Chat Group Escanor 28 (Patreon)

"And we must add the Four Emperors."

After these words fell, for three whole seconds, no one spoke.

Three seconds later.

"Heh." Onigumo sneered.

His face wore an absurd expression that practically screamed, 'What kind of crazy talk did I just hear?'

"Haha." Kizaru laughed.

Akainu's eyes remained locked on Escanor, his brow furrowed slightly.

He had fought alongside Escanor and knew he was strong. Back when they dealt with Nine-Tails, although he viewed Nine-Tails as just a monster that could be handled, Escanor's effortless demeanor had confirmed to him—this man was stronger than him, not weaker.

But how much stronger?

To subject the Four Emperors to reform through labor?

Those were the Four Emperors. Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Shanks. Every single one of them was a monster, requiring an Admiral to step in to counter them.

Dealing with a mindless beast like Nine-Tails and dealing with the Four Emperors were entirely different concepts.

Sakazuki didn't speak, but his silence itself was an attitude—he felt Escanor was talking too big.

"Hahahahaha!"

Garp turned around and laughed in sheer exasperation.

He walked straight toward Escanor. "Sitting in my chair and boasting shamelessly about capturing the Four Emperors."

He clenched his fist, his knuckles popping with a crisp crackle. His fist wasn't coated in Armament Haki, but the sheer physical flesh alone was already enough to shatter a small mountain.

"Arrogant brat." He grinned.

"Let this old man test your mettle."

Before his voice could fade—

"Don't be reckless, Garp!" Sengoku's voice came from the head seat, filled with urgency.

He stood up, pressing his palms onto the table. "He came to help, after all! He's Akainu's friend!"

Sengoku was indeed anxious. No matter how arrogant this blonde man was, he had still voluntarily come to assist, and Akainu had personally acknowledged him as a friend. If Garp's fist landed, regardless of who won or lost, the situation would become extremely awkward.

Akainu remained leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He had no intention of stopping it.

He knew Escanor was strong but letting Garp test his mettle—that was fine too.

As for whether Escanor would get hurt?

He was very curious.

Garp's fist had already swung back. The airflow in the entire meeting room was stirred up. Documents rustled loudly, and the sea charts on the wall shook violently.

Escanor was still calmly sitting in his chair. The index finger of his right hand rose to meet Garp's fist.

Boom!

With the two of them as the center, a shockwave swept out in all directions.

After the smoke slowly cleared, everyone clearly saw the scene in the center.

Garp maintained his punching posture, his right arm extended, his fist suspended in mid-air. In front of his fist was a single finger belonging to Escanor.

Garp's fist, striking that finger, was like striking an immovable mountain.

Escanor tilted his head slightly, looking at the giant in front of him who stood nearly a meter taller.

Garp's eyes bulged wide as he stared at the fist he had thrown, at the index finger blocking his fist, and at the seated blonde man.

He had been a Marine for sixty years and had seen countless powerhouses.

Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Sengoku, Zephyr, the Three Admirals...

He had fought against all the legends and knew what 'strength' looked like.

But he had never seen a single finger block his full-power punch.

In the meeting room, there was a deathly silence.

Akainu was stunned.

He knew Escanor was strong but he didn't know he was this strong.

The corner of Garp's lips twitched. It wasn't fear, but an extremely complex feeling, mixed with shock and something he had almost never experienced in his life.

That thing was called 'being completely crushed.'

"You..." He spoke, his voice hoarse.

Escanor withdrew his finger and placed his hand back on his knee.

"Garp the Fist. Not bad."

"Ace should be arriving soon. Let's make preparations and meet the person involved."

"Please wait, sir." Sengoku's voice came from behind, tinged with urgency.

Escanor stopped and turned his head sideways.

Sengoku had already walked around the overturned conference table. He quickly stepped in front of Escanor, the shock on his face not yet fully faded, but his duty as Fleet Admiral forced him to compose himself.

"You..."

Sengoku spoke, but found himself at a loss for how to address him.

"Just call me Escanor." Escanor's tone was casual.

Akainu's eyes flickered slightly. This was the first time he had heard this name. Whether in the Chat Group or during their last battle side-by-side, he only knew the other party's ID was "Pride".

Sengoku took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady. "Escanor-san, since you are so powerful, do you have any suggestions for tomorrow's battle deployment?"

In the face of absolute strength, all pleasantries and probing were redundant. This blonde man had clearly exceeded his understanding of "the strong," so rather than putting on the airs of a Fleet Admiral, it was better to ask directly.

Escanor thought for a moment, raising a hand to scratch his chin.

"Just clear the area tomorrow."

Sengoku was taken aback. "Clear it?"

"Yes." Escanor nodded. "The soldiers and all of you, stay far away."

"You don't need us to do anything?" Sengoku frowned.

He had originally thought Escanor would propose some kind of tactical coordination, like having them draw the attention of one of the Four Emperors, or having him take charge of breaking through a key point. But it turned out they didn't need to do anything?

"No. It's easy to accidentally injure everyone. If I go all out, everyone is likely to get burned."

He swept his gaze over everyone present, and finally landed on Akainu. "Including Akainu."

???

Burned?

Including Akainu?

The man who possessed the Mag-Mag Fruit and was the very definition of "high temperature"?

Akainu's eyes narrowed sharply, his expression beneath the brim of his cap turning extremely solemn. He didn't speak to refute it, because he knew Escanor wouldn't joke at a time like this. If he said "burned, including him," then it had to be true.

What did this mean?

It meant Escanor possessed temperatures far exceeding those of the Mag-Mag Fruit. It meant that if he went all out, even magma itself could be burned to ashes.

Escanor looked at the tall man standing at the edge of the crowd who had remained silent since earlier.

"Hey, you can make ice, right?"

Aokiji nodded. "Yes."

"When the time comes, make an ice barrier for the soldiers and yourselves. It'll be of some use, more or less."

Aokiji was silent for two seconds before asking a very practical question, "How thick?"

Escanor gave it some serious thought and said, "The thicker, the better."

Aokiji didn't ask further.

Just then—

"Report!"

There was a knock at the meeting room door, the sound urgent.

Sengoku frowned. "Come in!"

A messenger pushed the door open and entered. He was clearly taken aback when he saw the mess in the meeting room, but his excellent professional discipline made him quickly withdraw his gaze, stand at attention, and report.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! The Impel Down escort team has arrived at Marineford! The prisoner, Portgas D. Ace, has been transferred to headquarters and is currently temporarily held in the fortress's underground dungeon!"

Sengoku's brow smoothed slightly. What was meant to come had finally arrived.

He turned to look at Escanor, and then at Garp, who still stood in place with an indescribably complex expression.

"Garp." He called out.

Garp raised his head.

"Go take a look with Escanor-san."

Many people knew what the relationship between Garp and Ace was. They also knew why Garp had been standing by the window in silence since yesterday. Now that this mysterious, ridiculously powerful Escanor had proposed to "convert" Ace, having Garp accompany him was the most appropriate choice.

Garp nodded.

Escanor didn't mind either. He walked toward the door, and strode out of the meeting room. Garp followed behind him.

One after the other, they walked through the long corridors, down the winding stairs, and toward the depths of the fortress.

Along the way, the Marines who saw Garp stood at attention and saluted, their eyes then involuntarily falling on the blonde stranger walking ahead.

Who was this person?

Why was he walking ahead of Vice Admiral Garp?

Garp remained silent the whole time.

How could they get Ace to cooperate?

When that kid got stubborn, he was like a donkey. Having decided to be a pirate, he wouldn't listen to anyone.

Seeing that they were about to reach the level where Ace was held, Garp finally couldn't help but speak.

"Uh..."

Escanor turmed his head slightly. "Hmm?"

Garp took a couple of quick steps to catch up with his pace. After a moment of hesitation, he still asked, "How are you going to convince Ace?"

"Convince?"

Escanor paused in his tracks and looked back at him. "Why would I use words?"

Garp was taken aback.

Escanor continued walking forward. "Isn't beating him into submission better?"

Garp: "..."

Beat him into submission?

You're actually going to fight him?

Don't you know your own strength?

Escanor added, "Just kidding."

Garp was flabbergasted.

Escanor continued walking forward, his voice drifting from ahead. "The last time I helped someone out, I took a trophy along the way. They won't be needing it anyway."

Garp suppressed his surging emotions, quickly caught up, and pressed further, "A trophy? What is it?"

Escanor stopped. They had already reached the iron door at the deepest part of the holding area.

He turned around to face Garp. He reached his right hand into his shirt, and when he pulled it out, his fingertips held a small, round object that faintly reflected a bizarre red light in the gloom.

It was an eyeball, specifically Shisui's eye.