It hurts like hell!!
This was Ianās first feeling after taking a punch. Honestly, since mastering Haki, he hadnāt felt such painful attacks for a long time.
Garp, as a hero of the Navy, and a legendary marine, was once the main force in chasing the Pirate King Roger. However, he was not a Devil Fruit user. His cultivation focused on Haki and martial arts. Unlike Vergo, whom Ian defeated earlier, Garp didnāt like spreading Haki all over his body. Such usage made the Haki appear formidable, but it actually diluted its effectiveness. Instead, Garp preferred concentrating all his Haki power on his fists.
As a result, the solidity of Haki on Garpās fists was extraordinary, and the increase in attack power far exceeded others!
It was because of this that Garp earned the title āIron Fist,ā and countless enemies had fallen before his fists.
Now, Ian had tasted the power of Garpās iron fist. Even though he had defended himself in time with Haki, after getting up from the ground, Ian still felt his cheek swollen, and the gums on the side of his cheek were shaking, almost getting knocked out by Garp.
With Twin Sacred Return Shield released on his cheeks, Ian quickly treated himself while looking at Garp.
Ian anticipated that Sengoku might attack him, but he never expected Garp to also make a move against him!
Although he hadnāt met Vice Admiral Garp many times, Ian could feel that Garp held a great fondness for him, naturally stemming from Ace!
Garp was well aware that once Aceās identity was exposed, endless troubles awaited him. However, Ace was also fortunate to have Whitebeardās fatherly love, and now he had Ian, a brother who could support him. Garp had been secretly keeping an eye on Aceās situation all along, so naturally, he also understood the situation between him and Ian. Garp even secretly took pride in it for a long time. Back when he first encountered Ian in the East Blue, he made the wise decision to send Ian to capture Ace. It was such a brilliant decision that led Ian and Ace to become brothers.
Because of this, Garpās fondness for Ian was boundlessā¦
Ian could also sense Garpās covert care for him all along, so he never expected Garp to make a move against him.
āOld man, youā¦ā Ian looked at him somewhat bewildered, only to find Garp wearing a gloomy expression.
āShut up!ā However, Garp sternly shouted at him, āIan! Why did you appear here!? Do you know what consequences intervening in this war will bring you!?ā
Hearing Garpās words, Ian breathed a sigh of relief. He understood now. Garp was actually worried about him. However, Garpās way of educating kids was usually through a beating, under the guise of loveās iron fist! Ace had experienced this firsthand many times, and now Garp was using the same method to āeducateā him!
With a wry smile, Ian said, āOld man, itās okay, Iā¦ā
But before he could finish speaking, Garp threw another punch at him!
Ian quickly dodged, but Garp continued to punch at him relentlessly, attacking while saying, āYou little brat! Not only did you appear here, but you also brought Luffy with you! Do you think this old man doesnāt have enough to worry about!?ā
āI couldnāt help it!ā Ian dodged while replying, āThat idiot Luffy insisted on coming as soon as he heard Ace was involved! Besides, if Ace is in danger, I canāt just sit back and do nothing!ā
āShut it!ā Garp growled, āAce has chosen to stand with the Whitebeardā¦ his death was inevitable. But you, get Luffy out of here immediately!ā
Though that was what Garp said, Ian could sense a deep sorrow in his eyes, leaving him perplexed.
Ace is dead? How could that be? Wasnāt he just fine?
Although Ace fell into the sea and was rescued by Jinbe, Ian didnāt witness it himself. At that moment, he was still in the sky, and the battlefield below was too chaotic for him to see. However, he had Aceās Vivre Card, and before descending, he confirmed that Ace was okay. So, Garpās words seemed inexplicable to him.
Unfortunately, there was some misinformation. Garp hadnāt seen Ace resurface after falling into the sea from Kizaruās attack. With so much time passing, a Devil Fruit user who couldnāt swim would have undoubtedly drowned. Taking advantage of this situation, Sengoku encouraged the Marines to launch a full-scale attack on the pirates.
Though he hadnāt seen Aceās body, Garp felt extreme grief. He had even thought of eating Kizaruās heart at the time.
But from the standpoint of the Marines, Garp also knew that Ace had brought this upon himselfā¦
So when he saw Ian appear and bring Luffy with him, Garp became furious. He had already lost one grandson and didnāt want to lose two more. Thatās why when Sengoku attacked Ian, Garp followed suit, hoping to capture Ian. Being captured was still better than being killed by the Marines!
Although Ianās lineup was impressive, the Marines also had the power to resist. Garp, being a high-ranking Marine himself, naturally understood the Marinesā strength. He knew very well that currently, the Marines and the pirates were evenly matched, with a fifty-fifty balance of power. However, once they clashed, Ian, as the leader, would definitely be the primary target for the Marines to eliminate. Not only would the three Admirals target him, but Sengoku would also join the fray.
As the carrying elder, even if one knows the child has grown up and become stronger, thereās still an instinctual urge to protect themā¦
Ian wasnāt stupid either. He quickly understood Garpās feelings. Amidst his laughter, he felt deeply touched.
Garp, he was just a madly-strong loving old man, a bit clumsy in expressing his emotions, so he could only resort to this kind of action to show his affectionā¦
However, Garpās actions also made Ian realize something: not everyone in the Marines was their enemyā¦
While grappling with Garp, Ian stole a glance at the battlefield.
Fujitora and Aokiji were locked in combat. Aokiji radiated intense chill, within a hundred meters around him, neither Marines nor pirates dared to approach, for anyone who did would turn into an ice sculpture.
Meanwhile, Fujitoraās gravity blade was constantly in motion, and similarly, nobody dared to appear within his attack range. Anyone who did would be subjected to debilitating damage.
Enel and Kizaruās figures flashed across the sky, with Kizaruās lasers of the Yasakani no Magatama occasionally bombarding the pirate forces on the ground. Enel, unwilling to be outdone, unleashed his Thunderbolt, causing numerous Marine soldiers to collapse, charred and convulsing.
Marco was locked in combat with Akainu, but Akainu had the upper hand. Once his Meteor Volcano was activated, a large number of meteor showers appeared in the sky. These meteor showers were fist-shaped, descending with dense smoke, causing the pirate crowds on the ground to wail in agony. Even Marco sometimes couldnāt dodge in time and would be hit. Fortunately, his Phoenix Flames could regenerate, so he could quickly recover from injuries, making it possible to hold Akainu back.
Crocodile and Ivankov had teamed up and launched an attack on Sengoku. Ivankov initiated the āGalaxy Wink,ā swiftly revolving around Sengokuās large Buddha-like body, continuously blinking to release shockwaves at the fleet admiral. Crocodile transformed into sand, elusive, seizing opportunities to stab at Sengoku with desert daggers and his poisoned hook.
Despite their joint attack, it seemed that Sengoku still had the upper hand. He rooted himself on the ground like a mountain, rendering Ivankovās shockwaves ineffective. Then, with a reach of his hand, a mighty Buddha Palm directly turned Crocodile into a sky full of sandā¦
The clashes among these powerful individuals intensified the battlefield. The areas where they fought were blank zones, with nobody daring to approach. However, in such a densely populated battlefield, it was impossible to avoid their wide-ranging area-of-effect attacks. The clashes between these individuals instantly caused a sharp increase in casualties on both sides.
With Fleet Admiral Sengoku joining the fray, the Seven Warlords of the Sea like Hawkeye and Boa Hancock couldnāt just stand by. So they also joined the fight. Although they mostly stayed on the sidelines during the battle, if they remained completely inactive, surely Fleet Admiral Sengoku would come after themā¦
Therefore, Hawkeye confronted Vista, while Boa Hancock faced Jozu. By engaging in combat, they also fulfilled their obligations to Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Unfortunately, this time Ian brought the entire Straw Hat Pirates crew. When Zoro saw Hawkeye, he unexpectedly challenged him, replacing Vista, wanting to settle the score with Hawkeye.
Vista didnāt mind and withdrew to find other opponents, but Hawkeye felt somewhat annoyed.
Having communicated with Ian before, Hawkeye Mihawk naturally knew about his two nephews, so he also had some understanding of Zoroās situation, knowing that his other nephew was this guy with the green seaweed hair.
But the problem was, Zoro didnāt know that Hawkeye was his uncle! Driven by the reputation of being the worldās greatest swordsman, Zoro actually ambitiously wanted to challenge Hawkeye. So, even Hawkeye felt a bit of a headache at this momentā¦
Fortunately, Hawkeye was not an ordinary person. When he noticed the blazing fighting spirit in Zoroās eyes, he also became serious and decided to test this kidās strengthā¦