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After using all four props, the battle finally began.
As for why those two characters weren't summoned?
It's simple—summoned characters can't immediately jump into battle. They retain their own memories and thoughts; they're not just puppets.
Anyone would be disoriented if they were suddenly transported to another world. And considering that Captain America and Kakashi aren't fools…
"Finally, a fight!"
Garp stretched his arms, then slowly walked toward Ikki.
Ikki swallowed nervously, activating his Sharingan. Forcing himself to stand firm, he raised a finger and shouted, "Come here!"
This sudden outburst had quite the effect.
Garp, who had been moving leisurely, suddenly broke into a sprint, launching a powerful punch at Ikki.
With his Sharingan, Ikki could clearly see Garp's intent—he was aiming to knock him out in one decisive blow, not giving him any chance to fight back.
Garp was confident in his punch, but… when his fist landed behind Ikki's cloak, it hit nothing but air.
"Huh? You actually dodged that?"
Garp frowned slightly. He had been certain his punch would connect.
Ikki, seeing Garp's attack miss, knew this was his chance. Combining the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist with the Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang, he launched a powerful punch straight at Garp's open chest.
Garp hadn't expected the kid in front of him to be so adept at seizing an opportunity, and his punches packed a serious punch.
But instead of using Armament Haki to defend, Garp opted for the Iron Body technique from the Marine Six Styles.
Iron Body was often considered the least impressive of the six techniques, but… that depended on the user.
And Garp was someone who had mastered the Marine Six Styles to the extreme—Iron Body included.
Ikki's drill-like punch struck Garp's chest with full force, only to produce a harsh, grating sound—like a drill against solid steel.
"Damn… this guy's body is literally iron…"
Realizing his attack was ineffective, Ikki quickly withdrew his fist and let out a Sky dragon's roar to create distance between them.
This exchange allowed Garp to gauge Ikki's strength.
He didn't possess Haki, but his reaction speed and raw power were on par with Marine rear admirals—maybe even some vice admirals.
The reason Ikki was able to hold his own was thanks to his Dodge Cloak—a real game-changer.
As long as the attack was head-on, the cloak guaranteed a perfect dodge.
For someone like Garp, who thrived on direct, full-force combat, this was a troublesome ability…
And so, the battle continued—
Garp attacked.
Ikki dodged—100% success.
Ikki counterattacked.
Garp defended.
The fight remained locked in an intense stalemate.
On the other side, the battle between Ace and Sengoku raged on.
Unlike Garp, Sengoku had a different objective. He wasn't just fighting for the sake of it—he wanted to determine whether the masked boy before him was a pirate. More precisely, he wanted to know if this boy was a bounty criminal.
If not, he had the idea of recruiting them into the Marines. So… rather than going all out from the start, Sengoku pressed Ace, trying to force him to reveal more of his strength.
"Fire Dragon's Roar…"
Ace unleashed a stream of dragon fire, but Sengoku, having shifted out of his massive golden Buddha form, used his agility to evade the attack.
After multiple exchanges, Sengoku had noticed something strange about Ace's flames.
Logically, in his Golden Buddha form, his defense was nearly unmatched. With his mastery of top-tier Armament Haki, most fire-based attacks should have been little more than an annoyance.
But Ace's flames were different. They clung persistently, and—more importantly—some of them could bypass defenses entirely.
Because of this, every time Ace launched a fire attack, Sengoku chose to dodge instead of taking it head-on.
After successfully avoiding the dragon's breath, Sengoku instantly closed the distance using Shave, appearing before Ace in a flash. Then, without hesitation, he transformed back into his massive golden Buddha form and struck with a Impact Wave.
The blow shattered Ace's body into multiple gelatinous pieces.
Sengoku blinked, caught off guard.
He hadn't even used Haki in that attack. Against a Logia user, that should have just blown a hole through him—something he could regenerate from in an instant.
But… why had Ace's body split into multiple blobs of slime?
As Sengoku hesitated, the blobs wriggled and reformed—splitting into several miniature Aces.
The tiny Aces grinned and shouted in unison, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
It was Sengoku's first time encountering such a bizarre technique. Caught off guard, he took direct hits from two of the tiny Aces' flames.
The burning pain snapped him out of his confusion.
"What kind of strange Devil Fruit is this!?"
Ace smirked. "It's the Slime-Slime Fruit."
As soon as he finished speaking, the tiny Aces reverted back into their slime forms, merging into a single large mass before reforming into Ace's true body.
"Mr. Sengoku," Ace said firmly, his gaze sharp. "It's time to get serious."
A dark aura crackled around his fist—Armament Haki.
Then, as his eyes narrowed, a powerful pressure surged outward—Conqueror's Haki.
Sengoku, sensing Ace's intent, glanced toward Garp and Ikki, who were still locked in their fight. Then, turning back to Ace, he nodded.
"It seems… you're growing stronger."
Ace didn't respond. He wasn't sure how he and Ikki compared in terms of strength. They had never fought before. And with Ikki's arsenal of bizarre and unpredictable items, the outcome of a real battle between them was anyone's guess.
Just look at Garp—he was on the verge of losing his temper.
"In that case," Sengoku declared, his golden form radiating power, "I'll fight you seriously. And if you lose, I hope you'll consider joining the Marines."
Ace grinned. "We'll talk after the fight!"
With that, he charged forward.
This time, his fists were wrapped in Armament Haki, and because of the Tiger Talisman, his flames also carried Haki-infused properties.
His powers blended seamlessly—
Landry's Torment, Armament Haki, Dragon Slayer Magic, and Conqueror's Haki all fused together effortlessly.
That was the magic of the Tiger Talisman.
The combination of these four powers caused the flames in Ace's hands to turn a deep purple, crackling with lightning—a fearsome sight.
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art… Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"
Ace spun his hands, conjuring two crescent-shaped blades of purple-red fire, mixed with streaks of lightning, before slashing them toward Sengoku.
Faced with this devastating attack, Sengoku stood firm. His towering Buddha form expanded once more, making him look like a true deity. Then, he raised a massive palm—as large as a house—and thrust it forward.
"Impact Wave!"