At Iceberg's Mansion in Water 7, the mansion had been reduced to ruins by the battle between Pain and Fujitora, while the fight between Oden, Golden Lion, and Sengoku was also an evenly matched struggle.
Sengoku's application of Haki had reached a peak, with all Three-Color Haki achieving King-level.
Although Conqueror's Haki couldn't affect Oden and Golden Lion, top-tier Observation Haki was Sengoku's best means of countering Oden and Golden Lion's attacks.
Oden's strength had seen a qualitative improvement since he obtained Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit, but because he had only recently integrated the Fruit, there was still a significant gap in his application of its abilities compared to Kizaru.
Currently, Oden could only utilize the Glint-Glint Fruit's speed; he hadn't had time to develop its other abilities due to his recent busyness.
At this moment, Sengoku had already activated his Great Buddha Form, from the Human-Human Fruit, to fight Oden and Golden Lion. Oden appeared and disappeared like a ghost, making it impossible for Sengoku's Great Buddha Form shockwaves to hit him.
Golden Lion consistently maintained his distance in the air, releasing Sword Qi attacks at Sengoku. Sengoku, in his Great Buddha Form, lost agility due to his massive body and passively endured the attacks.
Sengoku's Great Buddha Form was incredibly resilient; even Oden's attacks failed to inflict significant damage, but the stamina consumption should be proportional.
"Jie ha ha ha ha…"
"Sengoku…"
"Have you become a coward now?"
"Do you remember when you and Garp ganged up on me?"
"I remember it vividly…"
"Jie ha ha ha…"
Golden Lion was very excited. He had waited many years for this moment. Although he hadn't yet fought his way into the World Government's Marineford, ganging up on Sengoku with Oden was something Golden Lion had long anticipated.
"Golden Lion…"
"Don't get too smug…"
"Open your eyes and look at Hancock and the others…"
"They won't last long against Garp…"
"Once Garp resolves that battle, it will be a catastrophe for you all!"
Sengoku was temporarily unable to deal with Oden and Golden Lion, so he could only hope Garp would finish his battle quickly and return for support. Currently, both sides were in a stalemate, competing in stamina consumption.
Following Sengoku's words, Golden Lion looked towards Hancock and the others' battlefield. Their battle against Garp was the most dangerous. Although Hancock and the others were three against one, they were struggling against Garp's iron fists, being constantly pushed back.
Garp was also a King-level Haki user of Three-Color Haki; Hancock and the others' Armament Haki could only be suppressed when compared to Garp's.
On the field, Kaku was already panting heavily. Every time he faced Garp's iron fist, he was in extreme danger. If not for Hancock and Kawasaki Hikaru's rescues, Kaku would have been knocked down long ago.
Hancock's abilities were useless against Garp; his King-level Armament Haki directly resisted Hancock's Perfume Femur attacks, nullifying her petrification.
Kawasaki Hikaru also tried to use illusions to control Garp, but Garp's attention, whether intentionally or not, was never on Kawasaki Hikaru.
The three were now engaged in hand-to-hand combat, as if their Devil Fruit abilities had been sealed, making it a very tough fight for them.
Garp didn't choose any large-scale attacks against the three of them; he used the most direct fighting style.
Garp used basic moves like straight punches, hooks, swings, kicks, high kicks, and whirlwind kicks against the three of them, easily suppressing them into heavy breathing.
Hancock and the others' attacks couldn't hit Garp. Even if Garp was hit, it was by his own choice to take the blow, ignoring their attacks.
However, Garp's attacks were too much for the three of them; no one dared to take a single punch. A moment of carelessness and a single punch would definitely incapacitate them.
Garp swept his leg, sending the attacking Kawasaki Hikaru flying. Kawasaki Hikaru blocked with his sword, but the immense force sent him flying.
Hancock's Perfume Femur followed closely, but it was blocked by Garp's right arm, covered in Armament Haki. He then countered with a left hook towards Hancock.
Hancock's Intermediate Armament Haki covered her legs as she rolled and performed various high-difficulty kicks, but Garp's King-level Armament Haki suppressed her, making her legs numb and almost causing her to lose her balance.
Kaku had already transformed into a giraffe, significantly increasing his height and agility. Seeing Hancock in danger, Kaku seized the opportunity to unleash his ultimate move, Four-Sword Style "Turbulence," towards Garp. However, Garp, having anticipated it, threw a punch that landed precisely on Kaku's abdomen.
Just as Kaku was about to be knocked out by Garp's heavy punch, Garp suddenly felt his physical strength weaken, and the power of his punch was significantly reduced.
Kaku was still sent flying by the punch, but because Garp's power was weakened, it didn't immediately result in a severe injury that would take him out of the fight, though blood was already spilling from his mouth.
It was Konan who weakened Garp's power. Konan's paper Clones were constantly monitoring the battlefield. Seeing Kaku in danger, Konan directly switched with a Clone and used Force-Canceling Bubbles on Garp, significantly weakening his attack.
After being enveloped by the Force-Canceling Bubbles, Garp simply vibrated with his King-level Observation Haki, easily shattering the Force-Canceling Bubbles.
Konan chose to directly engage Garp. Having observed the battle, Konan understood Garp's strength: incredibly powerful physical attacks.
Such physical attacks might seem difficult for Hancock and the others, but Konan believed Garp was the most suitable opponent for herself.
Konan's Physique ignored physical attacks. Even if Garp hit Konan, she could transform into a flurry of paper pieces, rendering Garp's attacks completely ineffective against her.
After Konan got close to Garp, she didn't dare to use her illusion bubbles, mainly fearing she might affect Hancock and the others. Therefore, she could only try to stall Garp.
With Konan's addition, Hancock and the others felt a lot of relief, but continuing the fight would still drain their stamina, which they couldn't afford.
Although Hancock and the others were young, their stamina still had a significant gap compared to Garp's. Furthermore, Garp had consistently used only the most basic attack methods, so his stamina consumption was definitely lighter than Hancock and the others'.
While Hancock's side had entered a temporary stalemate due to Konan's rescue, Lucci's situation was also not optimistic.
Tsuru's ability was the Wash-Wash Fruit. She possessed Intermediate Armament Haki and Observation Haki. Although Tsuru's strength was not comparable to Garp's and Sengoku's, she knew how to use her intellect as part of her strength.
Tsuru's battle against Lucci and Nero felt like Tsuru was fighting two people alone yet still managing to toy with Lucci and Nero.
Tsuru initially didn't know Nero possessed the Space Fruit. After a brief exchange, Tsuru understood that Nero's Fruit ability was related to space, so Tsuru chose to pursue Lucci for close-quarters combat.
Tsuru had two objectives in pursuing Lucci: first, to use the Wash-Wash Fruit's ability in close combat to turn Lucci into clothes, rendering him unable to fight.
Second, to prevent Nero from indiscriminately unleashing his spatial slashes. Tsuru's close entanglement with Lucci would make Nero hesitant, as Nero also feared accidentally harming Lucci.
After all, Tsuru possessed Observation Haki, while Lucci did not. If Tsuru anticipated and dodged a spatial slash but Lucci failed to, it would cause irreparable damage to Lucci.
Lucci was in a difficult position; the situation had become precarious.
Lucci now felt as if he were facing Tsuru's attacks alone. Lucci could use Navy Six Styles, and Tsuru could too, and she was no worse at it than Lucci.
Although his Armament Haki was on par with Tsuru's, Lucci hadn't awakened Observation Haki. This made the battle such that Lucci was easily hit by Tsuru's attacks, while Lucci's attacks would definitely miss Tsuru.
Lucci desperately tried to put distance between himself and Tsuru. Both sides were well aware of each other's strength. Lucci wanted to retreat, but Tsuru wouldn't let him have his way.
Tsuru's attacks clung to Lucci like a plaster. A moment of carelessness, and Lucci would be turned into clothes, losing his mobility.
Nero had been moving through the spatial rifts, searching for an opportunity to ambush Tsuru with a spatial cage, but his speed couldn't keep up with the two constantly flashing with "Soru."
To be continued...
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