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"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Garp, jokes are fine, but stop spouting absurdities!"
The two voices, one gruff and the other stern, shot out almost simultaneously.
Sengoku and Zephyr who were stunned moments before, now frowned in utter disbelief.
They could accept that Garp had taken on an extremely talented monster. But the more the man spoke, the more ridiculous his claims became.
A raw recruit awakening Conqueror's Haki on the first day? Then, within two or three days, his physical strength would match Kuzan's?
That alone sounded like a tall tale. But Conqueror's Infusion, too?
Did Garp even realize what he was saying? He sounded completely drunk.
Sure, an ordinary person who ate a Devil Fruit could quickly gain massive strength. But Conqueror's Haki and mastering the Infusion technique were utterly unbelievable.
Those were techniques reserved for the world's strongest figures, legends like Gol D. Roger.
How could something like that suddenly appear in a teenager?
Garp scratched the back of his head, looking awkward and thoroughly exasperated.
"But I'm telling the truth!"
If he hadn't witnessed it himself, he wouldn't have believed that someone so gifted could exist in this world. And he hadn't finished. He still had to mention that the kid could not be killed that he is essentially an "Undying being," and the more he is killed, the stronger he became.
"If he really gained power that quickly, it could be the effect of a Devil Fruit," Sengoku said flatly.
"But as for Conqueror's Haki... Garp, that's just too absurd."
He shook his head, his tone softening slightly. "Regardless, he's clearly worth training."
Zephyr nodded in agreement.
Neither of them believed Garp's boast about Haki; it was simply unbelievable. They could accept a sudden increase in strength to that of a field-grade officer, but mastering Conqueror's Coating? That defied all logic.
"I swear I'm telling the truth!" Garp spread his hands helplessly as he spoke.
He couldn't understand why no one believed him.
Was Kōjin's talent really so difficult to accept? Personally, he didn't think so. If anything, he felt that the boy's progress in the Six Powers (Rokushiki) and swordsmanship was quite slow. Well, slower compared to monsters like him, at least.
Suddenly, all three men froze, their expressions changing sharply.
"Buzz—!"
A wave of overwhelming pressure exploded into the air. It was so fierce that the papers on the office table trembled violently.
"Is that Conqueror's Haki?!" Zephyr's eyes widened in shock.
Sengoku turned stiffly toward Garp. "Is it that boy again?"
Garp simply smiled faintly. "He's gotten even better at controlling it."
Even as he spoke, a strange complexity stirred within him. The last time the boy had used Conqueror's Haki, it had been uncontrolled and indiscriminate. This time, however, the pressure was focused and precise; it didn't seem to affect anyone beyond its intended target.
"Let's go see what's happening. If he suddenly unleashed that, then something must have gone wrong."
Garp sighed as he stood up.
Sengoku and Zephyr exchanged glances; their faces were filled with awe and mounting disbelief.
If that boy had truly mastered Conqueror's Haki, then...
Then his talent might surpass even the legendary Three Monsters of their own generation.
A few minutes earlier: "Hey, hey, Kōjin, this doesn't sound like you at all."
The sudden hostile tension made Kuzan call out in surprise.
In his experience, Kōjin had always been as calm and tranquil as still water. Yet now, even though Sakazuki had clearly issued a challenge, the boy's response was just as explosive.
"Let's go outside. This place isn't suited for a fight," Sakazuki said coolly.
"No need," Kōjin replied. "I can end it in an instant."
He genuinely disliked the man before him, partly out of loyalty to Garp, who had taken him in, and partly because he simply didn't like him.
"I don't see any 'monster' here," Sakazuki sneered as he spoke. "All I see is your arrogance."
He was one of the strongest in the new generation, a powerhouse of the War Faction. His methods were sharp and cold and he always strove to be number one.
"Then let me see if your hands are as tough as your mouth!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sakazuki was ready to strike. At that moment, the man standing opposite him, Kōjin, narrowed his eyes and took a sudden step forward.
"Buzz!"
A violent, domineering, overwhelming, and peerless aura erupted from him like a tidal wave.
Sakazuki, the man who would one day become Admiral Akainu, was the first to bear its brunt.
The terrifying pressure distorted the air itself, warping it into visible ripples.
For a split second, time and everything within it seemed to halt.
Sakazuki's pupils shrank and a flash of shock and confusion crossed his face. Then, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed with a heavy thud.
Faced with that crushing will, he lost consciousness in less than a second.
To the side, Kuzan's coat rippled; his face was filled with disbelief. Borsalino was stunned to the core and wore an expression so twisted that it bordered on the absurd. Bogard opened his mouth, speechless.
"Crack!"
The glass of water on the table shattered suddenly, and thin cracks began to spread across the walls around it.
But just as quickly, that raging aura swiftly receded.
Kōjin stood quietly where he was, the faint threads of black and red lightning coiling around his right hand dissolving silently into nothingness.
He looked down at the unconscious Sakazuki, momentarily speechless.
He had to admit that he had badly overestimated the man.
.
At this time, the future "Three Admirals" were just talented graduates of the Marine Academy, young cadets who hadn't obtained their Logia Devil Fruits yet. They differed slightly in strength, but they were all still firmly within the rank of Lieutenants.
They still had a long way to go.
Currently, they couldn't endure even a single focused wave of his Conqueror's Haki. Of course, this was also the power of an extraordinarily high-level Conqueror's Haki, nearly world-top-tier.
If he were to unleash it fully, his Haki could instantly blanket the entire G-5 Fortress, knocking out anyone with less strength than a fully-fledged Admiral. Even some Admiral level powerhouses with weak willpower might not be able to withstand it.
If he used Conqueror's Infusion, fusing that power into a single punch, Kōjin sighed quietly and glanced at Sakazuki, who was sprawled on the floor.
"My basic techniques are still too underdeveloped. If I had already mastered the Six Powers (Rokushiki) and swordsmanship, then maybe... We could've had a truly even, intense battle."
Using high-level Conqueror's Haki against a young Marine officer like Sakazuki would be like using an artillery cannon to swat a mosquito: It was utterly excessive.
When Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr arrived, they were met with a shocking scene: Sakazuki was lying on the floor, twitching and foaming at the mouth. Kōjin stood calm and composed nearby, surrounded by faint, dissipating traces of raw power.
All three veteran Marines were left utterly speechless.
"What in the hell happened here? You brat! Why did you attack Sakazuki?" Garp stormed forward, shouting.
Kōjin pressed his lips together, offering no immediate reply.
"Wasn't I just avenging your grandson's humiliation?" He silently thought to himself.
Then, two massive iron fists knocked him to his knees in agonizing pain. He gritted his teeth and furiously held back the tears that were threatening to stream down his face.
"I asked you a question! Didn't you hear me?!" Garp roared.
"It was just a friendly sparring match!" Kōjin hissed through his teeth.
"He's foaming at the mouth! You call that friendly sparring?" Garp bellowed.
"I did hold back! And besides, he started it first!"
Kōjin's head was spinning. He couldn't comprehend why Garp's fists hurt so much, especially since he'd already activated Iron Body (Tekkai).
Not far away, Sengoku and Zephyr stood watching, their gazes locked tightly on the black-haired youth.
In their eyes, shock instantly morphed into awe and excitement.
The Navy's ace? Infinite potential? A future invincible Admiral? The next Marine hero?
Such thoughts silently flowed through their minds.
(End of chapter.)
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