Seeing this, most of the people watching in the arena showed expressions of surprise.
Even the Navy and the World Government were the same, although they already knew about Xia Chen's performance in Water 7.
According to the reports at the time, Xia Chen only had a slight advantage when he fought Garp. However, based on the current situation, it seems that things are a little different from what was said before!
Whitebeard, who had been keeping a close eye on Xia Chen's movements, narrowed his eyes slightly. As an old rival, he was very clear about Garp's strength.
But now Xia Chen was actually able to directly knock Garp in a head-on confrontation, which made him exclaim:
"This young man is really something!"
Having gained the upper hand with a single blow, Xia Chen gave Garp no chance to catch his breath. Riding his Flying Nimbus, he instantly appeared above the flying Garp and delivered another powerful punch.
"Boom!"
Garp's body slammed heavily onto the ice, which began to crack in a spiderweb pattern centered on him, spreading for several kilometers.
" Heaven-Pillar!"
Garp lay in the deep pit of ice, feeling excruciating pain all over his body. Suddenly, he heard this sound, and without thinking, he used his strength to dodge to the side.
The very next second after he dodged, a black stick slammed heavily down on the spot where he had been lying.
"Sizzle!"
The already cracked ice layer was shattered by this attack, breaking through all the ice blocks within a radius of several hundred meters and exposing the seawater underneath, which then rapidly spread upwards.
Xia Chen floated in the air on his Flying Nimbus, carrying his staff behind his back, and quietly looked down.
A moment later, a figure emerged from the sea, using Geppo to maintain the same height as Xia Chen and face him directly. The bloodstains on his lips indicated that he had not gained the upper hand.
Garp stared intently at Xia Chen, his expression somewhat grim.
"How come your strength has increased so much compared to before? Were you hiding your strength back then?"
Garp didn't ask about the other possibility because it was too unrealistic.
He could understand if it was because he was hiding his strength at the time, but to say that he had increased his strength so much in just a few days was a bit of an exaggeration.
Improving your skills requires hard work and a step-by-step approach, right? What kind of rocket are you riding?
What do you think?
Xia Chen chuckled faintly, then his figure vanished from the spot once more.
Garp knew something was wrong and tried to leave, but found he couldn't move.
He regained control of his body a fraction of a second later, but it was too late; Xia Chen's fist was already at his face.
"Bang!"
Another dull blow, Garp was sent flying backward once more...
Xia Chen was also busy, and once again sped towards Garp.
Although Garp's current strength is inferior to his, his body is quite tough. Those few blows just now weren't enough to defeat him, so he wanted to press his advantage and not give Garp any chance to catch his breath...
Everyone on the battlefield was stunned by what they saw, and some of the navy personnel felt as if half the sky had collapsed.
" Mr. Garp... was beaten so badly he couldn't even fight back?"
"How could this be? Mr. Garp is a hero of our navy! How could this happen?"
" Demon King Xia Chen... is he really that powerful? Do we... still have a chance to win?"
"..."
The sailors spoke in terror, their voices revealing that they had lost most of their confidence.
"You guys better wake up!!"
Suddenly, a booming voice rang in everyone's ears. Then they all looked up towards the source of the sound.
" Fleet Admiral Sengoku!!!"
" Garp is indeed a naval hero, but you should also know that he is 76 years old. At that age, most naval personnel would have retired long ago!"
"So it's not that Xia Chen is stronger, it's just that Garp is getting old and his strength has declined. Don't be fooled by these appearances!"
"We have three Admiral on our side, and the government officials haven't made a move yet!"
"These pirates are no match for us. Don't be intimidated by them!"
The voices of the Sengoku were extremely loud, basically echoing across most of the battlefield.
Even Whitebeard, standing at the bow of the Moby Dick, heard it. However, he gave a disdainful smile.
" Sengoku, you're still the same as ever! So shameless!"
Whitebeard was already used to Sengoku's behavior; having fought Sengoku many times, he knew exactly what kind of person he was.
However, it must be said that Sengoku's words did have an immediate effect; the navy personnel who had been somewhat desperate just moments before now regained their confidence.
" The Fleet Admiral is right, most of our top combat forces haven't even made a move yet!"
" Vice Admiral Garp is indeed getting old. I'm only in my fifties and I already feel much weaker than before, let alone Vice Admiral Garp is already in his seventies and almost eighty!"
"I really overlooked Vice Admiral Garp's age before; I always thought he was still the invincible naval hero he was in his youth!"
"..."
The crowd started talking all at once again, but this time the atmosphere was no longer somber; instead, it was filled with passion.
Seeing this, Sengoku also revealed a subtle smile, but he immediately thought of something and turned his gaze to the battle between Garp and Xia Chen.
As always, Garp's strength is already weaker than Xia Chen's, and he suffered many attacks from Xia Chen at the beginning, resulting in serious injuries. Therefore, he is now in a completely disadvantageous situation.
Xia Chen has now basically let Garp experience all his abilities, such as the Body Immobilization Technique just now. He didn't use these things when he fought Garp in Water 7.
Sengoku's eyes narrowed slightly. Of course, what he had just said to these Marines was all nonsense. As someone who shared the same pants and ate the same bag of senbei as Garp, he was undoubtedly the one who knew Garp's strength best.
It's true that Garp's strength has decreased with age, but the problem is that Garp's strength has decreased by very little!
Garp was originally a pure physical combat expert, and he didn't suffer many internal injuries when he was young, so even though he is over seventy years old, his strength is not much different from when he was young.
Therefore, one can imagine Xia Chen's strength in being able to beat Garp like this.
However, he couldn't tell the truth, otherwise his soldiers would be too afraid to fight, and how could he possibly win?
Thinking of this, Sengoku became increasingly wary of Xia Chen, and at the same time, he made a decision in his heart.
Sengoku walked on Geppo to the Five Elders Five Elders, exchanged a few words with them, and then returned to the Execution Platform.
Then, looking down at the battlefield, he scanned the area and picked up Amplifying Den Den Mushi, shouting loudly:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the execution ceremony... is about to begin!"