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Having settled Acier and Olga, Arthur wasted no time. He raised his right arm, transforming it into pure lightning.
A massive bolt of lightning erupted from his palm, striking the iridescent wall of the anglerfish's stomach.
The creature, jolted by the sudden, intense pain, thrashed wildly in the depths, its stomach churning.
Third Stomach, Alchemi Island.
"What's happening? Is the anglerfish going crazy again?" Tsuru asked, as the ground beneath them tilted precariously, nearly sending them tumbling into the corrosive acid.
"That damned brat, Arthur, must be behind this," Garp growled, his intuition—honed from decades of chasing Roger—spot on.
"The tremors are getting stronger. Something's happening," Akainu added, his face grim.
As if on cue, the third stomach contracted violently, a torrent of acid and debris erupting—like a flash flood, surging through the second stomach and into the first, sweeping away Garp, Tsuru, Akainu—and Arthur.
"Tsuru-chan, look out!"
The churning acid carried them towards the anglerfish's throat, its massive tongue, like a mountain, blocking their path.
Garp, grabbing Tsuru and Akainu, dodged the surging acid and the monstrous tongue, leaping through the creature's gaping maw.
"We're…out?" Tsuru asked, her voice dazed, her head spinning, as if she were still trapped in a nightmare.
"We made it. Where's that Arthur kid?" Garp, carrying Tsuru and Akainu, used Geppo to hover above the sea, his monstrous stamina seemingly unaffected by the ordeal.
"Put us down," Akainu said, his nausea finally subsiding. He, too, used Geppo to stay airborne.
"Arthur's either still inside—or he got out first," Tsuru said, wiping the sweat from her brow, her analytical mind already working.
It wasn't the dead of night anymore. They'd been inside the anglerfish for days. The sun was high in the sky, the weather clear.
The sound of something hitting the water drew their attention.
"That brat! He did escape!" Garp grinned, his legs kicking out, unleashing a barrage of Rankyaku attacks.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The crescent-shaped blades of compressed air sliced across the sea, leaving trails in the water that quickly disappeared.
"HAHAHAHA! Vice Admiral—Don't bother seeing me off!" Arthur waved, then plunged into the sea.
The three Marines watched in stunned silence.
"Isn't Arthur a Devil Fruit user? How can he swim?" Tsuru frowned, baffled.
"Don't worry about it, Tsuru-chan. Is your Log Pose working? Let's head back to Headquarters." Garp shrugged, Arthur's escape not seeming to bother him much.
"I suppose we have no choice." Tsuru nodded, checking her Log Pose.
The three of them, using Geppo, flew towards Marineford.
Moments after they left—Arthur's head broke the surface, his hair dry, as if he hadn't just been submerged.
"Using Geppo all the way? As expected of the Marines' strongest."
Arthur grinned, following them at a distance, letting them lead the way.
the anglerfish hadn't traveled far from the Gates of Justice. It took Garp, Tsuru, and Akainu only two hours to reach Marineford.
The Marines guarding the Gates of Justice, spotting the three Vice Admirals approaching, immediately issued orders.
"That's Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and Vice Admiral Sakazuki! Open the Gates!"
"Yes, sir!" The Marines in their seagull hats scrambled to activate the massive mechanisms.
The Gates of Justice slowly opened.
The three Vice Admirals descended, landing on the dock, their long journey finally over. Only Tsuru showed any signs of fatigue, a light sheen of sweat on her brow.
"Please verify your identification codes, Vice Admirals," a Marine Captain said, approaching and saluting. Protocol had to be followed.
In a world with countless Devil Fruit abilities, including mimicry and transformation, verification was essential.
Garp, flanked by Tsuru and Akainu, provided their codes, then headed towards Marine Headquarters.
"Weren't they sent to reinforce Impel Down? Where's their ship? And their escort?" The Captain and his men exchanged puzzled glances. Garp destroying his ship during missions was common—but this time, he'd simply been sent to quell a riot. Had the situation been that dire?
"Oh? Garp-san, you're back? Is the Impel Down situation resolved?" Kuzan, his usual lazy demeanor evident, greeted them. He had been unable to join them on the mission, having only just returned himself.
"Bwahahaha! Pretty much!" Garp chuckled, picking his nose.
The four of them walked towards Headquarters.
Reaching Fleet Admiral Kong's office, Garp barged in without knocking.
Kong, hunched over his desk, buried under a mountain of paperwork, didn't even look up. Only Garp would be so disrespectful.
He finished signing a document, setting it aside, and looked at them, his expression calm. "I've been briefed on the situation. Arthur escaped. The World Government wanted to keep it quiet, but Morgans beat them to it. So, it's out. What happened during your…extended absence?" His voice was laced with weariness.
Kong had argued with the Five Elders, demanding Vegapunk be held accountable. He was certain the scientist was involved in Arthur's escape. But they wouldn't listen.
Vegapunk was too valuable, worth ten Arthurs in their eyes. The death of an Admiral was a small price to pay. They were replaceable.
But Vegapunk? A genius like him was a once-in-a-lifetime asset.
"Bwahahaha! The World Government trying to rewrite history again? The Marines are the only ones who look bad," Garp grumbled.
"Enough, Garp! We're not here to discuss Impel Down. On our way back—we encountered that anglerfish the World Government's been searching for—the one that swallowed Alchemi two hundred years ago," Tsuru said.
"What?!" Kong shot out of his chair, his imposing figure radiating power, his voice laced with disbelief. "That anglerfish? The one with the legendary Pure Gold?"
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