Chapter 183: Yellow Monkey, Blue Pheasant, and Garp!
Chapter 183: Yellow Monkey, Blue Pheasant, and Garp!
"Lily!"
Sage removed his cloak and tossed it to Lily, who was directing the operation, while taking a deep breath, causing his chest to heave and a puff of white breath to escape his lips.
Hiss!
As he exhaled, his body swelled, his muscles expanding like armor, with those on his shoulders bulging significantly and intertwining with his neck muscles to form upper and lower pauldrons.
His collarbone resembled a heavy armored collar.
"Dragon Breath Turnover! 100%!"
Sage took a soft breath and fixed his gaze on Garp.
The sea breeze ruffled Sage's hair and fluttered Garp's Marine cloak.
All around, his men were busy carrying spoils and helping injured pirates retreat to the Death Star.
Garp paid them no heed and instead kept his eyes locked on Sage, his mouth slowly spreading into a grin.
"You little brat, Sage!"
"You old coot, Garp!"
As a second gust of wind picked up, they both let out a battle cry, their bodies turning into fleeting shadows.
"Let's start with a warm-up!"
Sage's feet nimbly danced in the air, and as black Haki like flowing fire coiled around his hands, he snapped his fingers and unleashed a Haki bullet with a palm strike.
"Heaven Destroyer!"
The flowing fire-like Haki bullet pursued the burly figure that was as swift as a fleeting shadow and slammed into him. However, the fleeting shadow quickly flashed to the side, leaving the Haki bullet to explode on the ground, creating a massive dent.
Before the evading figure could react, Sage pressed down with one leg, coating it in Haki and bringing it down like an axe.
Boom!!
The immense force caused the ground under Garp's feet to shatter, and as seawater rushed in through the cracks, it seeped up and spread across the ground.
Garp blocked Sage's leg with one hand and looked up at him, both of them baring their teeth in a grin. Then, he grabbed Sage's ankle with his free hand and forcefully threw him to the side while simultaneously throwing a punch at the flying Sage.
Bang!
Sage's other leg lashed out like a whip, his toes clashing with Garp's fist. The Haki that enveloped them created a brief gap between Sage's toes and Garp's fist as they emitted a loud sound. Sage quickly flicked his toes upward, pressing his heel against Garp's fist, and used that force to propel his upper body forward, his fingers pointing straight at Garp's temple.
"North Dipper Regret Fist!"
"What could an old man like me possibly regret!"
Garp burst into laughter, his eyes narrowing. Haki covered his forehead as he thrust his upper body forward, headbutting Sage's abdomen and sending him flying.
"Tsk!"
Sage gritted his teeth, and as his body flew backward, he swung his arms, slamming both palms into Garp's chest and knocking him back a few steps. At the same time, Sage pushed off the ground with his hand, propelling himself back into the air.
Black Haki similar to flowing fire once again coiled around his hands as he swiftly swung downward.
"Heaven Destroyer—Meteor Shower!"
Countless Haki bullets fell like black meteors from the sky, bombarding the area below.
"Sage, you little brat! If we keep this up, there won't be anything left of this place! I can't let you do that!"
Garp looked up at the sky, baring his teeth in a grin, and his fists also became enveloped in Haki. He began to pummel the Haki bullets, one after another.
With each punch, the Haki bullets that could split the earth were blasted apart, and even without making direct contact, the external Haki emanating from his fists was enough to destroy them.
After dozens of punches, Garp's body flashed, and he forcefully endured the Haki bullets, propelling himself into the air to match Sage's altitude.
"Sage, you little brat! Haven't you had enough?!"
He threw a punch aimed squarely at Sage.
"Moon Step!"
Dong!
Sage's feet created a circle of ripples in the air, dodging Garp's punch, and then he appeared at Garp's side, his legs lashing out.
Smack!
Garp grabbed Sage's legs and forcefully swung him downward, causing Sage's body to spin in the air several times. Sage forcefully kicked off and used Moon Step again to ascend, this time bringing his hands together. The Haki that had been coiled around them condensed into a small ball in his palm.
"Heavenly Punishment!"
Haki shockwave!
"Your Haki has indeed improved, but it's still not enough!"
Garp also used Moon Step to charge straight through the shockwave, neither evading nor dodging. His fist met the shockwave head-on, creating black splashes, and continued to charge forward.
However, just as he neared Sage, the figure in front of the shockwave suddenly disappeared, causing Garp's punch to miss. Sage lowered his body to dodge Garp's straight punch, and then he lifted his leg, tapping Garp's arm and kicking it upward.
"North Dipper Steel Wire Split Kick!"
At the same time, Sage stretched out his arms and spread his fingers, aiming his palms at Garp and releasing the Haki that had been gathered in his hands.
The North Dipper Steel Wire Split Kick was a secret technique that targeted the acupoints in a person's arms, causing them to lose strength after being struck by the kick.
"Although it's named as such, it actually strikes the secret acupoints on the arms, causing one to lose strength."
Taking advantage of the moment when Garp's attention was focused on the shockwave, the area outside of his fist was unprotected by Haki, providing Sage with the best opportunity to strike.
During this opening...
"Heavenly Punishment!!'
Boom!!
The pitch-black Haki shockwave, like a pillar of darkness, engulfed Garp's figure and soared into the sky.
"I've got him!" Sage snarled, "Taste my Haki, old man!"
"Fist Bone."
Within the black shockwave, the hand that had been kicked upward suddenly clenched tightly.
Sizzle!
A gap opened up within the massive shockwave, revealing a few flashes of black amidst the fist, and as it fell, it broke through the shockwave, fiercely slamming towards Sage.
Sage's eyes narrowed as he halted the release of 'Heavenly Punishment', enveloping his entire body in Haki, forming a flame of aura.
"Galaxy Impact!"
Bang!!
The massive fist pressed down on his chest, sending him soaring into a crater on the ground, along with the surrounding buildings that collapsed and crumbled, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Garp fell from the sky, paying no heed to the blood gushing from his body and face as he laughed heartily, "Puhahaha, you little brat Sage, your Haki has indeed improved!"
That Haki shockwave had compressed his entire body, truly inflicting damage upon him.
Moreover, it possessed that familiar kind of power, causing internal destruction as well as an internal explosive-like might.
This time, it was indeed much more powerful than before.
No wonder Zefa was injured...
Hoo!
The billowing dust was suddenly blown away in that instant, and a sinister and terrifying figure stood up.
Sage's face was expressionless as he lowered his head to glance at the sunken chest and the blood gushing from it and his entire body. He faced Garp and said, "So there's this kind of attack, huh?"
He knew that ordinarily, the North Dipper God Punch couldn't shake this kind of opponent. That North Dipper Steel Wire Split Kick would, at most, only cause him to temporarily lose his strength, but he hadn't expected this period to be so brief.
It seemed that only the Haki shockwave, which could pierce acupoints, had the potential to inflict harm on this old man.
The body refinement of experts from the Grand Line was indeed formidable.
"Want to learn? I won't teach you even if you want to!"
Garp bared his teeth in a smile as he said, "What you've done is too much, Sage. You obstructed the Buster Call twice on Enies Lobby, causing the Marine to lose all face! Obediently follow this old man into Impel Down, and perhaps you'll still be able to live!"
"The precondition is that you can catch me."
Sage shook his head, and white qi began to emanate from his body. The sunken area of his chest rapidly returned to its original position, and the gushing blood began to stop, gradually recovering to its original state.
"Oh! What a formidable Life Return, to be able to do this!"
Garp paused for a moment, "It's more like..."
It's more like those five old men's creation of regeneration.
"Sage!"
From the ship, Lily called out, "We're ready!"
During the battle with Garp, Lily commanded everyone to board the ship, and not a single piece of loot was left behind as they were all moved onto the vessel.
Garp's legs straddled apart, blocking the direct path between Sage and the Death Star, and he raised his fist, "You little brat, Sage. This old man can tolerate your subordinates escaping, but you can't!"
"I already said..."
Sage's legs bent slightly, resembling a hunting stance, and he lifted his head to reveal a malicious smile as he faced Garp, "Say that again after you've caught me!"
Dong!
The already sunken ground sunk even further as Sage flashed in front of Garp, and as the latter's fist descended, Sage's fist also rose to meet it.
"Fist Bone."
The familiar technique name caused Garp to daze for a moment as he subconsciously glanced at the fist.
One could see a few flashes of black surrounding that fist.
King's Haki Envelopment?
No, that's not right!
Unlike King's Haki Envelopment, which exhibited more black flashes and also covered the area of attack, this was the manifestation of Armament Haki being condensed and compressed to its utmost limits.
This was...
It was this moment of daze that caused his fist to hesitate for a moment, allowing Sage's fist to fiercely land on Garp's head.
"Galaxy Impact!!"
Boom!!!
Garp was smashed by this punch into the ground, and along with it, the earth was broken open, forming a massive pit into which he fell.
"Whooshahaha!"
Sage's feet didn't pause as he stepped on the ground and leaped onto the ship's railing, baring his teeth in a grin, "You can't catch me, Garp. This time, I have the advantage!"
This was the third time!
The first time they met, even if Garp had held back, Sage was still crushed without any room for resistance.
The second time they encountered each other was during the pursuit on the Grand Line, where neither emerged victorious.
The third time...
He could at least fight back now!
Still not a match...
Based on the feeling from this battle, he was indeed still not a match.
But Sage hadn't come to determine a winner between them.
The purpose of this battle was to buy time for Lily and the others to evacuate, as well as to test his own strength and see how much of a gap remained between him and Garp.
"Almost!"
"Next time... he'll definitely win!"
"Power Brake!"
Seeing Sage get onboard, a well-rested Renee Tiya placed her hands on the ship, making the Death Star veer off quickly and head toward the open sea.
Once they reached the ocean, there was no way for Garp to pursue them, even if he used 'Fist Bone'. Sage could still escape.
"You alone can't destroy my plan!" Sage laughed wildly at the hole in the ship.
"Ice Age."
Just as he was laughing, a casual voice suddenly sounded from behind the Death Star.
"Sage!"
Lily's pupils contracted as she called out.
At the position she was looking at, the seawater quickly froze and spread out towards the Death Star, about to freeze the area around the ship. Not far from that icy surface, a curly-haired Marine with a bicycle by his side squatted, his hand reaching into the ice.
"That's..."
"Fist Bone," Hawkins said, his face expressionless but covered in cold sweat.
Just as the ice was about to reach the ship's body, Sage jumped up, his right fist raised and surrounded by black flashes as he heavily smashed towards the icy surface.
"Galaxy Impact!"
Boom!!
The advancing ice surface was enveloped by a massive aura shield and quickly shattered into large pieces of ice that drifted on the sea, creating a huge gap behind the Death Star.
However, that gap was quickly covered again by the ice, continuing to spread towards them.
"Sit tight!"
Sage directly jumped onto one of the drifting ice blocks, and as the freezing ice was about to reach the ship, he reached down with both hands, tilting the entire ship.
The massive Death Star was lifted by his arms and forcefully thrown towards the other side of the sea.
"Go!"
Sage's arms bulged with veins, his neck muscles also popping out as he threw the ship with all his might.
As soon as the ship left Sage's hands, he somersaulted in the air and landed on the flying Death Star's bow, boarding it.
"Aokiji?"
He turned his head and looked at the curly-haired, casual man who had stood up, gazing at the sky. "Even an Admiral came. The Demon Slayer Order must have a big impact on them. Is the Demon Slayer Order's transmission device something he left behind?"
"Oh~ no, it's not."
Beside Sage, an odd voice sounded.
"It's because what you've done is too much, so Headquarters felt ashamed and sent this old man over. I didn't expect Kuzan to be there too, and even Garp the Vice Admiral. These new generations are truly fearsome."
Sage's pupils constricted, and he subconsciously turned his head to look.
But before he could see the person, a voice sounded in his ear, and a yellow light flashed in his eyes.
"Have you ever been kicked by light?"
Bang!
A leg as fast as light heavily kicked his waist and ribs, the momentum of the kick sending Sage flying towards the icy surface.
However, at that moment, Sage suddenly reached out, his aura-covered hand grabbing the leg that had kicked him and forcefully flinging it downwards.
In the air above the dead star, two figures fell like meteors towards the icy surface, but they smashed into a dent in the ice.
The other figure, just before landing, quickly transformed into light and re-condensed in the ice, forming a man with sunglasses, a yellow uniform, and a Marine cloak.
"Oh~"
The man stood with his hands in his pockets, looking curiously at the icy pit. "To actually catch me, you know aura? Truly fearsome for a six-hundred-million-berry pirate."
"Hehehe."
The casual man, still with unfading frozen white qi, approached from the other side and said, "It's not just aura, that move that pierced the ice surface, it feels familiar."
From within the island's pit, Garp leaped up, landing on the ice and holding his bloody head as he walked towards the pit, "Puhahaha, of course, it's familiar! It's one of my moves! It's quite powerful! I'm injured too!"
Bang!
Sage jumped out of the ice pit, his eyes lifting to see Garp standing there. He then turned his head to see the casual, monkey-like man and the sunglasses-wearing man, the three of them forming a triangle and surrounding him.
He was like a trapped animal.
Light.
"Yellow Monkey?" Sage asked.
"Do you know me? How fearsome." Borsalino's mouth hung open.
"Aokiji?"
Sage looked towards the other man.
"Hehe, it's not that you took my Demon Slayer Order, it's that Spandam reported to me." Kuzan scratched his head.
Sage then looked at Garp, who laughed loudly, "Now, you really can't escape! Sage, you little brat!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
