Lloyd loosened his collar slightly and glanced to his left and right. Kizaru and Sakazuki met his gaze without speaking. There was no need for words between them.
In the next instant, darkness, magma, and light erupted simultaneously.
A flowing black sheen spread across Lloyd's body as darkness circulated around him. Kizaru's entire form shimmered with dazzling golden light, while molten magma dripped continuously from Sakazuki's body, scorching the ground and leaving deep, charred scars behind.
Zephyr smiled faintly. He bent his arms and Armament Haki wrapped around them instantly. Compared to the overwhelming elemental spectacle of his students, his presence appeared plain and restrained, yet no one dared underestimate it.
After a brief silence, Lloyd's eyes sharpened.
He pushed off the ground and vanished.
To the spectators, it felt as if he had teleported.
In the blink of an eye, Lloyd appeared directly in front of Zephyr and launched a mid-air kick. Zephyr reacted instantly, raising his forearm to block. A deafening boom echoed as their collision caused the ground beneath them to explode outward, shocking everyone present.
Zephyr frowned slightly.
An invisible twisting force surged through his forearm. Had his Armament Haki been any weaker, his arm might have been shattered outright.
His muscles tensed, veins bulging as he prepared to counterattack. Before he could move, a golden flash streaked in from the side.
Kizaru appeared, his usual lazy smile plastered on his face, delivering a light-speed kick.
To the crowd, the attack was impossibly fast.
To Zephyr, it was not.
He caught Kizaru's leg effortlessly and remarked calmly,
"Borsalino, with the speed granted by the Glint-Glint Fruit, is this really the best you can do?"
The smile vanished from Kizaru's face instantly.
Without a word, he formed Ama no Murakumo in his hand, clearly intent on testing Zephyr's swordsmanship once more. At the same time, Sakazuki charged in like a moving fortress, dragging behind him an enormous arm of condensed magma.
"Great Eruption!"
Lloyd and Kizaru exchanged a quick glance. Their figures blurred, and they disappeared simultaneously from either side of Zephyr.
Zephyr faced the incoming magma fist head-on. He let out a low shout and punched forward.
A human fist collided with a massive magma arm.
Despite the obvious difference in size, the magma fist exploded apart, scattering molten fragments toward the edges of the arena.
Fortunately, the cadets of this generation were no weaklings. Lucia and several others reacted immediately, working together to neutralize the flying magma before it could cause casualties.
Zephyr shook his arm once, crouched slightly, then shot forward like a cannonball.
His target was Kizaru, who had just reassembled his body.
Kizaru cursed inwardly and swung Ama no Murakumo repeatedly. However, Zephyr's Observation Haki was equally refined. No matter how many times Kizaru slashed, he could not land a hit.
At the critical moment, Lloyd activated Kamui and appeared beside Kizaru, pulling him out of danger.
Darkness swirled as Lloyd summoned the Demon Blade Muramasa. He immediately engaged Zephyr head-on.
Their figures flickered in and out of sight across the arena. Wherever they clashed, the ground cracked and shattered inch by inch, unable to withstand the pressure of their battle.
The longer Zephyr fought, the brighter his smile became.
Lloyd was able to push him this far.
That alone was proof that Lloyd had already grown strong enough to stand on his own.
Zephyr had lost his family to pirates. As a teacher, there was no greater satisfaction than seeing his students reach such heights.
The spectators were completely stunned.
Lloyd's combat strength far exceeded their imagination. He was only eighteen years old.
An eighteen-year-old Marine fighting Admiral Zephyr to this extent made the outcome of the battle feel almost irrelevant.
On the high platform, Sengoku could not hide his shock.
"Incredible," he muttered. "Lloyd's growth rate is terrifying."
Tsuru watched the battlefield without blinking and spoke gravely.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, we should reconsider Lloyd's status after graduation."
Kong, seated at the center, nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful.
Back in the arena, Kizaru had flown high into the air. He crossed his arms as two brilliant clusters of light condensed in his palms. Locking onto Zephyr, he shouted loudly,
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
A blinding halo spread as countless light bullets rained down like a storm, all converging on Zephyr below.
Lloyd activated Kamui instantly. Zephyr's punch struck empty air, and in the next moment, he was engulfed by the torrent of light.
Each exploding light bullet carried power exceeding that of a warship's cannon. Continuous explosions shook the arena, raising a massive cloud of dust that obscured everything.
Moments later, Kizaru dispersed into light and reformed on the ground. Sakazuki stepped forward, his arms fully elementalized, and launched them skyward.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Scorching magma fists fell from above, crashing down precisely where Lloyd and Zephyr had been moments earlier.
To those unfamiliar with Lloyd's abilities, the scene was terrifying. Many broke out in cold sweat, convinced he could not possibly survive such an onslaught.
When the dust finally settled, the crowd froze.
Zephyr stood revealed, his upper clothing completely destroyed, his muscular body exposed. Burns and faint shimmering marks covered his skin, evidence of the damage he had taken.
Lloyd, however, looked almost exactly as he had before.
The reporters stared in disbelief. What kind of defense allowed this?
Zephyr shook himself and glanced at Lloyd. His eyes widened slightly as he noticed Lloyd's body beginning to emit a faint white glow.
His pupils contracted.
Zephyr crossed his arms over his chest and retreated rapidly.
At that moment, Lloyd's voice rang out, cold and composed.
"Shinra Tensei."
A violent repulsive force erupted outward.
A hemispherical transparent shockwave expanded across the arena, scouring the ground completely clean. The sheer force swept Zephyr all the way to the edge of the field.
He remained in a defensive stance, his body trembling slightly. Under countless stunned gazes, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Zephyr wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and laughed.
"Not bad," he said. "That move of yours is still terrifying."
Nearby, countless particles of light gathered and reformed into Kizaru's body. The ground beside him cracked open as magma surged upward, and Sakazuki emerged from within it.
This clearly demonstrated the advantage of elementalization.
Against a wide-range, overwhelmingly destructive technique like Shinra Tensei, even monsters like them had to endure it head-on. Light, being intangible, simply scattered and reformed. Magma required more effort, forcing Sakazuki to sink underground to avoid being blown out of the arena.
Zephyr straightened his body. His breathing, which had been disrupted by the repulsive force, gradually stabilized.
Then, his gaze locked onto Kizaru.
"?"