The Choice of Light
As dawn broke, the air still carried the unique, cool scent of night.
Borsalino, who had monopolized the central area all night, leaned wearily against a banana tree, the ground littered with banana peels he had carelessly tossed aside.
He realized he had made a huge mistake!
I originally thought that by using my speed to arrive here early, I could take a break and easily wait for my hard-working opponents to arrive.
Even if most people gather by then, Sakazuki, Vidal, Dragon will probably be there too. We can just coast through the chaos.
But who knew those three bastards were so slow! We didn't see a single ghost all night, and now the sun is almost up, and they still haven't come!
This directly resulted in him initially finding it easy and even taking a nap, but he hasn't had a moment's peace since yesterday afternoon.
It got even more intense at night, with students popping up every now and then, sometimes even in groups of two or three.
What's even more infuriating is that these guys, once they see him, ignore everyone else and just gang up on him.
To be honest, even if they didn't attack Borsalino, Borsalino wouldn't let them off easily.
He has no plans to share his bananas for the time being!
In the end, he single-handedly expelled eleven trainees in one night, as well as dealt with several criminals who came over wanting water and fruit.
He wasn't going to be so lenient with the latter; he killed Glint-Glint Beam both with a single Flash Kick. Look, those black unidentified objects lying in the scorched crater are them.
"That's strange, why are the three of them so slow?" Borsalino looked at the horizon, full of questions.
"Could they have gotten into a fight outside?"
[Boom--]
Perhaps it was his sincerity that moved him, for a burst of scorching, dazzling firelight swept away the still lingering darkness of the night.
Meanwhile, as a large mass of lava flew in, the temperature in the central area began to rise sharply, which pleased Borsalino.
It's finally here! It's so boring being alone!
"Huh?"
Just as he was about to go over and say hello, he suddenly noticed that Sakazuki wasn't acting right. Why was the guy bleeding from the corner of his mouth?
This is a very strange thing for Borsalino.
He's also Logia Fruit user, and he knows how invincible elementalization is. How could anyone possibly hurt Sakazuki?
On the other side, a black figure followed closely, ignoring Borsalino completely, and rushed in front of Sakazuki, throwing a punch.
"Dragon!!"
Sakazuki, his face grim and furious, unleashed another 'Great Eruption', but Dragon withdrew his fist and vanished, reappearing to Sakazuki's right and delivering a whip kick.
This time, although he kicked the lava, he didn't hit Sakazuki himself like before; he only broke up large chunks of lava.
This surprised Dragon.
Just then, a dangerous red light appeared on the ground behind him, and Sakazuki burst out from a pillar of lava.
Don't underestimate me, you bastard!
"Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!"
His right arm, already turned to molten lava, quickly transformed into the shape of a ferocious dog's head as it stretched out, biting at Dragon amidst billowing smoke and flames.
"Dragon Claw Fist!"
Sakazuki's attack was unexpected, but for Dragon, who had Awakening his Observation Haki, it wasn't too late to react. However, it was too late to dodge.
With a powerful twist of his waist, he instantly turned around, his Armament Haki Hardening his right hand to block the incoming lava dog's head, sending up large swathes of lava once again.
But less than three breaths into the struggle, the magma flowing silently beneath their feet suddenly surged upwards, forming a long column of lava.
Instantly, scorching hot lava slammed heavily into Dragon's chest, sending him flying backward amidst countless splashes of lava, crashing headfirst into the distant river with raging flames still burning.
"Dragon!!"
Z Island, on a warship adrift at sea, a group of trainees who had been declared defeated gasped in shock upon seeing a scene in the video.
"Could he be dead?" a student asked in surprise.
No one answered him, because to these students who didn't yet understand Haki, being hit by such a massive burst of lava would surely result in severe injuries, if not death.
But they didn't notice that Zephyr, who had been watching silently from the sidelines, had vanished without a sound from the deck.
"Ha ha!"
On a small island in the first half of the Grand Line, Garp saw his son being blasted away. Instead of being angry, he laughed loudly amidst the puzzled gazes of the other Marines.
"That arrogant brat finally got a lesson from his peers!"
Based on his combat experience, he could deduce the power of Dog Biting Crimson Lotus even through a virtual image.
That move is indeed good, but it's far from enough to kill Dragon!
Sure enough, a disheveled Dragon burst out of the river, his body steaming with white vapor, and his breathing noticeably more rapid.
He casually tore off his tattered shirt, revealing a well-defined, muscular physique, with the skin on his abdomen slightly reddish.
"The heat and the impact were truly terrifying." Dragon's dark eyes coldly stared at Sakazuki on the shore.
Everything happened too fast. It was clearly a premeditated attack. He only had time to hastily defend with his Haki and hadn't even finished Hardening.
Sakazuki's combat experience was indeed far inferior to his own, but his combat talent was in no way inferior.
He could clearly sense that Sakazuki was constantly growing stronger during the long and fierce battle, and at an extremely rapid pace.
He not only absorbs and imitates his own combat experience, but he can even immediately apply what he has learned to actual combat.
This makes it difficult for the same tactics that Dragon has used once to be effective again, but fortunately, he also grows through battle.
When two equally matched opponents clash, a fierce battle often brings great benefits to both sides, which is why Zephyr planned this chaotic battle.
Understand yourself, understand your opponents, understand the gap, fight against opponents with different styles, but all are elite, and finally break through your own limitations, surpass your opponents, and close the gap.
Finally, for the first time, three of the four strongest trainees from this Special Training Camp gathered in the central area, standing on opposite sides in a triangular formation.
But judging from Borsalino's face towards Dragon, this guy was planning to kick him out together with Sakazuki first.
He had no problem with Dragon, and there was no conflict between them, but what could he do when he was closer to Sakazuki?
And this Dragon seems to possess abilities capable of harming them, the Logia users.
"Sorry, you'll have to leave Z Island now, Dragon- san~" Borsalino gently raised his right finger, and a dazzling golden light shone from the tip of his finger.
Sakazuki didn't insist on a one-on-one fight at this point, since Zephyr had made it very clear that this was going to be a free-for-all.
Who Borsalino chooses to fight first is entirely his own decision; what does it have to do with him?
For a moment, two top-tier Logia Fruit users stood before Dragon, poised to attack, but he remained expressionless, his eyes calm and resolute.
He is fearless!
"Oh, you're all here! I didn't expect I was the last one to arrive. Sorry." Suddenly, a gentle laugh broke the tense atmosphere.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the reader named "A Pineapple Fried Rice." Your donation of 200 yuan brought vibrant color and warm comfort to my lonely writing time, letting me know that a friend from afar was willing to generously support my writing. Thank you!