Chapter 105: The Ultimate Showdown

Such a formidable and precise shot could only have come from Sol.

To be able to keep an eye on this side while locked in a fierce struggle with Garp, and even find the split second to fire a shot that was both accurate and devastating—Aokiji remained outwardly composed, but inwardly, he was struck with admiration.

This was the "Tricky Gunman."

A sniper who, in the old era, was practically a butcher to the Marines. Aokiji knew well enough why Garp remained so obsessed with him.

However, he was truly only here for a vacation.

Rubbing his chin, Aokiji turned his gaze toward Maude and Sunny, a flicker of curiosity crossing his eyes.

"Tell me, what is your relationship with the Tricky Gunman?"

The importance of someone who could make the Tricky Gunman risk a lapse in concentration during such a tense battle to provide cover fire was self-evident.

"Manual laborer at the shop," Maude replied.

Sunny glanced at Maude upon hearing this, thought for a moment, and said, "Employee at the shop."

"Hey, hey, are you two serious?"

A bead of cold sweat slid down the back of Aokiji’s head. Seeing that Maude and Sunny didn't look like they were joking, he sighed.

"Well, never mind."

A chilling aura began to seep from Aokiji’s body once more.

"Regardless, I just need to make sure you stay put. So, let’s make this a little rough."

As soon as he finished speaking, Aokiji lunged toward them.

No sooner had he moved than another menacing lead bullet whistled through the air. Aokiji, however, was prepared, once again turning his body into ice to disperse the impact. While dodging the bullet, his elemental form surged rapidly toward the pair.

Sol’s attacks were indeed powerful, but Garp was no mere decoration. Entangled as they were, even if Sol wanted to help Maude and Sunny escape Aokiji’s threat, he was powerless to do so. Aokiji understood this, which was why he paid no mind to Sol’s interference.

Facing Aokiji’s purposeful assault, even though Maude and Sunny reacted as quickly as they could, they still failed to evade. The gap in their strength was simply too vast.

In the blink of an eye, the parts of their bodies from the knees down were frozen solid by Aokiji. To ensure they stayed trapped, Aokiji even thoughtfully crafted an ice pedestal that fused their feet tightly to the ground.

"That should do it."

Having achieved his goal, Aokiji ignored their reactions and flew toward the Mad Hat Auction House in his elemental form. His mind was occupied entirely by the top-tier duel between Garp and Sol.

He soon returned to the top floor of the auction house.

"Just as I thought, this is the only place to get a clear view."

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Aokiji watched the battle raging between Garp and Sol. Witnessing a clash between top-tier powerhouses was the real reason he had let Garp persuade him to stay. Stepping in to stop Maude and Sunny was merely a small favor for Garp. Otherwise, if Maude and Sunny had escaped to a safe zone, the Tricky Gunman would have no reason to linger in the fight. And if he didn't linger, how could Aokiji watch this showdown?

"Battles of this caliber… they are a rare sight indeed."

Aokiji’s focus was completely captivated by the clash between the two legends.

***

On the street.

Buildings had collapsed, and the ground was a scene of devastation. Sol stood atop a pile of rubble, his expression cold. Through the foresight of his Observation Haki, he could "see" that Maude and Sunny had been frozen in place by Aokiji.

He had already pushed himself to his limit by firing those two shots while being hounded by Garp. Those shots had been intimidating, but they were insufficient against an Admiral. Fortunately, the two youngsters were only frozen at the legs. It was the best of a bad situation. But how to extricate them from this predicament was an unsolvable puzzle for now.

In the brief moment Sol paused, Garp closed the distance and threw a simple, unadorned punch. Sol was not about to be caught easily; he kicked off the ground and darted backward, his small frame moving with blinding speed to evade the blow.

Garp’s punch missed its mark and slammed into the ruins of a building instead.

BOOM!

A massive crater erupted where his fist struck, and the sheer force transmitted into the ground sent the surrounding debris flying into the air. Sol stepped on the air, suddenly ascending, and fired a shot at Garp.

Accompanied by swirling air currents, the lead bullet whistled toward Garp’s face. Garp didn't choose to block the shot with his fist; instead, he ducked, simultaneously closing in on Sol. Why waste energy blocking an attack that could be dodged?

The bullet grazed the top of Garp’s hair and struck the ground. It exploded like a cannonball, carving out another crater and sending the falling debris back into the sky with its blast wave.

What seemed like a simple exchange had left two massive craters in the scarred earth. Garp had no intention of breaking the rhythm of his assault. Even though he knew why Sol had fired those two shots earlier, he didn't falter for a moment.

Sol quickly reloaded, a flash of red light passing through his eyes. Assisted by his Observation Haki, he locked onto all of Garp’s possible evasion routes, calculated the one path that would guarantee a hit, and fired again before Garp could close in.

Facing this tricky shot, Garp was decisive, simply meeting it head-on with a fist coated in Armament Haki.

If you can dodge, dodge. If you can’t, block.

This combat style seemed simple and crude, but it relied heavily on experience. Without a wealth of battle experience, it was difficult to distinguish in the heat of a high-paced fight which bullets could be dodged and which had to be tanked. And even with that experience, without the defense to withstand the impact, it would be all for nothing. Furthermore, even with both, if you couldn't land a hit on Sol and lacked the stamina to keep up, you would simply be worn down to death.

Garp was exactly the type who could tank, dodge, and endure.

Sol watched as Garp broke his shot with another punch and couldn't help but curse under his breath. To be able to land hits but not deal any damage—it was the most frustrating feeling for a sniper. That was why Sol despised Garp so much.

But from Garp’s perspective, the feeling was mutual. No matter how fierce his attacks were, he struggled to land a clean blow on Sol.

Unable to hurt Sol, he could only passively take the hits. The matchup was akin to a nimble marksman against a tanky warrior. The marksman couldn't pierce the warrior's defense, and the warrior couldn't touch the marksman. At this rate, it would become a war of attrition.

"Just one hit."

"Just one punch."

In the heat of battle, their thoughts were aligned. They both knew that if they could land a single solid strike, it would create the opening to end the fight. The difference was that Garp only needed one punch to finish it, whereas Sol would have to grind Garp down slowly even after a hit.

Given this clear dynamic, the two old men were extremely cautious. A single insignificant mistake could lead to total defeat. The high-frequency exchanges continued, and the number of craters on the street grew at a visible rate. The obstructive buildings were not spared, being ground into piles of rubble. More terrifyingly, both sides were still accelerating.

Aokiji watched the top-tier battle with rapt attention.

"These aren't just old men..." he remarked.

***

On Prospect Street.

Maude, his legs frozen, looked in the direction Aokiji had departed.

He was truly powerless to resist. Only by experiencing it firsthand could one truly grasp the terror of the Navy’s top combat strength.

"Sunny, how are you?" Maude tilted his head toward her.

"I'm fine," Sunny replied, her brow furrowed.

Her legs were frozen, and the pain was constant. "What about you?"

Sunny looked at Maude, bearing through the pain. But on Maude’s face, she saw no trace of agony.

"I'm fine," Maude said, looking once more toward where Aokiji had left.

Before his legs were frozen, he had grasped the timing perfectly, using a skilled application of Haki to guard against the frostbite. His control was so precise that he had deceived even Aokiji’s eyes.

*Crack!*

Under Sunny’s astonished gaze, cracks began to spiderweb across the ice on Maude’s legs.