The group collectively let out a sigh of relief, having avoided what could have been a deadly battle. However, Jinbe soon found himself puzzled. Why would Vice Admiral Momousagi, who was known for her staunch sense of justice on the seas, choose to let them go?
"You could say that she did it out of respect for Brother Wood," Tiger explained. "Vice Admiral Momousagi and Brother Wood were classmates at the Navy Academy, and it seems their relationship was quite... special. Given their connection, it's likely that Momousagi wouldn't allow Brother Wood to die at Garp's hands. Our priority now is to leave this place as quickly as possible."
Jinbe and Arlong were curious about the details of this unusual relationship, but the current situation didn't allow for such inquiries. They could only hasten their steps.
Meanwhile, Gion, standing by with the unconscious Spandam at her feet, glanced back at the retreating figures of Tiger and the others. She then turned her gaze towards a certain part of Enies Lobby and muttered to herself, "What on earth is Garp doing? Tom has already been rescued by the Fish-Men, so our mission is technically complete. Why is he still fighting with Wood? If the World Government's reinforcements arrive, it will be difficult for Wood to escape."
At that moment, back on Enies Lobby's main island, the battle between Wood and Garp had entered its latter stages.
Wood had initially believed that Garp was just playing along to give the Sun Pirates a convincing show. However, despite Tiger and his crew being long gone, Garp showed no signs of stopping. In fact, he seemed to be getting more and more excited as the fight went on.
With each of Wood's wind-enhanced slashes, the buildings of Enies Lobby were effortlessly sliced apart like cake, yet Garp easily shattered these slashes with his iron fists.
Wood's physical conditioning, honed over many years, far surpassed that of others his age. While his physique allowed him to overpower someone like Gion, it was utterly insufficient against the monstrous strength of Garp.
In their direct clashes, Wood relied heavily on his special Observation Haki to predict and evade Garp's attacks. However, whenever he couldn't dodge, he would usually find himself sent flying by Garp's punches!
The scale of their battle was immense, turning the entire Enies Lobby into their battlefield.
Wood, with a single slash, cleaved the entire courthouse in half, only to be sent flying by Garp from the main island to the front island with a single punch.
To put that into perspective, Garp's punch sent Wood flying over ten kilometers, smashing through two of Enies Lobby's main gates along the way!
"Boom——!"
Wood's body, like a meteor, streaked across half of Enies Lobby before crashing down onto the front island, skidding across the ground before colliding with the Sea Train "Rocketman" that had just arrived.
The impact was tremendous, and the steel train was completely pierced through by Wood's body.
Nearby, Gion, who had witnessed the scene, quickly rushed over to check on Wood.
"Wood, what's going on with you two? Vice Admiral Garp doesn't seem to be holding back at all."
Gion looked at the mangled remains of the Sea Train and, after sensing that Wood's vital signs were still stable, let out a sigh of relief before asking what exactly was going on.
"I'd like to know that myself! Wasn't this supposed to be an act? But Vice Admiral Garp is really trying to beat me to death! If it weren't for my body being…"
Wood, still in the midst of the wreckage, was about to explain but suddenly noticed something in the remains of the train. There, in the wrecked front compartment of the Rocketman, he saw a hidden compartment!
And due to the train being completely smashed apart by Wood's impact, several sheets of paper had fallen right beside him…
Wood's heart raced as he had a hunch about what these papers could be. He stood up and took a closer look.
As he inspected the sheets, Wood realized they contained what appeared to be engineering diagrams. However, the structure depicted on them wasn't a Sea Train but rather some sort of large battleship.
While he could decipher the general layout from the diagrams, the text accompanying them was completely unreadable to him.
If these were Sea Train blueprints, they would have been drawn by Tom, but Tom wouldn't have written in ancient script.
This could only mean one thing… The papers Wood now held were the long-sought blueprints of the Pluton, which the World Government and Navy Headquarters had been searching for!
It turned out Tom really did possess the Pluton blueprints! And he had hidden them in the front of the decommissioned Sea Train, Rocketman!
Upon reflection, it made perfect sense. The best place to hide something was often in plain sight, under the very noses of those searching for it. The World Government would never have suspected that the blueprints had been right before them all along.
Spandam certainly hadn't expected it either. After all, Franky and the others had kept their promise and returned with the Pluton blueprints after leaving Water 7.
The first Sea Train, Rocketman, held special significance for Tom, making it an ideal hiding spot for the Pluton blueprints. However, even Tom hadn't anticipated that his two beloved apprentices would use it to come to Enies Lobby to rescue him.
Quietly tucking the blueprints into his jacket, Wood had just pushed himself out of the wreckage when he saw Gion scolding Garp with the stern demeanor of a daughter rebuking her father.
Garp, meanwhile, no longer resembled a Marine hero but rather a child who had been caught misbehaving, awkwardly accepting Gion's reprimands.
Gion's angry expression reminded Garp of a young Tsuru, which made him feel a great deal of pressure.
Moreover, Garp knew it was indeed his fault. Wood had proven to be incredibly resilient, and no matter how much Garp gradually increased the intensity of his attacks, the young man kept up. This rare occurrence sparked Garp's competitive spirit, and he had unintentionally begun to take the fight seriously.
"Alright, Gion, calm down. Look, Wood is fine, right? I promise, I'll follow your lead and not intervene from now on. Even if you're particularly concerned about this brat, I'm still your senior and superior, so give me a bit of face, will you?"
Garp's words caused a faint blush to appear on Gion's cool, composed face, and she quickly retorted, "Who said I'm concerned about him? I'm just worried that your antics will jeopardize Fleet Admiral Sengoku's classified mission. Besides, Wood was once my subordinate, so this is purely a superior's concern for a former junior."
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 320+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a