"Uh…"
Sabo stared blankly at his empty right hand.
His weapon was gone—
knocked away before he even understood what happened.
And the wooden sword resting on his neck…
He could feel it.
If he twitched even slightly,
that wooden blade would cut straight through him.
Wood or not, it felt deadly.
One careless move…
and he genuinely believed he would die.
"S-So strong…"
Sabo swallowed hard, his heart pounding as he looked at Ryukawa.
It was the first time he had ever felt such overwhelming pressure…
from someone his own age.
This boy—
was absurdly strong!
Too strong!
Sabo didn't dare move.
He stood frozen, stiff as a board.
He never imagined he would be defeated instantly—
crushed in a single exchange.
"Mr. Hack… didn't you tell me that among kids my age, I'm supposed to be exceptional? Why—why was I one-shotted?!"
"By someone the same age as me—
and completely crushed at that!"
Sabo looked miserably toward the fishman martial artist Hack.
What happened to "top-tier talent among peers"…?
How come he, a self-proclaimed prodigy, was instantly flattened!?
The gap was so great he couldn't even process it.
"Dragon, that boy…"
Even Ivankov couldn't hide his shock.
"He's exactly as you suspected—
extraordinary.
Terrifying talent. Absolutely terrifying."
They knew Sabo's strength well.
He wasn't comparable to adults like them,
but for a child, his ability was top-grade.
His potential was immense.
And yet—
In this tiny backwater dojo in East Blue…
A supposedly ordinary student had just obliterated Sabo without effort.
A duel?
No—this was a slaughter.
"That's not a child. That's a monster. Where did this monster come from?"
Dragon exhaled deeply, eyes fixed on Ryukawa.
He had come to this dojo before, and yet…
he'd never sensed such a dangerous presence.
Was this kid a recent recruit?
Where had this anomaly been hiding?
"Sabo was completely destroyed…"
Hack muttered, stunned.
Even he hadn't been able to clearly follow Ryukawa's movement.
He couldn't see it.
How could Sabo?
"This kid—such a young age, yet already has the makings of a supreme swordsman."
"His potential is limitless."
Hack sucked in a cold breath.
A terrifying seedling indeed.
With training, this boy could one day dominate entire seas.
"A monstrous freak," Ivankov concluded.
Dragon nodded lightly—expression composed, words calm:
"More accurately… he wasn't even serious."
The others froze.
Dragon continued:
"From what I observed, he used less than one-tenth of his actual strength."
Silence.
Then Ivankov and Hack both jolted violently.
Less than…
one-tenth?
So—
He crushed Sabo while barely trying?
"This means," Ivankov whispered, voice trembling,
"that boy's level…
is enough to rampage freely across all of East Blue?"
"This age—
and he already stands at the top of the sea…?"
It was absurd.
Impossible.
Unthinkable.
And yet—there it was.
The East Blue might be the weakest sea,
but it was still enormous.
Still full of pirates, monsters, and warriors.
To dominate the East Blue as a child—
It shattered all common sense.
Dragon nodded slightly.
"If we disregard hidden powerhouses, his current level could indeed place him at the very peak of the East Blue."
"A teenage East Blue overlord…"
Even Dragon's commanders felt their scalps go numb.
Sabo…
did not lose unjustly.
Helplessly or not—
he was simply outmatched by a creature beyond his league.
Then—
Ivankov's eyes lit up.
"A talent like him… Dragon, shouldn't we—"
"No."
Dragon cut him off instantly.
"The dojo has already provided resources to support us.
Trying to poach their disciples would be shameless."
But—
Dragon paused, expression turning serious.
"A talent of this caliber… letting him slip away would be a tremendous loss."
"So—when the dojo master returns, I'll speak with him."
"Whether it succeeds or not depends on fate… and more importantly, the boy's own will."
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