Fighting Garp, Again

A few seconds passed before the stone fell and touched the ground. Eragon immediately circulated his chakra in a frenzy all over his body.

*Bang!*

His fierce aura burst out, spreading like tidal waves in the air as power coursed through his veins.

Simultaneously, he activated his 4-speed signature abilities, 'Rokushiki: Shave' combined with 'Wind Release: Wind Cloak', and also 'Body Flicker Technique', and for last, the Active Sub-Skill [Hyper-speed] (Running).

The terrifying power exploded out all at once, propelling Eragon's figure at amazing speed.

Using the 4 abilities combined, plus his already fast speed thanks to the level 12 skill [Running] resulted in Eragon's momentum being as fast as a fired cannonball, producing shockwaves from the air friction as he moved too fast. Cracks spread on the concrete floor when Eragon left deep footprints everywhere he passed while he flashed at Garp's position.

In less than half a second Eragon crossed the 30 meters distance, wrapped in a suffocatingly strong airflow as he closed in on Garp from the side. Activating another two active sub-skills before he punched Garp in the ribs.

The two active sub-skills were [Super-Strength] (Chakra Control) and [One Inch Punch] (Boxing).

[Super-Strength] (Chakra Control)

[The high chakra control of the user grants him the ability to mold his chakra so precisely he can build up chakra in his body before releasing it explosively upon contact with a target, causing severe damage.

Chakra control must be at 90% or higher to use this technique.

+500% Increase in strength and attack damage]

[One Inch Punch] (Boxing)

[One-inch punch is a technique that utilizes fa jin (explosive power) to generate a tremendous amount of impact at extremely close distances.

It's important to have a solid stance and use the correct form - otherwise, the user's punch won't do much but leave him with a sore wrist.

Range: 0–15 cm / 0–6 inches.

+100% Increase in attack damage using your fist]

Eragon's right hand clenched into a fist, his muscles tense, an apparent trace of veins emerged.

The fist connected with Garp's rib-side and a loud explosion echoed.

*Boom!*

The air itself shock with an ear-splitting bang!

Visible to the naked eye, the air rippled like a cannonball shot, tons of terrifying power poured out!

Eragon's fist didn't only hold superhuman strength, but it also released an overwhelming destruction power in the form of vibrations waves that seemed to penetrate through the defense of Garp's muscles and struck directly at his internal organs.

If it was someone weaker, he might just explode into a puddle of mush!

Poor Garp only had time to open his eyes in shock before he was sent flying as a terrifying power erupted when the fist smashed against his chest. His dynamic vision was acute enough to catch Eragon's figure, but his body reflexes weren't fast enough to react before being hit. Garp couldn't believe this was happening to him all over again, just like the fight on his battleship a few weeks ago. To Eragon, he might appear to be unguarded and relaxed but secretly he was prepared for Eragon's freakish speed and already activated his Armament and Observation Haki in preparation to intercept him.

However, Garp couldn't be blamed... With all the skills and abilities Eragon activated, his base speed, which was already plenty fast, was enhanced to more than 10 times!! This speed allowed Eragon to bridge the gap between him and all the human monsters living in this world...

The other thing that alarmed him was the force behind Eragon's punch. Even with his Armament Haki, he could still feel a slight soreness where Eragon punched him, something he haven't felt in years!!

"Shit! The brat can definitely throw a punch now!" Exclaiming out loud, Garp only now understood why Z was so brazen to place a bet against him...

But Garp wasn't called the marines hero for nothing, he quickly regained his composure and brought his two strong legs down to the concrete floor, causing two deep trenches as he tried to negate the terrifying inertia from Eragon's punch.

"I expected better from a war veteran such as you... How did you even survive Gol D. Roger's era when you are so careless during a fight?" Before Garp could regain his balance, however, a specter appeared to his back as he heard Eragon's cold voice right as he was hit hard once again.

*Boom!*

If before Garp couldn't react then now it was even more impossible to do anything, he could feel a terrifying gravity enveloping his body, restricting his movements and strength the moment Eragon's first punch connected with his torso.

The atmosphere surged!

The sticky wave of air was so loud that it seems to pierce the eardrums of the specters.

*Boom~Boom~Boom~*

Eragon was unrelenting as he chased after Garp all over the stadium, destroying everything in his path. Raining blow after blow on the old man's body in a frenzy as if he were his mortal enemy or somthing. Every muscle fiber was being squeezed out of strength, and the chakra energy accumulated in his body poured out like a flood that broke the dam.

*Boom!~Boom!~Boom!~Boom!*

The airflow in the stadium was affected by the irresistible onslaught happening, shockwaves and deafening blasts occurred everywhere. Waves of destructive power swept out violently in the four directions and peeled several pieces of the stadium reinforced concrete floor, sending rubble and dust flying!

All over the stadium stands, the audience of people witnessed the horrific sight that was happening in front of them. Gawking in shock, many spectators only managed to make out Eragon's and Garp's very blurry figures flickering all over the place. Only the deafening explosions and cracked floor with holes in the stadium ground confirmed there was indeed a fight happening inside...

"I-IMPOSSIBLE!" One young marine rubbed his eyes in a zealous attempt to fix his delusion sight, he couldn't believe it was humanly possible to move so fast as to appear as only blurs.

Z sitting in the gallery first row didn't have any noticeable reaction and his face remained expressionless throughout the fight below him. He was all too aware of how strong Garp is, and he sparred with Eragon enough times over the last month to know what his student was capable of. The intensity of the fight between his friend and student was something he long foresaw coming...

His three students sitting next to him though were an exception. They had an Inkling as to how powerful Vice-Admiral Garp was, but they were completely blown away by Eragon's strength! This kind of power was not something a 15-year-old teenager should have!

"Z sensei, you weren't kidding when you said Eragon is a hidden prodigy in here..." Binz absentmindedly muttered.

"More like he should have said that he was already a monster in the making" The astonished Shuzo added from the side.

*Boom!~Boom!~Boom!~Bang!*

Minutes passed in this manner.

Eragon's [Hyper-speed] (Running) was deactivated as it reached its time limit. This allowed Garp to have little openings here and there during their clashes to counterattack.

Eragon's skill [Running] directly affects his skill [Hyper-speed], and as [Running] reached level 12, [Hyper-speed] can now bost Eragon speed by 120% of his base speed for 50 sec and it only has a cooldown of 25 minutes.

Although Eragon was plenty fast still, Garp wasn't a pushover who would simply let someone roll all over him in battle. Far from that. As the fight progressed, Garp adapted more to Eragon's frightening speed and began to respond better.

Like iron whips, Garp's legs and arms punched and kicked at Eragon from blind spots and unpredictable angles. Only thanks to Eragon's battle experience from both lives enabled him to dodge.

The two clashed like lightning in a rapid exchange of blows. Garp was better in strength, while Eragon was better in speed.

It was down to who had more combat experience and endurance.

'24 minutes have already passed, which means I have to wait less than a minute before I can activate [Hyper-speed] (Running) again... Even though it looks like I have the upper hand, I don't see any damage on this old bastard body, he is not even bruised at all! What a monster!' Eragon thought to himself internally.

A few moments later Eragon once again activated [Hyper-speed] (Running). The speed burst enabled him to strongly pummel Garp all over the place uninterrupted. But it soon became clear it was all for naught.

Garp seemed to be wearing an indestructible armor all over his body, rendering any attack from Eragon useless, no matter where he struck and kicked. Which in fact, with Garp's Armament Haki he might as well did...

In a desperate attempt, Eragon used his [One-Hand Seal Master] (Ninjutsu) to release an A-rank jutsu, 'Wind Release: Blade of Wind', trying to at least cut Garp and injure him in any way.

[One-Hand Seal Master] (Ninjutsu)

[Your familiarity and experience in using Ninjutsu have reached a high degree, allowing you to construct Ninjutsu techniques using only one hand. This effectively lowers the time and number of hand-seals needed to use a Jutsu.

Currently limited to only A-rank and lower Ninjutsu]

*Clang!*

However, when Eragon's hand, covered with an invisible sharp sword made of wind connected with Garp's belly, a clang was heard.

Eragon's pupils constricted violently!

'The fuck?! A clanging sound?? Seriously, can Armament Haki even be that strong?? This won't do, I must increase my destructive output even more!!'

A frosty light flashed through Eragon's face as he decided it was time to use some powerful Ninjutsu techniques. Once again flashing in front of Garp, Eragon crouched over to dodge a despaired attempt to counterattack on the old man part. He made two Ōdama Rasengans in both his hands and thrust them directly at Garp's belly, where his kidneys were.

Garp's face grimace in annoyance as he saw two huge blue balls hitting his torso with no ability to stop them, only able to use Armament Haki as his defense.

*BOOM!!*

As the height difference between the two fighters was big, close to a full mater in fact, the two Ōdama Rasengans came from a lower position and sent Garp spiraling clockwise uncontrollably towards the sky.

'And now for the finishing touch' Thinking that, he activated another A-rank Ninjutsu.

Fixing his gaze on Garp's suspended in mid-air, Eragon took his time to concentrate hard on his next Jutsu, making many head signs in rapid succession. In doing so, he couldn't help but curse under his breath 'Fuck! this Jutsu is troublesome! Luckily I finished learning fire nature transformation last week, making the process a little bit easier, but still'

As Garp's body lost its momentum and started falling down, Eragon finished his preparation and released his Jutsu while shouting in his mind.

'Fire Release: Evil Dragon Extension!'

Everyone in the stands watched in horror as Eragon breathe out a huge searing dragon from his mouth at the falling Vice Admiral. Even though they weren't close to it and were separated by at least a mile, they could still feel the scorching heat as beads of sweat formed on their body and gave them the misconception they were in an oven getting cooked alive...

*BOOOOOM*

The air burst!

Like igniting a pile of explosives!

Disoriented from all the spinning, Garp didn't have time to get his shit together before he was engulfed by a huge ass fire dragon. He was struck dead on and thrown down from the sky, hitting the ground with such high velocity he created a deep, conspicuous crater.

The ground sunk down in a violent vibration, shaking everyone sitting in the stands and even throwing some of them to the floor.

Blinding lights burst out from the epicenter of the explosion in the crater as the power of the fire dragon raged on, burning inside even without combustible material to fuel the fire.

With one attack, a terrifying destructive power was displayed in front of everyone's shocked eyes.

The entire place fell into dead silence!

Everyone watched tongue-tied as burning bulders fell all over the stadium with a fire pillar connecting the sky and earth together! If they didn't know better they would have thought this was a volcano eruption!

Even Z was startled.

With an evil smile, Eragon watched his handy work from a distance as he believed he won. Even if you have a strong defense, it doesn't mean you can't get cooked, right?

'Fire Release: Evil Dragon Extension' was an A-rank Jutsu infinitely close to S-rank Jutsu he personally invented last week. It has two main features. The first was its ability to chase its target, adjusting itself automatically when the target attempts to dodge. And the second was the dragon's extremely high temperature, so blazing hot it can melt rocks and metal in seconds!

The more chakra Eragon pumps into the Jutsu, the faster and hotter the dragon gets. In theory, there is no upper limit to how hot the dragon can get. The only constraint was Eragon's chakra capacity.

'And half my chakra reserve is gone just like that... He wouldn't die from this, right? This is supposed to be a friendly spare and I don't think I would be able to justify myself if he died on me like that...'

Waiting for a full minute, Eragon started to have some concerns. As far as he could sense, there was no movement inside the crater...

Having enough, Eragon used another Jutsu.

'Wind Release: Great Breakthrough'

Air currents blew the dust away, clearing the view from the floating dust and sand, revealing the smoldering crater.

"This…"

"H-How is this possible??"

With nothing obstructing their vision any longer, Eragon and the marines sitting in the stands could see the bottom of the crater. And contrary to what they thought, they didn't see Garp's burned corpse laying helplessly unconscious on the ground.

No.

Very far from that, in fact…

They saw the old marine hero standing inside the crater with his hands folded over his chest and on his face was a bored expression. He didn't have any injuries on him, no burns, bruises, or even scratches!

That pose would have been totally badass if not for the tattered and charred clothes donning Garp's body. In fact, the only thing that was still intact and covered anything was the universal indestructible pants, concealing only his decency from being exposed to the world while exhibiting his robust chest and abs…

The muscles on Eragon's face were twitching as his expression darkened 'What. The. Fuck?! I literally used half my chakra in that last attack and the only thing I get is a crater?? It's like he is the last boss monster in a game!!'

With his thoughts in a complete jumble, he watched Garp taking a step forward.

*Bang*

Stomping on the ground hard, Garp jump out of the crater and landed a few dozen meters in front of Eragon.

"Are you done, brat? If not, I don't mind standing here till you do ~Bwahaha~"

Those stinging words and gloating laughter really hit the spot as the twitching on Eragon's face got worse.

"What are you laughing so proudly for?? Except for taking a beating, you can't do shit!! you old fart!"

Eragon's outburst rang out loud for everyone to hear, snapping them back to attention.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, you stinking brat... Don't think I cant tell you have gotten slower a minute after the fight started... Who knows what will happen after another hour or two?" Garp snorted in scorn.

"True, but let's not forget you are still under 80-time earth normal gravity! You sure your stamina can last another two hours in those conditions?" Eragon pointed with equal disdain in his voice.

That did seem to damp Garp's cheerful mood. His face took a serious expression as he stared at Eragon seriously for a few seconds before he asked an unexpected question.

"Say brat, did the devil fruit you ate was perhaps spoiled?"

"What?" Not expecting such a question, Eragon was perplexed for a moment.

"I asked if the devil fruit you ate was spoiled, or maybe odd in any way or shape?" Garp repeated.

.

.

.

"???"

The uncharacteristically serious vibe Garp was emitting caused Eragon to pause and consider before he answered 'Why does he ask me about my devil fruit? Did I do something that raised his suspicion I may be lying?'

Eventually, Eragon stuck to his story. It wasn't like Garp could prove he was lying. "As far as I could tell it was a perfectly normal devil fruit. But what do I know, all those fruits are weird looking..."

"I see..." Giving Eragon a meaningful look, Garp didn't ask any more questions. Eragon couldn't tell if the old man believed him or not...

The two of them stared at each other for full stressful minutes and just as everyone thought they were about to clash again, Z stood up and jumped into the stadium, or what has left of it anyway…