Kizaru's expression was full of reluctance as he raised his hand lazily.
"Zephyr-sensei, Lloyd is still a newcomer, and he's a Logia user. If he loses control later…"
Zephyr cut him off immediately, displeasure clear in his tone.
"You don't need to worry about that. Get over here."
Kizaru let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping as he slowly walked to the opposite side of the training field. Zephyr added sharply,
"And you'd better be serious. If I see you slacking off, your monthly allowance is gone."
"What?! Zephyr-sensei, you can't joke about something like that!"
"I'm not joking. You haven't had a proper fight in ages. I need to see whether you've made any progress."
"Then what about Sakazuki…?"
"Sakazuki doesn't need my supervision. You, on the other hand…"
Zephyr crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at him. The meaning was obvious.
Kizaru tried to struggle a little more, but Zephyr sent a swift kick to his backside.
"Enough nonsense. Start!"
The other recruits were ordered to clear the center of the yard, leaving the entire field to Lloyd and Kizaru. For two Logia users, it was more than enough space.
Kizaru patted the large black shoe print on his rear, muttering irritably before looking up at Lloyd.
"So, Lloyd… shall we begin?"
Lloyd nodded with a calm, distant smile.
"Please guide me, Borsalino."
Before the words fully settled, Kizaru lifted a hand and fired a laser. It passed through Lloyd's body and detonated on the ground behind him, leaving a blackened crater.
Kizaru had predicted that outcome. Any Logia user should be able to elementalize. The attack was nothing more than a petty attempt to irritate Zephyr.
Zephyr had announced he would only supervise the spar. Repairing the training ground afterwards would be entirely his problem.
And as long as Kizaru got to see Zephyr's dark expression, his day was already a little brighter.
Unfortunately for him, Zephyr knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Borsalino!" Zephyr barked. "How many times have I told you how to deal with Logia users?"
Kizaru pouted, the act dropping. He slowly raised his leg as a deep layer of Armament Haki coated his calf. Students around the field gasped.
"That's Armament Haki! Borsalino already mastered it?!"
"He hid it this well? I've never seen him use it!"
"Maybe he doesn't need Haki to deal with any of us…"
"Well… true. But do you think Sakazuki can use it too?"
"That's monster business. The less we know, the better."
"That Lloyd guy is done. Without Armament Haki he can't threaten the opponent at all."
Zephyr nodded. Kizaru had indeed developed his Armament Haki well.
This was exactly what Zephyr wanted Lloyd to experience—the feeling of being hit despite being a Logia. Most Logia users became overconfident in elementalization. He didn't want Lloyd falling into that trap.
Kizaru gave a lazy warning.
"Lloyd, be careful, okay? You might actually get hurt."
Lloyd's expression remained unreadable, as though Kizaru's threat was irrelevant. He simply gestured for him to continue.
Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses. His body burst into golden light as he appeared instantly before Lloyd, swinging a Haki-coated kick toward his waist.
His speed was overwhelming. By the time the watching recruits processed his movement, his leg had already passed through Lloyd's body—
Literally.
The kick connected with nothing but empty air. His Haki-coated leg had passed straight through Lloyd as if he were mist.
Kizaru's eyes widened. The momentum spun him a full circle, and he nearly toppled over before regaining balance. He stared at his still-intact Armament Haki, then at Lloyd, disbelief filling his face.
Even Zephyr was startled.
He recognized immediately—Lloyd had predicted Kizaru's attack and shifted his elementalized body ahead of time. Observation Haki. And strong Observation Haki at that.
To keep up with Kizaru's speed was something even experienced officers struggled with.
Zephyr recalled how Lloyd had grabbed his arm earlier, and the realization solidified. Considering Lloyd's age, Zephyr didn't even know what to say anymore.
Even without the Dark-Dark Fruit, the boy was a genius.
But what Zephyr didn't know was that Lloyd's power worked differently entirely.
After eating the Dark-Dark Fruit, Lloyd discovered that his body could also "elementalize," but darkness absorbed any attack and fed the pain back to his real body—twice over.
To avoid the drawback, he created a different type of elementalization:
He submerged his real body into a separate dark space, letting attacks miss entirely. This method made even Haki pass through him.
The drawback was that while submerged, he couldn't attack back, and staying too long risked being lost in endless darkness. Ten minutes was his limit for now. With development, the duration would grow.
The idea came from the ability Kamui, so Lloyd named this special elementalization Kamui.
Kizaru, refusing to give up, tried to launch another probe—
But Lloyd didn't give him the chance.
A swirling black vortex formed in Lloyd's palm. Kizaru's instincts screamed danger, and he scattered into countless photons.
Lloyd slowly extended his right hand, voice calm.
"Almighty Pull."
Every golden particle froze.
Then all of them shot backward, dragged violently toward Lloyd. The photons condensed into Kizaru's form, and Lloyd seized his shoulder firmly.
Kizaru's face finally changed.
He couldn't activate his ability. Not even a spark of light.
A rare, unmistakable panic flickered in his eyes.
---