"Bang!"
Two jet-black fists collided with a dull thud. Luffy and the others (including the Felynes), who were sitting nearby, could even feel a gust of wind sweep past them.
What surprised them even more was that Sherwin fist had actually managed to hold against Garp!
However, compared to Garp relaxed expression, Sherwin clearly looked like he was struggling...
"Oh?"
Garp raised an eyebrow in surprise. The sudden burst of strength from Sherwin had slightly exceeded his expectations, but he merely smiled casually, then increased his strength just a little.
Sherwin, who had only been barely holding on to begin with, was instantly sent flying by the sudden surge of force in Garp arm. His body crashed straight through the wall of Dadan hut and landed headfirst into the forest outside.
"As expected... compared to Garp, Old Chinjao still falls a bit short."
Sherwin patted the dust off himself and climbed up from the ground. Although he had just been sent flying by Garp, he hadn't actually been injured.
Not only had Garp held back, but his control over his strength was incredibly precise — something Chinjao couldn't possibly manage.
"Even if the negotiations didn't go well, there no need to get physical, is there, Vice Admiral Garp..." Sherwin walked back into the house, rubbing the head of Klee Meow, who was baring her teeth at Garp, then continued negotiating as if nothing had happened.
"If Devil Fruits are off the table, a famous blade would work too. I won't aim for a Supreme Grade Blade—how about a Great Grade one? If not that, I won't even mind a Skillful Grade."
"We don't even have enough good blades for our own Marines! Why would we give one to a brat like you?" Garp rejected Sherwin offer again, then swung his arm and laughed heartily.
"Let not rush those talks. First, keep this old man company for a little warm-up!"
Clearly, Sherwin earlier counter had sparked Garp fighting spirit.
Sherwin didn't refuse immediately—after all, he had already been considering the idea. From their brief exchange just now, it seemed Garp wasn't the reckless brute Sherwin had imagined.
He knew how to hold back, which made fighting him a rare and valuable opportunity.
Although the gap between them was still too great for Sherwin to learn anything directly right now, once his strength improved in the future, recalling this battle would no doubt bring him new insight and growth.
And all it would cost him was a beating—no matter how he looked at it, it was a good deal.
However...
"It an honor to spar with Vice Admiral Garp, but I'm afraid I alone won't be enough to give you a proper workout. How about adding two cats into the mix?"
Since he was up against a master like Garp, he naturally had to go all out in full Monster Hunter form.
"Hahahahaha! All of you can come at me together if you want!"
Of course, Garp had that level of confidence. Sherwin also knew that even if they all attacked at once, they still wouldn't be able to beat this stubborn old man.
What he really wanted was for the cats to get a clearer sense of what true strength in this world looked like.
Naturally, those like Sanji Meow and Huanmei Meow, whose strength wasn't quite there yet, didn't need to join in.
"Klee, Seijuro—get ready for battle!" Sherwin called to the two strongest Felynes.
"Yes, Lord Sherwin!" Seijuro Meow was full of fighting spirit, quickly darting to Sherwin side.
The little ragdoll cat, meanwhile, asked with a mix of confusion and excitement, "Brother Sherwin, can Klee throw bombs now, meow?"
"Uh… of course you can, but we'll need to change locations first."
In fact, even if Sherwin hadn't said so, Garp wouldn't have chosen to fight here anyway. His battles tended to be… less than gentle on the surroundings.
Before long, the group had moved in a mighty procession to a relatively open area in the mountains of Mt. Colubo.
Garp limbered up his arms and legs, then crooked a finger at Sherwin. "Come on, kid—show me what you've got."
Sherwin gripped the scabbard and hilt of Longsword Changyue, immediately taking up an iai stance...
Since Garp most likely wouldn't dodge the first strike, there was no need for any feints. He had all the time he needed to charge this blow—
Dual Blades Demon Mode + Great Sword Charged Slash + Switch Axe Element Discharge + Longsword Spirit Blade Slash + Sword and Shield Leaping Slash + Armament Haki + Heavenly Soaring Cat Flash
Monster Hunter Style: Secret Art – Crimson Heaven End!
This strike was something Sherwin had been refining ever since his loss to Chinjao. It combined every explosive technique he currently possessed into his strongest possible slash.
Sherwin had high hopes for it—so much so that he gave it the name of the in-game event quest for Alatreon and Fatalis.
This slash certainly lived up to the name Sherwin had given it. In the instant the blade was drawn, Garp—who had still looked somewhat casual a moment ago—suddenly showed a look of astonishment.
"Hahaha! Well done!"
Garp didn't dodge or retreat. Instead, he raised his jet-black fist to meet Sherwin blade head-on.
Before fist and blade even made contact, Sherwin already felt an immense resistance. The ground beneath them abruptly caved in, as though crushed by some invisible force.
The surrounding trees and grass were flattened outward in a circle from the two of them, as if a hurricane had just swept through.
Conqueror Coating?
Feeling the overwhelming force wrapping around Garp fist, Sherwin was both shocked and exhilarated.
Although he'd had high hopes for his move, Crimson Heaven End, he never imagined it would be enough to force Garp to use Conqueror Coating so soon.
"Not bad... you little brat!" Garp expression was no longer as relaxed as before. Veins bulged on his forehead as he clenched his teeth. "But... you're still a long way off!"
Just like when they exchanged punches earlier, once Garp increased the power behind his fist, Sherwin—who had just barely managed to hold his ground—was sent flying once again.
But even as he was hurled through the air, Sherwin was genuinely thrilled.
Although he'd lost the clash just as cleanly as before, the fact that he'd managed to draw out Garp Conqueror Coating meant that even if he could never awaken Conqueror Haki himself, his Monster Hunter techniques alone might still allow him to challenge the strongest in the One Piece world.
Of course, before that, he'd have to figure out how to deal with the long wind-up of this move. While his charge time was already far better than that so-called "King Punch," Garp Conqueror Coating had activated instantly.
If he could one day eliminate the wind-up issue—and awaken Conqueror Haki on top of that—wouldn't that mean he was destined to soar?
Encouraged, Sherwin spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm, his fighting spirit blazing as he stared at Garp, who had just punched him flying. He charged at him once more.
The two Felyne companions weren't idle either, launching their own attacks on Garp in coordination with Sherwin.
"Blast Escape: Boom Boom Fire Bomb Meow!"
With a flick of her tiny paw, Klee Meow hurled over a dozen flame-wrapped bombs. Under her control, they flew toward Garp like a meteor shower.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom—!
A series of explosions erupted around Garp, and the resulting fire and shockwaves, directed by Klee Meow ability, surged toward him with relentless intensity.
From a distance, it looked as if an invisible dome had trapped all the explosions and fire, keeping them confined around Garp.
Even after the blasts subsided, the flames didn't vanish. Instead, they quickly formed clusters of fiery four-leaf clovers in midair, each continuously firing streams of fire toward Garp at the center.
Even Garp was a little stunned by Klee Meow barrage of explosive attacks…
He knew Klee Meow could throw bombs, but the power of these was way beyond the ones she used back in the tavern!
And unlike Sherwin focused attacks, Klee Meow bombardment covered a wide area. Since Garp hadn't planned to dodge at first, he had no choice but to fully harden his body with Armament Haki to take the hits head-on.
Though Klee Meow bombs didn't pack as much power as Sherwin Crimson Heaven End, her attack frequency was much higher! Garp ended up using more stamina to withstand the doll-like Felyne relentless assault than he had during his earlier clash with Sherwin.
Just as Garp barely managed to withstand that overwhelming wave of explosions, a barrage of fiery beams rained down from the sky once more.
And following close behind them were the blades of Sherwin and Seijuro Meow—both imbued with Armament Haki.
Flying Felyne Sword Style: Secret Technique—Nine Lives Cat Flash!
Monster Hunter Style: Super Discharge—Dragonbreaker!