Half a month later.
Lulucca Island, within a mountain dense forest.
Sephiroth and Garp stood facing each other, ten meters apart.
"Hmph! I've completely mastered internal destruction with Armament Haki! Today, I'm going to show you how powerful I am!"
Garp brought his fists together in front of his chest and clashed them forcefully, a confident smile plastered across his face.
For a full half month, Sephiroth had beaten him black and blue every day, but under this constant suppression, his combat experience and skills improved rapidly. Compared to half a month ago, it was as if he'd been completely reborn.
"Oh? In that case, I'll have to use some real skill!"
Sephiroth's mouth curved slightly upwards. He raised his left hand and beckoned to Garp, indicating for the other man to come at him.
Boom!
Seeing this, Garp immediately stomped the ground forcefully. His figure shot out like a cannonball, creating a loud sonic boom as he charged towards the silver-haired young man.
He swung his right fist, covered in powerful Armament Haki, intending to smash it hard into the other man's face, wanting to repay the "kindness" he'd received over the past half month.
However...
Compared to Garp's lightning-fast fist, Sephiroth actually moved later but arrived first, drawing the butcher knife tucked at his waist ahead of time!
The black Saber, wreathed in black and red lightning, traced a graceful arc through the air. Before Garp could even react, a black and red shockwave, condensed from Haoshoku, struck directly onto his chest.
The next moment.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Garp's figure was sent flying back at a speed three times faster than when he came, consecutively smashing through three large trees and crashing into the mountain itself, creating a massive, crack-filled crater before finally coming to a stop.
Having suddenly taken that blow head-on, Garp's consciousness instantly became hazy, and he almost fainted.
"Have a good trip... I won't see you off!"
It was at this moment that the words Sephiroth had spoken when Garp launched his attack finally rang out, spreading through the air.
The reason for this wasn't intentional mockery; it was simply that both their attack speed and movement speed were too fast, so fast that they had broken the sound barrier. This caused words that were spoken simultaneously to sound out only afterwards.
After recovering for more than ten seconds, Garp, spitting blood, fumbled around in the crack-filled crater for a bit and finally stood up from the indentation that bore the outline of his body.
He quickly ran up to Sephiroth, his face full of dissatisfaction, and said:
"Damn it! You actually used a sword...!?"
Hearing this, Sephiroth said with a completely nonchalant expression, teasingly:
"Hey, hey, hey! Did you misunderstand something? I am a world-class Great Swordsman! When I get serious, isn't using a sword the most natural thing? For the first half month, I thought you were really too weak, which is why I didn't use a sword and chose to fight you with my fists instead! I saw you looking so confident just now, so I got a little serious... Who knew, you're still so weak!"
Garp: (▼dish▼#)
Hearing Sephiroth's mocking words, Garp couldn't help but clench his fists until they cracked, grinding his teeth in hatred.
As if a thought struck him, his brow suddenly furrowed. He spoke with a doubtful tone:
"Wait! What was that move you used to hit me just now?"
"There's no such thing as a move; that was just a basic attack struck with Conqueror's Haki!"
Hearing this, Sephiroth chuckled and shook his head.
As for whether the technical difficulty of compressing Conqueror's Haki into a shockwave and releasing it to strike a target is high...?
Without a doubt, it is quite high, as it requires a high level of judgment regarding timing and power exertion techniques.
But...
This technique, as long as a person possesses Conqueror's Haki and their strength reaches the level of an Emperor, can be used with just a little thought and practice.
The technique of compressing Haoshoku into a shockwave and releasing it is actually quite similar to the situation among Swordsmen, where only those who have reached the Sword Master realm can use Flying Slash.
It has a certain degree of difficulty, but it is not something that is difficult to understand and learn.
Therefore, Sephiroth couldn't even be bothered to give this move a name!
"Conqueror's Haki...!?
You're telling me that just now... was actually Conqueror's Haki!?"
A trace of surprise flashed across Garp's face.
He hadn't read much and was shallow in his knowledge. Wasn't releasing Conqueror's Haki only used to clear out weaklings?
"That's right! Haoshoku can actually be imbued as well!" Sephiroth explained with a chuckle. As the two were talking, two figures quickly ran towards the forest where they were. Sephiroth turned his head to look and saw Tsuru wearing a Marine standard military uniform and Kong wearing a black suit. Soon, the two arrived before them.
"Garp! We need to set sail! Headquarters has issued a new mission for us..." Kong said, his expression serious. Half a month ago, Kong's warship was sunk. He and many of his subordinates had suffered severe injuries and couldn't continue escorting the King of Alabasta to Holy Land Mary Geoise. Marine Headquarters sent other Generals to provide support, escorting Alabasta's royal ship. Kong, still recovering from his injuries, had asked Headquarters if he could stay and recuperate at their current location for a while. Unexpectedly, Headquarters had suddenly issued a new mission, ordering them to depart immediately! Kong and Tsuru had come to the forest to find Garp and say goodbye to Sephiroth.
"Ah! Seriously..."
"Haven't we just been through a battle? Can't Headquarters give us a little more vacation time?"
Garp grumbled a few sentences, but still obediently walked over to Kong's side.
"Sephiroth, thank you very much for helping us earlier. Your kindness, I, Kong, will never forget it! In the future, if you need anything from me, just say the word.
As long as it doesn't violate my principles, I'll do whatever I can!" Kong said, his expression serious and solemn.
"Help, you say...?"
"Now that you mention it, there is something I'd like your help with."
As he spoke, Sephiroth swung the butcher knife in his right hand, opened his spatial dimension, extended his left hand, took out a black saber with a sheath from inside, and handed it to Kong.
"This is...?"
Seeing this, Kong looked confused.
Sephiroth narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a meaningful tone:
"Its name is the butcher knife. In terms of quality, it can undoubtedly be ranked among the Supreme Grade Swords..."
"However, it is a cursed sword that takes lives, with extremely severe side effects."
"Therefore, I hope you can give it to someone who can perfectly wield it!"
Hearing this, Tsuru, who was standing nearby, asked, confused:
"I saw you use it to fight the Undying Bird Allen. You should be able to wield it perfectly, right?
Why would you give it away!?"
"Because..."
Hearing Tsuru's question, Sephiroth's tone trailed off.
He thought to himself, he couldn't possibly say that he was entrusting the sword to Kong so he could give his future self a cheat to speed up his improvement, right...?
So, he could only casually make up a reason:
"I am a two-sword style Great Swordsman, not a three-sword style Great Swordsman!"
Sephiroth sheathed the pitch-black butcher knife in his right hand. He reached out and patted the two sabers tucked at his waist.
Kong reached out and took the black saber with a sheath, solemnly promising:
"Okay, I understand!..."
I will give this sword to someone who can perfectly wield it.