As Qingzhi looked at Moruo, the fire in his eyes gradually extinguished.
He could disbelieve anyone in this world, but he absolutely trusted Kong Tai.
After casting a deep glance at Moruo, Qingzhi said nothing. He could certainly feel the hostility of the large man and his instantly changed attitude. Although it was strange, he didn't pay much attention to it.
"Hahahahaha!!"
At this moment, Kong Tai's loud laughter drew everyone's attention. Only then did he turn his gaze to Garp.
"Actually, you don't need to be so tense. Arriving with a hero and two admirals, anyone who didn't know would think you were going to do something big!"
"Looking at you, isn't that a big deal?"
The old man stared at Kong Tai and said sternly, "You still haven't said what you want to do here?"
"There's really nothing much. It's just that I have an old friend who is currently in Impel Down. I'm just here to get him out."
"Old friend??"
Kong Tai's words threw Garp and the other two into deep thought. "As far as I know, you haven't had any pirate friends since you set sail!"
Qingzhi lowered his hand and looked at Kong Tai, asking, "Was it someone you knew before setting sail?"
"Yes, I knew him before, and you must know him too."
Looking at the Gate of Justice ahead, Kong Tai took down his wine gourd, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp. "Will you open it, or shall I open it myself?"
Although many questions remained in their hearts, seeing the Thriller Bark about to crash into the Gate of Justice, Kizaru had no choice but to transform into a beam of light and fly to the gate, ordering the people guarding inside to open it quickly.
Everyone knew that this gate could stop most people in the world, but it definitely couldn't stop the silver-haired youth below.
Therefore, the marines guarding here didn't hesitate much. With the admiral's order, with a swish, the massive Gate of Justice welcomed a ship that was unique in its history, apart from Marine warships.
Impel Down, Marine Headquarters, and Enies Lobby were connected by a vast, distorted vortex.
Only by passing through the Gate of Justice could one catch the correct ocean current and reach the desired destination.
This was a necessary passage, but not one that had to be passed through. Kong Tai was passing through it simply to follow the current.
Soon, two ships passed through the giant gate and continued towards the world's number one prison, "Impel Down," from which only Golden Lion had successfully escaped.
Why was it necessary to pass through the Gate of Justice to go to Impel Down?
This was because the world's number one prison was located in the Calm Belt. Without the ocean currents brought by the vortex, even warships couldn't get through.
After all, warships back then, like all ships in this world, relied solely on the wind.
Being in the Calm Belt naturally meant an abundance of Sea Kings, which was why it earned the title of the world's number one prison.
"Hmph!"
Not long after they set sail, the surrounding seawater began to churn violently, as if it were boiling.
Marine warships had Seastone on their hulls, so they naturally didn't attract the attention of the Sea Kings. However, the Going Merry's hull did not have Seastone!
Thus, as soon as they entered the Calm Belt, it caused a riot among the Sea Kings. These creatures, like sharks smelling blood, rushed upwards from the deep sea one after another.
But just as they were about to break the surface, a voice filled with authority instantly pierced their eardrums, striking their souls like a bell.
At that moment, all the Sea Kings stopped hundreds of meters below the surface. They looked up at the dark silhouette, and fear appeared in their emotionless pupils.
It was like a rabbit encountering a tiger. Although the tiger had no intention of making them a meal, the primal fear that stemmed from their biology, the moment the voice sounded, filled their entire souls.
Without hesitation, all the Sea Kings turned around quickly and plunged back into the deep sea, disappearing into the darkness.
The surface of the sea also seemed to be brushed by a pair of giant hands. The moment Kong Tai's voice was uttered, the massive waves smoothed out, and the boiling water cooled.
The sea surface, at this moment, became as smooth as a mirror. Apart from the ripples caused by the two ships sailing past, there was not the slightest wave.
Looking at the sea, the pupils of the three people on the warship simultaneously constricted violently.
"What the hell is this?"
"Haki?"
"Conqueror's Haki?"
"..."
After a moment of stunned silence, the three of them, having regained their senses, exchanged glances and saw the shock in each other's eyes.
For the three of them, it wasn't difficult to subdue the Sea Kings below, but...
Looking at the sea, which stretched as far as the eye could see and was as calm as a mirror, two words simultaneously appeared in their shocked hearts.
"A miracle."
Clearly, Kong Tai had grown stronger again. And this time, his strengthening seemed to have undergone a qualitative change from a quantitative one. He had become so strong that it surpassed their imagination, showing signs of approaching divinity.
No, not approaching, he was already a legend.
Swallowing hard, their gazes returned to the Going Merry, where the youth stood, holding his wine gourd and drinking lazily.
Even Garp, who had not used his full strength since Roger's death, and who had not used his full strength even when fighting the youth on Sabaody Archipelago, had to become tense at this moment.
That feeling of his entire body trembling in the face of the unknown, how long had it been since he had experienced it?
To be honest, he quite missed it.
In his eyes, the youth's figure transformed into the tigers, pirates, marines, and mountains he once had to look up to...
At this moment, the old man's gradually quieting heart felt as if it had been reignited, and even his blood ran hot.
He was not afraid of facing a strong opponent; he was afraid of having no higher goal. As long as there was a goal, he believed that even in his old age, he could overcome it.
"Is it Haki?"
Garp looked at Kong Tai, his gaze burning.
He also possessed Conqueror's Haki, and it was not weak. But he had reached his limit, just like his Armament Haki.
And in this world, besides Devil Fruits, which were miracles, the most esoteric power was Haki.
It was the materialization of a person's will and body.
The youth's previous strength was due to his unique ability to control space. To be honest, whether it was Haki, physical techniques, or swordsmanship, in his eyes, they were not top-tier.
But this uncertain Conqueror's Haki now made him clearly see the possibility of surpassing the peak.
How could this not excite him?
Just like Shanks knew about the gods, the most helpless thing for a strong person was to stand at the peak with no goal. For someone like Garp, as long as he was given a goal, he could keep moving towards it until he broke through all obstacles in front of that goal and truly achieved his ambition.
If Conqueror's Haki could achieve this level, then could his Armament Haki, which was already at the world's peak, also break through and reach a new realm?
This was the reason for his excitement.
He didn't have any hopes for Conqueror's Haki, as he knew himself. He couldn't reach the level of the youth. But for his proud Armament Haki, as long as there was a goal, he was confident that he could achieve it.