The sudden eruption of the battle quickly caught the attention of all the officers and soldiers in Marineford, but those below the rank of vice admiral dared not approach.
At first, some who were awakened by the commotion rushed over, only to be sent flying by the terrifying shockwaves before they could even get close. Several of them even fainted on the spot under the overwhelming pressure of the Conqueror's Haki.
Even the vice admirals didn't dare to get too close, choosing instead to watch from a distance.
In front of the headquarters building, as the ground cracked and collapsed and the fiery clouds continued to rise, the towering structure of Marineford plaza finally gave way.
The walls split open with a deafening sound, revealing a horrifying fissure.
"Lord Orion, Mr. Garp!"
Seeing the headquarters building's wall also cracked by the force, Gion, who had barely withstood the collision, gripped her sword with both hands and plunged it into the ground.
She looked up at Orion and Garp, whose mere clash had shattered the surrounding ground and the headquarters building's walls, and shouted with all her might.
"STOP! STOP! THE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING IS ABOUT TO COLLAPSE—"
Bzzz—
Bzzz—
Before Gion could finish her sentence, a disorienting low-frequency vibration drowned out her voice.
Immediately after, another wave of destructive energy erupted from Orion and Garp, sweeping outward with overwhelming force.
"Bwahaha, you've really surprised me, Orion!" Garp, his body wreathed in fiery clouds, clenched his fists and took a forceful step forward, laughing heartily.
"Now, let's see if your Armament Haki is just as domineering!"
Before the words even left his mouth, another surge of terrifying energy burst forth from Garp, who was already enveloped in fiery clouds.
In the next moment, he leaped into the air without hesitation. His fists, hardened with Armament Haki and infused with Conqueror's Haki, turned pitch black and gleamed ominously as he brought them down with devastating force toward Orion, who stood firmly on the ground.
At the same time.
Swish—
A sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out. At the very moment Garp fist descended, Orion left behind an afterimage in his original spot and then appeared before Garp like a ghost.
"Old man, you're too slow!" Without the slightest hesitation, Orion, who had appeared before Garp, unleashed a fist carrying equally terrifying power, which rapidly expanded in Garp pupils.
Boom—
With a dull thud, the fist imbued with overwhelming force effortlessly pierced through Garp Armament Haki defense.
Immediately after, under the astonished gazes of the Marine officers watching from a distance, Garp was sent flying like a heavy cannonball, crashing down a hundred meters away.
Before the Marine officers could react, Orion, who had just sent Garp flying with a single punch, suddenly turned and reached out toward the direction where Gion stood.
"Gion, lend me your sword!" Before the words had even fully left his mouth, the renowned sword Konpira, which had been sheathed at Gion waist, flew through the air as if by magic, landing firmly in Orion grasp.
The moment Konpira touched Orion's hand, the blade was instantly enveloped in swirling flames.
In the next second, Orion, now wielding Konpira, shot forward at an astonishing speed.
The flaming blade sliced through the air, delivering a devastating slash aimed at Garp, who stood hundreds of feet away.
In an instant, a dazzling blade aura, akin to divine punishment, surged forth.
The air vibrated with a low-frequency hum that was almost dizzying, carrying with it the terrifying power to sever anything in its path. The attack reached Garp just as he had regained his footing and was preparing to counter.
"This is—"
"Divine Departure!!!!"
Faced with the terrifying slash that seemed to grow infinitely larger in his vision, Garp eyes widened in shock. There was no time to dodge. He could only unleash his Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki without reservation.
Yet, he was still a step too slow.
With a deafening boom, the black and red flames erupted, filling the space around them.
Immediately, Garp felt a wave of death wash over him, and his body was flung backward at an incredible speed, completely out of his control.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of thunderous explosions followed as Garp crashed through several buildings. Unable to hold back any longer, he spat out a mist of blood before finally slamming into the Marineford Plaza, surrounded by shattered debris.
In that moment, as Garp lay sprawled on the plaza, the surrounding noise seemed to vanish. The officers who had been watching from a distance were utterly stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief. Orion had defeated Garp with a single strike.
Not only the distant onlookers, but even the two Admirals, Borsalino and Kuzan, standing atop the Marine Headquarters building, couldn't help but inwardly gasp at the sight of Orion overwhelming power.
When they had seen Orion Conqueror's Haki clash with Garp, they had realized that Orion had been hiding his true strength all these years. But even then, they had underestimated the extent of his abilities.
"Is that... Divine Departure?" After a brief moment of shock, Borsalino adjusted his glasses, his expression more serious than ever.
"To think that after all these years, the Divine Departure created by the Pirate King Roger would reappear at Marine Headquarters!"
"It's not the Divine Departure created by Roger" Kuzan shook his head, his expression equally grave.
"Back before the Battle of Edd War, I accompanied Vice Admiral Garp to the New World. When Roger used Divine Departure, he stood still. But just now, Fleet Admiral Orion executed it while in motion! More importantly, when Roger was executed, Orion was only six or seven years old. He couldn't have seen Roger, let alone learned swordsmanship from him."
"As hard as it is to believe, it's clear that this is a 'Divine Departure' created by Fleet Admiral Orion himself."
But the most shocked of all was Gion.
Gion was stunned because Orion first exposure to swordsmanship had been under her guidance. She had been a temporary instructor at the officer training camp at the time, and upon noticing Orion exceptional talent with the sword, she had taken it upon herself to teach him for a while.
Over the years, Orion rapid progress in swordsmanship had astonished her, and she had always believed she was slightly superior to him in this art.
However, upon witnessing Orion recent strike, which could only be described as earth-shattering, she finally realized that he had grown to a level far beyond her reach.
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Suddenly, a series of violent coughs broke the eerie silence that had enveloped the square. Immediately, Garp sat up, completely disregarding the horrifying wound on his chest, and glared wide-eyed at Orion, who stood with his sword in hand.
"We agreed to compete with Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki. Why did you suddenly use your sword…?"
"Ouch—"
Before he could finish, Garp let out a pained cry and looked down at the wound Orion had inflicted on his chest. Furious, he shouted.
"KID, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!?"
Seeing Garp reaction, Orion lips twitched slightly. He casually tossed Konpira back into the scabbard at Gion waist and said indifferently.
"If you can still curse, it seems you're not going to die."
With that, Orion turned and walked over to Gion.
"Let's go. After that fight, I'm even hungrier~"