บท 157: Chapter 157: Naval Reinforcements Arrive
The simultaneous activation of two Sword Intents meant that Li Yuan's swordsmanship power would multiply, causing his combat strength to skyrocket instantly! With his breakthrough in Sword Intent, Li Yuan's attack power had transformed, and his combined Sword Intent was now unafraid of Garp's fists!
"Damn it, this guy is using my fists as a whetstone for his sword!"
Even though Garp didn't understand swordsmanship, he could clearly see the changes in Li Yuan. Under the pressure of his fists, Li Yuan's swordsmanship had reached a higher level, effectively making Garp a whetstone for him.
"Hahaha, Garp, let me show you the sword technique I've honed against your fists!"
Li Yuan laughed excitedly as both the Blood Slaughter Sword Intent and Infinite Sword Intent converged on the Seven Stars Sword. This made the already extraordinary sword even more remarkable.
Even those with slightly weaker willpower might suffer mental backlash from the Sword Intent emanating from the Seven Stars Sword.
Upon the perfect fusion of the Infinite and Blood Slaughter Sword Intents, a blood-red dragon soared through the sky.
"Infinite Blood Slaughter: Blood Dragon Sky Slash!!"
The blood dragon coiled around the Seven Stars Sword, as if the entire blade was the dragon incarnate. Armament Haki formed its scales, Conqueror's Haki its claws and fangs, with the dual Sword Intents as its body.
"Bone Fist: Galactic Impact!!"
Regardless of his opponent, Garp relied solely on his iron fists. Refined to be indestructible, they were his most potent weapon!
"Boom!!!"
As Garp's punch landed, the ground trembled, and endless shockwaves burst from the collision, spreading in all directions. This time, the shockwaves were much stronger than before, with dust swirling like dragons and the ground cracking, sending rocks flying.
Compared to before, Garp felt the immense power coming from the sword—his iron fists even experienced a throbbing pain.
His fists, continuously tempered with top-tier Armament Haki, refined his bones, skin, muscles, and veins. Since reaching the pinnacle of his Armament Haki, only Rocks, Roger, and Whitebeard had inflicted such pain on his fists.
No one else had managed such a feat, not even the current Golden Lion, who was a notch below in this regard.
"Garp!!!"
Li Yuan shouted, with blood-red lightning and dual Sword Intents surging forth, further amplifying the power on the Seven Stars Sword.
"Li Yuan!!!"
Garp roared back, his entire strength and Armament Haki peaking again, both holding their ground stubbornly.
"Boom!!!"
With a massive rumble, the thin barrier separating sword and fist shattered, and their powers exploded. Both Li Yuan and Garp were flung back by the explosive force.
Even with Garp's physique, the shockwave left him with turbulent blood flow and pain throughout his body.
Li Yuan wasn't exempt either; though his physique was inferior to Garp's, his recovery ability was formidable, allowing him to quickly heal from such injuries.
"Hahahaha, Garp, your fists aren't hard enough!!"
Li Yuan laughed, looking at the obvious sword marks on Garp's fists. Though shallow, he had indeed broken Garp's defense.
"Just a minor wound!!"
Garp snorted, his Armament Haki surging to expel the dual Sword Intents from his wounds, which quickly healed thanks to his Life Return technique.
Yet, Garp's expression turned serious. This guy had suddenly become much stronger during their fight.
Where once his fists overwhelmed Li Yuan, now Li Yuan's potent Sword Intent could break through his iron fists.
Such a leap in progress left Garp astounded; he had never seen anyone improve so rapidly.
He dismissed Devil Fruit users, as their powers could grow quickly, but Li Yuan wasn't one of them—he was a great swordsman like Roger.
Despite battling Roger many times, Garp had never seen him improve so drastically.
Of course, Garp didn't understand swordsmanship. If he realized he had helped Li Yuan break the great swordsman's ironclad rule, his reaction would be another story.
"Hahahaha, Garp, let's go again! I want to completely break your so-called iron fists!"
Li Yuan, driven by madness, charged at Garp once more with his dual Sword Intents.
Though he had successfully combined the Sword Intents, many techniques required testing and refinement to fully unleash their power.
Garp, equally eager, engaged Li Yuan again.
Li Yuan used Garp as a whetstone, and Garp had similar thoughts.
If Li Yuan's sword could break his fists, then if he could make his fists harder through repeated breaking, it was also a way to grow stronger.
He had fought Roger before, using his sword to temper his fists, making them harder and stronger.
Not only Li Yuan but others were also growing stronger in their ways.
After more than two days of besieging Garp and his allies, Zephyr, attacked by John and Wald, was showing signs of defeat. Given two more days, they were confident of killing him.
But then, a giant Wind Pterosaur appeared above Sokab Island, with another person riding it.
These were the two CP0 Vice Chiefs sent to aid Sengoku and his group.
"World Government lapdogs!!"
John spat, glaring at the masked figures in the sky, aware of their strength from past encounters. Their arrival meant the failure of their plan to kill a Navy Admiral.
"Jihahahaha, it seems our plan failed. Sengoku, you're lucky this time; next time, you might not be so fortunate."
Golden Lion laughed, forcing Sengoku to retreat before quickly withdrawing to avoid being surrounded by the newcomers.
"Garp, I'll see you next time to test your fists again!"
Sensing the World Government's reinforcements, Li Yuan also retreated with a sword strike, regrouping with the others.
"Damn, should've destroyed those warships first."
John and Wald also withdrew, abandoning their siege.
They realized the plan's flaw lay with the Navy on the warships. Wald's plan was full of holes, and being countered was inevitable.
Had Li Yuan planned it himself, it wouldn't have been so rudimentary. He would have ensured the enemy's communication with the outside world was cut off before acting.
Who knew what reinforcements the enemy might receive otherwise?
Sengoku and the others watched Li Yuan's group leave, refraining from pursuit, knowing they couldn't capture them.
Continuing the fight would be dangerous for them, as they were in the New World, not the Four Seas.
"Zephyr, are you alright?"
Sengoku quickly checked on Zephyr, who had been besieged.
"I'm fine, these injuries aren't serious."
Zephyr shook his head, mainly exhausted, but his Armament Haki remained intact, preventing severe harm.
"We should leave quickly; this place isn't safe."
Garp advised.
"It was a pleasure working together. If the Navy bothers us again for attacking World Government member nations, this alliance still stands!"
Li Yuan said cheerfully.
Thanks to Garp, he broke the world's ironclad rule, merging two Sword Intents and significantly boosting his strength, leaving him in a good mood.
"Jihahahaha, Li Yuan, can you really use two Sword Intents simultaneously?"
More than anything, Golden Lion Shiki wanted to confirm what he sensed earlier.
"Hahahaha, all thanks to Garp's fists, I managed to break through!"
Li Yuan admitted openly.
The Seven Stars Sword bore the Blood Slaughter and Infinite Sword Intents, forming a blood-red dragon coiling around the blade.
"Jihahahaha, Li Yuan, you truly succeeded. You once said you'd become the world's greatest swordsman, and today, I, Shiki, acknowledge your potential to earn that title!"
Shiki marveled at the twin Sword Intents on Li Yuan's blade.
As a great swordsman himself, he knew the immense difficulty of using two Sword Intents at once.
He had tried and failed, eventually abandoning the path.
Li Yuan, however, had succeeded.
"Yohohoho, Li Yuan, you want to be the world's greatest swordsman? Let's see if the other swordsmen agree."
John laughed. Though he wielded a sword, he wasn't a great swordsman, just a swordsman.
"I don't need their approval; I'll defeat them all. They won't have a say."
Li Yuan declared confidently.
"Hahaha, I look forward to that day!"
Wald laughed.
Though he didn't know Li Yuan well, after this brief alliance, they had formed some rapport, enough to chat without conflict.
"Alright, now that this is over, we should part ways."
Their alliance was purely for mutual benefit this time.
Soon, the four parted, returning to their territories.
"My progress over the past year has been significant, especially after battling Garp. Using two Sword Intents simultaneously has greatly enhanced my attack power, now on par with Garp's fists!"
"Once I improve my physique and Armament Haki, I'll be flawless, without weaknesses!"
Li Yuan reflected, satisfied with his rapid progress over the year.
His battle with Garp shattered boundaries, elevating his attack power to a new level through dual Sword Intent use.
He's eager to see how powerful his sword will become once he can wield three Sword Intents simultaneously!
"Shockingly, four pirates simultaneously attacked four World Government member nations and succeeded!"
"Despite having two Navy Admirals and the hero Garp, the Navy couldn't capture the great pirate Wald. Why?"
"The world's greatest swordsman has emerged—Infinity Swordsman Li Yuan. He broke the ironclad rule, using two Sword Intents simultaneously!"
"Since the Rocks Pirates disbanded, the New World hasn't calmed; instead, it has plunged into an unprecedented era of chaos!"
As the Infinity Pirates and others struck simultaneously, they caught the Navy and World Government off guard.
The result was the loss of three World Government member nations in the New World, with another severely weakened, its future in paying the Heavenly Tribute and maintaining its status uncertain.
Effectively, four member nations vanished.
The Grand Line had only about twenty World Government member nations. From the Rocks era to now, only 17 remained.
Of these 17, only 9 were in the New World, with the remaining 8 in the first half of the Grand Line.
No one knows how many of the last 9 member nations in the New World will survive the ensuing chaos.
Holy Land Mariejois:
"Four World Government member nations gone is a significant blow to us."
Saint Nasujuro, the Financial God, remarked.
Four fewer member nations meant four fewer shares of the Heavenly Tribute annually, a direct financial loss to the World Government and Celestial Dragons.
"We can't launch a large-scale attack on the New World now; mishandling it could cause those Rocks remnants to unite again."
Saint Vauquiri, the Legal God, replied.
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