Ice and Teleportation - Assessment

Night fell, and the training ground was brightly lit.

News swept through the entire training camp like a whirlwind. Countless trainees flocked over, and even many instructors put aside their work to watch.

"Did you hear? Roy's going to challenge Mr. Kuzan!"

"Is he crazy?! That's one of the 'three monster Logia Vice Admirals'!"

"Shh! Instructor Zephyr's here too. He must have something planned!"

At the center of the training ground, Roy and Kuzan stood facing each other.

A light breeze swept past as fighting spirit filled the air.

Kuzan stood lazily with his hands in his pockets, a faint smile on his lips. "The rules?"

Roy's gaze was focused, his muscles slightly tense. "I hope you'll give it everything you've got!"

A flicker of interest passed through Kuzan's eyes. "Oh, my... all right, kid."

Zephyr stood at the edge of the field with his arms crossed, his voice low and forceful. "Begin!"

"Whoosh—!"

Roy vanished from where he stood!

"So fast! Is that teleportation?!" the watching trainees cried out.

Kuzan narrowed his eyes slightly, his Observation Haki fully active. A ring of pale blue frost suddenly formed around him.

"Bam!"

Roy's fist, trailing a fierce gust, swept past Kuzan's cheek!

The punch blasted the air apart with a muffled, thunderous bang.

Kuzan's lazy expression stiffened slightly. He turned his head aside, and the wind from the punch sent the hair by his ear flying.

"Not bad, kid~"

Before he had finished speaking, the ground suddenly froze!

"Ice Age!"

"Crack, crack, crack—!"

With Kuzan at the center, ice spread wildly across the entire training ground. Countless ice spikes thrust up from the earth, closing in on Roy like sharp swords!

"Hiss!" A chorus of gasps rang out.

Roy's gaze sharpened, and he flashed from place to place, a rapid succession of teleports streaking through the night like lightning!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Afterimages flashed across the ice. Every teleport was accompanied by a thunderous crash as the ground burst apart and ice spikes shattered one after another!

"Instant: Gale Flash!"

"Boom!!"

A cyan slashing wave burst from Roy's sweeping leg and shot straight at Kuzan!

Kuzan's expression turned serious. He raised his right hand as freezing air surged wildly—

"Ice Shield!"

"Bam!"

The slashing wave slammed into the Ice Shield, instantly blasting countless shards of ice into the air!

Freezing air spread, and cracks ran through the Ice Shield, but it still blocked the earth-shaking blow!

"Not bad, kid."

Kuzan gave him a playful smile. "Too bad... you still can't break through my defense."

"Then I'll keep going!"

Roy stomped down and vanished in an instant!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

The afterimages of his teleports filled the field, so dense they were almost impossible to follow. Each time he appeared, a black Armament Haki-coated fist blasted toward one of Kuzan's vital points!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

His fists struck like a torrential downpour, their force like thunder!

But the freezing air around Kuzan seemed to form an absolute domain. Every attack was anticipated, his Observation Haki tracking Roy's every move as Ice Shields flashed into existence and blocked them all!

"Oh, my... your movements are too straightforward~"

Roy paused, his gaze suddenly sharpening as he drew a deep breath—

"Life Return: Giant's Breath!"

"Boom!!"

His muscles swelled instantly, his frame growing to five meters tall. Pitch-black Armament Haki covered his entire body like armor, and he stood in the middle of the field like a black statue of a god of war!

"Holy shit, he's even bigger than when he fought me?!" Smoker's eyes widened.

A gratified smile finally appeared on Zephyr's face. "He's finally getting serious."

A trace of gravity flashed in Kuzan's eyes as well. "Oh? Now this is getting a little tricky~"

He planted his feet and abruptly pressed his palms together. "Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"

"Screech!!!"

A giant ice bird raised its head and let out a piercing cry, then swooped straight at Roy, carrying a razor-sharp chill!

Roy raised his enormous fist high. Instantly flickering symbols spread like electric currents as he clenched his right hand and punched to meet it!

"Instant: Heavy Cannon!"

"Boom—!!"

The giant ice bird exploded in midair. Terrifying cold and the scorching wind from Roy's punch intertwined, turning into a blizzard-like shockwave that swept across the field!

The watching trainees were forced back several steps by the power, and the instructors at the edge of the field all sucked in sharp breaths. "Is... is he really only twelve?!"

When the icy mist dispersed, Roy was down on one knee, his body covered in a thin layer of frost. His arm was still extended from the punch, and his gaze was frighteningly resolute.

Kuzan stood before him, his chest rising and falling slightly. A faint, crack-like pattern of frost had appeared on his arm; clearly, he had not escaped unscathed.

He raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled. "Oh, my... I guess I lost this time."

An uproar swept through the crowd!

Roy frowned and said quietly, "You held back."

Kuzan scratched the back of his head, beaming. "No, I didn't~ If we'd kept fighting, I would've had to use advanced Haki. Then it wouldn't have been 'sparring' anymore—I'd have been using killing moves."

Zephyr strode over, his eyes full of gratification. "Well done, Roy!"

Roy slowly stood, returning from his giant form. Panting, he shook his head. "But... I'm still a long way off."

Kuzan stretched lazily, a smile on his lips. "Don't say that~ You're only twelve, and I'm almost thirty."

Smoker walked over and stared at the two of them with a complicated expression. "You monsters..."

Kuzan suddenly reached out and ruffled Smoker's hair. "Little Smoker, you'd better keep at it too~"

"Get lost!" Smoker roared, swatting his hand away.

Zephyr burst out laughing. "All right! That's enough for today! Roy, we start a new round of special training tomorrow!"

Roy nodded, determination shining in his eyes. "Yes, sir!"

Kuzan casually patted Roy on the shoulder, then turned toward the training ground's exit. "Oh, my~ Get some rest. If I really get serious next time, it won't be this easy."

The sunset's fading light fell across the training ground, casting their shadows long.

Roy watched Kuzan walk away and silently set himself a new goal. Next time, I'll force him to use his full strength!

Ten minutes later, at the rear edge of Marine Headquarters, two deck chairs stood side by side beneath a sky dyed gold and red by the setting sun.

Garp reclined in his chair with his mouth full of rice crackers, his words muffled. "I heard you sparred with that kid?"

Kuzan lounged sideways, his sleep mask pushed up onto his forehead. He held a glass of chilled juice in one hand, its straw swaying gently. "Oh, my... word sure travels fast."

Garp grinned broadly and patted his belly. "Of course it does! My student sparred with an Admiral candidate. The whole headquarters is buzzing about it!"

Kuzan lifted his eyelids, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "He's no ordinary kid. He's got a lot of potential."

Garp raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at Kuzan. "Oh? You rate him that highly?"

Kuzan narrowed his eyes slightly, tapping a fingertip against his glass of juice. "His development of the Teleport-Teleport Fruit has almost no weak points, and his combat sense is good too. The trickiest thing is—"

He paused, a rare note of seriousness in his voice. "If he doesn't want to fight, he can run at any time. He's almost impossible to catch."

Garp froze for a moment, then broke into a wide grin. "Hahaha! That's true! If that kid really decided to run, even Borsalino might not be able to catch him!"

Kuzan shook his head gently, his gaze sharpening slightly. "And I could tell... he didn't use all his trump cards during the fight."

Garp chewed on a rice cracker and raised an eyebrow with interest. "Oh? He's got more moves up his sleeve?"

Kuzan sighed and stretched. "If I didn't use Advanced Armament Haki and Observation Haki, I'm afraid I really wouldn't be able to take him down quickly."

"Of course! My special training wasn't for nothing!"

Kuzan glanced at him thoughtfully, his tone suggestive. "Have you taught him Fist Bone?"

Garp waved a hand. "It's still too early! That boy's still working on his fundamentals. We'll talk about it once he's got a solid grasp of Haki."

Kuzan chuckled softly, a hint of emotion in his voice. "I imagine Instructor Zephyr thinks the same way."

Garp fell silent for a while, then suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Hey, Kuzan, what level do you think... that kid can reach in the future?"

Kuzan looked toward the distant horizon, a faint light reflected in his eyes. "Oh, my... who knows?"

The corners of his mouth rose slightly. "But I have a feeling that once he's fully grown, at the very least, no one in this world will be able to defeat him completely."

Garp froze for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed, the sound shaking his chair. "Now that's a student worthy of me!"

Kuzan shook his head helplessly. "You're always so confident."

Not far away, behind the trunk of a tall tree, Sakazuki stood with his arms crossed, watching their conversation with a cold gaze.

His expression was stern, but a trace of inexplicable anticipation crossed his mind. The Teleport-Teleport Fruit... Armament Haki... Life Return... he really is a promising talent.

After thinking for a moment, he frowned slightly and clenched his fist. But it's not enough.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the training camp.

Roy lay alone on the roof, the fading light of the sunset casting a faint golden sheen over his black hair.

He toyed with a coin at his fingertips, spinning it rapidly between his fingers. It vanished at times, then reappeared.

Kuzan's lighthearted voice seemed to echo in his ears. "Oh, my... if I got serious, it wouldn't be a spar anymore."

Roy muttered to himself, his gaze sharp. "Kuzan held back... if he'd used Advanced Armament Haki and Observation Haki, I couldn't have lasted three moves."

The coin abruptly stopped between his fingers and vanished with a "whoosh," as though it had never existed.

"I'm still a long way off..."