Time and again he was knocked away, time and again he was blasted to pieces. In the midst of fierce battles, Roy even became somewhat numb to death.
Although he was constantly overwhelmed and had no chance to fight back, Roy did not come away empty-handed.
Battle is the best catalyst for stimulating strength, especially when fighting against a top-tier powerhouse like Garp. After just a few exchanges, the hidden dangers brought about by Roy's sudden increase in strength were completely eliminated.
"The strongest swordsman can cut through everything. I don't aspire to the power to cut through space, but I must at least cut through Garp's attack once, break through his confinement once, even just once."
You can't live without being crazy!
Garp is now truly enraged, completely disregarding the situation on the other battlefield, his mind solely focused on crushing this pirate brat in front of him.
Roy's eyes were bloodshot, his veins were bulging, and large wisps of white mist emanated from all parts of his body, as if he had reached his limit.
However, Roy's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and the speed of his Kikuichimonji increased, even exceeding the speed of his nerve reaction. If it weren't for Roy's extremely high level of Observation Haki, it would probably be beyond his control.
Bang!
Roy's body even smashed through a small mountain and became embedded in it.
"Pfft! Hahaha! I'm not dead, I'm not dead this time!" Roy spat out a mouthful of blood, but couldn't stop laughing. Although he was still being crushed, at least he wasn't killed in one move.
Even without looking at the stats, he knew that his swordsmanship had reached level 15, standing at the pinnacle of Master Swordsman. One more step forward would be the dream of any swordsman: the power to be invincible against the sea, the true realm of Great Sword Master.
Roy's rapid progress was entirely due to his incredibly solid foundation in swordsmanship. For the previous ten years, he had trained day and night without end. What he lacked was only a solid foundation. When this weakness was made up for by his Devil Fruit Ability, Roy's rise to prominence was already destined.
However, there was almost no path ahead. There were few Master Swordsman on the sea to begin with, and even fewer who could reach Roy's level. As for those at the level of Great Sword Master, you could search the entire sea and find very few.
However, Roy rose from the ashes of 'suicide' and has overcome numerous obstacles and hardships along the way. How could he possibly be 'lost' because of something like this?
Roads are made by people walking on them; if there are no roads, then you can make one yourself.
Garp was also deeply shocked. As Roy's enemy, he was the one who could best understand Roy's Godspeed progress. It was as if every death brought Roy a new life, a constant transformation.
From initially overwhelming him in every way to finally surviving a single punch, the entire process involved just one battle. Without a doubt, this is a kid with the potential to grow into a pirate king.
However, it was merely a shock. After all, he was Garp, the man who ended the era of the Rocks, the man who had driven the Pirate Kings to the brink of defeat several times. Let alone Roy, who only had the potential to become one of the Four Emperors, even if a real one of the Four Emperors stood in front of him, he could still teach him a lesson with his iron fist.
"Let's cease hostilities, Vice Admiral Garp." Having achieved the desired result, there was no point in continuing the fight, so Roy decisively sheathed the Kikuichimonji.
"You delusional brat, you have to pay the price for what you've done." Garp took Roy's words as a plea for mercy. Thinking of Doberman and Onigumo's "tragic deaths" in a foreign land, his anger was palpable. He raised his iron fist, ready to teach Roy a lesson again.
"Oh? You don't want those two Vice Admiral's lives anymore?"
Upon hearing Roy's nonchalant words, Garp slammed on the brakes, finally pulling back from the brink. He stopped in front of Roy, but the force of his punch blew Roy's hairstyle into a grotesque mess.
"Hey, those two aren't dead?" Garp picked his nose sheepishly.
Slap! Slap!
Roy clapped his hands, and his men appeared in their sight, dragging two vice Vice Admiral looked like dead dogs and a large number of captured naval soldiers.
"Damn it, you guys..." Seeing Doberman and Onigumo being treated like this, Garp was furious and prepared to rescue them.
"Vice Admiral Garp, you'd better stand back a bit. If my men get startled, they might accidentally shoot both of Vice Admiral." As if to confirm Roy's words, dozens of Fire Pistol suddenly appeared above the heads of the two Vice Admiral.
Garp had no choice but to angrily retract his steps. After all, he wasn't Kizaru, and speed wasn't his strong suit. Moreover, Roy was watching him closely from the side. To be able to recapture the two Vice Admiral unharmed was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Moreover Doberman and Onigumo looked to be in imminent danger; they might just get hurt and die. If that happened, he would truly be unable to clear his Four Seas no matter what.
"So what do you want?" Garp glared at Roy, clearly annoyed. This feeling of being controlled by someone else was unpleasant.
"It's nothing. I just want to end today's battle and ask Vice Admiral Garp to return to Marine Headquarters."
"Alright, release them all, and I'll let you leave."
"Hahahaha!" Roy laughed until tears almost streamed down his face. "Vice Admiral Garp, are you mistaken? I should be the one in control now. Forget about the two Vice Admiral, but I can let the other marines go. Otherwise, it would be too much for a dignified Marine Hero to have to swim all the way back."
"Hahahaha!" Roy's men were laughing wildly. They felt incredibly good to have driven the Marine Hero to this point.
They looked at Roy with utmost reverence, for this was Garp, the Marine Hero who even the Pirate Kings was chased and beaten, yet he had suffered such a great loss at Roy's hands.
"What? You damned pirate brat, do you still want to fight me?" Garp crushed the air with his fist, and even black cracks appeared faintly, a power that even space could not withstand.
"Huh? I naturally have no objection, but before that, not a single one of the Marines will survive." Roy's words were incredibly chilling, showing no fear even when facing Garp's furious eyes.
Garp is really frustrated right now. He is clearly strong enough to crush anyone on the other side, but he still has to be manipulated by others. This feeling is even more unpleasant than working for the Celestial Dragons.
"Alright, I agree. However, if either of Vice Admiral suffers any injury, I will risk my old life to hunt you down to the ends of the earth and kill you completely." Garp's words returned to calm, but Roy knew that this was definitely an expression of his extreme anger.
Roy breathed a sigh of relief. Although he knew that Garp would never abandon these marines, what he feared most was encountering those who were determined to complete the mission at all costs.
If it were Akainu who came today, even if Onigumo and Doberman were on his side, they probably wouldn't have chosen to be threatened by Roy.
"Don't worry, I'll treat these two Vice Admiral like treasures. After all, they're important bargaining chips," Roy said meaningfully.
"Cheers? What do you mean?" Garp no longer called Roy a brat; he was treating him as an equal.
"Now that we've come this far, I'm not afraid to tell you: my goal is to become Shichibukai. Maybe next time we meet, we'll be allies." Roy looked at Garp with a half-smile.
"Wishful thinking. Someone like you would never be allowed to become Shichibukai by the World Government."
"No, no, no, nothing is impossible in this world. As long as there is enough benefit, anything is possible."
Garp stared wide-eyed at Roy, but was somewhat speechless. Knowing the nature of the World Government, Roy's statement wasn't entirely impossible.
As Garp felt a wave of dejection, he said defiantly, "Even if the World Government doesn't object, you still can't become Shichibukai. The Shichibukai quota is already full. The World Government would never expand it to something like an Eight Shichibukai just because of you. That would be a slap in the face to the World Government itself."
"That makes it even simpler. Just take down one of the Shichibukai, and the spot will be freed up, right? Hahaha!"