The soft, squishy sandbag groaned under the relentless barrage of fists, flopping and twisting like a helpless ball caught in a storm, emitting dull "pffft" sounds with every impact. Yet somehow, it absorbed all that terrifying force, acting like a bottomless pit.
The bag's surface was etched with countless punch marks and creases. Inside, the senbei had been crushed into fine powder, spilling out through gaps, yet the bag stubbornly refused to tear.
"What? It blocked everything? With that bag?" Sanji's cigarette fell from his mouth.
Usopp's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "What kind of busted magic sack is that?"
Nami covered her mouth, momentarily forgetting her anger.
"This force couldn't even tear a dried squid. Your fists are soft as marshmallows!"
Garp even had time to comment as he casually punched the magical senbei bag, plucking some of the leaking powder from the opening to taste. "Pff, even saltier now!"
"Ahhh! I won't give up! One more time!"
Luffy went completely berserk, pushing his Gear Second to maximum output, further increasing his punching speed.
Then
"Move aside, green-haired fool!"
A deep, icy voice cut through Luffy's frenzied roar.
Before Luffy's afterimages vanished, Zoro lunged in from the side!
Clang!
The sharp screech of metal against metal tore through the air.
"Three-Sword Style: Dragon Shock… Three Thousand Worlds!"
Zoro's eyes sharpened like a hawk's, entering absolute focus, man and sword becoming one.
His aura surged to its peak.
This wasn't a test. He was putting every ounce of pressure, every bit of battle spirit, and every shred of resolve to protect his crewmates into this strike against this terrifying elder.
His body spun like a hurricane.
Three legendary swords Wado Ichimonji, Shusui, and Sandai Kitetsu ignited with black-and-red lightning, the power of Haki blazing like fire.
It wasn't just a coating.
It was pure Haki, forming a visible aura that swirled with unstoppable intensity.
The three swords swung in unison, merging into a spiraling pillar of death wind that ripped through the air, infused with black-and-red demonic energy.
The force was terrifying, as if it could drag the world itself into the abyss.
This was Zoro's ultimate technique, a strike of honor, capable of cutting through anything.
His target: Garp, who remained effortlessly countering Luffy's relentless barrage. Zoro even slipped perfectly through a gap in Luffy's punches.
"Demon Slash: Nine-Layer Wheel Cut!"
Zoro's muscles tensed explosively, compressing all his strength, willpower, and demonic sword energy into this attack.
The three spiraling blades surged like a hellish vortex.
Even a Marine Admiral would have to dodge this deadly strike.
For the first time, Garp showed a slightly serious expression.
And yet, he didn't even use the senbei bag that had blocked Luffy's machine-gun fists.
In the fraction of a second before Zoro's spiral blades, infused with demon energy, would strike him, Garp moved!
Faster than reflex!
Balancing only on his left foot, a faint scraping sound whispered under him.
Then
His whole body seemed to shrink.
Like willow fluff in the wind, or fine dust in a rainstorm.
Whoosh! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Garp's body made minuscule, near-impossible movements and adjustments at insane speed, completely defying physics.
His upper body became ghost-like, every sway measured down to a millimeter.
Zoro's three swirling demon-infused blades, wrapped in black-and-red lightning, could cut metal and shatter stone.
The first blade grazed the edge of Garp's silvering hair.
The second sliced along a fold in his pants near the waist.
The third barely brushed his chest.
All three razor-sharp strikes tore through the air, completely missing their mark.
Not a single part of his clothing was stained, and he maintained perfect balance on one foot.
His other leg remained casually bent, hands still buried in his damp pockets, untouched the entire time.
The effect of his ultimate evasion was terrifying. Zoro had poured every ounce of his Haki-infused, spiraling energy into that strike, yet nearly all the force erupted into the empty space behind Garp.
Energy compressed to its limit suddenly exploded outward, forming a violent shockwave!
Whoosh Boom!
The hurricane-force wind surged, blasting across the deck.
"Whoa!" Luffy, punching at top speed, staggered first, his Gear Second instantly shutting down.
"The wind! It's insane!" Nami screamed, clutching the rail.
Usopp and Chopper tumbled together like bowling pins.
"Watch out!" Sanji instinctively shielded Nami.
"Ah! My super style!"
Franky, striking a dramatic pose at the ship's stern, suddenly felt the shockwave lift his head.
His iconic blue pompadour was torn off by the strong gust, spinning perfectly through the air before landing squarely atop Chopper's fuzzy antlers Chopper had just gotten up from the deck.
The reindeer blinked in confusion, blue wig askew.
The entire deck fell into an eerie silence.
Only Garp, the calm eye at the center of this chaos, stood perfectly on one foot, hands still in his pockets. He glanced at the bewildered, wig-wearing Chopper and at the equally stunned, bald-headed Franky, and let out a booming laugh that echoed under the bright sun.
"Pff hahahaha! You little brat! Can't even control your 'demon energy'? That's not demon energy… more like 'foot odor'! The wind is so strong it blew right into my pockets, hahaha!"
Zoro froze mid-pose, his swords still crackling faintly with residual Haki. He looked at the unharmed Garp, then at the dazed Chopper, his face shifting from green to pale, before exploding in an utterly frustrated roar:
"DAMN IT!!!"