The Unobtainable Opponent, Garp!!

After subduing Smoker, Natsuya did not hesitate. He immediately raised his left hand, surging with the power of the Door-Door Fruit, intent on stealing the Smoke-Smoke Fruit.

But at that very moment, a powerful hand suddenly grabbed Natsuya's left wrist.

Simultaneously, a hearty laugh rang out.

"Hahaha, kid Natsuya, could you do this old man a favor and show some mercy?"

Natsuya frowned, turned his head, and his pupils instantly constricted.

Tashigi and the others, meanwhile, had their eyes light up.

"Vice Admiral Garp!!"

The person who had intercepted Natsuya was none other than a sturdy old man with a square-jawed face.

It was none other than Garp!

Because Natsuya had Momoo pulling his ship, even though Garp had set off for Loguetown in a medium-sized warship after leaving Cocoyasi Village, he had still arrived a step late.

However, since Natsuya had spent two or three days in Loguetown before clashing with Smoker, Garp had finally caught up and intervened at the critical moment.

With a slight exertion of force, Garp flung Natsuya away.

Natsuya performed a backflip in mid-air and landed steadily, though the grave expression on his handsome face could no longer be concealed.

Inside the Different Dimension, Nami's face also changed drastically.

"Eh!?"

"Is that... the Hero of the Navy, Iron Fist Garp!?"

She recognized Garp immediately.

Garp's reputation in the East Blue was simply too massive; even though Nami had never seen him in person, she identified him in an instant.

This was a world-renowned titan!

How could they have run into him here!?

Nami had been pleasantly surprised to see Natsuya subdue Smoker, but now that joy had turned into terror.

A legendary figure like this was absolutely not someone they could oppose!

What should they do!?

On the other side, as Natsuya retreated, Smoker finally caught his breath, stood up, and thanked Garp, "Vice Admiral Garp, thank you."

Garp waved his hand dismissively, then looked at Natsuya and grinned.

"Kid Natsuya, let me be your opponent."

It is worth noting that Garp did not actually dislike Natsuya.

This was because Natsuya had betrayed the World Government, and Garp had no love for the Celestial Dragons either.

If not for Sengoku, he might not have even come to capture Natsuya in the first place.

This was also the reason he hadn't taken the mission seriously when he first received the order from Sengoku.

Eh!?

Hearing this, before Natsuya could even react, Nami inside the Different Dimension was already on the verge of tears.

Was a big shot like Garp really going to attack them!?

Nami suddenly grew deeply doubtful about whether she and Natsuya would ever make it to the Grand Line.

Meanwhile, Tashigi and the others naturally thought the same.

If Vice Admiral Garp took action, capturing Natsuya would be a certainty.

Smoker, however, did not fully relax and instead warned Garp, "Vice Admiral Garp, his fruit ability allows for spatial teleportation."

Having fought Natsuya personally, Smoker had a better understanding of the Door-Door Fruit's capabilities.

Still, in his view, Natsuya's Door-Door Fruit ability was extremely bizarre.

If Garp were careless, it was not impossible for Natsuya to escape.

Hearing this, Garp cast a surprised glance at Natsuya.

To be honest, he hadn't really taken Natsuya's Door-Door Fruit ability seriously.

After all, as a veteran of the Navy, he had encountered hundreds, if not thousands, of ability users.

To him, ability users really didn't amount to much.

It was merely a question of whether it would take one punch or two to finish them.

By comparison, he was more interested in Natsuya's Rokushiki and raw strength.

Being able to suppress Smoker meant he clearly wasn't weak.

Just as Garp was thinking this, Nami's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Right, Lord Natsuya's ability!"

Inspired by Smoker, she suddenly recalled the bizarre nature of Natsuya's Door-Door Fruit ability.

That's right, it seemed they didn't have to face a big shot like Garp head-on!

Couldn't Natsuya just use his Door-Door Fruit ability to take her and escape?

At the very least, she could hide in a Different Dimension just like she was doing now.

She believed that no matter how strong Garp was, it was unlikely he could just happen to counter this ability.

Thinking of this, Nami hurriedly shouted to Natsuya outside: "Lord Natsuya, Lord Natsuya, let's run away quickly!"

Yet at this moment, Natsuya acted as if he hadn't heard her, showing no intention of running away at all.

Looking at Garp, a look of excitement gradually rose on his solemn face.

"Iron Fist Garp!"

Whether this legendary veteran had come specifically for him or just happened to be here no longer mattered.

What mattered was that he wanted to do battle with this legendary veteran!

As for the reason, the combat value was one aspect.

Most importantly, Natsuya wanted to verify the increase in his own strength over this period.

One had to know that ever since he defeated Rob Lucci and the others, he hadn't fought to his heart's content.

If the opponent was Garp, then it would definitely be able to test just what level his current strength had reached!

And so, facing the challenge from this legendary veteran, Natsuya didn't run; instead, the corners of his mouth curled up.

"I couldn't ask for more!"

As his voice fell, Natsuya didn't 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 surged and swept out from Natsuya's body.

Green energy also rushed out in a scramble.

His skin quickly turned red, and his hair flew upward under the agitation of the energy, resembling a Super Saiyan.

This was the first time Natsuya had opened three of the Eight Inner Gates all at once when facing an enemy.

However, if this enemy was Iron Fist Garp, then Natsuya's actions were clearly not strange at all.

After all, this was the fierce man who had chased Gol D. Roger for most of his life and had even crushed Rocks!

In a fit of rage, he had even wanted to pummel Akainu, the Admiral, to death!

Facing such an existence, it was not an exaggeration no matter how serious Natsuya was.

Seeing Natsuya's appearance, Nami was instantly stunned.

She had never seen Natsuya in such an intense state before; was he planning to risk his life!?

As for Smoker, Tashigi, and the others, they were also frightened by Natsuya's appearance.

What was going on with this sudden, explosive increase in power!?

Garp, however, remained calm.

But after glancing at Natsuya a few times, he also revealed a faint smile.

"A bit interesting."

With his experience, he naturally saw that Natsuya's power had surged.

He just didn't know to what extent Natsuya's power had increased, or how many of his moves he could withstand.

Just as Garp was thinking this, Natsuya moved.

BOOM!!!

Accompanied by a loud bang, his figure vanished in an instant!