had never seen such overwhelming strength before.

“Perfect,” Kuke muttered, a small grin spreading across his face. “Let’s see what my current strength can really do.”

It had been less than two months since his battle with Red-Haired Shanks, and in that time, Kuke’s power had skyrocketed from 300,000 to over 420,000.

He had grown much stronger.

“Divine Strike—Golden Crow Soars!” Kuke shouted as he flew into the air, unsheathing his supreme-grade sword. Both Armament Haki and Conqueror’s Haki swirled around the blade.

Two blazing suns hung in the sky.

Golden light flooded the sea, and on Garp’s ship, waves of marines collapsed, unconscious.

“Conqueror’s Haki?” Garp’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at Kuke. He immediately strengthened his fist in response. This was no ordinary fight.

“Boom!”

A black and gold clash of energies erupted, two forces colliding with incredible power.

The heavens cracked, and the sea split open with a massive rift, even the sky itself seemed to tear apart.

A shockwave of pure force blasted out from their clash, sending both Garp’s ship and The Radiant Eclipse drifting across the sea.

The marines aboard Garp’s ship quickly joined forces, using their own Haki to shield themselves from the shockwave, but the returning force was still overwhelming.

Meanwhile, back on The Radiant Eclipse, Gion alone was enough to protect her crew from the impact.

“Is this what a real battle looks like?” Kuina asked, completely awestruck as she witnessed the fight.

The sky had split, and the sea had sunk.

“This is the strength of our captain?” Kuina was so excited she couldn’t help but stomp her feet. She could now see, clear as day, the path to her ultimate dream.

It was right in front of her.

“Captain really is a monster. We’ve been training together, so why is his strength increasing so much faster than ours?” Stussy marveled, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Hancock, watching closely, whispered to herself, “I must keep getting stronger if I want to stay by Kuke’s side.”

Gion, smiling wryly, muttered, “Well, I guess I’ve lost my chance to be stronger than Kuke. My little brother has completely surpassed me.”

…

“You, boy… what kind of monster are you?” Garp grunted, his punch clashing with Kuke’s sword strike. He was genuinely surprised by the strength of his opponent.

In the past, Garp had never fought Kuke before, but Akainu had.

Was this the same enemy that Akainu had spoken of? The one he claimed he could defeat if it weren’t for that invincible defense ability?

“Akainu’s confidence is misplaced. If this boy were in the Navy, he’d already be in the running for an admiral position,” Garp thought to himself, realizing just how much Kuke’s power had grown in just a few short months.

In all his years of experience, Garp had never seen anything quite like it.

“This kid… The Navy really lost something great,” Garp lamented, feeling the weight of this realization.

With a heavy heart, he thought, *Sengoku, you’ve been a smart man your whole life, but you never would have guessed that a casual remark would lead to this. You had the recruit expelled from the training camp, and now he’s become this powerful. Will you even be able to sleep at night after realizing this?*

“Garp, it’s not good to be distracted during a fight,” Kuke’s voice cut through his thoughts.

Kuke’s blade suddenly twisted, sending a massive wave of sword energy barreling toward Garp.

With a deep, rumbling laugh, Garp braced himself as the black flames of advanced Armament Haki surged around his body, countering the strike. The technique, “Yama King Guides the Way!”, struck him hard, but Garp’s overwhelming strength resisted the damage.

“Boom!”

Garp was sent flying like a shooting star across the sky, crashing into the distant ocean with a thunderous explosion, sending a towering wave hundreds of meters high into the air.

The marines gasped in shock, their mouths wide open as they processed what they just witnessed.

“Is that even possible?!”

“Ha ha ha, that was close!” Garp’s voice echoed across the battlefield as he stepped on the air, using Geppo (Moonwalk) to ascend back into the sky. The old marine’s laughter was as robust as ever, but now there was a glint of respect in his eyes as he looked at Kuke.

“You’ve got Roger’s sword too, huh? No wonder you’ve grown so strong,” Garp said, his tone no longer playful but serious—acknowledging Kuke as an equal.

He paused before asking, “You didn’t do anything to my grandsons, did you? Luffy and Ace—they’re okay, right?”

Kuke hesitated for a moment, then smiled. “Yeah, they’re doing just fine. In fact, they’re stronger and more determined than ever. They’ve got their dreams, and they’re living for them.”

“Good,” Garp said, visibly relieved. He let out a deep breath, his tension easing.

“Alright then, I guess we can—” Garp’s sentence was cut short as Kuke’s sword once again swung toward him.

“Hey! I wasn’t finished!” Garp grumbled, quickly blocking the strike, but the force sent him reeling. “You’re going too far, kid!”

However, Kuke wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. This was the perfect chance for a real fight, and he intended to push Garp as hard as he could. With a flurry of rapid strikes, Kuke unleashed a storm of powerful attacks, his blade dancing in the air.

Despite his earlier reluctance, Garp began to enjoy the battle. The more they fought, the greater the intensity became, and soon both of them were fully immersed in the clash, the world around them forgotten.

The battle raged on, shaking the seas and causing towering waves to crash around them. The force of their strikes reached the Red Line itself, sending rocks and debris tumbling from the towering cliffs. The massive landmass shook under the weight of their combat, and even the sky seemed to tremble.

One hour passed, and the fight showed no signs of slowing down.

“I can’t believe he’s actually going toe-to-toe with Vice Admiral Garp…” one of the marines muttered, watching the battle in awe. “What kind of monster is he?”

“Both of them are monsters,” another marine added, shaking their head in disbelief. “And Kuke—he’s not even using his full strength!”

On The Radiant Eclipse, Kuina couldn’t tear her eyes away from the fight. “So strong… this is what true strength looks like,” she whispered, overwhelmed with excitement. She felt an intense thrill. To witness such a fight was a rare privilege, and she was beyond thankful for following Kuke.

“It’s amazing to see swordsmanship taken to such heights…” Kuina added, every movement of Kuke’s blade igniting her passion to improve her own skills.

Meanwhile, Stussy commented with a smirk, “The captain’s really a monster. We’ve been training together, but how does he keep improving so much faster?”

Hancock, with a serious expression, clenched her fists. “I must keep getting stronger… if I want to stay close to him.”

Gion, watching quietly from the ship, let out a small sigh. “Looks like my little brother has left me in the dust. I guess my days of protecting him are long over—he’s far surpassed me now.”

…

“Why… won’t you… get tired?” Garp grunted, still trading blows with Kuke. He had initially thought the fight would end quickly, but Kuke had only grown stronger the longer it went on. His stamina seemed bottomless.

Garp, now breathing heavily, made a decision. “Alright, old man doesn’t want to die of exhaustion. Time to make my exit!”

Feigning a heavy hit, Garp allowed one of Kuke’s strikes to send him flying again. This time, he fell toward the sea near his ship, landing with a loud crash. Without hesitation, Garp scrambled to his feet and leapt back onto the marine ship.

“Get us out of here—now!” Garp ordered.

The marine ship took off at full speed, leaving the area and heading for Windmill Village.

Back on The Radiant Eclipse, Kuke watched them go, his body finally relaxing after the intense fight. Though he didn’t chase after them, the battle had been invigorating.

As he descended from the sky and landed back on the deck, the crew’s gazes followed him, all filled with awe.

Even Gion’s eyes held a deep admiration as she looked at Kuke. “You really held your own against Vice Admiral Garp,” she said. For any marine, Garp was the epitome of strength.

Kuke, however, shook his head. “Garp wasn’t fighting at full strength. I’m sure he’s still stronger than me.”

Despite his humility, the crew couldn’t stop the looks of admiration from crossing their faces. To them, Kuke had already reached a level far beyond what they’d ever imagined.

*****************

P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 95+ at patreon.com/Emik01.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep