Chapter 59 Garp's Probing

“Clang!”

A deafening sound of clashing metal echoed across the sea as Garp’s iron fist collided with onikiri’s blade, creating dazzling sparks.

The massive impact caused Kaguya’s feet to plow two deep furrows into the deck, sending wood splinters flying.

Kaguya gritted his teeth, the web between his thumb and forefinger holding the sword feeling a faint numbness.

“Hmm?”

After blocking Garp’s strike, a hint of doubt flashed through Kaguya’s mind.

That was that Garp was actually holding back.

With his current strength, normally he shouldn’t even be able to block a single blow from Garp.

But he had just blocked it, and he hadn’t even used Armament Haki yet.

Kaguya suppressed his doubts and swung his blade at Garp again.

“Clang, clang, clang!”

Several of Kaguya’s attacks were all blocked by Garp.

Although the attacks just now were ineffective, he confirmed the thought in his heart.

That was that Garp really was holding back; it was as if Garp didn’t want to arrest him and bring him to justice.

Otherwise, with Garp’s strength, he could have crushed the current Kaguya with just one punch.

Realizing Garp was probing his strength, Kaguya also prepared to hide his true abilities.

He didn’t plan to use either the Six Powers or Haki; he intended to attack Garp with pure swordsmanship.

After all, Garp was only probing; using the Six Powers and Haki now might instead cause unnecessary complications in this test.

“Clang!”

Garp once again blocked Kaguya’s full-strength attack.

The massive shockwave caused the Longteng Wanli to shake violently.

“Vice Admiral Garp!

I have no intention of becoming an enemy of the Marines, but if you’re going to be this aggressive, don’t blame us for being impolite!”

Garp laughed loudly as he retracted his fist, flipped in the air, and landed steadily on top of the mast.

“Impolite? This old man wants to see just how ‘impolite’ you can be!”

He flexed his wrist, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Through the brief exchange just now, he had a rough idea of Kaguya’s strength.

With Kaguya’s current strength, he was sufficient to serve as a Major at Marineford.

Garp once again felt a desire to recruit such talent.

“Nami! Nojiko! Let’s go together!”

Through their observations just now, the two Sisters had also noticed something unusual.

That was that Kaguya seemed to be intentionally hiding his true strength.

Although the two girls didn’t know why, they instinctively chose to hide their true abilities as well.

“Pwahahahaha! Let this old man see what you’ve got!”

Garp laughed heartily and leapt down from the mast, his fists instantly covered in pitch-black Armament Haki.

He pounced on the three of them like a tiger, the wind from his punches tearing through the air with a piercing whistle.

Nami quickly activated her ability, and a transparent Barrier unfolded in front of the three of them.

“Bang!”

Garp’s iron fist smashed heavily against the Barrier, the shockwave causing the entire ship to shake violently.

Although the Barrier blocked Garp’s attack, fine beads of sweat instantly broke out on Nami’s forehead.

That single punch from Garp just now had caused her to consume a large amount of stamina instantly.

This was the first time such a situation had occurred.

The moment Nami blocked Garp’s attack, Kaguya and Nojiko launched an offensive from both sides simultaneously.

onikiri and Yubashiri, carrying sharp swordsmanship, attacked Garp.

“Barrier-Barrier Fruit? Interesting, interesting.”

A sharp light flashed in Garp’s eyes as he neither dodged nor evaded the blades attacking from both sides.

The muscles in his arms suddenly swelled, and pitch-black Armament Haki spread across his entire body like a tide.

When Kaguya and Nojiko’s blades struck him, they actually produced sparks from the metal-like collision.

“Pwahahahaha, I didn’t expect you, little girl, to be a Barrier-Barrier Fruit user.

This is an unexpected discovery.”

After taking their attacks head-on, Garp swung his fist again, smashing it against the Barrier in front of him.

He wanted to see who was superior: the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, known for its absolute defense, or his own iron fist.

The power of this punch was even greater than before, with the air being compressed into visible ripples.

“Boom!”

Garp’s powerful strike was blocked by the Barrier again, but Nami’s face instantly turned pale, and her legs couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

“Kaguya! He’s so strong! I can’t hold on for much longer…”

Kaguya and Nojiko had been attacking Garp while he was striking the Barrier, but Garp, covered in Armament Haki, was like an immovable mountain; their attacks simply couldn’t cause any substantial damage.

“Kid! Your strength is quite good!

Why don’t you reconsider and come back with this old man.

I can guarantee that you will receive the best training!”

Garp truly wanted to invite the three of them now.

Although they had fought for a while and the three hadn’t caused him any harm, he had already discovered their potential.

Especially this young girl with the Barrier-Barrier Fruit.

With proper training, she would definitely be a Vice Admiral-level combat force in the future.

“Clang!”

“I appreciate Vice Admiral Garp’s kindness!

But it’s still the same thing! Some things, once missed, cannot be undone!

The actions of the Marines have disappointed me, so I will not join the Marines again!”

onikiri collided with Garp’s iron fist once more, sparks flying everywhere.

Kaguya was pushed back several steps by the counter-force, looking at Garp with a determined gaze.

“Kaguya’s decision is our decision!”

“Clang!”

Nojiko’s Yubashiri also collided with Garp’s fist again; she used the reaction force to retreat gracefully, standing side by side with Kaguya.

Although Nami’s face was pale, she still stubbornly maintained the Barrier, her eyes flashing with unyielding light.

“What stubborn brats!”

Garp stopped laughing, his expression becoming somewhat complex.

Looking at the three excellent young people before him, Garp suddenly felt even more furious at those Marine scumbags in the East Blue.

He understood that it was the actions of those vermin that had caused these promising young people to lose trust in the Marines.

Seeing the three of them refuse so firmly, and thinking about the current state of the Marines.

Garp also put away his thoughts of recruiting them, but he still wanted to see where the limits of these three were.

Especially that young girl with the Barrier-Barrier Fruit.

He now wanted to test how many of his punches this Barrier could withstand.

Garp took a deep breath, and the Armament Haki on his fists suddenly became even deeper, as if even the surrounding light was being swallowed.

He slowly took a combat stance, the deck beneath his feet making a creaking sound as it struggled under the weight.

“In that case, let this old man see how deep your resolve is!”

Before his voice had even faded, his figure suddenly vanished from the spot.

Kaguya’s pupils shrank sharply, barely managing to catch an afterimage thanks to his Observation Haki.

“Watch out!”

“Boom!”

Garp’s fist struck the Barrier with the force of a thunderbolt, and this time the shockwave directly sent the surrounding seawater surging several meters high.

Nami let out a muffled groan, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, but the Barrier still stood firm.

“Nami!”

Nojiko cried out in alarm, the blade of her Yubashiri aiming straight for Garp’s throat.

Kaguya also flickered, onikiri turning into a bolt of black lightning aimed straight at Garp’s heart from behind.

The two of them cooperated perfectly, their offensive sharp, but Garp only grinned.

…

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