Chapter 131: Domineering Entanglement! The Thrill of Battle! [62K]

"Pwahahaha, I get it now!"

The dust and smoke gradually dispersed; Garp stepped forward, revealing his form, the clothes over his chest already shattered, exposing a muscular torso unfit for his age.

He casually tore off his tattered upper garment, revealing bronze muscles knotted with power, radiating a metallic luster.

"Good kid!"

The old man touched his slightly concave chest, laughing loudly, his white teeth gleaming grimly in the sunlight, "That punch really had some kick!"

"Isn't your body even tougher!"

Siano sneered, "Crocodile died from this very move of mine, yet for you, it seems to have caused only a superficial wound!"

"It certainly is not!"

Garp shouted in dissatisfaction, "That move of yours used the Armament Haki technique of internal destruction, didn't it! It's strong; I feel my internal organs shifting!"

"I can't be the only one suffering this kind of pain!"

Whoosh!

Before the words even faded, Garp's figure suddenly blurred.

Siano's pupils contracted, red light flashing in his eyes, his Observation Haki screaming warnings, yet he was still a beat too slow—

"Ocean Floor Drop!"

Accompanied by Garp's fierce shout, one of his hands grabbed Siano's right fist, which had been thrown up to block, hurling it into the air, while his entire body flashed instantly, appearing above Siano.

His other hand, shrouded in dense Haki accumulated long ago, slammed solidly down onto Siano's abdomen from above!

Boom!!!

The power of this punch far exceeded the previous ones!

Even though Siano immediately covered himself with Armament Haki for defense, his entire body was still sent flying backward like a cannonball!

He plowed a groove hundreds of meters long across the ice surface, yet still failed to fully dissipate the force, smashing straight through the ice layer and sinking into the sea below.

One hundred meters, three hundred meters... five hundred meters!

By the time he reached over nine hundred meters, Siano finally began to brake his momentum.

In the nearly one-thousand-meter-deep seabed, sunlight could no longer penetrate; looking around, the darkness was as black as ink.

Siano hovered in the icy water, with only the roaring rush of blood flowing within his body echoing in his ears.

He looked down at his abdomen; the close-fitting protective layer formed by Armament Haki had already collapsed, and many spots on his skin surface were stained with blood.

Garp's application of internal destruction was more than a notch stronger than his own;

although the skin on his abdomen remained largely intact, seemingly causing no severe injury.

Yet his stomach and the surrounding intestines felt as if they had been run through a meat grinder, twisted into a knot, unbearable with agonizing pain.

"This stinky old man really loves to repay in kind!"

He grinned, exposing blood-stained teeth; the deep-sea pressure made his wounds throb slightly, but the rhythm of his heartbeat grew increasingly violent—

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Every heartbeat caused the surrounding seawater to tremble, ripples spreading from his body surface, actually forming rings of vacuum zones in the deep sea!

"But this level..."

Siano suddenly lifted his head, the muscles in his legs compressing and tightening to the extreme like springs—

"Is still not enough!!!"

Boom!

The ocean current beneath his feet instantly collapsed, rippling violently outward in all directions; he shot upward through the water like a retrograde torpedo!

Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred meters—

Crash!!!

The moment the ice layer exploded, Siano surged into the mid-air, enveloped by a pillar of water rushing skyward!

Sunlight pierced through the water mist, shining upon his sturdy body, the steaming heat distorting and warping the air.

Garp couldn't help but look up, squinting his eyes, only to lock gazes with the black-haired youth; both of them grinned.

"I say, aren't you taking this a bit too seriously, old man?"

Siano grinned ferociously, spitting out a mouthful of saliva mixed with ice shards, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he landed; though his words said otherwise, the fighting intent in his eyes burned even brighter.

"This is exactly the attitude one should have when facing the current you, you Bai Chi brat!"

Garp clenched his fists until they cracked loudly, laughing as he stepped forward, "Go all out, kid! Let me see just how much skill you little brat has improved!"

"Is that so?"

Siano's mouth curled into a grin as he met his gaze, "That suits me just fine!"

Hum—

In the next instant, both figures vanished from their original spots!

"Finger Pistol: Ripple Barrage!"

Siano's hands turned into afterimages; dozens of energy strands entwined with Ripples and Armament Haki poured out like a violent storm.

Garp neither dodged nor evaded; his iron fists swung out a sky-full of fist shadows within Siano's line of sight, each strike intercepting with precision, the colliding energy bursts creating a continuous series of sonic booms.

"Useless, useless, useless!!!"

Garp laughed wildly as he surged forward, pulling his right fist back to gather power, "Come and taste this instead!"

"Iron Fist!"

Before the fist even arrived, the terrifying fist pressure already distorted the muscles on Siano's face; he hastily stepped back using Moon Walk, while simultaneously raising his right leg high, black Armament Haki spreading like a tide—

"Storm Leg: Ripple Meteor!"

Thump!!!

The leg blade and the iron fist collided with a thunderous roar; this too was a clash between Armament Haki of extremely high intensity!

Black lightning continuously flashed and exploded around the two figures.

The ice layer beneath their feet instantly evaporated, revealing the violently churning seawater below; Garp's fist momentum stalled slightly, and Siano seized this microsecond gap, forming his left hand into a blade-finger to thrust straight at the opponent's throat!

Puchi!

His fingertips successfully pierced Garp's neck, but just as they met the throat bone, they could advance no further; Siano's wrist had been seized by a large hand like an iron clamp, while Garp leaned forward, his snarling face inches away:

"Caught you again, didn't I, kid!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Siano was swung around and smashed onto the ice surface, repeatedly slammed down, each collision triggering an earthquake-like roar.

However, before this sequence could repeat even a few times, the youth suddenly curled his body and flipped, wrapping his legs around Garp's arm, then suddenly exerting force with his waist and abdomen to twist—

Crack!

Amidst the teeth-gritting sound of shattering bones, Garp's right arm immediately bent at an unnatural angle and hung limp.

"You were charging up beforehand?"

Wincing in pain, Garp gritted his teeth but then realized, his eyes flashing with understanding, "So it was a trap; you deliberately let me grab you?"

"Nonsense!"

Siano grinned ferociously as he broke free from Garp's large hand, simultaneously driving an elbow strike fiercely into Garp's forehead, "How could I fall for the same trick twice!"

Bang!

Siano's elbow strike, wrapped in Haki energy, landed squarely on Garp's face; blood gushed from the old man's nose, yet Garp instead burst into loud laughter—

"What a terrifying kid! No wonder those five old fossils can't sit still anymore, pu-hahaha! Well then, how about this move?!"

Garp suddenly lowered his head, his forehead crashing toward Siano like a siege hammer!

Just what I wanted!

Siano neither dodged nor evaded, meeting the charge directly with his own forehead.

Thud!

The dull thud of colliding skulls made one's teeth ache; Siano's vision went black as searing pain shot through his broken nasal bridge, while Garp reacted much the same; both leaned back simultaneously, only to charge forward again in perfect unison the next second—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Afterimages of clashing fists and feet were as dense as heavy rain, while the Black Flash eruptions from Armament Haki collisions had dyed the sky dark.

The vast ice field created by Nojiko had long since mostly vanished, and at the center, the sea surface had been torn apart by the aftermath of their battle into a whirlpool hundreds of meters in diameter!

"Exhilarating, truly exhilarating!!!"

The more Garp fought, the more exhilarated he became, his face growing redder and more excited, "It's been so many years, so many years since anyone could make me unleash my full strength!"

In recent years, every opponent he clashed with either relied on some flashy Devil Fruit ability or just swung a sword around, chop-chop-chop.

Boring, simply utterly boring!

Clearly, pure physical collisions like this, fist meeting flesh, are the ultimate romance that men of the sea should pursue most!!!

"Hey! Bogart, move the warship farther away!"

Garp suddenly found a moment to turn back and shouted at the warship.

"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!"

On the warship, the Marines had already been tossed and shaken back and forth countless times by the shockwaves; many had become dizzy and collapsed on the deck, vomiting everywhere.

Upon hearing the order now, they immediately burst into tears as if granted a reprieve; without even needing Bogart to give explicit orders, they hastily turned the dog-head warship around and sailed toward the distance.

"Nami, you do the same over there!"

Having anticipated this, Siano also turned and shouted a loud reminder.

Once both ships had retreated to a safe distance,

the two figures, now only a few meters apart, exchanged a knowing glance.

Garp twisted his neck, his joints popping with bean-like crisp sounds:

"Brat, are you ready? For this final move, if you don't use your strongest attack, you won't be able to withstand it."

"Bring it on!"

With a thought, Siano almost within a single breath suddenly dispelled his "Paper Art Martial Body" form, restoring his true appearance—

A burly man standing 4.2 meters tall, weighing over 800 kilograms, with smooth muscle lines combining both power and beauty!

Thud!

As Siano stepped forward, the already heavily collapsed ice layer immediately emitted a trembling, quaking sound.

"Oh? Ohhhhh!!"

Garp's eyes instantly sparkled with stars, drool dripping down, "What a magnificent body; this is your true form! I was actually wondering about something earlier, but now it makes sense!"

"Wondering about what?"

Siano looked down at Garp, asking in surprise.

"Your height, of course! You were already 1.9 meters tall at fourteen or fifteen, so how did you shrink when we met this time? Turns out this is why!"

Garp laughed heartily:

"It's Life Return, right? To actually maintain that form for so long... hey, hey, hey, kid, your control over your own body has truly reached an unimaginable level!"

"Thanks for the compliment."

Siano grinned, "However, since you want me to bring out my strongest move, you better prepare yourself too, old man!"

"Pu-hahaha, what an arrogant declaration, kid!"

Garp threw his head back and laughed, "But I like it!"

Snap; the next instant, his right fist pulled back to its limit, the arm muscles seeming to expand by a circle as blue veins bulged.

With this movement, a faint "bali-bali" sound seemed to arise.

Then, thick bolts of interwoven black and red lightning suddenly began to crackle and spread outward from between his fingers and knuckles—

So he really used that technique after all...

Conqueror's Haki Coating!

Siano licked the corner of his lips, his eyes growing increasingly ecstatic and ferocious.

It was his first time facing the power of Coated Conqueror's Haki head-on, but it didn't matter!

For him now, nothing could become that kind of Thunder Bagua capable of knocking him unconscious in a single strike!

"Fist Bone Impact!!!"

Garp's roar exploded like thunder; the fist, accumulating the strength of his entire body, finally shot out abruptly at this moment!

Crack!!!

In an instant, black-red lightning coiled around his knuckles, distorting the space in its path into spiderweb-like cracks, while the terrifying impact force surged outward in all directions with a boom!

Before the ice layer even made contact, it evaporated into a ravine a thousand meters deep; under the pressure of the fist, the boiling seawater split rapidly to both sides, exposing a vacuum channel reaching straight to the seabed!

"Well done!"

Siano's eyes turned blood-red; his knotted arm muscles bulged violently as he clasped both hands into a hammer, with Armament Haki and Hamon energy coiling around them like erupting magma.

"Spear of Elbaf—"

His 4.2-meter body bent backward like a fully drawn giant bow, the joints of his spine popping with crisp sounds; his pitch-black war-hammer-like fists, dragging Conqueror's Haki like a meteor's tail flame, surged upstream against Garp's knuckles!

"Kokuo: Modified!"

This strike was a new move he had just developed during the period he desperately cultivated while studying the Poneglyphs!

It perfectly blended Hamon energy with the unique force-application techniques of the Giant Tribe.

Compared to the original Kokuo, its destructive power had reached another level!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Beneath their feet, the seabed, separated by a full two or three thousand meters, was now collapsing layer by layer under the terrifying pressure; Garp and Siano locked eyes, the distance between them growing ever closer.

The lightning interweaving Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki around them reflected beast-like ferocity in each other's pupils, yet the curves of their grinning mouths grew wider and wider, distorting their faces into something grotesque and fierce.

And in that instant, their fists finally collided violently together!

Boom-boom-boom—!!!

At the moment their fists collided, the concept of time seemed to be erased in that instant.

Black-red lightning and Hamon transformed into a tangled black pillar that pierced straight through the clouds in that instant, like a black dragon baring its claws and fangs, tearing huge circular voids into the cloud layer.

Centered on the point of collision, an ice field of over a hundred thousand square meters completely shattered under this massive impact force!

Countless thick water columns shot skyward, turning into a pouring rain that fell back down; after colliding with the shattered ice surface, they rose up as endless white mist that blocked vision.

"Whoa—!"

Even though they had retreated several kilometers away, everyone on the warships and the Twilight was blown askew by this shockwave; the decks shook violently, and the masts emitted groans as if bearing an unbearable load.

"Th-this is too exaggerated, right?!"

Nami hugged Gin tightly, only just preventing herself from being blown away by the gale; her face pale, she cried, "To fight like this with my brother, is that old man really human?!"

"Hey, you've got it backwards!"

Smoker couldn't help but turn his head, saying, "You should be asking, 'Is Boss Siano really human?' To actually reach this stage fighting Old Man Garp with mere martial arts!"

That is Mr. Garp, who shook the seas for decades and once chased the Pirate King Roger all over the place!

Although the two were only sparring and Garp clearly wasn't adopting a life-or-death stance, being able to achieve this much is still terrifying!

Moreover, thinking again about the captain's age of only eighteen...

It becomes even more horrifying!

"So this is... top-tier combat in the world..."

In the corner, Robin stared blankly at the black-red pillar of light piercing heaven and earth in the distance, murmuring to herself.

In her arms, Mochi was trembling with fear, shrinking into the deepest part of her arm crook and daring not to come out.

Finally managing to poke his head out for a glance, he saw Gin nearby casting a disdainful look at him.

Boo-hoo, damn it!

I want to grow up soon too and help out!

Mochi glared back angrily, gritted his teeth fiercely, and his snow-white body suddenly began to glow faintly, as if some change was about to occur immediately.

Pity.

Everyone's gaze was currently focused entirely on that earth-shaking great battle in the distance; no one noticed him at all.

The black-red Conqueror's Haki lightning finally dissipated, and the thick mist spreading over the sea surface gradually faded, revealing a battlefield strewn with devastation.

The ice field, which originally seemed endless to the eye, had completely vanished.

Garp lay on his back on a piece of barely floating broken ice, gasping heavily in great gulps; blood marks covered his chest, his Justice cloak had long since turned to ash, leaving only a few tattered strips of cloth hanging from his shoulders.

From the corner of his mouth, he kept spitting out fresh blood with a puchi-puchi sound, as if suffering from diarrhea.

But the eyes looking up at the sky remained bright and spirited, even carrying a hint of joyful satisfaction.

On the other side, Siano's injuries were far more gruesome.

Half his body was submerged in the icy seawater; his right arm was nearly useless, the white bone at his elbow joint piercing through flesh and skin, exposed grimly, while blood continuously spread out, dyeing the surrounding seawater dark red.

Although his left arm could still barely move, its five fingers were already twisted and deformed, the knuckles a blur of flesh and blood, clearly having borne unimaginable recoil force during the earlier clash.

Even more horrifying was his chest.

A fierce crack ran from below his neck all the way down to his abdomen; the muscle tissue beneath the skin was vaguely visible, and one could even see his slightly beating heart through the wound, across a thin membrane.

"Hah... hack..."

The youth's breathing was faint and chaotic; every gasp was accompanied by bloody foam overflowing from the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating his internal organs had suffered severe trauma.

The sea wind howled, whipping up fine shards of ice.

Both turned their heads, gazing at each other across the shattered ice; Garp's mouth stretched wide, revealing a wild grin.

"Pwahahaha! How about it, you brat... can you still stand?"

Siano glanced at him.

He snorted, said nothing, and with a carp-kick motion of his legs, pushed himself straight up to his feet.

Though he wobbled, after staggering for a few seconds, he gradually steadied himself.

"Hey, don't act recklessly!" Garp exclaimed, both startled and angry, "I was just teasing! You can't force things at a time like this; you'll really cause a disaster... Eh?"

The old man's eyes suddenly widened.

Right before his eyes.

Gururu—

Amidst the eerie sound of flesh writhing, the broken bones of Siano's severed right arm automatically reset, muscle fibers intertwined and coiled like living things, and the wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The ferocious crack across his chest also began to contract; tissues beneath the skin regenerated rapidly, and even that wound which had nearly reached his heart scabbed over and fell off within mere seconds, revealing fresh, tender skin.

"This..."

Garp's pupils contracted sharply, and he abruptly sat upright.

He had fought across the seas for decades, seen countless strange fellows and witnessed innumerable bizarre abilities, yet this scene before him still exceeded his understanding—

It was not a Devil Fruit ability;

Nor did it resemble those eerie methods of immortality and regeneration that fellows like the God Knights or the Five Elders had somehow acquired from who-knows-where.

Siano's recovery was purely terrifying physical self-healing!

"Pwahahaha!"

After a brief moment of shock, Garp suddenly burst into loud laughter, "Interesting! Too interesting! You brat, your bloodline probably isn't simple, is it?"

"What bloodline? It's clearly all thanks to my own hard work and sweat!"

Flexing his newly healed right arm, Siano grinned broadly, "How about it, old man, still fighting?"

"Tsk, a monster..."

Garp clicked his tongue, then suddenly scrambled up, patted the ice shards off his rear, "Not fighting, not fighting! If we keep going, this old frame of mine will really fall apart!"

"What are you pretending for!"

Siano clicked his tongue in disdain; that damn old man had indeed gone all-out with that last strike, and he had barely managed to block it.

But the old man's stamina was still plentiful; continuing at that previous intensity, he could fight for days and nights without issue.

Truth be told, the one pretending was actually himself.

Although running the Regeneration Technique at full capacity made his wounds appear mostly healed and his aura seem stabilized,

in reality, the energy consumed by the Regeneration Technique had drained his remaining strength; right now, he was completely a hollow shell, strong on the outside but weak within.

If Nami threw a punch, he feared even she might...

No, in that case, the one breaking her bones would definitely be Nami; rather, if Nojiko came, she might still have a chance to knock him down with a single punch.

In short, within a short period, he was completely unable to endure high-intensity combat again; he could only bluff on the surface.

The clouds in the sky were shattered, as if torn apart by an invisible giant hand, revealing vast stretches of azure background.

Blazing sunlight poured down through the gaps, spilling onto the scarred ice field, reflecting countless tiny glimmers like scattered diamonds.

A sea breeze brushed past.

The two simply sat cross-legged facing each other on the broken ice.

"Pwahahaha! What a thrill! Today was truly a satisfying fight!"

Laughing loudly, Garp slapped his thighs, then as if remembering something, reached into his crotch and rummaged around.

This motion made Bogart on the distant warship unable to help but press his forehead and sigh—and then they saw the old man pull out a crumpled document, its edges stained with suspicious water marks, and casually fling it toward Siano.

"I've finished my official business, so I might as well handle this while I'm at it; here, take a look first."

After tossing it, Garp paid it no more mind and devoted himself entirely to picking his nose.

Expressionless, Siano kicked the document into the icy water beside him; after watching it bob up and down for a while, he picked it up and casually shook off the ice shards.

It was a formal document with a gold-stamped cover, its title page bearing the emblem of the World Government.

"A Qiwuhai Alliance treaty."

He flipped to the first page and casually scanned a few clauses; the content was largely the same as the World Government's previous promises to other members of the Qiwuhai:

Revocation of wanted posters for himself and his subordinates, granting of legal plundering rights, exemption from all taxes and miscellaneous duties, permission to request Navy support in case of accidents, and so on...

None of this was particularly rare.

What was surprising was that an extra blank space had been left in the middle of the clauses.

According to the notation below, the World Government allowed Siano to propose one additional request, like a blank check, to be handwritten there.

As long as it wasn't too excessive and didn't touch the World Government's bottom line, it could be fulfilled.

This was both an acknowledgment of the strength Siano had demonstrated by consecutively killing two members of the Qiwuhai, and an extra tactic to win him over and increase the success rate of the negotiations.

Siano couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"How about it? The conditions aren't bad, right?"

Garp asked with a chuckle, "As long as you sign your name, all grudges between you and the World Government and Navy Headquarters will be wiped clean; from now on, you'll be able to sail the seas openly and legitimately!"

Siano finally closed the booklet.

He lifted his head, looking at Garp with a smile that wasn't quite a smile:

"Sail the seas openly and legitimately?"

(End of Chapter)