Noticing Zephyr Sensei's gaze lock onto him, Kizaru felt a chill crawl up his spine. His body instinctively tried to disperse into light, ready to flash away at any moment. Before he could act, Zephyr was already standing in front of him.
A heavy punch came crashing down.
Kizaru barely managed to cross his arms in defense, yet the force still sent him flying backward like a broken beam of light. At the same time, Akainu raised his arm and unleashed a massive surge of magma toward Zephyr. The ground hissed and melted, but Zephyr shifted his stance and evaded it with a swift step, his movement clean and precise.
The moment Zephyr became serious, it was as if an entirely different man had stepped onto the battlefield. His presence sharpened, and his Admiral level martial arts were pushed to their absolute limit.
Kizaru, unlucky enough to be his first, was struck by several crushing punches in rapid succession. Midway through the assault, Kizaru fired multiple lasers from his fingertips, golden beams tearing through the air. Each one missed. Zephyr dodged them perfectly, weaving through the attacks and landing another solid blow to Kizaru's torso.
Seeing this, Akainu abandoned caution. His lower body transformed into magma as he surged forward with explosive momentum. His magma arm rapidly stretched and expanded, reshaping itself into a massive molten hound that snapped toward Zephyr with bared fangs.
"Inugami Guren!"
The destructive power of the Magu Magu no Mi was undeniable. Zephyr abandoned Kizaru without hesitation, relying on his footwork to evade the strike. However, the molten hound did not disperse after missing its mark. It twisted midair and continued its pursuit, relentless and burning.
Realizing that evasion alone would not be enough, Zephyr shifted targets and charged directly at Akainu's main body. Akainu roared as he yanked his extended arm back. His entire form glowed a translucent red as he drew his fist back and hurled it forward, magma compressing and detonating outward.
"Hell Hound!"
Since the battle with Whitebeard, Akainu had trained relentlessly for nearly two years. His power had risen sharply. If Kozuki Oden were to face this attack now, even blocking with both swords, the outcome would be far worse than simply being knocked away.
Hell Hound pushed the Magu Magu no Mi's terrifying heat and explosive force to its extreme. Even Zephyr did not dare to meet it head-on with raw strength alone. At the instant before impact, he released Armament Haki outward, generating a violent shockwave.
A thunderous roar tore through the battlefield.
Akainu forced his way through the Armament Haki and collided directly with Zephyr's fist. A sharp pain shot through Zephyr's arm. His muscles bulged as his Armament Haki hardened further, taking on a metallic sheen. With a fierce shout, Zephyr countered and sent Akainu crashing into the ground.
Akainu slammed heavily onto the scorched earth. Gritting his teeth, he clutched one arm as he struggled to rise. Zephyr slowly drew back his trembling hand and examined it. The skin on the back of his hand was burned red, several blisters already forming.
At that moment, a dark vortex opened beside him.
Lloyd emerged from the distortion, Demon Blade Muramasa thrusting forward without hesitation. Zephyr ignored the pain in his injured hand and sidestepped, but his body suddenly lurched downward.
With a sharp glance, Zephyr saw the ground beneath him transform into a pitch black swamp. A crushing gravitational force dragged at his legs, pulling him toward the depths.
Lloyd's expression was calm and cold, his voice low and controlled.
"Zephyr Sensei, watch your footing. Dark Waterfall Great Burial."
Zephyr had already coated his feet in Armament Haki, but when the darkness erupted in full force, a muffled grunt still escaped his lips. He leapt upward, forcibly tearing his legs free from the pull. When he landed, his body swayed briefly before he steadied himself.
Zephyr frowned. One of the bones in his foot had fractured.
What he did not know was that Oden had suffered even worse injuries in the past, one of his lower legs having been completely crippled by the same combination of abilities.
For someone like Zephyr, hardened by countless battles, this injury was nothing more than an inconvenience. Still, it would inevitably affect his speed.
Kizaru and Akainu regrouped at Lloyd's side, both visibly weakened. For the moment, neither of them could mount an effective assault on Zephyr again.
Now, Lloyd stood alone before his former instructor.
Akainu clenched the fists, clearly intending to continue the fight, but Lloyd raised a hand to stop him.
"You two recover," Lloyd said flatly. "I'll finish this."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lloyd's body twisted and vanished, reappearing directly above Zephyr. Zephyr had anticipated this. The instant Lloyd materialized, Zephyr drove an uppercut upward with full force.
Lloyd crossed his palms over his abdomen to block. Darkness surged from the back of his right hand, condensing into seven sharp, blade-like spikes that shot forward simultaneously.
Zephyr lowered his stance slightly and coated his entire body in Armament Haki.
"Armament Haki, Iron Body!"
The seven dark blades struck Zephyr with a clear metallic sound. They left deep indentations in his skin but failed to pierce through.
Lloyd paused for a fraction of a second, silently acknowledging that Iron Body depended heavily on the user's mastery. In less capable hands, this technique would never have held.
Zephyr's control over the Six Styles had reached its peak. He deactivated Iron Body in an instant and followed up with a relentless barrage of heavy punches. Each strike should have crushed bone.
Every single one passed through empty space.
Lloyd's Kamui activated repeatedly, rendering Zephyr's attacks ineffective. Unless Lloyd chose to engage directly, there was no reliable way to land a decisive hit on him.
A sharp crack echoed through the air.
Without warning, Lloyd deactivated Kamui. Electricity erupted around his body, arcs of lightning snapping across his skin. He stepped in and exchanged a punch with Zephyr head-on.
Zephyr's eyes widened slightly as their fists collided.
"Hm? Your strength has increased," Zephyr said. "Were you holding back earlier?"
Lloyd's lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile.
"I wouldn't dare hold back against you," he replied calmly. "I'm just stimulating my body with electricity."
The electrical current pushed Lloyd's strength and speed far beyond his previous limits. More importantly, it dulled his sense of pain to its lowest point. This allowed him to ignore the Dark-Dark Fruit's doubled pain drawback and engage in close combat without hesitation.
Only someone with an exceptional physique could endure such reinforcement. An ordinary fighter would have been paralyzed long before reaching this point.
Zephyr's expression shifted into one of genuine approval. The ability to weaponize one's own body aligned perfectly with his philosophy. Even without the Dark-Dark Fruit, Lloyd's physical prowess alone surpassed that of most Vice Admirals.
That admiration did nothing to soften Zephyr's fists.
His attacks became even more ferocious.
Lloyd tore off his upper garment, revealing a hardened, muscular frame, and met Zephyr blow for blow. The two clashed like wild beasts. Every collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, each impact accompanied by a thunderous roar. The ground beneath them fractured repeatedly, the destruction spreading wider with every exchange.
High above the platform, Sengoku and Garp, who had remained composed until now, stared in stunned silence. Even Fleet Admiral Kong crushed the armrest of his chair and shouted with unrestrained excitement.
"Magnificent!"
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