Under Garp's satisfied gaze, Buggy and his two subordinates were quickly draped in the Marines' cloak of justice.
The large "Justice" character on Buggy's back fluttered in the wind, leaving Garen utterly baffled.
"Big news! Big news!"
"A crewmember of the Pirate King has been reformed by the Navy Hero Garp and has decided to abandon darkness for the light by becoming a Marine?!"
Wallace, who had been overwhelmed by breaking news one after another, was beside himself with excitement. Seizing the opportunity, he snapped photos of Buggy—now clad in Marine attire—with great enthusiasm.
And photos weren't enough. With a look of reverence, Wallace approached Buggy for a face-to-face interview.
At this point, the identities of Garen and his companions as law-abiding citizens had been confirmed, so none of the Marines tried to stop the passionate journalist.
"Oh? A reporter, is it?"
Buggy now appeared completely calm, showing none of the panic or internal struggle from just minutes ago.
"That's right."
Buggy adjusted the justice cloak, which hung awkwardly off his shoulders, and struck a profound pose before the camera.
"I've long wished to become a Marine."
"It's because of my devotion to justice and my unwillingness to bring more harm to the world that I remained dormant in the East Blue."
"Otherwise—"
Wallace's eyes lit up as he helpfully completed the sentence:
"Otherwise, with your status as a former crewmember of the Pirate King, had you stayed in the Grand Line…"
"The world would likely have seen the rise of another Emperor!"
"Exactly, exactly."
Buggy nodded in satisfaction and continued, his tone deep and authoritative:
"Shanks' ideals are still a little lacking compared to mine."
"Bringing chaos to the world isn't something Captain Roger would've wanted!"
"Captain Buggy is truly extraordinary!"
Wallace praised enthusiastically while scribbling down Buggy's statements.
"But..."
Wallace suddenly paused, puzzled. "Why did you fire on our ship earlier?"
"Well…"
Buggy gave a sheepish grin but quickly returned to his aloof, mysterious demeanor:
"That was a misunderstanding."
"I thought you were the infamous Steel Blade Pirates, so I took decisive action to eliminate evil!"
As he got more into it, Buggy's imagination started running wild—even his ridiculous bright red nose couldn't hold him back:
"When I realized I had attacked innocents by mistake, I held back and didn't go all out."
"I even let that knight kid slash me twice—as repayment for my earlier offense."
"I see!"
Wallace earnestly jotted everything down, his eyes full of admiration.
"Hahaha!"
Buggy crossed his arms and laughed smugly. "That's right! This is the dignity of me, Captain Buggy—the ally of justice!"
The two of them were clearly a perfect match in absurdity, making Nami twitch at the corner of her mouth as she watched.
For the second day in a row, she was again tempted to measure how much water was sloshing around inside that reporter's head.
Meanwhile, having successfully recruited Buggy, the now-relieved Garp finally turned his attention toward Garen.
"Hey, Knight Kid!"
Garp walked over to Garen with enthusiasm. "Your abilities seem interesting. Want to spar with me?"
"Spar?!"
The surrounding Marines were the first to cry out in shock. None of them expected the chance to witness a Vice Admiral in action at such close range.
Smoker, however, quietly gave Garen a sympathetic look.
Back at Marine Headquarters, Garp—who also served as an instructor—was known for loving to spar with talented young officers.
He used these sessions to broaden their horizons and, more importantly, to remind these rising stars of the true power gap in the world.
And so, most of the young men Garp had sparred with… didn't walk out of the training ground on their own feet.
"With you, sir?"
Garen couldn't help but use honorifics for the old man whose presence and strength far exceeded his expectations. "Uh, I'd rather live a few more years, thanks."
"Don't be so negative, kid!"
Garp gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder and encouraged him, "You took down Smoker in just three rounds. It's been years since the East Blue's seen talent like you."
"Besides, it's just a spar—no need to be so timid!"
"Well…"
Garen hesitated.
But in the end, he couldn't suppress his desire to personally experience the strength of a top-tier fighter.
"Alright, I'm in!"
He agreed to Garp's absurd suggestion, though not without caution: "But seriously—please go easy on me!"
"Of course!"
Garp smiled kindly. "I'm very good at holding back."
The news that a nameless knight from the East Blue—with rumored admiral-level strength—was going to spar with the Marine Hero Garp, immediately electrified the entire ship.
Buggy, who had been the center of attention thanks to his Pirate King credentials, was instantly overshadowed by Garen, who had already defeated a Logia user and clashed with Buggy himself.
Marines quickly formed a large circle on the deck, all eyes glued to Garp and Garen with excitement.
Even Wallace left Buggy behind to get a prime spot up front, camera in hand, ready to record the entire battle.
As soon as he had taken a few quick shots, the crowd behind him shifted to make room for a sword-wielding young woman.
It was Petty Officer Tashigi. As a fellow swordswoman, she was especially curious about this mysterious "sword master" from the East Blue.
"Let's begin!"
Garp stood casually in front of Garen, arms crossed, and gave him a slightly encouraging look.
"Knight kid, you attack first."
There was a flicker of anticipation in Garp's eyes—he was eager to experience this young man's abilities firsthand.
"Yes, sir!"
Garen responded promptly.
He knew if he didn't strike first, he might never get the chance.
"Decisive Strike!"
His greatsword suddenly lit up.
"Oh?"
Garp's interest deepened. That strange light from the sword made him feel a sense of justice and light—a vague emotional influence that intrigued even a man as experienced as him.
Still unmoving, Garp seemed to be waiting for the next attack.
Garen didn't hesitate. Lifting his sword high, he charged forward and delivered a simple, straightforward slash.
Too slow. Crude swordplay.
The fact that he had defeated Smoker must've been pure luck.
Watching the strike coming, Garp wasn't panicked in the slightest. In just a few moments, he had already formed an accurate judgment of Garen's skills.
As the sword came down, Garp finally reacted.
He didn't use any technique—he simply dodged with natural, instinctive ease. For an opponent so far beneath him, it didn't take much effort.
But then—
Garp's eyes narrowed.
In that instant, his advanced Observation Haki picked up a sense of danger.
The sword, which he had already dodged, suddenly twisted mid-air—accelerating along the path of his evasion and nearly slicing down onto his shoulder in the next instant.
But Garp was a man who stood at the pinnacle of the world. Even with only a split second, he seized the opportunity:
"Soru!"
Using a special footwork technique, he explosively kicked off the ground with tremendous force, and his body vanished in a blur of motion.
Now, he was taking things seriously.
No one on deck—not even Garen or Smoker—could follow his movements.
A sudden gust of wind swept the deck, forcing nearby Marines to shield their eyes.
Garp reappeared more than ten meters away, while Garen stood frozen mid-swing, unsure if his attack had even landed.
Everything had happened too fast for him to register.
But Garp… was stunned.
He reached up and touched his shoulder—
There was a shallow cut, barely breaking the skin.
But his justice cloak and suit sleeve had been sliced open, leaving him looking a bit ragged.
"I couldn't dodge that?"
Garp's expression finally shifted to surprise.
The onlookers erupted in shock.
"Vice Admiral Garp was injured?!"
Wallace instinctively snapped photos of the shocking scene, muttering to himself in disbelief:
"Could he… could he really have admiral-level strength?"
(End of Chapter)
(TN: I was giggling while translating this hahaha)