Zephyr: Afraid the campus isn't violent enough? Keep going, fight him!

With such a commotion stirred up under Zephyr's watch, Admiral Sengoku—just back from outside—and Garp, ever the thrill-seeker, weren't about to miss it. Led by Gion, the three of them headed together toward the training grounds, with Kuzan tagging along behind, equally eager for some entertainment.

As for the rest, they had other matters to attend to and didn't join in.

By the time Zephyr and the others reached the training grounds, a large crowd of trainees and quite a few Marines training there had already formed a ring around the sparring area, all watching the spectacle unfold.

"The Admiral's here, move aside!" A few sharp-eyed Marine officers called out, quickly clearing a path for Sengoku and the others.

Before they even stepped inside, they could hear the rumbling roar of thunder from within.

Fortunately, all of them were tall enough to see over the crowd's heads and get a look at what was happening.

Inside, Ortolan was wearing a black vest, exposing large swaths of solid muscle, and hefting a warhammer wrapped in lightning like silver serpents, swinging it around him.

Wherever the heavy hammer passed, the air let out a sharp whistle. Looking closer, logically, Ortolan should have been fighting the trio, but only Dalmatian and Onigumo were scrambling to dodge his heavy strikes. The instigator, Doberman, was already lying at the edge of the field, with a few medical Marines giving him emergency treatment.

Gion grabbed a nearby Marine officer and asked, "What happened? How's Rear Admiral Doberman?"

The officer quickly replied, "Rear Admiral Doberman went in and tried to take the vest guy's warhammer head-on. One swing sent him flying. I'm not sure about the exact injuries, but from what I saw, it looked like one of his arm bones snapped, a few ribs cracked too. He coughed up blood and tried to get up, but couldn't. The medics rushed in to treat him!"

Gion was a bit taken aback. Doberman wasn't some nobody—among the Rear Admirals at headquarters, his strength was top-tier. That's why he'd been picked as a promising prospect to join Teacher Zephyr's training camp.

Plus, Doberman had a fearsome reputation among the headquarters' Rear Admirals, known as the "Mad Dog." You could tell from the dense scars on his body that he fought like a maniac.

And yet, a guy like that got taken out by Ortolan in one hammer swing!?

As for Doberman's injuries, neither Gion nor the headquarters officer—nor even Zephyr and Sengoku, the two Admirals—were too concerned. The Marines' medical capabilities were strong, with plenty of healing-type ability users. As long as you weren't killed on the spot, the facilities at headquarters could get you back on your feet.

Just as Gion was marveling, another shift happened on the field. Onigumo dodged Ortolan's heavy hammer while swiftly closing in, his blade flashing coldly as he aimed a slash at Ortolan's wrist. This showed that even in a spar between Marines, there was some restraint—on a real battlefield, that strike would have gone for the neck.

Ortolan's eyes were fierce, bloodshot, but not completely lost to reason like during a full moon. So he sensed that "boundary" and didn't fight too savagely either.

As Onigumo's blade came down, Ortolan loosened his grip, switching to one hand on the hammer, freeing the targeted hand. He wrapped it in Armament Haki and grabbed at Onigumo's sword.

The next second, Ortolan caught the blade. But Onigumo wasn't panicked—in fact, he seemed to have been waiting for this. He pushed back with his strength, starting a direct contest of power with Ortolan!

This puzzled Ortolan. Something was off. Doberman's defeat had already proven his monstrous strength, and Onigumo's earlier dodging showed he probably figured it out. So why would he dare to grapple with him now?

But before Ortolan could finish that thought, Onigumo's long black hair, which fell to his waist, came alive. Like a spiderweb or fishing net, it spread rapidly over Ortolan's body, binding all four limbs in an instant!

The moment Onigumo succeeded, Dalmatian let out a low growl. His form shifted quickly, turning into a dog-man hybrid. That's right—he was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Dalmatian!

It wasn't a Mythical Zoan or Ancient type, but as a carnivorous Zoan user, his aggression was still intense.

He kicked off the ground with explosive force, launching himself like a cannonball straight at Ortolan. With a dull thud, Ortolan, still struggling to break free from Onigumo's "hair," was tackled to the ground.

"He's too strong—I can't hold him for long! Lock his joints!" Onigumo said, his voice strained with pain.

He already had a sour-looking face, and with his twisted expression, he looked like a demon. Why was he in such pain? Because he could feel Ortolan's terrifying strength swelling, trying to burst free from his hair's restraint, nearly tearing his scalp off!

Joint locks, to some extent, could let a weaker person overpower a stronger one once locked in. Dalmatian thought the same.

Sure, you seem naturally strong, but I'm a Zoan user too, known for strength. With joint locks and Onigumo's hair, we should be able to pin you down, right?

But before Dalmatian could make his move, the sky suddenly darkened.

The Marines watching from outside looked up. Hell, above the training ground, dark clouds gathered in an instant, like a black bowl had been slammed over the area!

"This is!?" Gion's eyes widened in surprise.

"Thunder Burial!!!" Ortolan's roar came from the center of the field.

The next moment, the gloomy clouds were torn apart by blinding lightning. A pillar of lightning, roughly over ten meters in diameter, crashed down from the sky, slamming into the center of the training ground, engulfing Onigumo, Dalmatian, and Ortolan all together!

Even without feeling the power of that lightning pillar firsthand, the Marines present were all elite headquarters personnel with sharp observation skills. They could see that where the lightning struck the ground, the bricks had started to melt from the heat!

As for the people inside, needless to say!

Sure enough, after just two or three seconds, Ortolan didn't dare go too far. The lightning dispersed. By then, he had already broken free from Onigumo's hair, no longer holding the warhammer. Instead, he was carrying two figures in each hand, both smoking black from the lightning's blast.

Those two figures were clearly Onigumo and Dalmatian!

Maybe because he'd let off some steam in this campus brawl, Ortolan's eyes looked clearer, without that raging bull vibe.

"Three against one, and they all got wiped. Ooh~" Kuzan stood beside Zephyr, looking like he was enjoying the show.

"More importantly, that kid has almost no combat technique or experience. It's all brute force and crude use of the Goro Goro no Mi." Sengoku stroked the braided beard on his chin, speaking with a tone of admiration.

Onigumo, Doberman, and Dalmatian—all of them were legitimate Marine Rear Admirals. The Marines excelled at coordinated attacks, and these three were seasoned fighters with plenty of combat experience and mastery of many techniques and physical skills.

Compared to those professionals, Ortolan's combat experience was clearly lacking—almost zero, in fact. He hadn't mastered much in the way of fighting techniques either. His style was just wild, unrefined brawling with little skill. How far he'd developed the Goro Goro no Mi was unknown, but that "Thunder Burial" was obviously just a crude release of energy!

Under those circumstances, taking on three opponents and taking down all three Marine Rear Admirals in such a short time—in Sengoku's eyes, this kid was definitely a rough gem!

Just then, Admiral Zephyr suddenly spoke up: "Gion, send a few more. Have Momonga and the others join in too. Keep fighting him!"

"Huh?" Gion was taken aback. Was Teacher Zephyr worried the campus wasn't violent enough?

But seeing the serious look on Admiral Zephyr's face, she quickly nodded: "Yes, Teacher!"

Admiral Sengoku smiled from the side: "Ready to start carving with the knife now?"

"The opportunity's right here. Let's see just how good this kid's combat instincts really are!" Zephyr laughed heartily.

As a teacher, Zephyr felt it was necessary to first get a good understanding of his student's combat instincts—what level they were at. That way, he could tailor his teaching accordingly!

In short, he really wanted to get Ortolan's baseline data right now!