With such a lively incident breaking out under Zephyr's watch, Admiral Sengoku, who had just returned from outside, and Garp, who loved a good spectacle, naturally weren't going to miss it. Led by Gion, the three of them hurried toward the training grounds together, with Kuzan trailing behind, equally eager to watch the fun.
As for everyone else, they had other matters to attend to and did not join them.
By the time Zephyr and the others reached the training grounds, a large group of trainees and quite a few Marines who had been training there had already formed a circle around the sparring area, all watching the commotion.
"The admirals are here, make way!" Several sharp-eyed Marine officers called out, quickly clearing a path for Sengoku and the others.
Before they even entered, they could already hear the rumbling crash of thunder from within!
Fortunately, all of them were quite tall, so they could see what was happening over the crowd's heads.
Inside, Ortolan wore a black tank top that exposed his broad, solid muscles. He held a Warhammer in one hand, and lightning like silver serpents coiled around its head as he swung it in every direction.
Wherever the heavy hammer passed, the air itself let out a piercing shriek. Looking more closely, Ortolan should have been fighting a group of three, yet only Dalmatian and Onigumo were now dodging his hammer in a miserable scramble. Doberman, the one who had started the trouble, was already lying at the edge of the field while several medical Marines administered emergency treatment.
Gion grabbed a Marine officer beside her and asked, "What happened? How is Rear Admiral Doberman?"
The officer hurriedly replied, "The moment Rear Admiral Doberman entered the field, he tried to take that tank-top brute's Warhammer head-on. But after just one blow, he was sent flying! I'm not sure about the exact injuries, but from what I could tell, one of the bones in his arm was probably broken, and several ribs were crushed too. He spat up several mouthfuls of blood and tried to stand, but he couldn't do it at all. The medical division rushed in to treat him!"
Gion was somewhat taken aback. Doberman was no minor figure. Among the Headquarters rear admirals, his strength was first-rate. Otherwise, he would not have been selected as an outstanding prospect to join Teacher Zephyr's training camp.
Moreover, Doberman had quite a fearsome reputation among the Headquarters rear admirals. They called him the "Mad Dog." The countless scars across his body alone showed just how crazed he became in battle!
And yet someone like him had been taken out by Ortolan in a single hammer strike!?
As for Doberman's injuries, neither Gion nor this Headquarters officer, not even Admirals Zephyr and Sengoku, cared much about them. The Marines' medical capabilities were extremely strong, and they had many medical ability users as well. As long as you were not killed on the spot, with the treatment available at Headquarters, you could definitely recover!
Just as Gion was expressing her surprise, another change occurred on the field. As Onigumo dodged Ortolan's heavy hammer, he swiftly closed the distance. His saber flashed coldly as he slashed toward Ortolan's wrist. This also showed that Marines still held back somewhat when fighting one another. On a battlefield, that strike would have gone straight for the neck.
Ortolan's eyes were somewhat violent and bloodshot, but he had not completely lost his reason as he did beneath a full moon. He could therefore sense that "line," and his attacks were not quite so ruthless.
As Onigumo's blade came down, Ortolan loosened his grip and held the hammer with one hand. The hand being targeted was immediately freed, and with Haki coating his palm, he reached out and grabbed Onigumo's blade.
The next second, Ortolan seized the blade. But Onigumo did not panic. On the contrary, it was as though he had been waiting specifically for Ortolan to do that. He exerted force through his weapon and immediately began a contest of strength with Ortolan!
This left Ortolan somewhat puzzled. Something's wrong here. Doberman's fate had already proven his natural strength, and Onigumo's earlier evasions showed that he had likely figured that out. Yet he still dared to test strength against him?
But before Ortolan could settle on that thought, the long black hair hanging down Onigumo's back to his waist suddenly came alive. Like a spiderweb or fishing net, it rapidly spread across Ortolan's body and, in the blink of an eye, bound all four of his limbs!
At the moment Onigumo succeeded, Dalmatian let out a low growl and his body rapidly changed. He transformed directly into a human-dog form. That was right—he was a user of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, wielding the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Dalmatian!
Though it was neither a Mythical Zoan nor an Ancient type, as a carnivorous Zoan user, his offensive power was still extremely formidable.
He kicked off hard with both feet and shot toward Ortolan like a cannonball. Then, with a dull bang, before Ortolan could break free from Onigumo's "beautiful hair," Dalmatian slammed him to the ground.
"His strength is too great. I can't bind him for long. Quickly lock his joints..." Onigumo said painfully.
He already had a face like a bitter melon, and paired with his savage expression now, he looked even more like an evil ghost. Why was he in so much pain? Because he could feel Ortolan's terrifying strength constantly swelling as he tried to break free of the restraints formed by his long hair. It was nearly tearing his scalp off!
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To a certain extent, joint locks could indeed allow weaker strength to overcome greater strength, as long as they were secured. Dalmatian thought the same!
You might possess monstrous natural strength, but I'm also a Zoan user known for strength. With joint locks and Onigumo's hair working together, we should be able to hold you down no matter what, right?
But before Dalmatian could make the corresponding move, the sky suddenly darkened.
The Marines watching from outside looked up. Good lord—the sky above the training field was instantly packed with dark clouds, as though a giant black bowl had been placed upside down over the entire grounds!
"This is!?" Surprise flashed through Gion's eyes.
"Thunder Burial!!!" Ortolan's furious roar rang out from the field.
The next moment, dazzling lightning tore apart the dark clouds. A pillar of lightning roughly more than ten meters in diameter descended from the sky and smashed viciously into the center of the training field, swallowing Onigumo, Dalmatian, and Ortolan all at once!
Though they had not personally experienced the might of that lightning pillar, the Marines present were all Headquarters elites with exceptional powers of observation. They could already see that where the lightning struck, the stone tiles on the ground had begun to look heat-melted!
There was no need to mention the people inside it!
Sure enough, after merely two or three seconds, Ortolan did not dare go too far, and the lightning dispersed. By then, he had already broken free of Onigumo's hair restraints. He was no longer holding the Warhammer; instead, each of his hands held a figure smoking black from the force of the lightning.
Those two figures were clearly Onigumo and Dalmatian!
Perhaps because he had vented some of it through this bout of campus violence, Ortolan's gaze had become much clearer. He no longer had the air of an enraged bull.
"Three against one, and they all got taken down instead. Oho~" Kuzan said beside Zephyr with the gleeful expression of someone watching a show and hoping it got even bigger.
"More importantly, that brat has practically no combat technique or experience. He relied entirely on brute force and a crude application of the Goro Goro no Mi," Sengoku said, stroking the braided beard on his chin with a wistful expression.
Whether it was Onigumo, Doberman, or Dalmatian, all of them were bona fide Marine rear admirals. The Marines were naturally skilled at coordinated combat, and at the same time, they were fighting experts with abundant combat experience who had mastered numerous combat and martial arts techniques.
Compared to these professionals, Ortolan clearly had little combat experience—one could even say none at all. He had not mastered many relevant fighting techniques either. When he fought, he simply threw a barrage of wild punches with barely any skill behind them. No one knew how well he had developed the Goro Goro no Mi, but that move just now, "Thunder Burial," was clearly nothing more than a brutal release of energy!
Under such circumstances, he had fought three opponents alone and defeated all three Marine rear admirals in such a short time. In Sengoku's eyes, this brat truly was an uncut gem!
At that moment, Admiral Zephyr suddenly spoke. "Gion, send a few more people in. Have Momonga and the others join them. Keep fighting him!"
"Hm?" Gion froze. Was Teacher Zephyr afraid the campus was not violent enough?
But seeing the serious expression on Admiral Zephyr's face, she immediately nodded. "Yes, Teacher!"
Admiral Sengoku smiled beside them. "You're already planning to put him under the knife and carve him?"
"The opportunity is right in front of us. Let's see just how outstanding this brat's combat instincts really are!" Zephyr laughed heartily.
As a teacher, Zephyr felt it was necessary to first get a proper understanding of exactly what level this student's combat instincts were at. That would make it easier for him to teach according to the student's aptitude afterward!
In short, he now wanted Ortolan's baseline data!
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