Sage couldn't see the Haki, but he could feel it. When his attack made contact with Garp, his fist indeed hit the body, but there was clearly an indescribable sensation, like a hardened armor, yet not just that.
To deal with such a Haki-protected entity, even the Secret Hole technique was ineffective. It wasn't that Haki's defense couldn't be broken; after all, Haki isn't omnipotent. It's not an Absolute Defense barrier and can be consumed and broken.
But with this old man's Haki, it's hard to say.
However...
"Hoo!"
Sage exhaled a breath of white air, stepped forward, and vanished instantly. His menacing body floated above Garp, and with air-cracking fists, he slammed them fiercely onto Garp's shoulders.
Bam!
Garp's feet sank into the bridge up to his knees. As the strike ended, Sage quickly withdrew his hands, and without a moment's pause in the air, he swept a leg at Garp's head, using the immense force to extract Garp and send him flying towards the bridge's edge.
Haki can't dissipate impact; that's achieved through raw power.
Sage used 100% of the Dragon Transformation Breathing Technique's power, which boosted his strength significantly. Although he didn't have Haki, it didn't mean he had no counterattack capability.
"Puhahaha! Such terrifying strength!"
Laughter came from outside the bridge. Garp gripped the bridge edge with one hand and, with a light exertion, leaped back onto the bridge.
"Now it's my turn!"
Simultaneously leaping, Garp flashed his figure, quickly running above Sage. Raising his massive fist high, he laughed loudly, "You troublesome brat must learn a lesson and taste my Love's Iron Fist!"
Sage's pupils shrank, instinctively trying to evade, but as soon as his steps moved, the fist was already before him.
Boom!!
The bridge was pounded into a massive dent, and amidst the scattering debris, Sage's eyes rolled back. He spat blood, and his entire body was slammed into the depression by that punch.
"Puhahaha, do you feel my regret for the young ones?!" Garp laughed heartily.
At that instant, Sage's eyes returned to normal, flashing a gleam of ferocity. His feet thrust straight into Garp's abdomen, propelling him upward. At the same time, Sage's body quickly stood up, stepping on Moon Step to approach mid-air, fists raining down on Garp's body like shadows.
This old man's fists are terrifying and cannot be hit!
Each of Sage's punches aimed to channel the unique force of North Star Divine Fist into Garp's vital points, but the opponent seemed to anticipate, and that inexplicable obstruction wasn't covering the whole body but moved along with Sage's rapid attacks on various body parts.
No matter how fast his punches, they couldn't penetrate that defensive obstruction.
Haki!
Bam!
Until another punch landed on Garp's face, Garp caught his fist at that moment. In mid-air, he slowly moved Sage's fist aside, revealing his grinning face.
"Had enough, kid?"
"Not yet!"
Bam!
Sage hooked his leg around Garp's nape, flipping his body mid-air and slamming Garp down like a cannonball,
"Moon Step!"
Sage's feet stepped out two smoke rings in the air, ascending upward. His hands spun a circle in the air, and with a bang, he exerted force on the air as his fists recoiled forcefully, and his feet pushed away in mid-air.
"Comet!"
His menacing body descended like a comet from the sky, directly crashing towards Garp, who had just landed. As he approached, his fists positioned one above the other, charging towards Garp's chest.
"Rokuogan: Tenha Kassatsu!!"
A massive shockwave accompanied Sage's fists slamming into Garp's body, the intense impact causing Garp to jolt, even spewing a mouthful of blood.
Bang!!!
The segment of the bridge beneath Garp also shook under this impact, sending a visible wave of air outward. Bogard's cloak fluttered noisily, and he looked unbelievably at the bridge below.
That entire stretch of the bridge had cracked from this impact.
The gigantic bridge... cracked.
Tenha Kassatsu, a long-range attack method of North Star Divine Fist, uses combat energy to attack the opponent's Secret Hole from afar, possessing immense power, yet Sage couldn't use it.
Combat energy, or Haki, Sage never had the capacity for it, but he mastered the Six Styles.
The Marine Six Styles are techniques exploring human mysteries. Having learned all Six Styles, Sage reached the pinnacle of body mastery, naturally grasping techniques beyond the Six Styles.
Life Return is one, and another was this shockwave-emitting technique formed by integrating the Six Styles.
Not knowing Haki, he could still unleash shockwaves, which, combined with North Star Divine Fist's 'Tenha Kassatsu,' allowed the shockwave's vast reach to swiftly destroy the enemy's Secret Hole.
Use this move to break the opponent's Haki!
"There's more!"
As Sage's attack landed, his fist rose again, ready for another strike on Garp.
Smack!!
At this moment, a fist shot up from below, hitting Sage's jaw severely enough to send him flying, causing a burst of forceful ring in the surrounding air, making Sage grit his teeth from the pain.
Smack...
Still airborne Sage felt his legs halted, looking down to see they were gripped by Garp.
This old man stood up from the dent, showing a toothy grin to Sage, "An amusing boy, for your mastery in Body Techniques to reach such an extent? Mastering the Six Styles to this degree... Come quietly with me!"
He swung his arm down, slamming Sage into the ground, creating a dent, and then rapidly flashed, swinging his fist.
The massive fist approached Sage's head, enlarging infinitely in Sage's sight, like a giant meteor from the sky, filling his entire vision.
Taking another hit would be disastrous; Sage couldn't fully endure another of those punches.
A feeling crept into him that if this punch fully landed on his face, it would render him incapable of resisting.
He even noticed something peculiar on that fist...
A black aura!
"Fist Bone!"
"Drink!!"
When the fist was just an inch from Sage, he shouted loudly, the thunderous voice exploding beside Garp's ear, causing a momentary delay.
Qi Drinking Technique!
In that instant, Sage abruptly extended his fist, slamming hard into Garp's face.
"Heaven-Breaking Fist!"
Boom!!!
Garp's fist smashed into Sage's head, its pressure even distorting Sage's face, deepening the surrounding dent; the already cracked bridge also became destabilized.
Meanwhile, Sage's punch landed squarely on Garp's face, causing his face to cave in, and his whole body to be thrust high by the impact, flying into the distance. His body halted just before hitting the ground, landing steadily.
Blood flowed from Garp's nose and mouth. He grimaced for a moment, his eyes narrowing, his chest and abdomen swelling, then spat out a thick mass of blood. Rubbing his face, he laughed:
"Feels like the King's Fist, but without charging, and it added a unique Internal Destruction method. Puhahaha, even I'm hurt! Truly a monster!"
Sage stood up shakily, spitting blood forcefully, his intimidating body shrinking back to its original state.
The North Star Heaven-Breaking Fist, used with all his strength, couldn't dodge Garp's fist, but wouldn't let Garp land his full blow either.
This punch was enough to send Garp flying away.
Yet even though the punch landed, and facial Secret Hole struck, with Garp's blood spitting, the Secret Hole effect dissipated.
That formidable Physique, along with the degree of Haki, was too troublesome!
"Don't kid yourself! You're the real monster!" he snarled ferociously.