"Then it's up to you."
After saying this, Garp stepped back, giving Arton and the vice admiral space for their battle.
Gordon did the same.
"Then, please take care of me."
The vice admiral drew his long sword from his waist, seriously facing Arton.
"Hehe, likewise."
As soon as Arton finished speaking, he immediately assumed a battle stance. The innate patterns and Transparent World were deployed simultaneously, and the Nichirin Sword in his hand turned into a crimson long sword in an instant, activating the Bright Red Nichirin Sword
"Interesting," Garp raised an eyebrow, his gaze firmly fixed on Arton.
The vice admiral, also a swordsman, did the same. If Arton was previously harmless like a rabbit, now he had become a tiger baring its fangs.
"Interesting, let's see how good you really are."
The vice admiral's eyes narrowed, and his blade was instantly wrapped in Armament Haki. In the next moment, his body turned into an afterimage, rushing towards Arton.
Arton lifted his head, his gaze also locked on the vice admiral. Even without Observation Haki, in the state of Transparent World, the vice admiral's every move was still within Arton's detection range.
"Sun Breathing: First Form: Dance!"
Arton murmured, instantly turning into an afterimage and rushing in front of the vice admiral. To end the fight quickly, he used full strength in this "Whirl" attack.
"So fast!"
As the vice admiral exclaimed, Arton's blade, carrying a surge of fierce flames, drew a fiery arc.
Seeing this, the vice admiral also swung his blade.
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out. The long swords of the two collided, immediately stirring up gusts of wind.
"Surprising strength and sword technique!"
"No wonder you had the confidence to make a bet with Garp-san."
Feeling the force and the heat of the flames from Arton's side, the vice admiral couldn't help but express his admiration.
To this, Arton did not say much.
Instead, Arton directly used "Sun Breathing: Second Form: Clear Blue Sky" on the vice admiral, followed by the third form, the fourth form, the fifth form... Since the battle had begun, Arton naturally had no reason to waste words. His only goal now was to secure victory as quickly as possible, to reassure Gordon, and also to conveniently take some of Garp's favored items.
The techniques of Sun Breathing could seamlessly progress from the first to the twelfth form without interruption. The vice admiral had never seen such a continuous and intensely burning sword technique. Under Arton's full pressure, he immediately felt the strain.
Not far away, Garp's brows were also furrowed.
"Not using Armament Haki, yet able to pressure my man."
"And this continuous sword technique, where did this kid learn it?"
Garp muttered to himself, beginning to ponder over the possible mentors of Arton. However, he ultimately could not find anyone whose swordsmanship matched Arton's.
At the same time, Gordon, not far from Garp, had already been stunned. His vision could no longer catch up with Arton's sword-swinging speed.
"Gordon, you should be reassured now, right?"
At this moment, Uta's voice suddenly sounded behind Gordon.
"Uta!" Gordon looked at Uta by his side and nodded, "Yes, it's indeed rare to have such strength as Arton's."
"Hehe, he's the person I've chosen," Uta smiled confidently, "Moreover, although I can't tell you the details, following him will also quickly strengthen my own abilities."
Hearing this, Gordon merely nodded, assuming Uta wanted to learn swordsmanship from Arton.
Seeing Gordon's reaction, Uta realized he hadn't grasped her meaning. To this, she could only shrug helplessly. After all, she couldn't share the secret of the diary with others.
….
Time slowly passed.
In the blink of an eye, ten minutes had already passed. During this period, Arton's sword techniques were relentless, not giving the vice admiral any chance or space to retreat and distance himself.
Arton's techniques were like a vortex, forcefully pulling at his body, making it impossible for him to properly execute his own swordsmanship.
Finally, his suit was slashed and destroyed by the flames, causing the vice admiral's movements to slow down slightly.
This slight delay might not mean much to others, but for Arton, it was the opportunity to decide the victory.
'Sun Breathing: Twelfth Form: Flame Dance!'
Arton silently commanded in his mind, his long sword drawing two slashes, creating a cross of flames. The first slash blocked the vice admiral's blade, while the second grazed past the vice admiral's neck.
"That's enough."
At this moment, Garp came over somewhat helplessly.
Seeing this, the vice admiral sighed deeply. By now, he had also realized that he was defeated. If it had been a fight to the death, Arton might have severely injured him just now, or even caused his death.
"You're strong. I've lost this time. If there's a chance in the future, let's compete again," the vice admiral said to Arton before stepping back.
"Good kid, to have such strength."
"Really, you should become a marine, hahaha."
Garp approached Arton, laughing as he clapped Arton on the shoulder.
"Stop joking, Garp."
"Instead of that, hand over all your doughnuts, senbei, and tea to me," Arton brushed off Garp's hand, rudely stating his demand.
Garp: "..."
***
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