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Unconsciously, Shiki had lost his edge. The domineering aura that once defined him had leaked away, drop by drop, until only a hollow shell remained.

Perhaps a man can only endure so much failure. When defeats pile up, the soul becomes riddled with holes, too fragile to face reality.

Shiki stared at his own hands, lost in a confusion deeper than he had ever known.

What had he been doing all these years? The fighting spirit that had burned so brightly when he escaped Impel Down seemed to have vanished the moment he tasted freedom.

He had fallen into a slump, hiding in the shadows, obsessing over external power, researching mutant animals. He had lost the will to face his old enemies himself. He wanted to destroy the world with tricks because he had lost faith in his own strength.

"Roger could influence an entire era," Shiki rasped, spitting out the remains of his cigar. He lifted his head, his eyes burning with a renewed, dangerous light. "I will be stronger than him."

"You said… attack the World Government? Tell me…"

"Before that, I have one more thing to tell you," Arthur interjected, watching the sharpness return to Shiki. There was a madness there, hidden but potent, a resolve to burn everything down, himself included.

"Spit it out! I don't have time for riddles!" Shiki snapped. He was impatient now, desperate to make the era remember his name.

"All these years, you've been mistaken about one thing," Arthur said, his voice tinged with pity. "The man you acknowledged, Roger… he wasn't captured by the Navy."

"He turned himself in."

"What did you say??"

Shiki was stunned into silence. In a flash of movement, he was in front of Arthur, his hands gripping Arthur's shoulders like vices. His face was a mask of disbelief, mingled with a strange, twisted joy and profound loss.

Joy that Roger hadn't disappointed him. Loss that he had lost to Roger yet again.

His expression was a chaotic storm of emotions.

"He turned himself in," Arthur repeated, taking a step back and brushing Shiki's hands off his shoulders.

"Scarlet! Prepare a feast!" Shiki sighed, a long, ragged exhale that seemed to empty his lungs. He shouted to the gorilla in the distance.

"Thunder Emperor. Tell me everything you know."

On the sea, using a title meant respect. It meant acknowledgment. Shiki had finally accepted Arthur as his equal.

"Vegapunk, go have a chat about science with Dr. Indigo," Arthur instructed.

He accepted Shiki's invitation and walked side-by-side with the Golden Lion into the palace on the flying island.

This was what he had come for.

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Marineford. Fleet Admiral's Office.

The Golden Trio of the old era were gathered, plotting.

Garp was performing his signature high-difficulty maneuver: picking his nose while simultaneously pouring donuts into his mouth, crunching loudly and happily.

"Garp! Shut up!" Sengoku roared, spit flying. Only around his most trusted friend would the Fleet Admiral lose his composure like this.

"Bwahahahaha!" Garp just laughed, heartless as ever.

"Sigh." Sengoku rubbed his temples, a headache throbbing. "Listen to me. CP0 recently stole a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit from an island near Elbaf in the New World. Kong, Tsuru, and I jointly applied for it. It's been approved for you. Eating it will help heal your injuries and take your strength to a new level."

"I refuse!" Garp rejected it without hesitation. "I'm tired. I just want to go home and play with my grandson!"

The village chief of Foosha Village, Woop Slap, had just called. Luffy had been terrified by the Thunder God Pirates and hadn't stopped crying. Luckily, Red-Haired Shanks was there to comfort him.

But Shanks had lost an arm saving Luffy.

Shanks was a pirate. Leaving his grandson with a pirate… Garp couldn't rest easy. He was terrified Luffy would be led astray.

Garp was exhausted. His son had secretly formed the Revolutionary Army to fight the World Government, and then, with spectacular stupidity, had gone and provoked Arthur, putting Luffy in danger.

Between that and his diminished strength, he just wanted to rest. He wanted to quietly raise his grandson into a brave Marine.

Besides, the World Government trusted him less and less these days. Under his foolish exterior, Garp was sharp. He could feel the growing rift.

"If you want to be with Luffy, you need to recover your strength!" Tsuru snapped, punching Garp on the head. "What if Arthur goes to kill him personally? Can you protect Luffy with your current strength?"

"At least eliminate this threat, then you can retire with a clear conscience!" Sengoku added, pulling a box from beside his desk.

"Fine, fine!" Garp picked his nose thoughtfully. Tsuru had a point.

"So, what is it? What kind of fruit could possibly make me stronger?"

"The Mythical Zoan: Human-Human Fruit, Model: Titan!"

Sengoku opened the box. Inside sat a Devil Fruit larger than a human head, black and glistening like obsidian, covered in patterns that looked like flowing magma.

"Stolen from near Elbaf… the giants are going to go crazy," Garp grinned. "The World Government doesn't know you applied for this for me, do they?"

He picked up the fruit and took a massive bite.

The Titan...

A creature of myth, standing alongside the Phoenix, the Buddha, the Vampire, the Dragon, and the Tanuki.

Colossal size. Infinite strength. Indestructible.

It was a perfect match for Garp's iron fists.

He was already at the pinnacle of physical power. With this fruit… what heights would he reach? He would rival Whitebeard in his prime. In raw physical strength, he would crush even Kaido.

And as a Mythical Zoan, healing his burned-out life force would be child's play.

THUMP! THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

A sound like a war drum began to beat from Garp's chest. His heart, the strongest muscle in the human body, pumped new, powerful blood into every corner of his being. The vibration was so intense it made Sengoku and Tsuru's eardrums buzz.

Garp's face flushed red. His eyes rolled back, showing white. Veins bulged on his forehead, neck, and arms, thick and serpentine.

His blood boiled, turning his body into a furnace. It felt like magma was flowing through his veins. The temperature in the office skyrocketed.

"Ugh… RAAARGH!"

A guttural roar of pain and power tore from his throat. Garp clenched his fists. His body began to expand, inch by inch.

In moments, he smashed into the thirty-meter-high ceiling. His skin turned the color of obsidian, and cracks of glowing red magma appeared across his body.

His arms and legs became pillars that could hold up the sky, radiating a scorching, terrifying power.

"Stop! Any bigger and you'll bring the whole building down!" Sengoku shouted.

He knew thirty meters was nowhere near the limit of a Titan.

"Bwahahahahahahaha!"

Garp laughed, his voice a thunderclap that shook the room. He felt his old injuries vanish, replaced by a power that was frankly terrifying.

"I'M GOING TO FLATTEN THAT BRAT ARTHUR INTO A PANCAKE!"

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