One Piece: Failure’s Road to the Pirate King

"Puhahaha! I'm much older than you, little Sage. You're still young, so don't let your stamina run out. Can't you replicate the power of that punch anymore?"

Garp laughed heartily.

This made Sage's expression darker.

He was in his normal form, not exhausted, but after using the 'Heaven Breaking Fist', he indeed lacked stamina.

The previous Six Kings Cannon: Heaven Breaking Live Kill had also consumed a lot of energy, and the remaining strength was all channeled into the Heaven Breaking Fist, leading to rapid depletion of his stamina, which naturally made it impossible to maintain the Dragon Transformation Breathing Technique.

He didn't know what Garp's 'King's Fist' was, but hearing him mention charging up, he roughly understood; it was basically a technique that also involved channeling all one's strength.

Sage's punch was truly his trump card; up until now, he had only used it once when he fell into the ocean and encountered the Sea Kings. The force of that punch was enough to create a huge hole in the Sea Kings.

He had never faced a powerhouse of Garp's caliber, but he dared to assert that even in peak condition, Ennio would be severely injured if he took that punch.

However, that punch only caused Garp a bit of injury.

Is this the power of a renowned strongman on the Sea? He couldn't use a second punch in such a short time.

In fact, Sage himself didn't like the 'Heaven Breaking Fist' technique; it was a move that consumed everything, disregarding the future, which was completely contrary to his personality that preferred to plan ahead.

To put it nicely, it was called charging forward without hesitation; to put it bluntly, it was like waiting to die after throwing a punch.

But if he hadn't thrown that punch just now, he might have already fainted.

At this level of strength, it seemed like there was no technique involved, just swinging fists, but with a physique that was incredibly strong and possessing both offensive and defensive Haki, playing the brute force game was much better than any fancy swordplay.

Especially when they could combine brute force with the effects of swordplay. "Little Sage, I heard you took down Ennio, that idiot who used to be our Vice Admiral. What was Oikett's situation when you defeated him?" Garp suddenly asked.

"If you want to know, go check for yourself!" Sage replied, adjusting his breathing and exhaling deeply. He took a stance, but his eyes subtly scanned the surroundings.

He definitely couldn't win in a fight; the gap between him and this guy was too great. He hadn't intended to fight at all; he was just here to recruit crew members.

As for escaping, he couldn't escape just now, and now he looked towards the Bridge. After the battle, this section of the bridge was pockmarked and filled with cracks, and its position had lowered somewhat, swaying precariously.

Outside the Bridge, the Black Ship was circling around the Doghead Warship.

Their crew was small and couldn't fully operate the ship, but Renetia was on board. Her power could directly increase the ship's propulsion, making it impossible for that large Warship to catch up.

"Moonwalk!"

Sage stepped on the air and rapidly ascended. After rising into the air, he kicked off, creating afterimages.

"Storm Leg: Chaotic Slash!"

Swish, swish, swish! A dense barrage of massive slashes shot out from his legs, directly targeting the Bridge.

"Don't cause any damage!"

Garp laughed heartily, and with just one punch, he shattered the incoming Storm Leg slashes with a shockwave from his fist.

Bogart also drew his sword, swinging it to slice through the approaching Storm Leg, sending the slashes soaring into the sky, far away.

A swordsman's slash was certainly more formidable than that of someone using their legs.

"Do you want to break the bridge and then escape?" Bogart said coldly.

Sage, bouncing in the air, smiled and softly said, "The bridge doesn't need me to break it."

Boom!!

A row of cannonballs suddenly struck the side of the bridge, causing a tremor. This sudden bombardment made Garp and the observing Bogart turn their heads in unison.

The Black Ship had unexpectedly changed course and was approaching, its main cannon raised high, with smoke still visible from the cannon mouth.

Meanwhile, the pursuing Doghead Warship had somehow lost a mast.

"That was the Storm Leg!" Bogart exclaimed in shock.

Buzz! Sage didn't respond but continued to kick out massive Storm Leg slashes, relentlessly targeting the Bridge.

The previous Storm Leg was merely to draw their attention, preventing them from noticing the few that had been sent flying.

The Black Ship was already fast, but due to the Warship's pursuit, it couldn't aim to fire. However, now that Sage had used the Storm Leg to cut off one of the masts, it also signaled what he intended to do.

Everyone on the ship knew what he was planning; it was clear he aimed to collapse the bridge. Even if Renetia was clueless, Lily would definitely understand what to do.

Cutting off the mast also allowed the Black Ship to operate freely.

First, let the bridge collapse, and then cause chaos. Without a ship, the enemy wouldn't be able to pursue them.

A pirate and the overall riot of the Bridge Kingdom; they would definitely choose the latter!

"Now, this little brat is quite clever!"

Boom! With the sound, the descending Storm Leg slash created a vacuum, and Garp stepped up, raising a fist to directly attack Sage.

"If the bridge collapses, I'll be the one getting scolded, you little brat!"

He stepped up to Sage's level and slammed down with a punch. In mid-air, according to past experiences, Sage wouldn't be able to dodge this punch and could only take it head-on.

But just as Garp swung his fist, Sage moved his feet, and at that moment, the fist came down, barely grazing his body, allowing him to evade the blow.

Garp showed a look of surprise, "Oh?"

Sage's eyes widened, staring intently at Garp. In his pupils, a fleeting red light flashed as he saw it!

He clearly saw the trajectory of Garp's attack. As Garp raised his hand, his heart and senses had already predicted the direction of the punch, allowing him to dodge.

That feeling—bang! Just as Sage was about to savor it, another fist quickly came at him, knocking him down and crashing him to the ground.

"Puhahaha! You little brat!"

Garp laughed loudly in the air, baring his teeth as he dove down quickly, tightening his fist, and said, "I won't let you continue!"