After subduing Smoker, Natsuya did not hesitate. He immediately raised his left hand, the power of the Door-Door Fruit surging as he prepared to steal the Smoke-Smoke Fruit!
But at that moment, a powerful hand suddenly grabbed Natsuya's left hand!
At the same time, a hearty laugh rang out.
"Ha ha! Natsuya, kid, could you give this old man some face and show a little mercy?"
Natsuya frowned and turned to look, his pupils immediately shrinking.
Tashigi and the others, meanwhile, lit up with excitement.
"Vice Admiral Garp!!"
The person blocking Natsuya was an old man with a square face and a burly build.
It was none other than Garp!
Because Natsuya had Momoo pulling his ship, even though Garp had left Cocoyasi Village and led a medium-sized warship straight to Loguetown, he was still a step too late.
However, Natsuya had stayed in Loguetown for two or three days before clashing with Smoker, so Garp had finally arrived and stopped him at the crucial moment!
At that moment, Garp gave a slight tug and flung Natsuya away.
Natsuya performed a backflip in midair and landed steadily, but the grave look on his handsome face could no longer be concealed.
At the same time, Nami's expression inside the Different Dimension changed drastically as well.
"Eh!?"
"This is the Hero of the Navy, Iron Fist Garp!?"
She recognized Garp at once.
Garp's reputation in the East Blue was simply too great. Although Nami had never seen him in person, she identified him instantly!
This was a major figure renowned throughout the world!
How had they run into him here!?
Nami had felt a little delighted when she saw Natsuya subdue Smoker, but that delight had now turned into terror!
A legendary figure like this was absolutely not someone they could stand against!
What were they supposed to do!?
Meanwhile.
With Natsuya backing away, Smoker finally caught his breath. He stood up and thanked Garp, "Vice Admiral Garp, thank you."
Garp waved a hand, then looked at Natsuya with a broad grin.
"Natsuya, kid, let this old man be your opponent."
It was worth mentioning that Garp did not dislike Natsuya.
After all, Natsuya had betrayed the World Government, and Garp himself had no fondness whatsoever for those Celestial Dragons.
If not for Sengoku, it was uncertain whether he would even have come to capture Natsuya this time.
That was also why he had not taken Sengoku's order seriously when he first received it.
Eh!?
Before Natsuya could react, Nami inside the Different Dimension was already on the verge of tears.
Was a big shot like Garp really going to make a move against them!?
Nami suddenly began to seriously doubt whether she and Natsuya could still make it to the Grand Line.
Tashigi and the others naturally thought the same thing.
If Vice Admiral Garp made a move, capturing Natsuya would be absolutely certain.
Smoker, however, did not relax completely. Instead, he warned Garp, "Vice Admiral Garp, his Devil Fruit power allows him to teleport through space."
After personally fighting Natsuya, Smoker had gained an even deeper understanding of Natsuya's Door-Door Fruit ability.
But in Smoker's view, Natsuya's Door-Door Fruit ability was still incredibly strange.
If Garp was careless, it was entirely possible that Natsuya could escape.
Hearing that, Garp gave Natsuya a surprised look.
To be honest, he had not thought much of Natsuya's Door-Door Fruit ability.
After all, a veteran Marine like him had encountered hundreds, if not thousands, of ability users.
So to him, ability users really were nothing special.
At most, it was simply the difference between one punch and two.
What interested him more were Natsuya's Rokushiki and his strength.
Being able to suppress Smoker meant he could not be weak.
As Garp was thinking this, Nami's eyes suddenly lit up.
"That's right, Lord Natsuya's ability!"
Inspired by Smoker, she suddenly remembered just how strange Natsuya's Door-Door Fruit ability was.
Right, they did not seem to need to face a big shot like Garp head-on!
As long as Natsuya used the Door-Door Fruit to take her and run away, would that not solve everything!?
At worst, she could hide in the Different Dimension like she was doing now.
No matter how strong Garp was, he probably could not just happen to counter that ability.
Thinking of this, Nami hurriedly shouted to Natsuya outside, "Lord Natsuya, Lord Natsuya, let's run!"
But Natsuya seemed not to hear her at all. He showed no intention of fleeing.
As he looked at Garp, an eager gleam gradually appeared on his grave face.
"Iron Fist Garp!"
It did not matter whether this legendary old veteran had specifically come looking for him or had merely happened to be here.
What mattered was that he wanted to fight this legendary old veteran!
Battle Points were one reason.
More importantly, Natsuya wanted to verify how much his strength had improved during this period.
Ever since defeating Rob Lucci and the others, he had not been able to fight to his heart's content.
If his opponent was Garp, then he would absolutely be able to test just how far his current strength had reached!
Therefore, faced with this legendary old veteran's challenge, Natsuya did not run. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted.
"Couldn't ask for more!"
As soon as the words fell, Natsuya did not hesitate and directly activated the Eight Inner Gates.
"Eight Inner Gates!"
"Gate of Opening, open!"
"Gate of Rest, open!"
"Gate of Life, open!!"
Terrifying energy burst wildly from Natsuya's body.
Green energy also surged out in a frantic rush.
His skin quickly turned red, while his hair rose and fluttered amid the violent energy, making him resemble a Super Saiyan.
This was the first time Natsuya had opened three of the Eight Inner Gates at once when facing an enemy.
But since the enemy was Iron Fist Garp, Natsuya's action was hardly surprising.
After all, this was the fierce man who had chased the Pirate King Gol D. Roger for most of his life and had even defeated Rocks!
In a fit of rage, he had even wanted to beat Admiral Akainu to death!
Against someone like that, no degree of seriousness from Natsuya would be excessive.
Seeing Natsuya like this, Nami froze.
She had never seen Natsuya so intense before. Was he planning to risk his life!?
Smoker, Tashigi, and the others were also frightened by Natsuya's appearance.
What was with this way his power had suddenly skyrocketed!?
Garp, on the other hand, remained calm.
However, after watching Natsuya for a few moments, he showed a faint smile as well.
"Interesting."
With his experience, he could naturally tell that Natsuya's strength had increased dramatically.
The only question was how far Natsuya's power had risen, and how many of his moves he could withstand.
Just as Garp was thinking that, Natsuya moved.
BOOM!!!
With a thunderous explosion, his figure vanished in an instant!
Before you continue