Chapter 32: Ortoren – So I Walk Out the Door and Go Straight Into a Final Boss Fight, Eh?

Garp was puzzled for a moment, but chaos was normal in the New World, so he wasn't particularly surprised. Instead, he turned to the Marines nearby and ordered, "Check the rest of the island's sea routes and hidden docks—see if the Oro Jackson is here!"

Typically, an island doesn't just have one port. Some even build secret harbors specifically for shady business, hosting all kinds of underworld scum. Pirates especially love mooring their ships at such hidden spots.

With that, the gangplank on Garp's dog-headed warship was lowered. He casually walked down, ready to head into town to check out the disturbance. As a Marine sworn to justice, if pirates were causing trouble on the island, he had a duty to step in.

And the moment that iconic warship docked, Gaban—who had been buying wine in the port's market street—spotted him.

"That guy's nose is still sharp as ever..." Gaban muttered, then quickly left to inform his crewmates and prepare for an immediate retreat from the island.

As for Zunesha, it looked like he wouldn't be seeing it this time.

Over the years, there had been more than a few run-ins between the Roger Pirates and Garp. And in all those clashes, the result was always the same—the Roger Pirates chose to retreat.

It wasn't that Garp could single-handedly overpower the entire Roger crew. The real reason was that they simply didn't want to get entangled with him. As pirates, running when you see a Marine—especially a persistent one like Garp—was just common sense.

Once Garp pinned them down in one spot, the Navy reinforcements would pour in like sharks scenting blood. And if that happened, getting away would be a lot harder.

...

Elsewhere, Ortoren and Mihawk had teamed up to launch a fierce assault on Rayleigh. But both were still green—full of potential, yes, but no match for Rayleigh. Even with the two of them attacking together, they were clearly being overwhelmed. Rayleigh handled them with ease, not even fighting seriously.

High above on a rooftop, the Roger Pirates sat along the eaves, watching the clash below. Roger himself took a couple swigs from a wine bottle and laughed heartily.

"Who would've thought? We'd run into the legendary Goro Goro no Mi user here!"

"Is that the hot-headed kid you mentioned—the one who showed up on Whole Cake Island? He wasn't a Devil Fruit user back then, was he?" Crocus asked, eyeing the fierce battle in the streets below with interest.

"Right. He wasn't a Devil Fruit user at the time, but he wasn't like this either," Roger nodded. "Back then, he seemed to be in some kind of berserk state. If I'm not mistaken, that was the Sulong form. That kid's probably a Mink hybrid."

After another swig, Roger said with a sigh, "I didn't fight him much myself, but he shattered Shanks' arm with a single blow. Rayleigh was caught off guard and got sent flying by one swing of his hammer. Later, Rayleigh said that kid had monstrous strength—and when he cut him, the feel of his body told him the kid's physical endurance was insane. And now he's got the Goro Goro no Mi? If he lives long enough to grow, give it a few years and the seas will have another major player."

The regret in Roger's voice came from knowing he probably wouldn't be around to witness it.

Crocus glanced at him and said, "If you know you don't have much time left, maybe drink a little less."

"No way!" Roger laughed loudly. "It's exactly because I don't have much time left that I should drink more! Otherwise, I'll regret it for sure later—Wahahahahaha!"

Bururururururu... Burururu...

Just as the Roger Pirates were watching the action unfold, Roger's Den Den Mushi rang. He pulled it out and glanced at it, looking puzzled.

"Don't tell me Gaban got lost buying alcohol again?"

"You're the only one in this crew with no sense of direction!" Crocus muttered.

Roger ignored him and answered, "Gaban?"

"We can call off the plan to observe Zunesha. I'm at the port and just spotted Garp's warship. Unless something's wrong with my eyes, he's here," Gaban reported straight through the Den Den Mushi.

"Garp? You sure you didn't see it wrong?" Roger asked, clearly taken aback.

"Idiot. After all the times we've crossed paths with him, who wouldn't recognize that ridiculous dog-headed ship?" Gaban snapped.

"What a buzzkill..." Roger sighed. "Alright, let's meet up back on the ship. You go weigh anchor. As long as we set off first, Garp's warship will never catch the Oro Jackson."

"Got it. Don't let him stall you guys," Gaban warned before hanging up.

The Den Den Mushi was on speaker, so Roger didn't need to explain. The rest of the crew had already stood up the moment Gaban started speaking.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll go give Rayleigh the heads-up!" Roger waved them off and, without giving anyone a chance to object, leapt off the rooftop toward the street below.

Crocus and the others didn't even blink—they were used to it. With a quick wave, the group slipped away across the rooftops, heading for the island's hidden harbor on the far side.

...

Meanwhile, down on the street, Ortoren's massive hammer smashed into the stone wall of a nearby building, reducing it to rubble with a single blow.

The strike missed, and lightning flashed in Ortoren's eyes—two laser beams shot out straight ahead.

Rayleigh, sword in one hand and Armament Haki covering the other, swatted the laser aside. The surge of thunder and lightning scattered harmlessly against the overwhelming force of his Haki.

At the same time, Mihawk's sword slashed in, only to be met and blocked by Rayleigh's blade.

"You two aren't bad. Give it a few more years, and this old man might actually have trouble keeping up," Rayleigh said with a relaxed smile.

Mihawk's hawk-like eyes lit up with excitement. "I thought this trip would be a waste, but getting to fight the legendary Dark King? Totally worth it."

Ortoren slammed his hammer into the ground and rolled his shoulders, muscles rippling like waves beneath his skin.

Then he locked eyes with Rayleigh, fire in his gaze. "Don't get ahead of yourself. That was just the warm-up—now the real fight begins."

As soon as he spoke, a dense aura of lightning began to seep from his skin. Unlike the wild and violent discharges from before, this time the energy was quiet, controlled.

It clung to his body without erupting outward.

With the lightning power enveloping him, Ortoren's presence began to rise steadily. Armament Haki quickly coated his arms, and faint electric patterns started forming at the edges of his eyes.

The Mink Tribe possessed a unique ability: by rubbing their fur together, they could generate large amounts of static electricity to enhance their attacks.

Although Ortoren was a Mink hybrid, he lacked the thick fur of his kin, making it impossible for him to generate static this way—effectively rendering that trait useless.

But now, with the power of the Goro Goro no Mi in hand, everything had changed. This was lightning—not static. A force vastly more powerful.

And thanks to his natural instincts, Ortoren found manipulating that power surprisingly intuitive. It just clicked. Whatever he set his mind to, he could do.

Lightning coursed over the surface of his body, stimulating every cell. His strength, speed, and reflexes climbed sharply.

Fixing his gaze on Rayleigh, he tensed for a second—then launched forward with a powerful kick. No teleportation this time. Like a wild beast charging from the mountains, he lunged straight at Rayleigh!

His hands formed claws, wrapped in crackling lightning and hardened with Haki. The energy was so dense, it looked like his fingers could tear the air apart.

Rayleigh braced himself, ready for Ortoren's "real fight"—

But before their clash could land, a slash burst in from the side.

Roger!

"Kamusari!!" Roger shouted.

The target, of course, was Ortoren. Feeling the threat instinctively, Ortoren immediately shifted—crossing his arms in front of him, lightning and Haki flaring.

A split second later, the Kamusari slash crashed into his arms.

The sheer force of the blow lifted Ortoren off the ground. His guard was crushed against his chest as the impact flung him into the air.

"Damn it—sneak attacks? Really?!" he cursed mid-flight.

A peak-level ambush right out the gate. When someone like Roger decided to strike, even Ortoren had no way to dodge.