Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

With a flash, Zane dived toward Garp.

"Aggressive as Fire: Ripper Incineration Cannon!"

In a rapid spin, his steel right arm transformed into a tornado of thunder and fire as he threw a punch at his opponent's head.

"Arms raised!"

Zane's fist was blocked by Garp's crossed arms.

BOOM!!!

The violent thunder-fire tornado impacted Garp's arms with madness, forcing his feet deep into the ground and pushing him backward, plowing two deep trenches.

"Brat, what's your connection to Gouki-Andre?" Garp asked, looking at Zane with suspicion and shock as he came to a halt.

Even with various added abilities, the essence of this move was unmistakable—it was that guy Gouki's Way of the Soldier: Killing Fist.

Gouki-Andre.

He was once a famous Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates, known for his fierce martial arts.

Although his strength and status were not as high as the likes of Whitebeard, Shiki, or Big Mom...

...to be a Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates was enough proof that he was a legendary pirate of his time.

"None of your business!"

Zane snorted coldly, ignoring the burns on his right arm as he stepped forward to attack again.

He wasn't surprised that Garp could recognize the identity of his old man.

As a Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates, the old man definitely had his fair share of encounters with a Marine like Garp.

Since he was using a technique derived from the Killing Fist, it was only natural that someone with the opponent's eye for detail and experience would recognize it.

"Arrogant enough, but your fists still need work!"

Garp didn't get angry; instead, he laughed, appearing more than capable of handling Zane's onslaught.

Predicting the movements with Observation Haki, Garp calmly dodged Zane's fist before suddenly raising his leg to kick Zane in the torso from below.

It was coated in dual Haki as well.

While Garp was famous for his iron fists, it didn't mean his kicks were any weaker.

A powerful kick forced Zane to retreat decisively, moving away in a flash of lightning.

His other foot suddenly exerted force.

Just as Zane retreated as lightning, Garp lunged forward and threw a punch that swept through the lightning.

Shhh! BOOM!!

The trajectory of the lightning was altered, crashing into the ground over a hundred meters away like a beam of light and causing a massive explosion.

A figure condensed from the lightning.

A trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Zane wiped it away with his thumb, his gaze locked onto Garp in the distance.

He had to admit that the old man was indeed vigorous despite his age.

Physique, Haki, technique—Garp was at the absolute peak in every aspect.

If they continued a head-on battle, he didn't know if he could win, but he certainly wouldn't walk away unscathed; he'd be heavily injured at the very least.

The only way was probably to use Prohibition Mode to seal the opponent's Haki.

But if he did that, even if he won, his rewards would be greatly diminished.

Haki was closely related to the Spirit attribute.

While prohibiting it wouldn't make the Spirit attribute vanish entirely, it would certainly reduce it severely.

In Zane's eyes, the opponent's most valuable asset was that Spirit attribute.

So...

Prohibit Haki!

Zane knew how difficult Garp was, and he was fed up with the Marines' constant interference.

Just as he would activate [LET'S DUEL!].

This time, even if it meant killing the goose for the golden eggs, he had to make the Marines understand the price of continuing to provoke him.

The activation of his Nen ability took only an instant.

In that moment.

Whether it was Zane or Garp.

Both had their Haki prohibited under the rules of the Equality Space.

THUNDERCLAP!!!

His body turned into lightning.

In an instant, Zane appeared in front of Garp once again.

Meanwhile, Garp, who had been about to give chase, was left with a look of bewilderment.

A hand reached out to grab him.

Before Garp could react at all, Zane had already seized him by the face and slammed him violently into the ground.

BOOM!!!

Zane's physique was already astonishingly high from repeatedly plundering the attributes of giant Sea Kings, let alone the further stimulation of his cells by lightning.

Under the force of the slam, as Garp's head struck the earth, the ground beneath them immediately shattered and collapsed, forming a massive crater.

Blood flowed from the head wound.

At this moment, Garp no longer possessed his previous invincible aura.

A single blow had left him severely injured.

This outcome was undoubtedly due to the sealing of his Haki.

Just like Garp's initial expression of shock.

And his sluggish response to Zane's attack.

Whether it was Armament, Observation, or even Conqueror's Haki.

With his Haki sealed, Garp had lost his strongest weapon.

Zane, on the other hand...

Even without Haki, he still had his Nen and his Devil Fruit powers.

Especially the latter.

A Logia ability was invincible without Haki or a counter-ability.

With an expressionless face, Zane lifted Garp from the bottom of the crater.

The current state of the opponent could only be described as wretched.

The violent impact had not only caused him to bleed profusely but the Nen aura wrapped in the slam had surged into his head, causing him to bleed from his seven facial orifices and leaving his consciousness fading.

"When you're old, you should just enjoy your retirement. Why come out and try to play the hero? Did you ever stop to think if there's even a place on the ships of this new era for a remnant of the old like you?"

Zane looked down at the heavily injured Garp and spoke coldly before thrusting a knife hand into the opponent's heart.

Pfft!!

Blood splattered everywhere.

As if in a final flare of life, the fading Garp suddenly widened his eyes and gripped Zane's wrist tightly with his right hand.

But alas.

The outcome of this duel was already decided.

Garp's mouth twitched slightly before his hand fell limp, the life leaving his body.

The lifeless corpse turned into particles of light and condensed into attribute light orbs.

Zane's gaze swept over them, and he immediately grabbed the Skill attribute.

The most valuable Spirit attribute had become a defective product due to the Haki prohibition.

Compared to physical attributes which had alternatives, the Skill attribute was far more precious.

After all, for a top-tier powerhouse like Garp who relied on taijutsu, his skill was beyond reproach.

In fact, this was one of the reasons he hadn't hesitated to seal the Haki.

He grabbed it and refined it instantly!

Garp's Skill attribute surged into his body and was quickly absorbed.

After a short while, Zane's eyes flashed as he threw a punch forward.

BOOM!!!

He didn't use Haki or Nen; it was pure physical strength and power generation technique.

With that single punch, the air vibrated and instantly formed a beam-like shockwave that tore through the ground and extended into the distance.

'The power has increased quite a bit compared to before!'

Watching the shockwave erupt from his fist, Zane used the God's Eye on his forehead to analyze the details, easily obtaining the relevant information.

For the same amount of strength, the level of power generation technique would naturally produce different results.

In terms of skill, Zane knew he was certainly no match for a veteran like Garp who had weathered countless battles.

But fortunately...

...all of the opponent's techniques now belonged to him.

After testing his striking technique, Zane enthusiastically began testing his Haki.

Armament, Observation, and Conqueror's.

Black lightning erupted from his fist.

At the end of his testing, Zane looked at the Conqueror's Haki infused into his fist and couldn't help but smile, eventually letting out a loud laugh.

The Marine Hero was truly a good man.

Going through the trouble of traveling thousands of miles just to deliver such "warmth."

This was perfect.

He had effectively forced his strength to take another step forward.

Even a top-tier technique like Haki Infusion had been successfully obtained.

"Kuzan, if you dare come looking for trouble again, you'll have to go join your teacher," Zane said in a low, haunting tone.

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