After a prolonged battle, Garp remained unscathed, a testament to the overwhelming power of his Armament Haki.
"He's truly a monster!"
"His Armament Haki is too strong—far more terrifying than even the captain's!"
"No wonder the captain said Garp's Armament Haki is the strongest in the world."
Despite Douglas Bullet and Issho (Fujitora) fighting together, they couldn't gain the upper hand against Garp. However, the relentless battle pushed them beyond their limits, significantly improving their strength.
The one who gained the most from this clash was Issho. Having an opponent far stronger than himself forced him to refine his techniques and squeeze out his latent potential—far more effective than any solo training in a gravity field. He had been on the verge of a breakthrough before, but this battle nearly pushed him through that barrier.
Although Garp had no real difficulty handling them, he couldn't afford to divide his attention elsewhere. This proved that Bullet and Issho, when combined, were approaching his level—still inferior, but not by a massive margin.
The battle continued for several more hours before finally losing momentum.
In the end, both sides tacitly agreed to withdraw, each returning to their respective ships.
Lily, who had maintained the battlefield with her ability for several days while also fighting alongside her crewmates, was now visibly exhausted.
On the Marine side, Garp and Sengoku stood at the center, their forces naturally splitting into two groups as they returned to their warships.
On the opposite side, Caesar stood at the bow of the Rex, his crew gathered behind him.
The two factions stared at each other across a vast stretch of turbulent sea, saying nothing.
Sengoku's expression was grave, while Garp remained his usual carefree self. Somehow, he had acquired a bag of donuts and was happily munching away as if nothing had happened.
"Just you wait, Caesar. Next time, I'm taking you in!"
Standing at the bow of the Rex, Caesar let out a confident laugh.
"Hmph. Fine, Garp. I'll be waiting!"
They had fought multiple times before, yet each time, their clashes ended inconclusively. Their strengths were difficult to compare directly—neither could truly overwhelm the other. However, Garp couldn't shake the feeling that each time they met, Caesar had become even stronger.
With nothing more to say, the two sides turned away and slowly left the battlefield.
The remnants of their battle lingered. The sky remained shrouded in dark clouds, and flashes of violet lightning continued to streak across the heavens. The sea, still churning violently, refused to settle.
Aboard the Marine Warship
Borsalino (Kizaru) and Sakazuki (Akainu), both observing from the deck, had complex expressions as they watched the Rex disappear into the distance.
Borsalino, who had encountered Caesar before, was unsettled, but for Sakazuki, this was his first time seeing him in action.
This battle had made one thing clear—not only was Caesar, a man roughly their age, far stronger than they expected, but his potential was still growing at an alarming rate.
Even Bullet's performance had been shocking.
Many of the Marines, including Sengoku and Garp, couldn't hide their surprise.
According to their intel, Caesar was only fifteen years old.
Yet his strength had already reached the level of a Marine admiral. They had assumed their previous assessments were generous, but now it was obvious—they had vastly underestimated him.
Sengoku's evaluation of the Caesar Pirates' threat level increased significantly.
And it wasn't just Caesar.
Garp and Sengoku, both highly proficient in Observation Haki, could clearly sense that every member of the crew had grown stronger since their last encounter.
Return to Marineford
A few days later, Garp and Sengoku returned to Marine Headquarters.
Before they could even change out of their battle-worn uniforms, they were rushed into an emergency meeting that lasted for several hours.
The primary topic of discussion—
The Caesar Pirates.
The meeting covered everything from the crew's current strength to their personnel composition and bounty assessments.
At the head of the table, Fleet Admiral Kong sat with a serious expression, absorbing every detail Garp and Sengoku reported.
His concern was justified.
What he hadn't expected, however, was that Caesar had deliberately used his battle with Garp as a means to train his crew.
The most concerning new addition to Caesar's forces was Issho.
Garp had gathered enough information to confirm that the blind swordsman was on par with a Marine admiral and also possessed a powerful Devil Fruit ability.
With his exceptional swordsmanship and gravity-based Devil Fruit, Issho's combat potential was terrifying. It wouldn't take long for him to become another dominant force within the Caesar Pirates.
After carefully reassessing the situation, Fleet Admiral Kong made his final decision—
Caesar and his crew were now a far greater threat than before.
Their bounties would reflect that.
New Bounties Announced
The very next day, fresh bounty posters were distributed across the world.
Every member of the Caesar Pirates had received a significant increase in their bounty.
For some, it was their first time receiving a bounty at all—
And Issho's debut bounty was nothing short of shocking.
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