Chapter 45

And Luo En's current qi and blood value had already reached 414.

And such a massive force, applied to a single small fist, made the attack power all the more astonishing.

Under his full-strength punch, ordinary steel would be shattered in an instant.

After channeling Sun Breathing and facing a powerful opponent like Garp, Luo En had fully entered combat mode — no reservations, no holding back, simply unleashing his full power.

His speed pushed to the limit, he launched a storm-like barrage of attacks at Garp.

Ace and Luffy could only catch glimpses of afterimages flashing around Garp; after each heavy thud, violent gusts of wind would sweep outward from where the two — one big, one small — were clashing.

Bang bang bang!

Luo En had never felt so exhilarated.

The vast power accumulated within him seemed to be cheering and leaping with joy as well.

The permanent buff 【True Meaning of Tempering】 had also entered its activated state.

It made Luo En fight fiercer and fiercer.

His speed grew faster and faster, his strikes heavier and heavier.

Finally, a punch landed squarely on Garp's face, staggering him.

Then came another strike — a downward axe kick — slamming onto the top of Garp's head.

The very ground trembled.

Beneath Garp's feet, the earth sank in deeply, with cracks spreading outward in all directions.

But even after taking two consecutive full-force attacks from Luo En, Garp still stood without budging an inch.

"Good lad!"

Garp raised his head and threw a laughing punch at Luo En.

Luo En also threw a punch.

Two fists — one huge, one tiny, vastly different in size — collided.

Boom!

A gust of violent wind far fiercer than before blew outward, sending Ace and Luffy tumbling head over heels.

Luo En was sent flying by the punch.

After twisting his body mid-air, he landed on both feet, leaving a long scrape mark on the ground, and came to rest beside Lei Qie, which was still sheathed and planted in the earth.

He stood up and reached out to grip the hilt of Lei Qie, planted in the ground.

"Thunder Breathing, First Form, Thunderclap… Flash!"

Accompanied by thunder that tore through the air, a bolt of golden lightning flashed across the clearing in the mountain forest.

"Haha, now that's more like it!"

Garp laughed heartily and threw a punch.

Bang!

The entire clearing in the mountain forest trembled.

Grass clippings flew up along with the dust.

Ace and Luffy, under a large tree not far away, had long since been stunned silly, gaping in awe.

"Water Breathing, Third Form — Flowing Dance!"

Bang!

"Moon Breathing, Second Form — Pearl Flower Moonglow!"

Bang!

"Sun Breathing, Second Form — Jasper Sky!"

Bang!

As Luo En, wielding Lei Qie, unleashed companion sword techniques imbued with the properties of various Breathing Styles.

Strike after strike — astonishingly powerful and unpredictably varied — slashed mercilessly at Garp!

Garp swung his pair of iron fists, taking every single slash head-on!

He hadn't even used Armament Haki — at most, he had only employed the Iron Body technique from the Navy's Six Powers!

The current Luo En, facing him, was like facing a Gaoshan with no visible summit — one could only look up.

As Luo En was struck on the blade of Lei Qie by one of Garp's punches, the tremendous force making his arms tremble and go numb, he couldn't help but think.

"His qi and blood value is at least ten times mine!"

And the more they fought, the more shocked Garp became as well.

"Vast qi and blood, astonishing physique!"

"Taijutsu attacks performed with nothing but raw power and speed can actually reach this level of might…"

"No way! This kid has even reached this level with his swordsmanship! And that blade in his hand is no ordinary weapon either."

"This kid… is he really only 10 years old?"

"No, it seems his strength is still rising…"

"How astonishing!"

"Sun Breathing, Third Form — Blazing Red Mirror!"

Luo En unleashed the strongest slash he could currently deliver.

A deep-red, arc-shaped horizontal slash cut toward Garp.

"A beautiful slash!"

Garp praised, then with a punch from low to high, directly batted the slash flying up into the sky.

Then he looked at Luo En — gripping Lei Qie, arms trembling ceaselessly, face pale, gasping for breath — and laughed heartily:

GLOSSARY:

- Luo En

- Lei Qie

- Lei Ming

- Lei Zhi

- Kage

- Gaoshan

- taijutsu

"So this is your strongest power right now?"

Luo En looked at him and nodded with a complicated expression.

As expected…

He was still far from being a match for the Marine hero before him.

"Alright then, let's end this sparring match here."

Garp strode over to stand before him.

The ground around the two of them had already been wrecked beyond recognition.

Garp crouched down, reached out and clapped Luo En on the shoulder, making his body shudder and nearly collapse.

Garp stared at him and said with absolute seriousness:

"Luo En boy, come join the Marines. This old man will pass on everything he's ever learned to you. I guarantee it — you will absolutely become the strongest Marine in history!"

37, Garp's Justice, The Conditions for Teaching Haki (1/5)

Verbal no-jutsu.

Luo En looked at the Marine hero before him and answered without hesitation:

"I won't become a Marine."

Garp's gaze sharpened. "Why? What's wrong with being a Marine? Or is it that you, just like Ace and the others, want to go become a pirate?"

He was a little panicked inside.

The kid was only ten years old and already had this kind of strength — if you gave him any more time, what would become of it?

If he let a monster like this run off to become a pirate, Zhan Guo would definitely tear him apart when he found out.

"I won't become a Marine, and I won't become a pirate either."

Luo En sheathed the Lei Qie in his hand.

Hearing this, Garp quietly breathed a small sigh of relief inside.

Even though it was a shame the boy wouldn't become a Marine, as long as he didn't become a pirate, it was still fine.

Garp could still accept that.

Unlike that grandson of his who opened his mouth and shut his mouth talking about becoming the Pirate King — enough to make him so angry he could die.

"If you don't want to become a Marine, then this old man can't teach you either."

Garp stood up, looking at Luo En with great regret as he spoke.

Otherwise, he was absolutely confident he could train the Luo En before him into the strongest Marine in the history of the Marines.

"No need. I can get stronger on my own."

Luo En said without any politeness.