"Kazan… Atticus…" Kazan swallowed nervously, unsure of what to say as the man before him stood disheveled, hair falling over his face, eyes sharp and dark.
"Hoo… hoo…" Atticus exhaled deeply, calming the storm of blood and fire in his chest. He reached up, brushed his hair aside, and said gently, "I apologize. I just finished my training. Thank you for your assistance this time."
"It really is you," Onigumo said, his face twitching. "It's only been a little over a month, yet you look like a wild man now." Atticus, bare-chested and wearing nothing but tattered shorts, looked like he had stepped straight from the wilderness.
Atticus gave a wry smile. "I'll take a shower first. Could you prepare some food? Honestly, I'm tired of roasted meat alone." He paused, then turned back to Kazan, a playful glint in his eyes, "Make it plenty, start with three hundred servings. Thank you."
Watching Atticus walk toward the cabin, Onigumo and Kazan exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.
"This madman has grown even stronger. The aura around him… it's frightening," Onigumo said gravely. The speed he had witnessed earlier alone was beyond their abilities to match.
"This will be a spectacle when we return," Onigumo added. "He lives up to the title of one of the Four Monsters, the top-ranked madman among them all."
Ever since last month, when the recruits returned to headquarters, the Four Monsters had been recognized: Atticus, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji. Among them, Atticus held the top spot. The nickname "Madman" had stuck, simple and grounded, reflecting his relentless pursuit of strength.
Two hours later, on the deck of the warship, Atticus now wore a white trench coat, his shoulder-length hair tied back with a purple ribbon. He appeared calm and collected, almost ordinary—if not for the three scars on his right cheek, subtle reminders of past battles.
"Can you tell me what's happened while I was away?" Atticus asked gently, tilting his head toward Kazan.
"In what sense?" Kazan replied, gazing at the clear, endless blue of the sea.
"Anything… pirates, the world…" Atticus's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A month ago, the Roger Pirates conquered the Grand Line, reaching the final island, a feat thought impossible. Roger is now universally recognized as the Pirate King," Kazan said softly.
Atticus listened intently, his expression calm, but inside, waves of concern churned. Roger had become the Pirate King. Soon, chaos would sweep across the seas. Could he truly remain safe with his current strength?
Beyond Roger, news of Whitebeard's Pirates, the Beast Pirates, and Big Mom Pirates reached him. The seas were on the verge of upheaval; wars and conflicts were inevitable.
Atticus clenched his fists, a spark of determination igniting within him. "Then I'll make the most of it," he murmured.
The warship sailed swiftly, and two days later, Marineford's massive fortress loomed ahead. Atticus stared at it calmly, lost in thought.
"Atticus," a rough, concerned voice called.
"Master," he replied, a slight smile tugging at his lips as he approached Zephyr.
"Good, good," Zephyr said, patting Atticus's shoulder with pride. "Just over a month, and you've grown even stronger."
"Without you, Master, I wouldn't be here today," Atticus said sincerely, bowing slightly in gratitude.
Zephyr chuckled, joy lighting his face. "Haha… good, good. You've just returned. Go rest first; there's still half a month until the competition. Use this time to recover and adjust."
Atticus nodded, recounting the past month and a half to Zephyr, sharing everything except a few private details. The rest, the others could wait.
---
A few nights later, on Marineford's back mountain, flames lit the sky. Explosions shook the air.
"Haha… again!" Zephyr roared, his entire body cloaked in pitch-black Busoshoku Haki. Like a cannonball, he shot into the sky, leaving a trail of destructive power behind.
"Master, be careful!" Atticus called, standing amidst his own roaring flames. Sparks flew from his fingertips as ten searing beams shot upward, cutting through the night.
"Light Energy Ray," he muttered, his voice calm, controlled.
"Pfft… whoosh…" Zephyr blocked each attack effortlessly, fists blackened with Haki. "High-Energy Hand Blast. Armament. Infinite Arrows."
Explosions shattered the mountain air, smoke blanketing the sky. Atticus knelt briefly, breathing hard, sweat dripping down his scarred body.
"This isn't your limit. Give me everything you've got." Zephyr hovered above, using Geppo to maintain a perfect vantage, his gaze sharp.
Atticus gritted his teeth, flames erupting from every pore. He moved in his Beast Form, a fiery figure glowing in the night, his leg wreathed in Armament Haki, striking toward Zephyr with deadly precision.
"That's it!" Zephyr's eyes narrowed. His Haki-imbued fists ignited the air as he met Atticus's kick head-on.
The clash was catastrophic—fist against foot, like colliding meteors. Shockwaves flattened the terrain, sand, and stone scattered. Two figures, one black, one red, annihilated everything around them in a display of pure power.
---
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku clenched his teeth as he heard the rumble of destruction. Night after night, this chaos came from the back mountain, disturbing the peace of Marineford. Complaints had piled up, but he could only grit his teeth and endure.
"Both master and disciple… lunatics," he muttered, shaking his head.
Across the Marine Academy, Onigumo and others wiped cold sweat from their faces.
"Hmph… the humiliation I suffered… I'll repay tenfold," Akainu muttered, training with grim intensity.
Kizaru, perched on a rooftop, observed the red-lit mountain with a mixture of wariness, disdain, and admiration. "A madman's world… truly insane."
---
In Tsuru's villa, she sipped tea while conversing with Momousagi.
"It's starting again," Momousagi said, staring at her trembling teacup. "Do they never tire?"
"For that boy," Tsuru replied, calm, "as long as he can become stronger, nothing can stop him. The solitude of training does not sway him."
"Why is he like this, sister? Does he care for nothing else?" Momousagi's eyes widened with curiosity.
Tsuru's gaze softened. "For someone he cares about. Atticus has a sister captured by Golden Lion. To save her, he must become stronger, constantly stronger."
Momousagi absorbed this in silence. "So… his attachment makes him formidable?"
Tsuru nodded. "Weakness isn't scary. It's unyielding will, willing to sacrifice everything, that's frightening. Given time, he will become a legend across the seas."
---
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