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"That troublesome old man!"
Seeing the scene unfold, Rowen narrowed his eyes. Going toe-to-toe with Garp, especially with him using his Momentary Magnificence, would be a headache for anyone in the world, even a monster like Kaido!
With explosive mobility, overwhelming iron-fisted strikes, and impeccable technique… Rowen found himself wondering if the legendary martial artist, Bald Zero, known as the one with "perfect martial arts," could reach this level.
After all, Zero's fame wasn't just because he was an elder among his generation like Steel Bone Kong, but because he had refined Life Return to an almost god-like level.
By controlling every cell in his body, slowing their division, he achieved a kind of immortality, becoming a "three-generation elder" who spanned over a century of history!
But when it came to sheer lethality, who would truly reign superior?
That was a question that would never be answered.
'Awakening Technique: Black Prison Thunder Realm!'
Buzz!
A deep rumble echoed through the void as an invisible, pitch-black curtain swept across the space. The world, once full of color and light, was now plunged into eerie darkness, the colors drained, leaving only desolation and silence in its wake.
To deal with Garp in his current state, Rowen chose to unleash his strongest technique without holding back.
"Only Awakening can challenge Awakening, old bastard, you, "
Bang!
Before Rowen could finish his words, Garp suddenly charged into the heart of the Thunder Prison and landed a crushing blow square in Rowen's face.
"Poof!"
Blood and teeth flew, and Rowen was blasted like a cannonball, tumbling over a thousand meters before coming to a violent halt.
"Impossible! How did he know where I was?!"
Unlike his encounter with Ash, Rowen had completely erased every trace of presence in the space, no oxygen, no scent, not even light. Everything had been consumed by the rampant thunder.
In this pure storm of lightning, there was no sight, no sound… not even Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) could detect a thing.
This should have been enough!
"This fist carries my love, it will find its target, little brat!" Garp's voice echoed through the thunderstorm, and Rowen could almost hear the grin in his tone.
"A fist finding its target? What kind of scientific mumbo-jumbo is that?"
"It's 'love,' how many times do I have to say it?!"
Garp, his body coated in thick Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), resisted the relentless surges of lightning as he proudly declared, "I am the Iron Fist of Love! No matter where you hide, I'll find you!"
"Oh, is that so?" Rowen replied coolly, appearing behind Garp in the blink of an eye. His thunder-infused halberd crackled with wild energy. But in this realm of pure lightning, his movements were concealed.
"Since you've foolishly charged in, I won't hold back!"
'Heaven-Defying Thunder Cry: Third Style - Cloud Dragon Kill!'
Clang!
Bēng-kā!!
The heavy halberd swung down, and the deafening crash of metal ringing out sent shockwaves through the sky, amplifying the storm around them.
Watching Garp twist at the last moment to block the thunder-infused halberd with his own fist, Rowen narrowed his eyes.
"It's just decades of honed combat instinct; don't make it sound like some mystical power."
"No, you don't understand." Garp shook his head, his grin widening as he stared into the pitch-black void of the Thunder Realm.
Despite the darkness and the suffocating pressure of the storm, Garp's eyes glimmered with experience. The world around him was exactly as Rowen had predicted, he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. This was a space void of light, where every breath was a struggle against suffocation and the continuous assault of thunder, making it a lethal environment.
He opened his mouth to speak but thought better of it. "Only Awakening can confront Awakening… that Zephyr guy told you this, right?"
Rowen shrugged nonchalantly. "Does it matter who told you that 1+1=2?"
"Of course it does!"
Garp grinned widely, shaking his head. "Because for me, 1+1=3!"
"That's just a joke! Being stubborn isn't a good habit, old man."
1+1=3?
Why don't you just fly to the moon while you're at it?!
"No, 1+1 can equal three!" Garp bellowed, pushing hard and deflecting the halberd with ease, before stepping forward to launch a devastating punch.
Pa!
But his fist hit nothing. Rowen had already vanished from the spot the moment he sensed Garp's resistance.
"A miscalculation, huh?" Rowen raised an eyebrow, his smirk growing.
This conversation was beginning to feel like more of a joke.
"No!"
Garp wasn't disheartened by his missed punch. Instead, he let out a hearty laugh.
"It's to make miracles happen!"
With that, he suddenly turned around. To Rowen's shock, Garp's Iron Fists broke through the layers of thunder that bound his movements, landing a direct strike to Rowen's face.
"He can… Future Prediction?!"
Rowen, who was about to launch his own counterattack, never expected Garp to pinpoint his location again. Taken completely off guard, he was sent flying once more. But it didn't end there. Garp's other hand quickly seized Rowen by the collar, pulling him out of the Thunder Prison's reach.
Without Rowen's active control, the Black Prison Thunder Realm was no more than a special natural environment, not an actual prison.
As the light returned after what felt like an eternity, Garp took a deep breath, feeling the oxygen flood his system.
Looking at Rowen's bloodied face, Garp lowered his head and grinned.
"Now tell me, what does one plus one equal?"
Rowen's pupils constricted. Garp wasn't just asking for an answer. At the very moment those words left Garp's mouth, the terrifying Iron Fist of Love was already raised, aiming straight at him.
"Iron Fist of Love: Million Consecutive Strikes!"
Xiū Xiū Xiū Xiū Xiū!
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The deafening sound of explosive impacts filled the air, each punch landing like a massive steel machine crashing to the ground, producing a series of thunderous roars.
The turbulent air surged wildly. As the two of them plummeted, despite being hundreds of meters above the sea, the ocean below seemed to be pushed by some invisible force, creating a massive crater hundreds of meters wide.
Facing Garp's relentless assault, Rowen felt like he was back in a time when he was still an ordinary man, remembering the fear of facing apex predators at a zoo.
"I could really die here!"
Garp didn't pull any punches. His fists weren't aimed to incapacitate, they were going straight for vital points.
Rowen's vision went completely dark as his eyes burst under the pressure. The pain faded away, and all that remained was the deafening buzz in his ears. His brain felt like mush.
As Garp's fists rained down on him, the only clear sensation Rowen could focus on was the rush of air as he plummeted toward the sea.
Wait...
Air?!
Suddenly, Rowen had a thought, one that made his eyes widen.
"I see, so that's how it is!"
As Garp's fists landed, Rowen managed to pull back slightly. But just before Garp's fist could land again, he noticed Rowen's bloodied face curl into a chilling smile.
"Thanks, old bastard!"
"What did you say?!"
Shū... Dong!!
The two crashed into the sea, sending water shooting upward like a fountain, creating massive white waves.
Huā Lā La!
Tons of seawater were sent high into the air, only to come crashing down in a torrential downpour.
How long had it been? A few seconds? A minute, maybe?
Suddenly, the surface of the sea exploded with a roar. A black curtain appeared again, tearing through the water's surface and enveloping the vast ocean once more.
"The same trick won't work on me twice, kid!"
From beneath the sea, in the thunderous domain of the Black Prison, Garp stood in the void, his voice echoing with fury.
"No, it will. It definitely will."
Rowen's cold voice reverberated from all directions, sending a shiver down Garp's spine.
"How is that possible? He figured it out?!"
(End of this chapter)