The lawn outside the Mariejois castle was now a battlefield, scarred with deep craters and shattered stone as if a storm had swept through.
The Marine officer had long retreated to a safe distance, fearful of getting caught in the collateral damage.
Up in the air, Tsunade's golden ponytail fluttered as she hurled her fist downward with all her might.
Monster Strength!
This ninjutsu, which gathered power into a single point before detonating it in a burst, was her specialty and most destructive technique. Yet this time, it encountered an unexpected obstacle.
Her pink fist—imbued with explosive force—was caught mid-air by a hand glowing with jet-black luster, tougher than steel.
He had caught her Monster Strength punch… barehanded, using nothing but Armament Haki.
"Heh… You haven't trained in Rokushiki or Haki, yet you've pushed your body's strength beyond its limits. Not bad for a little girl!"
Garp grinned, flashing a row of pristine white teeth, then casually flung her aside.
Boom!!
Against his strength, Tsunade was tossed like a ragdoll, slamming into the castle wall behind her. A massive hole exploded outward as she was buried beneath the rubble.
Yes… again.
Judging by the multiple craters on the castle wall, Tsunade had already been sent flying several times.
Her bones had fractured repeatedly, and she had long lost count of how many times she'd used Ninjutsu: Creation Rebirth to forcibly mend her injuries and reconnect shattered limbs.
"Ugh… he's terrifyingly strong…"
With a clatter of falling rocks, Tsunade struggled out from the debris, her chakra barely keeping her twisted arm functional. She stared at the nearly invincible Garp with a complex look.
Only now did she realize how absurd her idea of "stalling" this monster had been. If Garp had taken this seriously, just one punch would've ended her.
The Three Sannin were roughly A- rank. Garp's strength? S+.
"Earth Style: Great Stone Serpent!"
"Fire Style: Giant Flame Bombs!"
Two voices roared out in unison—followed by a spectacular sight.
Before Orochimaru, a river of rock surged upward, forming a massive stone serpent three to four meters thick and over twenty meters long. It opened its gaping maw in a silent hiss, then swung its tail down on Garp.
At the same time, Jiraiya pursed his lips and exhaled a blazing inferno—a massive fireball ten meters wide rushed forward.
A perfect pincer attack that showcased the elite power of the Sannin.
"Good one!"
Garp let out a hearty laugh.
He grabbed the stone serpent's tail with one hand and—despite its multi-ton weight—swung it like a whip.
Boom!
The rock serpent smashed through the Giant Flame Bombs, striking Jiraiya with full force. He coughed up blood, flung backward violently. His right arm and leg twisted at odd angles—clearly broken.
Without Tsunade's healing, he wouldn't be casting another jutsu any time soon.
Orochimaru reacted swiftly, diving underground with his Hidden Mole Jutsu, just barely avoiding the same fate.
Crash!
The stone serpent slammed into the ground and shattered into rubble.
"You all have potential. Interested in becoming my apprentices? I could make you proud Marines!"
Garp clapped his hands and beamed. This wasn't even a warm-up for him. Looking at the battered trio, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
It had been a long time since he'd seen youths with such promise—especially that wowan. Without training in Haki, she'd already cultivated such monstrous strength. She was a raw gem!
If he trained her personally, who knew what limits she could surpass?
Tsunade, however, was in a panic.
Why haven't the others escaped Mariejois yet?! It had already been over half an hour!
She was worried they had been intercepted by other Marines. Though anxious, she knew she had to keep Garp distracted as long as possible.
"So… what kind of benefits come with being a Marine?"
"With your current strength, you're already stronger than most Rear Admirals. Just train for another two years and build up some military merit, and a Vice Admiral title wouldn't be out of reach."
Garp chuckled, still fully confident.
He didn't believe the severely wounded Tsunade and Jiraiya could escape. As for Orochimaru? As long as he held his teammates hostage, the snake would show himself eventually.
Good thing Orochimaru didn't hear that—he'd laugh himself silly. When had he ever been the "honor among comrades" type?
Just as Tsunade stalled with small talk, finally, the voice of the Lord God system rang in her ears—tardy but divine.
For the first time, she felt warmth in that cold, mechanical voice.
[Slaves have successfully escaped Mariejois. Casualty rate: 13%.]
[Main Mission II Complete.]
[Initiating Return.]
As those four words echoed, Garp was stunned to see golden lotuses bloom around the battered Tsunade and barely-conscious Jiraiya, wrapping them in radiant light.
When the golden petals faded, the two were gone.
"Heh, so that's why she was stalling… there was a way out all along. Interesting. Very interesting! Hahaha!"
Garp scratched his head and laughed uproariously. He wasn't bothered by their disappearance.
After all, he hadn't come to Mariejois to deal with slaves. He had other matters to attend to.
Celestial Dragons' slaves?
Hmph. What did that have to do with him?
With a chuckle, he waved at the Marine officer hiding in the distance.
"Let's go. Time to head back and have some tea with Sengoku… and chat about those fascinating kids. Hah, why do I get the feeling I'll be seeing those three again?"
Of course he would.
Because after the Three Sannin were teleported away, Nawaki's consciousness didn't follow them.
He had just marked Garp as a Reincarnator candidate.
Of course, it was just a seed. For now, Nawaki wasn't planning to give Garp any tasks—but by using Garp's world as a conduit, he could bring Luffy, Ace, and others into the Lord God System.
Why waste thousands of points on Reincarnation Talismans just for a one-time reward? That would be a total loss!
"Still… I basically just cameoed this time. Didn't even get a speaking role. Kinda feels like they stole all the spotlight…"
Nawaki grumbled as his consciousness returned to his body and he opened his eyes.
He was lounging in the courtyard, sunlight gently warming his skin.
This had been the Lord God System's first cross-world mission. He'd observed everything from start to finish—but it would be different next time.
Once he set up the quests in advance, he wouldn't sit in and watch the whole thing unfold again.
After all, when the number of Reincarnators hits the hundreds or thousands, how could he spectate every single team's mission?
Impossible.
"But hey, this mission from my sister's team gave me a nice batch of bonus points… time to tally up the gains."
Nawaki smirked proudly.
No matter how many powerhouses Tsunade's team defeated, the system points were fixed. Any surplus rewards?
They were his to keep.
~~~~~
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Remove the parentheses btw