He then held the ice block in his palm as pitch-black Armament Haki spread up from his arm, quickly dyeing the entire block the color of ink.
The moment the originally crystal-clear ice was covered by Haki, its density and hardness skyrocketed at an exaggerated rate.
"Here, kid, catch a ball from me!"
Garp took a standard pitching stance, the muscles in his arm bulging and veins popping out.
"Fist Meteor!"
Boom!
The screeching sound of air being torn apart pierced the eardrums.
That pitch-black ice block spun and whistled toward Lorne's head at a speed exceeding a cannonball!
The massive kinetic energy of the ice itself, combined with that unreasonable power wrapped around it, made this strike several times more terrifying than the previous punch.
Everywhere it passed, even the air was pushed aside by that domineering, peerless force, forming a visible tunnel of white shockwaves.
Facing this world-destroying strike, Lorne remained exceptionally calm.
His ice walls were no different from paper in the face of Garp's Armament Haki. Since he couldn't block it, then... he would make it lose its target.
Lorne pressed his palms together, and a vast amount of magic began to surge.
"Cold Domain."
Hum~!
A chilling and silent domain, completely different from Garp's domineering aura, spread out noiselessly with Lorne as the center.
Wherever the domain reached, the moisture in the air instantly condensed into billions of tiny ice crystals. Light underwent eerie refraction and distortion within it, making the entire world look blurry and surreal.
That pitch-black 'meteor' plunged into this domain filled with ice crystals and light refraction, its speed abruptly slowing the moment it entered.
It wasn't because it hit a physical obstacle, but because the object itself and the space around it had become viscous.
Next, Lorne's figure began to flicker within the domain.
One, two, ten, a hundred... countless identical Lornes appeared in every corner of the domain. Each Lorne maintained a different posture—some were smiling, some were contemplating, and some were looking up at the 'meteor'.
It was a composite magic that combined a domain with illusions.
The pitch-black 'meteor' fell, shattering over a dozen of Lorne's illusions and kicking up a large amount of white ice mist.
Standing outside the domain, Garp put away his playful smile.
His Observation Haki told him that every one of these illusions carried Lorne's aura; though faint, they were real.
Meanwhile, Lorne's true body was moving at high speed between these illusions, his presence flickering and difficult to lock onto.
"What kind of... magic trick is this?"
Garp examined the figures of Lorne with great interest.
In his long military career, he had seen all sorts of strange devil fruit users, but this was the first time he had seen someone like Lorne.
Lorne's true body abruptly appeared above the massive ice block.
"You call this a magic trick?"
Lorne couldn't help but retort. He reached out and lightly pressed his hand against the massive block of ice, magic surging within him once more.
"In that case, I'm going to perform a grand magic trick for you next."
"Ice Crystal Butterfly Dance!"
Instantly, the massive ice block violently contracted inward!
Crack! Crack!
The huge ice block shattered into a sky full of debris, which then transformed into thousands of butterflies made of pure ice crystals, fluttering their wings as they flew out.
They drew elegant arcs in the air, instantly covering the sky above the entire ice field.
These butterflies were not just beautiful decorations; they were Lorne's eyes, an extension of his perception.
Within the area covered by the butterfly swarm, any movement of air or fluctuation of energy had nowhere to hide.
At the same time, every new shard of ice would regenerate into an ice crystal butterfly, filling the sky and interfering with the opponent's vision and movements.
"Using this method to make up for the gap in perception? A very clever move."
Garp nodded in approval, but the smile on his face became even more boisterous.
"However, kid, in the face of absolute power, no amount of cleverness will help!"
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"