One Piece: Failure’s Road to the Pirate King

The techniques Sage used were not limited to just the Six Styles.

For him, the Six Styles were merely convenient, especially the Gale Foot, Soru, and Moonwalk, as they represented the ultimate application of physical prowess. Each move and technique contained the essence of martial arts mastery in this world.

However, no matter how effective they were, they were ultimately still martial arts. By mastering the Big Dipper Fist, Sage had essentially grasped the overarching principles of all martial arts, allowing him to use them proficiently.

The Big Dipper Fist is a method for targeting the Secret Points of the human body. Regardless of the technique used, as long as one gets close to the enemy, it will have an effect.

When dealing with Garp, Sage's techniques were a mix of the Six Styles and the Secret Point method.

From the very beginning, using the Gale Foot against the enemy had already begun to target Garp's secret points. In close combat, he could strike Garp's vital points, touching on all major targets during the fight, and even found an opportunity to unleash the Hundred Crack Fist in a frenzied assault.

It wouldn't be accurate to say it was effective immediately, but it did break through the surface, which is why Sage never considered himself a strong fighter. He had never fought against someone of this caliber, but he knew that the physical strength of these powerful beings was astonishing! Whether or not they used Haki within their bodies, Sage did not know; he only knew that this old man had taken hits to all his vital points and had only bled a little.

Such a small amount of blood for a powerhouse of this level was merely a scratch! Meanwhile, Bogart, standing nearby, was wide-eyed. To be honest, this seventy million bounty Pirate had exceeded his expectations.

Bounties are determined by the threat posed to the World Government, so some individuals, despite their lack of strength, have high bounties due to the extensive damage they caused.

Before encountering Sage, Bogart thought he was a typical example.

After all, he had destroyed three allied nations, killed three allied kings, and plundered numerous towns, making him an exceptionally vicious Pirate.

Such a Pirate was merely brutal.

But now, this kind of battle had indeed surpassed his expectations.

The Six Styles are a closely guarded secret; aside from the CP and high-ranking Navy officials, very few can actually use them. Even those with outstanding talent might only know a move or two, and those are typically from the New World, where they have developed their own martial arts and do not need all the Six Styles.

However, in the East Sea, this Sage was just starting out; it was impossible for him to know the Six Styles. The only person in the East Sea who knew the Six Styles and had already left the Navy was someone Sage had just killed not long ago.

Ennio could not have taught him; that idiot was only thinking about his own Oikett Kingdom. Since he was taken out, it meant that this guy had learned the Six Styles during his battle with Ennio.

Such talent... "What a pity to be a Pirate!"

Garp laughed heartily: "What you've done is quite impressive. How about coming to join the Navy? I can train you to become a world-class Navy officer!"

"I'm already a bounty Pirate; don't say such pointless things!"

Sage grinned menacingly: "The Navy was not an option for me twenty years ago!"

Whoosh! A white mist sprayed from Sage's nostrils, shooting towards the ground like an arrow, spreading into a wave of air.

Against such a person, the previous battle had already shown its effects; normal tactics were useless.

Then, "Dragon Transformation Breathing Technique!"

His body began to swell.

With each breath, Sage's body rapidly expanded, tearing through the upper half of his pirate shirt, and the 'Sword Mountain Cloak' he wore flew off, drifting out of the Bridge and into the Sea.

The muscles of his body swelled wildly, appearing like armor on the surface, with his shoulders rapidly enlarging to form muscle that resembled shoulder pads. The collarbones around his neck spread outward, expanding from his neck to his chest, merging with the muscles extending from his shoulders to his chest.

His elbows and legs twisted and coiled like steel bars, becoming increasingly menacing as his body grew.

"100%!!"

Whoosh! The breath expelled from his nostrils blasted the ground, sending shattered stones flying.

Crack! Sage twisted his neck, producing a sound like twisting iron, and stared directly at Garp.

His increasingly menacing physique towered over Garp.

Against such a being, if he didn't use his full strength, he feared he would be killed here.

"Oh, impressive martial arts, is it a form of Qi Gong? Quite different, huh?"

Garp's eyes revealed a hint of surprise, then he threw his head back and laughed, "Puhahaha, truly a monster!"

Sage said nothing, merely flicked his thumb against his palm and shot it forward.

Bang! A burst of air struck Garp's head, causing it to jerk back and leaving an imprint.

"Is that the Flying Finger Gun? Enhanced with the Gale Foot technique... the force is even greater."

Garp straightened his head, his smile growing wider, "A person like you, if left unchecked, would be quite troublesome!"

Whoosh! As soon as he finished speaking, Sage activated his footwork, approaching Garp with an extremely peculiar trajectory. With each step, his body left behind an afterimage, making it impossible to discern reality from illusion, and hard to tell where he was.

This illusory movement made even Bogart break out in a sweat; he could barely keep up.

"Ultimate Technique."

In an instant, a voice echoed from these phantoms.

In that moment, Sage's afterimages surrounded Garp. Garp's pupils constricted, flashing a red dot before quickly vanishing. Just as he was about to move, his foot halted, allowing the phantoms to close in. All the phantoms raised their hands in unison, attacking every vulnerable point on Garp.

"Seven Star Death!"

Big Dipper Fist Ultimate Technique: Seven Star Death Point!

This move aligns with the trajectory of the Big Dipper, rapidly closing in on the enemy, leaving them unable to defend while exploiting the gaps in their defense to strike vital points, leading to their demise.

In this world, there may not be a Big Dipper, but that doesn't prevent Sage from using steps that correspond to the stars' trajectories. Essentially, this is an extremely fast attack method.

After integrating the Six Styles' Soru, his speed became even faster.

Combined with the enhancement from the Dragon Transformation Breathing Technique, ordinary people wouldn't just struggle to defend; they wouldn't even have time to react.

If it were an ordinary person... Sage hadn't even finished speaking when Garp's fist slammed into one of the afterimages, instantly causing the other phantoms to vanish, leaving only one true form.

Boom!!

A massive shockwave erupted from the point of impact, sending a whirlwind around them, forcing Sage to stagger back a few steps.

"Puhahaha! Terrifying martial arts! Even the physique has become fearsome!"

Garp's eyes flashed with a red light as he threw his head back and laughed, "Truly impressive! I have to take you seriously now!"

Sage's mouth twitched as he looked at the quickly fading imprint on his abdomen, taking a deep breath and solemnly saying, "Haki?"

There was no one who could see through his technique with the naked eye, but the Observation Haki should be able to!

Moreover, as he wiped his abdomen, Sage clenched his fists tightly, his expression turning grave.

This old man had begun to use Haki!