The moment Garp leaped into the air, Hiroto's vital points turned pitch black, and then he slashed out with all his might.
A crimson slash, hundreds of meters long and incredibly condensed, rose from the ground like a roaring fire dragon.
Intense wind pressure swept across the earth, kicking up countless shards of stone into the air.
The crimson slash shot upward, while Garp's fist in the air was wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki.
Simultaneously, he stepped on the air, striking down like lightning.
The incoming crimson slash was easily crushed by this punch, instantly turning into fragments filling the sky. The slash scattered as the falling lightning struck close by.
As predicted, Garp's fist smashed down. But Hiroto didn't dodge, allowing Garp's pitch-black fist to smash into his chest, which was tinged with the color of shadows.
The same strike that had slain Dalmatian was unleashed at this moment.
Boom!
A violent roar accompanied by dust rising dozens of meters high rang out on the base battlefield, followed by spider-web cracks spreading hundreds of meters across the ground.
Hiroto flew out, only to disappear in the next second.
Garp, about to pursue, paused. His Observation Haki expanded to search but he couldn't find the target.
He escaped?
Garp's face turned grim.
Not believing it, he searched repeatedly, his Observation Haki probing every inch of the ground. But the final result was emptiness, as if Hiroto had instantly left the island.
Is it a Devil Fruit Ability?
When I hit that kid just now, there was a strange feeling.
It felt like the influence of a Devil Fruit Ability. I had to add more Armament Haki to break through it and truly hit him.
Moreover...
Garp's gaze dropped.
A shallow, narrow bloody cut had appeared on his knuckles.
Even though it was very slight, it caused a ripple in Garp's eyes.
Clearly, that kid's Armament Haki was inferior to his own, and his strength was also inferior, yet he could burst out with such an inconceivable surge of power in that instant.
To the point that in the clash just now, he had actually caused him a bit of damage.
This kid... he really is full of surprises every time.
From the first time he saw Hiroto's file until now, it hasn't even been three months.
To be able to grow to this level in such a short time...
With this kind of talent and potential, no wonder Sengoku wanted him killed.
As expected, I should have gone all out just now instead of holding back out of concern for the other Marines?
But to be honest, when he had thrown that punch, it was already an excessive output born of rage. He didn't expect that Hiroto would still manage to escape.
"Now, how am I going to explain this to Sengoku?" Garp sighed, a trace of regret appearing.
But it didn't last long, because the whistling sound of wind and the screams of the Marines rang out from the sky above.
He ran and jumped, stretching out his arms to catch the Marine Warship falling from the sky.
Boom!
He landed, letting the Warship touch down with him. In that casual movement, he displayed terrifyingly immense power.
While the Marines were still in shock, Bogard immediately stepped forward.
"Vice Admiral Garp, what do we do next?"
"You guys, rescue the other Marines."
...
Under the sea, at a depth of two thousand meters.
A thumping heartbeat rang out inside a reef in the ocean.
The heart of a will unwilling to sink into the shadow of death throbbed vigorously, breaking through the encirclement step by step, and finally regained control of the body that had suffered a fatal attack.
Sit... ups!
Hiroto sat up abruptly.
Abundant vitality was injected into his shell out of nowhere, and his injuries, which had left him with only one breath of life, healed and recovered at an astonishing speed.
[Fish-Man Gills] continued to operate, maintaining oxygen intake.
After 15 seconds, Hiroto returned to his peak state. At the same time, he felt his talent and potential increase exponentially. Just like before, there were improvements to varying degrees.
The "something extra" he had vaguely felt before had now become even more prominent, but it was still not enough to take shape. If there's nothing unexpected, it's probably the Conqueror's Haki potential.
But this method of improvement...
In the dark seawater, Hiroto touched his chest, unable to help but recall the clash with Garp just now.
In order to get high-quality materials for [Effort King] and to see the strength of Garp, who had stepped down from the ranks of the peak powerhouses but could still be considered a first-rate powerhouse, he didn't choose to run away immediately but instead tried to counterattack.
Using all sorts of means, he barely managed to get one chance to strike.
As for the result...
He can only say there is a huge gap between people, and the same goes for Vice Admirals.
Garp's strength was not something Dalmatian could compare to, the two were worlds apart.
Thinking about it, in the Hachinosu incident, Garp fought Kuzan, who had joined the Blackbeard Pirates. Even when he held back while the other party didn't, he once held the advantage.
If it weren't for his old age and his endurance dropping significantly, he wouldn't have become a stepping stone for Koby.
That punch just now was terrifyingly strong. His Shadow-fication ignored the first wave of damage, but it was immediately broken by Garp's increased Armament Haki, and the subsequent aftershocks caused him fatal injuries.
It triggered the "Clings to life" mechanism of [Sit-ups], giving him the strength to perform [Shadow Exchange] and instantly escape to the depths of the sea.
Next, I need to focus on improving my Observation Haki. Against these powerhouses, if my reaction is even slightly off, it's defeat.
As for offensive aspects, like Armament Haki...
Hiroto sensed slightly and knew that the "Power surge" mechanism of [Sit-ups] had been triggered.
He made his choice without hesitation.
[Intermediate Armament Haki → Advanced Armament Haki]