As the violent wind brushed past his ear, Roy caught sight of Zephyr's left fist coming straight at him from the side in his peripheral vision.
Smoker, standing off to the side, rarely showed a look of joy at this moment.
Having undergone Zephyr's training himself, Smoker naturally knew that this scene was practically mandatory when Zephyr taught a disciple.
After all, anyone selected from among Marine recruits to receive Zephyr's training was the most outstanding genius of their generation, without exception.
And as long as one was a genius, there would inevitably be arrogance.
Zephyr's punch served multiple purposes: testing their physical strength and reaction speed and shattering their arrogance.
According to Zephyr himself...
"Those without resolve aren't qualified to receive my training. This is the Punch of Resolve."
Smoker still vividly remembered the punch he had taken back then. At the time, he had been extremely proud of his Logia Devil Fruit ability, and that punch had indeed...
"Hurt like hell." He clenched his cigar between his teeth, his expression flat, as memories surged up. But in the very next instant... those memories were shattered by the reality before him.
Because right now...
"So fast... that Soru. I can't dodge it." Roy had already made his judgment. Zephyr's Soru was simply too fast. There was no way to evade this blow.
Yet he was not the least bit panicked.
Because...
"There's Haki infused into the fist, but it's not that strong. A test, then?"
"If that's all it is..."
A thought flashed through his mind.
[Devil Fruit Slots — Loading]
[Dragon-Dragon Fruit · Wind God Wing Dragon Form LV.3 equipped]
[Ox-Ox Fruit · Giant Rhinoceros Form LV.2 equipped]
[Paramecia · Strengthening Fruit LV.2 equipped]
Roy did not dodge. Instead, he turned to face Zephyr head-on.
Then...
"Since we're settling this with our fists, Admiral Zephyr, let me say something too!"
Beneath his Marine uniform, his skin took on a faint hue of dragon scales and tough bovine hide, and his muscles surged with almost unimaginable power.
Then, to the astonished looks of Smoker and Binz, Roy threw a punch, slamming it straight towards Zephyr!
At the very instant the two fists collided...
Even this battle-hardened former Marine Admiral's face showed unmistakable shock.
The next moment...
"Bang!"
A thunderous sound erupted throughout the entire training field and a visible ring of white shockwave burst outwards from where the two figures had stood, spreading instantly in all directions.
"White Shield!"
"Wood · Wall!"
Smoker and Binz activated their abilities without hesitation.
Smoker was enveloped in a shield formed of smoke, while the branch in Binz's hand rapidly grew into a wooden wall, shielding him behind it.
Nevertheless, wisps of white smoke could be seen dispersing and chunks of the wooden wall could be seen shattering under the ferocious impact.
"So… so strong!" Binz stared in horror at the surging shockwaves around them.
"Roy, you bastard..."
For the first time, the perpetually sour look on Smoker's face was replaced with disbelief.
He had crossed paths with Roy before, both in the past and recently. He believed he understood him well and acknowledged his potential and strength.
In his opinion, Roy was more powerful and talented than the average person, but he should still have been weaker than him.
But now...
"What kind of power is this?! You bastard! You've been hiding it way too deep!"
He watched the figure on the battlefield, trading blows head-on with Zephyr.
Smoker nearly bit his cigar clean in half.
And right at that moment...
"There's no Conqueror's Haki infusion… just pure physical strength reaching this level. Impressive!"
"No... calling it impressive isn't enough. It's downright unbelievable."
The astonishment on Zephyr's face had already faded.
In its place was excitement and undisguised admiration, the look of a master teacher encountering an unprecedented prodigy.
This absurd level of raw physical power almost made him doubt whether the one clashing fists with him was even human.
The smile on his lips grew ever bolder as he thought this.
"Kid, I've heard your resolve loud and clear! But as your instructor, don't you dare underestimate this old man!"
As he spoke, an even more oppressive aura surged from his body.
"Are you ready?" Zephyr grinned widely.
As he spoke, Roy saw the muscles in Zephyr's left arm begin to bulge and swell. The Haki in his hand intensified further, turning his left fist nearly black with a purplish sheen.
"Of course, old man, bring it on!" Roy grinned back.
"Bang!"
In the next instant, Roy's body was sent flying.
Like a cannonball, he slammed heavily into the thick iron wall at the edge of the training field.
Along with the impact and the billowing dust came...
"Crack!"
...the crisp sound of fracture.
Binz, who had been dumbstruck for some time, looked over in the direction of the sound.
He saw spiderweb-like cracks spreading rapidly across the wall.
"H-Hey... You've got to be kidding me." Binz's expression was nothing short of horrified.
As one of only two survivors from four years ago and Zephyr's right-hand man, he knew this training field inside out.
"That's Z-Alloy, specially prepared by the science division for Zephyr-sensei to test his new arm. And yet..."
He swallowed hard.
"That punch from Zephyr-sensei…"
He had already realised... Zephyr's punch had clearly surpassed any previous 'test' he had ever experienced.
This was a serious punch.
"Lieutenant Commander Roy?! He's not dead, is he?!" Binz hurried forward in panic.
But before he could take a step...
"Ha..." A massive exhalation echoed from within the smoke.
Then, as the dust dispersed, Roy's figure emerged once more.
"That hit hard... as expected of Admiral Zephyr. You're terrifyingly strong."
He rolled his neck; his body was covered in abrasions, and his fist was bruised and swollen.
Behind him, the specially made Z-Alloy iron wall had been smashed inwards, leaving a dent in the shape of a human figure!
"..."
Binz was speechless.
What left him even more stunned was Roy's condition. The bruising on his fist and the abrasions on his body were fading before his eyes.
By the time he walked back in front of Zephyr, his injuries were clearly no longer a serious problem.
"Not only are you incredibly strong, but your recovery ability and toughness are absurd too. You're the scary one here, kid." Even someone as experienced as Zephyr couldn't help but sigh at the sight.
The admiration in his eyes was obvious.
He had long heard from Vice Admiral Biros that this kid was strong, but he had never imagined that he would be this strong.
At that moment, a bold thought began to form in Zephyr's mind.
"Kid, I hear you're also proficient in a special kind of Hasshoken." Zephyr continued.
"..."
Roy immediately shot a glance at Smoker.
'You sure run your mouth fast, don't you?'
Smoker quietly turned his head away, refusing to meet Roy's gaze.
"That's right."
It was Smoker who had told Zephyr about the 'Shockwave Fist' after hearing about Roy.
His intentions were good, as he wanted Roy to show Zephyr more of his strength so that Zephyr wouldn't underestimate him.
At that moment, however, Zephyr was clearly not interested in the petty back-and-forth between Roy and Smoker.
He only looked at Roy.
"Kid, since you want me to train you, I need to understand your strength completely."
"Come on, don't hold back! Let this old man see your power!"
Having reached this point, Roy naturally had no reason to hesitate.
[Fruit Load: Ox-Ox Fruit · Giant Rhinoceros Form → Human-Human Fruit · Great Buddha Form]
"Shua…!"
In the next instant, Roy's figure appeared in front of Zephyr amid the distinctive tearing sound of Soru.
And Roy's fist had already been thrown.
"Your use of Soru is quite refined, but the speed still isn't fast enough…"
Zephyr instinctively sidestepped to evade. Even though this was a test of Roy's strength, Zephyr wasn't about to stand still like a wooden post and take hits, that would have no real combat value.
But just as the former Admiral was praising Roy's mastery of Soru…
"Hmm?"
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"Buzz…!!"
Because in the next instant… The surging shockwave erupting from the punch he had dodged had already swept across his entire body.
"Boom…!"
The ground collapsed almost instantly into a massive crater as the tremendous shockwave whipped the Marine coats of both Roy and Zephyr into the air.
"Shockwave Fist · Circular Seal." Roy softly spoke the name of the technique as he withdrew his fist.
Both Smoker and Binz could clearly see it now…
Faint red marks had appeared on Zephyr's body.
Yes.
The man known as "Black Arm", a master of physical combat, a former Admiral… had actually been injured. Though the injury was minor relative to his physique, it was still enough to nearly dislocate Binz's jaw.
And Zephyr himself was now staring wide-eyed at Roy.
He didn't care about the small wounds.
What truly shocked him was…
"I clearly dodged the fist, yet the shockwave still caused internal damage directly… It's almost identical to Sengoku's ability."
That thought flashed through Zephyr's mind almost instinctively.
As one of the oldest veterans, someone who had joined the Marines in the same era as Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Zephyr had fought alongside Sengoku countless times and naturally understood his abilities extremely well.
There was no doubt that, in Zephyr's eyes, the shockwave produced by Roy's punch was very similar to Sengoku's power.
The only difference was that its destructive force was far weaker. If it had been Sengoku in his Great Buddha incarnation, striking with full power, then the shockwave alone would have been enough to completely shatter an entire island from the inside.
But still…
"Kid… you're really not a Devil Fruit user?" So at this moment, even though Zephyr had long heard Vice Admiral Biros talk about Roy…
He couldn't help but ask this question anyway.
(End of Chapter)
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