Smoker: What kind of pawa is this?

Only when the gale reached his ears did Luo Yi finally catch sight of Zephyr's left fist coming from the side of his body.

At that moment, Smoker, standing nearby, actually showed a rare schadenfreude-filled expression.

Having undergone Zephyr's training himself, he naturally knew that this was an unavoidable part of Zephyr's lessons for his disciples.

After all, anyone selected from among the new Marine recruits to receive Zephyr's training was without exception the most outstanding genius of their generation.

And as long as someone was a genius, they were bound to be arrogant.

Zephyr's punch was meant to test their physical strength and reaction speed, but also to shatter their arrogance.

As Zephyr put it:

"Those without resolve cannot accept my training. This is the 'Punch of Resolve.'"

In fact, Smoker still remembered the punch he had received back then. At the time, he truly had been extremely proud of his Logia Devil Fruit Ability, and that punch truly had—

"Hurt."

He held a cigarette between his teeth, his face expressionless, but memories surged into his mind.

But in the very next moment,

those memories were shattered by reality before him.

Because at that moment—

"That's an incredibly fast Soru. I can't dodge it."

Luo Yi had already reached his conclusion. Zephyr's Soru was too fast; he could not evade the blow.

Yet his heart remained calm.

Because—

"There's Haki wrapped around the fist, but it isn't particularly strong. Is this a test?"

"If that's all there is to it..."

His mind stirred.

[Loading Fruit Slot]

[Dragon-Dragon Fruit: Model Pterodactyl LV3 loaded]

[Ox Ox Fruit: Model Great Rhinoceros LV2 loaded]

[Paramecia: Strong-Strong Fruit LV2 loaded]

So Luo Yi did not dodge. He simply turned and faced Zephyr head-on.

Then—

"Since we're speaking with our fists, Admiral Zephyr—let me have my say too!"

Beneath his Marine uniform, the skin on Luo Yi's body faintly took on the color and texture of dragon scales and ox hide, while his muscles erupted with unimaginable power.

Then, under the incredulous gazes of Smoker and Binz, he swung his fist as well and slammed it toward Zephyr!

And at the instant their fists collided,

even the face of this Former Marine General, who had witnessed countless storms, showed unmistakable surprise.

The next moment—

"Boom—"

A thunderous roar reverberated throughout the entire Training Ground.

Visible rings of white airwaves instantly spread outward from the two figures.

"White Shield!"

"Lush Wood Wall!"

At that moment, Smoker and Binz activated their Devil Fruit Abilities without hesitation. A shield made of smoke enveloped Smoker, while the branch in Binz's hand rapidly grew into a wall that protected him from behind.

Even so, the waves of white smoke and the wooden wall could be seen scattering and shattering continuously under the violent impact!

"S-so strong!"

Binz stared in horror at the surging airwaves around him.

"Luo Yi, you bastard..."

The eternally sour expression on Smoker's face finally gave way to disbelieving shock.

He and Luo Yi had fought each other both in the past and recently.

He considered himself quite familiar with Luo Yi and acknowledged Luo Yi's potential and strength.

In his judgment, Luo Yi possessed strength and talent beyond that of ordinary people, but he should still have been weaker than himself.

But now—

"What kind of strength is this? You bastard, you've hidden it deeply enough!?"

Looking at the figure inside the battlefield, struggling against Zephyr in a contest of fists,

Smoker nearly bit through the cigar in his mouth.

And at that very moment—

"No Haki wrapped around it, yet pure physical strength has actually reached this level. Impressive!"

"N-no, I should say it's simply unbelievable."

The astonishment on Zephyr's face had already faded.

In its place was excitement and undisguised praise—the look of a master who had encountered an unprecedented prodigy.

Such exaggerated physical strength almost made him wonder whether the one exchanging fists with him was truly human.

At that thought, the smile at the corner of his mouth grew increasingly bold.

"Kid, I've heard your resolve!"

"But as your instructor—don't look down on me, old man!"

As he spoke, an even more oppressive aura rose from his body.

"Are you ready?"

Zephyr grinned.

As his words fell, Luo Yi saw the muscles inside Zephyr's left wrist continuously bulge and swell.

The Haki on his hand also seemed to grow stronger, turning his left fist almost black with a purplish tint.

"Of course, old man—bring it on!"

Luo Yi grinned as well.

"Boom!"

The next moment, Luo Yi's body was sent flying backward.

His body slammed into the thick iron wall at the edge of the Training Ground like a cannonball!

Along with the crash and the dense cloud of dust came—

"Crack!"

A crisp sound of breaking.

Binz, who had long since been staring in a daze, turned toward the sound.

He saw spiderweb-like cracks spreading continuously across the wall.

"Hey, hey, you've got to be kidding me."

Binz, who had witnessed the same scene, looked utterly horrified.

As one of the only two survivors from four years ago, he was Zephyr's right-hand man and naturally knew the condition of this Training Ground very well.

"That's Z Alloy specially prepared by the Science Division for Teacher Zephyr, used to test Teacher Zephyr's new arm. And yet..."

He could not help swallowing. "That punch from Teacher Zephyr..."

He had already realized it.

Zephyr's punch had clearly surpassed every previous "test" he knew of.

Zephyr had taken that punch seriously.

"Major Luo Yi? He isn't dead, is he!?"

Binz hurriedly tried to move forward, somewhat flustered.

But before he could act,

"Ha..."

he heard a huge exhalation come from within the smoke.

Then—

As the dust dispersed, he saw Luo Yi emerge once more.

"That packed a punch. As expected of Admiral Zephyr. You're terrifyingly strong."

He twisted his neck. Scrapes covered his body, and his fist was bruised.

Behind him, the specially made Z Alloy iron wall had been knocked inward into a human-shaped depression!

"..."

Binz was speechless.

What left him even more speechless was the state of Luo Yi's body.

The bruising on his fist and the scrapes on his body were visibly fading at a remarkable speed.

By the time he walked back in front of Zephyr, his injuries were already clearly no longer serious.

"Not only physical strength—even your healing ability and toughness are this absurd? You're the scary one, kid."

Even Zephyr, who had seen a great deal, could not help sighing when he saw this.

The admiration in his eyes grew increasingly obvious.

Although Vice Admiral Billoss had already told him that this kid was strong, he had never imagined that Luo Yi would be strong to this extent.

At this moment, Zephyr had even formed a bold idea.

"Kid, I heard you're also proficient in a special kind of fist technique."

So Zephyr continued:

"..."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yi immediately looked toward Smoker. You sure do have a fast mouth, don't you?

Smoker silently turned his head away, refusing to meet Luo Yi's gaze.

That was right.

As for Wave Fist, Smoker had naturally told Zephyr about it after hearing Luo Yi's story.

His original intention had been kind. He hoped Luo Yi would display even greater strength, so that Zephyr would not underestimate him.

At that moment, however, Zephyr clearly had no interest in paying attention to the "grudge" between Luo Yi and Smoker.

He simply looked at Luo Yi. "Kid, since you want me to train you, I need to understand your strength completely."

"Come on—don't hold back. Let this old man see your power!"

Now that things had reached this point, Luo Yi naturally had no reason to hesitate.

[Fruit Loading: Ox Ox Fruit: Model Great Rhinoceros → Human-Human Fruit: Model Buddha]

"Whoosh!"

The next moment, Luo Yi's figure appeared before Zephyr amid the distinctive sound of air splitting from Soru.

And Luo Yi's fist had already been thrown.

"You're quite proficient with Soru, but you're still not fast enough..."

Zephyr instinctively sidestepped to avoid it. Although he was only testing Luo Yi's strength, he would not stand in place like a target and take the attack. Such a test would have no practical combat value.

But just as the Admiral praised Luo Yi's proficiency with Soru,

"Hm?"

surprise flashed through his voice.

"Vwoom!"

Because in the next moment,

the surging shock wave erupting from the fist he had dodged already swept around him.

"Rumble!"

The ground caved in almost instantly, forming a massive crater, while the immense shock wave whipped up the capes of Luo Yi and Zephyr's Marine uniforms.

"Wave Fist: Round Seal."

Luo Yi softly spoke the name of his punch, then withdrew his fist.

Both Smoker and Binz could see the faint red marks that had appeared across Zephyr's body.

Yes—the Former General known as Black Arm, a master of physical combat, had actually been injured.

Although the injuries were minor compared to his body,

they were still enough to make Binz's jaw nearly dislocate.

Zephyr himself also widened his eyes and looked at Luo Yi.

He did not care about the minor injuries on his body. What truly surprised him was—

"I clearly dodged the fist, yet I was still injured directly from within by the shock wave. It's practically identical to Sengoku's ability."

At that moment, this thought flashed through Zephyr's mind instinctively.

As the most senior veteran, someone who had joined the Marines in the same period as Fleet Admiral Sengoku,

Zephyr had fought alongside Sengoku countless times and naturally knew his ability very well.

Without a doubt, the shock wave produced by Luo Yi's punch seemed extremely similar to Sengoku's ability to him. The only difference was that its power was far weaker.

If Sengoku transformed into the Buddha and struck with all his strength, the impact would be enough to completely shatter an island from within.

But—

"Kid, are you really not an Ability User?"

So at this moment, even though Zephyr had already heard about Luo Yi from Vice Admiral Billoss, he still could not help asking the question.