"Under the rules of this Open Domain, every object, whether it contains cursed energy or not, will be subjected to sure-hit slashes."
"Garp, let's see how you deal with this!"
Roy's expression was solemn, without any excessive smugness.
He did not know whether this domain would truly work against someone like Garp, whose Haki was at the very pinnacle.
Crack!
Garp, who was inside the domain, instantly sensed mortal danger and sprang up from the ground.
One glance drained the color from his face. "What is this thing?!"
Before he could finish speaking, an irregular slash hurtled toward him.
Fortunately, his Observation Haki detected it in advance, and he instinctively dodged aside.
The slash shattered the ground with a crash, making his heart sink.
If it struck him, he would be severely wounded.
"As expected, Observation Haki is a strong counter to slashes."
"But you might dodge once. Let's see how your Observation Haki handles a sky full of slashes!"
Roy muttered to himself atop the Shrine.
This clash had actually proven so favorable to him.
Observation Haki and Armament Haki were indeed strong counters to him.
As soon as he finished speaking, slashes filled the domain, descending on Garp from every direction.
Garp also spotted Roy atop the Shrine and sensed those endless slashes.
In desperation, he could only cover his entire body with his highest-level Armament Haki, pairing it with Observation Haki to desperately fend them off.
Bang! Bang!
But even then, he could not evade them.
The irregular slashes filling the air continued to land on his body.
When those slashes, powerful enough to cut through anything, met Garp's top-level Haki, some were deflected outright, unable to reach his body.
But there were simply too many. Quite a few still broke through his defenses, leaving wounds three centimeters deep on Garp's body.
Within moments, Garp was drenched in blood, yet he had still not been sliced to pieces.
That alone was enough for Roy to take pride in.
The domain's sure-hit effect had already activated, yet Garp had endured it through sheer Haki.
Roy's expression atop the Shrine grew increasingly grave.
Just as he had expected, the domain's slashes alone were enough to instantly kill anyone below Admiral level.
But instantly killing an Admiral-level fighter with top-level Armament Haki would be extremely difficult.
Garp's current situation was precisely that.
However, if he infused Haki into the domain, every slash would become a clash of Haki, restoring the slashes' original sharpness.
Roy narrowed his eyes at the thought.
Garp was the first powerful opponent on whom he had tested his domain's might.
First, he would find an opportunity to thoroughly wear him down.
The battle between Roy and Garp utterly shocked Bullet and the others outside.
They had never imagined that Roy still had such a terrifying killing move hidden away.
As far as they could sense, Garp was being subjected to far too many slashes.
Even with Haki protecting him, he had been slashed until he was covered in blood, becoming a blood-soaked figure.
They dared not imagine what would happen without Haki protecting his body.
Suddenly, Kuzan cried out, "This is bad! Mr. Garp is in danger!"
Before his words had faded, he shot forward, intending to force his way into the domain.
He believed that once he got inside, he could definitely force Roy to cancel his domain.
What Kuzan did not know, however, was that Roy's domain was an open one.
Once the domain was expanded, everyone within it would be subjected to slashes from every direction.
Sure enough...
Bullet and Red were both startled.
Through their Observation Haki, they sensed that Garp's left hand had already been mangled by successive slashes, with two fingers severed completely and falling off.
Even more horrifyingly, the moment Kuzan charged into the domain, he too was besieged by densely packed slashes.
"How is this possible?! I clearly used Elementalization, but I still can't withstand it? What the hell is this?!"
Kuzan screamed, feeling that without the protection of Elementalization, he would already have been cut down on the spot.
Even more absurdly, his Elementalization could not hold out for long amid the slashes filling the air.
His heart pounding, he instantly retreated beyond the domain's range.
To his surprise, the endless slashes stopped pursuing him the instant he left, turning instead to continue slashing at Garp.
This change made everyone present abruptly change expression.
They seemed to have discovered something crucial.
Kuzan finally came to his senses as well and roared.
"Mr. Garp! As long as you can hold on, you just need to get out of that area!"
Before his words had faded, he activated his Ice-Ice Fruit ability again, sending several Ice Pillars crashing into the domain.
But the instant they entered, the densely packed slashes shredded them to pieces.
Roy watched Kuzan's actions coldly. "Kuzan stumbled onto the Open Domain's weakness."
There were indeed two fatal flaws in an Open Domain.
First, once someone moved beyond its two-hundred-meter range, the attacks would disappear.
Under normal circumstances, however, almost no one could hold out long enough to escape before dying on the spot.
Second, if someone could endure long enough, the domain would also dissipate.
Finally, Roy gave Kuzan a long look before turning his gaze toward Garp, who had already begun to act, and said meaningfully,
"Heh, think you've found hope? Then I'll give you a little hope first."
"I just wonder what expression you'll make when despair descends."
Bang! Bang!
Sure enough, Garp began moving within the domain after hearing Kuzan's shout.
"Galaxy Impact!"
His Haki-cloaked fist thundered forward with a roar, colliding head-on with the incoming slashes.
Bang!
With an explosive burst of energy, the attacks canceled each other out.
He immediately used Soru of the Six Powers, retreating at speed as he desperately rushed toward the domain's edge.
Those outside wore varying expressions.
The mere forty battered soldiers who remained had been close to despair, but now joy lit up their eyes again.
"I knew it! Vice Admiral Garp is still Vice Admiral Garp! He'll definitely be all right!"
They dared not imagine what would happen if Garp were truly slain.
For the entire world, it would undoubtedly be an earth-shattering upheaval.
It would practically tear the heavens apart.
Kuzan also let out a long sigh of relief. "That's Mr. Garp for you. He actually thought to cancel out the slashes with an attack first, then use top-level Armament Haki to quickly gain distance."
"Roy's area attack is truly terrifying. Anyone below Admiral level has no way to withstand it. But Mr. Garp is a legendary Marine. He'll definitely overcome a crisis like this!"
The corners of his mouth could not help lifting.
That was his mentor, after all.
Seeing him so powerful made Kuzan genuinely happy.
Red and Bullet could not help voicing their admiration as well.
"Roy's move is truly terrifying, but its weakness is just as obvious. That old man Garp used top-level Armament Haki to negate some of the damage. As long as he gets out of that area quickly, he'll be fine."
"Right. I don't like that old bastard Garp, but I have to admit, his Armament Haki really is top-notch, and his punches really hurt."
Bullet picked up the thread with a solemn expression. "I think we might not do any better in his place."
With that, both fell silent.
They made it sound easy, but only they understood how difficult it was for Garp to endure those slashes.
With slashes filling the sky, the slightest mistake would mean instant death.
It seemed that top-level Armament Haki could fend them off, but how many people truly possessed top-level Armament Haki?
Crack!
Under everyone's gaze, Garp pushed through the sky full of slashes, advancing more than a hundred meters.
Even then, countless slashes continued to land on him from all around, forcing him to keep defending himself.
Crack!
With another sharp snap, the Armament Haki on his left hand finally gave out, and his arm broke off.
Blood gushed out, splattering all around.
Before you continue