You scared the hell out of me!
Looking at Garp in front of him, wearing his signature dog-head cap and grinning menacingly, Daren's mouth twitched as he grumbled inwardly.
If you wanted to teach me martial arts, just say it. If you were planning to show off the power of your "Iron Fist," at least give me a heads-up. You nearly gave me a heart attack...
Still, that punch was terrifying.
It had no Haki coating, no visible buildup, no explosive force, and definitely no Conqueror's Haki swirling around it. It looked simple—plain, even—but the destruction it caused was off the charts.
That crushing sensation, like a thousand-meter-high mountain collapsing right in front of him, gave off a sense of utter helplessness.
When the punch locked on to him earlier, Daren had genuinely felt like there was no way to dodge.
It was a perfect fusion of pressure and masterful technique.
Probably similar in essence to Roger's "Kamusari."
No wonder Garp stood at the very peak of this sea's power.
"Vice Admiral Garp, what exactly do you mean?"
Daren quickly gathered his thoughts and asked.
Garp slowly withdrew his fist, then patted Daren on the shoulder with a grin.
"You should know I've always liked you, kid..."
He let out a long sigh, a trace of emotion flashing through his eyes.
"I've read the battle report. You did well. That stinky brat of mine gave you a lot of trouble."
So this was about returning a favor?
The thought crossed Daren's mind. He smiled and shook his head.
"You're too kind, Vice Admiral Garp. Dragon and I are friends. I was just following Admiral Sengoku's orders—nothing more."
Garp burst out laughing.
"You've got a lot going for you, kid, but you're too cautious and calculating.
"If I didn't know you had that obsession with battle and killing deep in your bones, I'd say my martial arts weren't right for you."
He paused, then continued with a smile,
"But don't turn me down, Daren. Your strength is already at a critical juncture."
"There are countless powerhouses out there who've been stuck at this bottleneck their whole lives."
"Even if I don't know how much you'll actually take away from me, at the very least..."
Garp puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips proudly.
"I'm definitely a better teacher than that Zephyr guy!"
Daren: …
Why does it feel like that's your real reason for offering to teach me?
Still, to be fair, while Garp's teaching style might not be as methodical and professional as Zephyr's—more like letting his students run wild—there was no denying that his trainees turned out strong.
Kuzan was the perfect example.
In the original timeline, Kuzan had finished all the training camp content early, then proactively sought Garp out to become stronger.
Under Garp's guidance, he gained all-around enhancements and eventually rose to top-tier combat strength.
Later, in the Hachinosu arc, he even clashed with Garp in an intense battle between master and student.
Another one of Garp's students was Koby.
After two years of Garp's hands-on training, Koby went from the teary rookie who could only scream "ceasefire" at Marineford, to an elite of Marine HQ's covert unit "SWORD."
He stood out in the battle against the Blackbeard Pirates at Hachinosu and received a massive power boost.
Sure, part of that was Oda's signature power-up writing—but even so, it proved that Garp's teaching was no joke.
Most importantly, Daren had always coveted Garp's martial prowess.
Sure, he already had powerful abilities like "Magnetic Sword Control" and "Railgun," but in high-level combat between true powerhouses, victory was still decided by martial skill.
"Thank you, Vice Admiral Garp."
Daren stopped pretending to decline.
"Bwahahaha! That's more like it!"
Garp laughed heartily.
"Come with me."
He led Daren to another open area of the port, where several massive medium-sized warships lay beached.
These ships had long been abandoned. Their heavy cannons had been removed, salvageable materials dismantled, leaving only the main hulls behind. Time had not been kind—cobwebs covered their surfaces, the large anchors were rusted through, and the hulls were marred with deep battle scars, stacked there at an angle.
Scenes like this weren't uncommon at Marine Headquarters.
In naval warfare, targeting the enemy's ship directly is the most straightforward and effective tactic—not just for the Marines, but for pirates too. Given the sheer number of warships stationed at headquarters, the number decommissioned each year was far from small.
Repairs, building new ships, outfitting them with weapons, day-to-day maintenance...
As the man behind the North Blue fleet, Daren knew better than anyone how much it cost to maintain a powerful navy. No wonder Sengoku was constantly buried in budget headaches.
"Daren, what do you think is the strongest power in these seas?"
Garp suddenly asked as he looked up at the two abandoned warships in front of them, cutting through Daren's thoughts.
Daren was momentarily stunned, but before he could answer, Garp continued.
"Is it the unbelievable powers of the Devil Fruits?"
"Is it Haki, which lets you strike the true form of a Devil Fruit user?"
"Or maybe Conqueror's Haki, that force said to overwhelm others and embody one's will?"
"No. None of those!"
Garp shook his head firmly.
"Those might make you strong, but they'll never make you the strongest out here."
Daren said thoughtfully,
"Then what do you believe it is, Vice Admiral Garp?"
Garp smiled, raised his right hand, and clenched it into a fist.
In that moment, Daren caught a glimpse of black and red lightning flickering in Garp's palm before it quickly vanished.
With a fiery, confident look in his eyes, Garp said in a low voice,
"It's strength—tempered, forged through countless battles. Pure power!"
"The abilities I just mentioned? On their own, they don't mean much in the eyes of the truly powerful. But if you've gone through rigorous training and can perfectly blend and channel all of those powers together—that's what true strength is."
"Unmatched, pure strength!"
He turned to Daren, smiling.
"You've got excellent physical potential—enough to rival those freaks born with unnatural talent. But your power isn't refined."
"When you attack, the strength you've built up doesn't come together. That's why your strikes feel weak and unfocused."
"That's what I'm going to teach you."