Red Haoshoku Haki surged from Lloyd's clenched fist, vast and oppressive.
Dragon reacted on instinct, releasing his own Haoshoku Haki in response.
The two wills collided violently, red and black lightning tearing through the air as the pressure spread outward.
The spectators were not ordinary soldiers, yet even so, several younger trainees swayed, dizziness washing over them as their consciousness faltered.
Only a handful managed to remain fully upright.
Among the veteran officers, shock spread silently.
Haoshoku Haki was not like Armament or Observation Haki.
It could not be learned through discipline or training alone.
Either one was born with it, or one was not.
Awakening it was even rarer.
Those who did were destined to stand above the masses, rulers who could dominate entire seas through sheer will.
Within the Navy, individuals who possessed Haoshoku Haki were almost unheard of.
To these officers, a Marine with awakened Haoshoku Haki was rarer than even a Logia Devil Fruit user.
On the battlefield, sweat poured down Dragon's face as he strained against the overwhelming pressure.
Lloyd, in contrast, remained composed and unhurried.
His expression did not change as he spoke calmly.
"Is this all the spirit you have?"
The words struck deeper than any blow.
Dragon roared, his voice raw as he tried to force his will higher through sheer emotion.
He could accept being weaker than Lloyd in strength.
He could accept losing in combat.
But he could not accept losing in spirit.
That would mean everything he believed in had been crushed outright.
Yet shouting could not compensate for lack of mastery.
Dragon's Haoshoku Haki had never been properly trained.
He could release it, but that was all.
Lloyd, on the other hand, had been personally instructed by Garling, one of the foremost authorities on Haoshoku Haki.
His control over his will was refined, deliberate, and absolute.
Lloyd watched Dragon's futile struggle with quiet interest.
Then his gaze sharpened.
The Haoshoku Haki coating his right fist suddenly compressed inward, condensing into a razor-like shockwave of will that pierced straight through Dragon's body.
Dragon stiffened.
His body trembled violently, his pupils losing focus as the strength drained from him.
Under the eyes of the entire assembly, he collapsed to his knees before Lloyd, the impact echoing across the ground.
With the last fragments of his consciousness, he muttered weakly,
"Wh… why?"
Lloyd did not offer a hand, nor did he spare Dragon another glance.
He turned away and walked off, leaving behind a single sentence.
"My spirit stands above yours."
That was the final blow.
Dragon's head dropped forward as he lost consciousness completely.
A blur of movement cut through the air as someone rushed to his side.
The only man who would do so without hesitation was his father.
Garp knelt beside Dragon and shook him roughly, but there was no response.
Panic flashed across his face.
Raising his hand, Garp delivered a sharp slap to Dragon's face.
The sound echoed loudly, and Dragon finally stirred.
As his eyes opened, he ignored the stinging pain on his cheek and murmured in a dazed voice,
"I lost… I lost completely…"
Garp looked down at his son and released a long, heavy sigh.
He had no intention of blaming Lloyd.
He had witnessed the entire battle from start to finish.
Lloyd had defeated Dragon cleanly and decisively, even abandoning his intangibility to give Dragon a fair chance.
That alone was an act of restraint.
Zephyr had already explained that Dragon had provoked Lloyd first and initiated the fight himself.
In every sense, Dragon had brought this outcome upon himself.
Even without that, Lloyd and Dragon were destined to stand on opposing paths.
Had this not been a public setting, Dragon's defeat would not have ended with mere unconsciousness.
---
Lloyd moved calmly through the crowd and rejoined the classmates who had cheered him on.
Ginny threw herself into his arms without hesitation, animatedly praising how overwhelming and impressive he had looked.
Lucia stood quietly nearby, her gaze soft as she watched Lloyd from the side, her expression restrained but attentive.
Akainu gave a firm thumbs-up.
Kizaru smiled in his usual lazy manner.
"It had to be you, Lloyd. Nicely done."
Kuma raised his hand respectfully and said,
"Dage, allow me to help you relax."
Lloyd waved him off with an easy motion.
"No need. I was only testing the strength of the newcomers. It took no real effort."
That calm statement made several surrounding officers feel a sting of embarrassment, especially those who had previously doubted Lloyd's strength.
More than a few Vice Admirals asked themselves in silence whether they could have defeated Dragon, Aokiji, and Aramaki together.
Winning as effortlessly as Lloyd had was almost unthinkable.
Any lingering doubts about Lloyd's rank vanished completely.
His position as Rear Admiral was beyond justified.
Based on strength alone, even a Vice Admiral title would not have been excessive.
Zephyr observed the scene with clear satisfaction.
Devil Fruit mastery, Haki, swordsmanship, and close combat, Lloyd displayed no weaknesses.
To Zephyr, he was the ideal Marine, the very image of perfection.
Lost in thought, Zephyr glanced toward Kizaru.
Sensing the gaze, Kizaru stiffened, quickly turning his head away while thinking,
"That look again. He definitely wants to lecture me. What did I do this time?"
Aokiji jogged over, eyes bright with admiration.
"Senior Lloyd, what was that move you used earlier? It looked incredible. Is that something our school teaches?"
Zephyr coughed awkwardly at the side.
As chief instructor, he knew very well that even he could not perform that technique, nor was it something that could be taught through conventional means.
Lloyd understood this perfectly.
Knowing Aokiji lacked the talent for Haoshoku Haki, he employed his usual method of encouragement.
"That was Haoshoku Haki. You cannot learn it yet.
But if you awaken it one day, I will personally teach you how to use it."
Aokiji's eyes lit up immediately, and he eagerly vowed to train harder than ever.
At this age, Aokiji was simple to motivate, still full of idealism and reckless enthusiasm.
Lloyd had already decided that he would guide him carefully.
He would not allow Garp's influence to lead Aokiji astray again.
In Lloyd's mind, the Navy already belonged to him.
He intended to carve his will deep into its foundations, shaping it into a war machine that answered to him alone.
As a Celestial Dragon, he had no desire to see the dove faction grow too powerful.
Now and in the future, the Navy needed the hawks to stand at the forefront.
____
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