This time, when Garp expressed his intent to fight, Wood didn't refuse like before. Instead, he assumed a serious fighting stance, his mind and body fully prepared for battle. Wood's sudden change in attitude toward facing Garp was largely due to the wake-up call he received from his earlier encounter with Gion.
Staying in the first half of the Grand Line and only picking off weak opponents wasn't going to help him grow. To keep getting stronger, he needed to challenge the most powerful opponents.
And Garp, in his prime, was undeniably the Navy's strongest and one of the mightiest figures on the seas.
He was the perfect opponent for Wood to measure his current strength.
Wood knew that defeating Garp was an impossible dream at this stage, but through this battle, he hoped to understand the true height of the world's top-tier power.
As Wood, brimming with fighting spirit, gripped his sword and charged at Garp, the battle between the Marines and the "Sun Pirates" Fishmen on Enies Lobby had reached a fever pitch.
With Gion and Garp no longer in their way, Tiger and his crew swiftly breached the first gate of Enies Lobby and soon encountered the giant warriors Oimo and Kashii at the second gate.
Oimo and Kashii were originally members of the "Giant Warrior Pirates," led by Dorry and Brogy.
However, after being deceived by the World Government, they had spent the last thirty years as guards at the second gate of Enies Lobby. (Given that it had been fifty years by the time Luffy arrived, thirty years here aligns perfectly.)
Both the Fishmen and the Giants are considered non-human species in this world, and both are naturally more adept at combat than humans.
In fact, the Giants are born warriors, even more so than the Fishmen.
Their colossal bodies, towering tens of meters high, were enough to crush countless other intelligent species.
Having a large body doesn't necessarily mean great strength, but in the case of the Giants, their immense power is undeniable given their sheer size.
The Fishmen of the "Sun Pirates" could easily handle ten ordinary Marines each, but when facing the Giants Oimo and Kashii, they were clearly outclassed.
The damage the Fishmen could inflict on the tough-skinned Kashii was minimal, while a single swing of his massive axe left the Fishmen severely wounded or dead.
Even though the "Sun Pirates" had brought along some large Sea Kings for their assault on Enies Lobby, these creatures were much weaker on land and were soon slain by Oimo and Kashii's spears and giant axes.
In the end, it was Jinbei who stepped in, and with a single "Fishman Karate: Karakusa Straight Punch," he sent the towering Kashii flying, crashing into the second gate and causing it to collapse.
Despite his thick skin, the giant couldn't withstand Jinbei's punch, but since Jinbei's strength hadn't yet reached the level he would achieve as a "Warlord of the Sea" in the future, he was quickly forced back by a counterattack from Oimo's spear.
"Boss Tiger, leave these two Giants to me. You take the others and advance to the main island. I'll catch up soon," Jinbei said.
Seeing that the second gate, which Kashii's body had knocked open, was about to close again, Tiger assumed a Fishman Karate stance.
"Fishman Karate: Seven Thousand Tile True Punch!"
As Tiger's fist struck out, a powerful shockwave blasted forward, tearing through the air.
The punch, powerful enough to shatter seven thousand tiles, not only forced the closing second gate wide open again, but also sent hundreds of Marines behind it flying.
Watching Jinbei still holding his ground against the two Giants, and seeing the Marines with cannons and rifles advancing from the main island, Tiger knew they couldn't waste any more time.
While the "Sun Pirates" were made up of the elite of the Fishmen, most of them couldn't withstand the power of firearms and cannons.
Jinbei could easily escape on his own, but the others would be in grave danger if they were surrounded.
Quickly analyzing the situation, Tiger agreed with Jinbei's suggestion to leave him behind to stall the Giants while the others charged into the main island of Enies Lobby.
Once inside the main island, they just needed to get past the courthouse, and they would reach the final stronghold, the Tower of Justice.
Having broken through two gates in a row, the Fishmen were now unstoppable, each of them filled with adrenaline and excitement.
The reason was simple: the Fishmen naturally despised humans, especially the Marines and the World Government.
Many of the members of the "Sun Pirates" had joined after the crew was formed.
And the newer members often heard the veterans bragging about how they and Tiger had rampaged through the Holy Land, Mariejois, rescuing their fellow Fishmen.
Although the events at Mariejois had occurred nearly a year ago, most of the Fishmen could still recite the details by heart.
Yet, it was undeniable that whenever the newcomers heard the veterans boast, they couldn't help but feel envious.
They regretted not joining the "Sun Pirates" earlier, missing out on becoming heroes.
But today, all the Fishmen of the "Sun Pirates" were thrilled because they were currently attacking Enies Lobby, one of the three main agencies of the World Government!
And just like at Mariejois, their goal was to rescue one of their own.
The Fishman named Tom might not be someone they knew well, but that didn't matter.
As long as they completed this mission with Boss Tiger, and the news reached Fishman Island, they would be regarded as heroes back home.
Of course, attacking Enies Lobby might not be as impactful as the chaos they caused at Mariejois, where even a Celestial Dragon was killed.
But since Enies Lobby was a direct institution of the World Government, their actions here were still a direct slap in the face to the government, giving them plenty of bragging rights when they returned to Fishman District.
So when Tiger led them into the main island of Enies Lobby, and they encountered the "Judicial Hounds" and the "Judgment Jury," the Fishmen felt no fear—instead, they were even more excited.
Defeating regular Marine grunts might not be much to boast about back on Fishman Island, but facing the "Judicial Hounds" and the "Judgment Jury" was a different story.
As for the two Giants, while they had been eager to fight them, they simply couldn't win, so they left it to Boss Jinbei.
But now, facing the "Judicial Hounds" and the "Judgment Jury," the Fishmen of the "Sun Pirates" felt this was their chance!
Whether they would earn a Marine bounty and have something to brag about back on Fishman Island all depended on this battle.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 300+ at pat_reon.com/Betek.