The Power of the Gate of Hurt, Garp's Later Years in Jeopardy!?

"Gate of Hurt, open!"

Realizing that his current strength was insufficient to deal with Garp, Natsuya did not hesitate and immediately opened the fourth gate of the Eight Inner Gates!

Previously, when dealing with Rob Lucci, Natsuya had only developed the Eight Inner Gates up to the third gate.

However, Natsuya had not been idle during this time, so his Eight Inner Gates had now been developed to the fourth gate, the Gate of Hurt!

This was also the first time Natsuya had used the Gate of Hurt in combat!

As soon as the Gate of Hurt opened, blue veins bulged all over Natsuya's body and even on his face, making him look truly ferocious.

This was a direct manifestation of the damage being inflicted upon his body.

Only by opening this fourth gate could one be considered to have truly entered the state of the Eight Inner Gates.

And the true Eight Inner Gates naturally relied on damaging the body to obtain immense power!

Thus, at this moment, a more terrifying surge of power erupted within Natsuya!

Boom! Boom!

Terrifying energy currents, accompanied by a release of green energy, caused the surrounding void to rumble and groan.

"Oh!?"

Seeing this, a look of surprise immediately appeared on Garp's face.

He could tell at a glance that Natsuya was further squeezing his body's potential to erupt with even greater power.

But the question was, hadn't Natsuya already squeezed his potential once just moments ago? How could he continue to do so now!?

As for Smoker and the others, along with Nami, they were all utterly shocked.

At this moment, Natsuya's hair whipped about, his skin turned red, and his veins bulged; he no longer looked like a human, but rather like a frenzied beast.

And in truth, that was exactly what he was!

With his power further elevated, it was no exaggeration to call the current Natsuya a humanoid beast!

Without another word, Natsuya glanced at Garp, took a step forward, and his figure vanished with a boom!

The expressions of Smoker and the others shifted instantly.

In their eyes, Natsuya's figure flashed like lightning, darting directly in front of Garp.

Boom!

Natsuya raised his arm, and a dull, explosive sound instantly tore through the air.

Without a doubt, this seemingly simple movement contained terrifying power!

This time, even though Garp had activated his Armament Haki, he was still sent reeling backward by the impact.

Next.

Natsuya's figure blurred, transforming into a phantom as he continued to pursue Garp.

"Finger Pistol!"

"Tempest Kick!"

Amplified by the power of the Gate of Hurt, the might of every Rokushiki technique was astonishingly great.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Smoker and the others watched, dumbfounded.

"How is this possible!?"

Under their gaze, Natsuya was actually suppressing Garp this time.

Garp's figure was surrounded by those phantoms, struck repeatedly, and forced into a completely passive defensive position!

Seeing such a scene, Nami, inside the different space, was also stunned.

Lord Natsuya seemed to be far stronger than she had ever imagined!

Could it be that he might actually be able to defeat Garp!?

However, it was clear that Nami was overthinking it.

Although Natsuya's strength had reached an astonishing level after opening the Gate of Hurt, it was still impossible to defeat Garp with this alone.

Just as the next moment arrived.

Garp gradually shook off his passive state and soon began to handle the situation with ease.

His speed also became faster and faster, gradually matching Natsuya's!

"Hmm!?"

Noticing this, Natsuya's heart sank.

As for Smoker and the others, they once again wore expressions of shock.

At this moment, in their eyes, Natsuya had become so fast that he had completely turned into a blur, yet Garp was able to keep up with that speed with ease!

And with that, the outcome was easy to foresee.

Once strength was no longer an advantage, Natsuya was quickly overwhelmed by Garp.

The next second, he was sent flying back by a single punch from Garp.

Pfft.

Natsuya spat out a mouthful of blood, his gaze toward Garp unable to hide his shock.

Garp the Fist truly lived up to his reputation!

With just one punch, he had nearly knocked him down!

Fortunately, Natsuya had opened the Eight Inner Gates, so even if his body was injured, the energy would rapidly heal him.

Of course, this meant that the aftereffects for Natsuya would be even more severe later on.

Thinking of this, Natsuya's expression turned grave.

However, at the same time, Garp was also somewhat shocked.

He knew very well that while Natsuya's state appeared powerful, it was actually quite fragile.

To have taken a hit from his iron fist and still not collapsed—he was truly tenacious.

Thinking of this, Garp immediately beckoned to Natsuya and laughed, "Come on, kid Natsuya, you should still have some strength left!"

Natsuya's tenacity had stirred up a bit of his own fighting spirit.

Hearing this, Natsuya narrowed his eyes and suddenly retreated at high speed.

"Hmph, you forced my hand!"

His words sounded as if he were about to unleash some ultimate move.

Upon hearing this, Garp was immediately delighted.

As for Smoker and the others, their hearts tightened.

They hadn't expected that even now, Natsuya still had a trick up his sleeve!

But the next moment, both Garp and Smoker's group were stunned.

They saw that after retreating, Natsuya suddenly opened a portal in the air and dove right in.

Meanwhile, Nami, who was waiting in the different dimension, was also dumbfounded.

She had heard Natsuya say that and thought he was about to unleash some ultimate move.

As it turned out, once Natsuya entered the different dimension, he simply took her and retreated.

To be more precise, Natsuya was running away.

There was no other choice.

If even the Gate of Hurt couldn't do anything to Garp, should he just wait to be captured!?

Moreover, Natsuya had already used Garp to fully verify his current strength, so why would he keep fighting him!?

He wasn't a fool like Ace.

All in all, Natsuya left with a clear conscience.

But Garp, out in the real world, found it hard to accept.

This young man had no sense of martial honor!

They were fighting perfectly well, and he just ran away!?

Looking at the spot where Natsuya had vanished, the legendary veteran couldn't react for a moment.

As for Smoker, Tashigi, and the others, every single one of them wore an incredibly strange expression.

They never imagined that Natsuya, who had just looked like he was going to risk his life against Garp, would run away the moment he said he would!

And at this moment, it seemed to confirm Smoker's earlier statement.

If Garp wasn't careful, Natsuya really might escape.

And now, Natsuya had truly escaped!

What now!?

Smoker cautiously asked Garp, "Vice Admiral Garp, that Natsuya has likely escaped. Now..."

Garp snapped back to reality, his face darkening.

He had clearly won the fight, yet he felt as if he had been played!

He had taken the field himself, yet he hadn't even managed to capture a mere hundred-million-berry bounty criminal; his reputation was truly at stake.

For a moment, Garp didn't know where to hide his old face.

After some thought, he instructed Smoker, "Smoker, you go tell Sengoku that the kid Natsuya escaped. Don't mention that I was ever here; just say he escaped from your hands."

Smoker: "..."