A figure slowly emerged from the sea of flames before Patri Vic.
"Hot!" Garp complained, his entire body covered in Armament Haki.
Patri Vic smiled faintly, as if the outcome had been within his expectations.
"I can't let you grow any stronger. Otherwise, the Navy will have a lot of trouble."
Garp looked at Patri Vic with a grave expression and spoke solemnly.
A few months ago, Garp had fought him on Hachinosu Island.
Back then, Patri Vic had been a rookie who hadn't even mastered Armament Haki.
But now, his strength had undergone a world-shaking transformation.
His growth had been far too fast.
Garp didn't waste any more words. He charged at Patri Vic again.
"Bang!"
Their fists collided, unleashing a powerful gust of wind that swept in every direction.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Their fists collided again and again. Garp was now fighting with complete seriousness.
The two men clashed with their bare fists for a full hour.
Garp's powerful Haki left Patri Vic's entire body tingling.
"Wood Release: Advent of a Thousand-Armed Kan'on!"
Patri Vic's body flew backward, choosing not to keep trading blows with Garp.
A gigantic hand appeared behind Garp.
"Boom!"
The enormous palm towered behind Garp like a mountain, then came crashing down with a thunderous roar.
"Smack!"
Garp was pinned beneath it, but in the next instant, he swung his fist and shattered the giant palm.
His expression was grave, and a bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He stared at Patri Vic, unable to hide his shock, and demanded, "Is this really the kind of power a human can possess?"
The purple mist covering his body, the surging power of flames, and now the ability to control a giant wooden palm out of thin air.
These were three completely different powers. If each one came from a Devil Fruit...
Then Patri Vic was a monster who had eaten three Devil Fruits.
Nothing like that had ever appeared in history.
Patri Vic possessed three Devil Fruit powers. Could he really be human?
"What do you think, Garp?" Patri Vic replied nonchalantly.
"How is this possible? How can you use three different abilities?" Everything Garp had seen and heard that day felt like a dream.
He believed he had encountered a monster who had eaten three Devil Fruits.
"Guess," Patri Vic replied calmly.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must have discovered the secret of Devil Fruits." Garp was still too shocked to calm down.
Patri Vic didn't bother saying anything more. He shouted,
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"
A gigantic wooden dragon appeared beside him.
It was enormous, covered in spikes, and had long fangs, sharp claws, and a long hooked nose.
Its entire body radiated a breathtaking power.
Under Patri Vic's control, the wooden dragon shot forward like an arrow, streaking toward Garp.
Facing the enormous wooden dragon, Garp didn't dare let his guard down. He covered his entire body in Armament Haki.
"Bang!"
Garp's fist collided with the dragon's hooked nose, but in the next instant, its sharp claws raked across his body.
Even with Armament Haki covering him, the wooden dragon's claws still left several bloody gashes.
"Boom!"
The veins bulged on Garp's arm. He leaped into the air and slammed a heavy punch into the wooden dragon's head, shattering it.
But before it broke apart, the dragon lunged at Garp, driving its long fangs into his body.
If he hadn't been protected by Haki, its fangs might have pierced straight through him.
"Wood Style: Wood Golem Technique!!!"
Patri Vic grinned as a gigantic wooden Buddha appeared beneath him.
Its face was twisted and fearsome, like a demon's, with a pair of sharp fangs at the corners of its mouth. A giant dragon coiled around its body.
Patri Vic stood on the wooden dragon's forehead.
"????? Th-this guy's Devil Fruit ability can do that too?" Garp shouted, blood dripping from his body.
The commotion Patri Vic was causing was enormous. Sengoku and Whitebeard, fighting in the distance, both turned to look.
"This is the first time I've seen Vic use power like that."
Whitebeard turned and saw the immense wooden dragon.
"Is that kid a monster?" A bead of cold sweat appeared on Sengoku's forehead.
"The fight's over, Garp."
The Wood Golem Technique was Patri Vic's strongest power at the moment.
The enormous wooden golem ran swiftly across the ground. Despite its massive size, it wasn't slow at all.
As soon as it reached Garp, the wooden dragon swung a fist as thick as a pillar reaching to the heavens.
"Boom!"
The enormous golem's punch left a crater in the ground. The entire area shook, as if there had been a minor earthquake.
Garp reacted quickly and had already moved away. Otherwise, that blow would have left him seriously injured.
"Vic!" Garp leaped through the air and swiftly closed in on Patri Vic, who stood atop the wooden dragon.
He knew it was practically impossible to defeat the wooden golem, so he had to take Patri Vic down first.
"Smack!"
Patri Vic remained calm as he controlled the golem to bring its hands together, catching Garp between them.
"Terrifying strength."
Even as the wooden golem pressed its hands together with all its might, Garp still managed to force the giant palms apart with his arms.
The golem clenched its fists and abruptly hurled Garp away. His body traced a graceful arc through the sky before crashing heavily into the ground.
"Bang!"
A thunderous boom rang out, as if a meteor had fallen. Garp lay at the bottom of the crater, gasping for breath.
Even with Armament Haki covering his entire body, he had still been badly hurt.
"It's over, Garp."
Standing on the wooden golem's forehead, Patri Vic walked to the edge of the crater and looked down at Garp.
"Damn it!"
Garp rose to his feet, his face twisted with rage.
Before you continue