The moment Shanks focused his gaze on Garp, his overwhelming Color of Supreme King Haki instantly swept through all directions. Due to this intense Color of Supreme King Haki, even many elite Varia members and Marine soldiers were knocked out.
When it came to Color of Supreme King Haki, Shanks had reached a terrifying level. He was now known as one of the Strongest Color of Supreme King user, a title he had earned shortly after entering the New World. However, this was the first time he had used his Color of Supreme King Haki to its fullest extent in the presence of so many people, and the effect certainly was explosive.
Indeed, Color of Supreme King Haki was the best ability for dealing with small fries, and Shanks was undoubtedly one of the masters at it.
In just over ten seconds, at least one-third of the total combatants had passed out. Don't underestimate this one-third; they were either elite Varia members or elite Marine soldiers, which were far more formidable than the small fries Luffy knocked out during his time on Fish-Man Island.
Yet, even they couldn't withstand Shanks' Color of Supreme King Haki.
"Shanks, you're the bad influence for my grandson! But I have to admit, your Color of Supreme King Haki sure is something!" Garp laughed as he focused on Shanks. He held a deep grudge against Shanks for the way he had influenced his grandson. The last time he had gone to visit his grandson, all he had heard was little Luffy talking about becoming the Pirate King as he wore Roger's tattered straw hat, and Garp couldn't accept that.
And then he heard that Shanks had entrusted that hat to his grandson and said something about giving it back to him once his grandson became the Pirate King! Garp was hell bent on making his grandson a great Marine soldier, perhaps even an Admiral one day. How could he let his grandson be influenced into becoming a Pirate King by Shanks?
No, today he would beat some sense into this troublemaker!
"Sheesh... Garp, what did I do to make you hate me so much?" Shanks couldn't help but shiver when he felt Garp's gaze on him. The old man hadn't shown this kind of hostility when he was fighting against Squalo earlier, so what was with the sudden change?
But since Garp had revealed such an aura, he couldn't afford to be careless!
He drew his famous sword Gryphon and imbued it with an impenetrable Color of Arms Haki. The invisible momentum began to cause countless cracks to appear on the ground around him. Then, Shanks immediately rushed towards Garp with an overwhelming aura.
He knew very well that he was now facing the Marine hero, the formidable opponent whom even Roger respected. That was why he had to take the initiative. If he lost in momentum, there would be no need to continue this battle.
Shanks closed the distance in an instant and swung down his sword with all his might. Garp, on the other hand, just grinned as he countered it with an ordinary-looking punch.
"Bam!"
With a deafening explosion, the overwhelming force made even Shanks' arm numb. Had he known that he'd have to fight Garp, he probably wouldn't 'bet' his arm for the future. To be honest, he couldn't understand why he had such a strange idea at the time.
As his sword collided with Garp's punch, Shanks used the impact to swiftly change his attack trajectory. Like a ferocious black lightning bolt, he swung his sword viciously towards Garp's waist from a tricky angle. He was confident that this strike would land as it was so fast!
Garp didn't seem panic at all, and he even still had that confident smile on his bace. He kept an eye on the incoming attack while taking a slight step backward. The distance was just right, allowing the sword to miss by a hair's breadth.
Seizing advantage of the moment when his opponent's attack missed, Garp clenched his left hand and threw another punch, fiercely hitting the Shanks' sword. Shanks wouldn't be able to dodge Garp's strike and shifted his attack trajectory at the same time!
"Repent in Impel Down, Red Hair brat!"
Garp shouted. The reason why Garp deliberately hit Shanks' sword first was for this exact moment!
"If I get hit by this one, I might lose my life!"
Shanks instantly reacted and let go of his sword in order to guard himself with his arm. He also enveloped it with Color of Arms Haki to boost his defence. If he insisted on holding his sword at this moment, he'd die for sure.
If it were Mihawk, he would never let go of his sword! Then again, Shanks wasn't a pure swordsman like Mihawk.
"Bam!"
Garp's punch struck Shanks' arm accurately, and a shockwave spread in all directions.
His body trembled violently, and Shanks was forced back. Each step left a deep imprint on the ice surface, accompanied by numerous cracks. After retreating for more than a dozen steps, he groaned before forcefully planting his left foot into the ice to regain his balance. However, his face became extremely serious.
Through this direct confrontation, Shanks realized firsthand the sheer terror of the opponent Roger faced back in the day!
Although he sighed deep down, he couldn't afford to retreat. He also had to figure out how to retrieve his sword. After all, close combat with Garp would be nearly impossible to win...