First Clash with an Admiral

"Pfft!" "Agh!" "Urgh~"...

It was a miserable sight, truly too awful to watch.

Of the hundred-plus trainees, fewer than thirty could withstand Zephyr's restrained punch, and fewer than ten could take it head-on with an attack of their own—

Smoker, the fighting type, had gone all out to trade a punch with Zephyr, and his hand was still trembling. Rosinante, on the other hand, was not skilled at frontal attacks and could only defend against the punch with his solid fundamentals.

"My turn." Wright stepped forward. Taking that punch would be child's play; he would not even need to draw his sword...

"Wright." Zephyr smiled, an intrigued expression appearing on his stern face. "You're an exception. I heard you can take Garp's punches... though they were only greetings."

"I need to know your true strength in order to formulate a targeted training plan, so..."

"Attack me with everything you have. Treat me as your enemy. A fight to the death—go all out!"

"..." Wright only felt the entire training ground fill with profound malice—every trainee, even the two instructors Gumir and Shuzo, was looking at him strangely!

"He can take Vice Admiral Garp's punches?!" What kind of explosive news was that?! That was Vice Admiral Garp, known as the "Iron Fist"! Even a greeting punch was not something a newly promoted ensign should have been able to take—an HQ colonel might not even be able to withstand one of Vice Admiral Garp's casual punches!

Shuzo and Gumir could not help sighing. It seemed Admiral Zephyr truly regarded Wright differently. Ever since Kuzan, now a Vice Admiral at Headquarters, Zephyr had shown no such interest in anyone else.

"Yes, sir!" Wright ignored those odd looks. He felt utterly calm about successfully catching Zephyr's interest—yeah, right! Joining the Marines brought him one step closer to his dream, and drawing the attention of three admiral-level powerhouses—Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr—and receiving their guidance was practically a shortcut to the heavens!

After his family had been killed by pirates, Zephyr had devoted himself to training Marine soldiers. Strengthening the Marines as a whole would greatly weaken the pirates' influence. And if he could train an apex powerhouse at admiral level, it could change the balance of power!

So far, Zephyr had encountered three admiral-level talents: the current three "monster" vice admirals—Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan—all of whom had come from under Zephyr's tutelage. And now—could Wright be the fourth?! Zephyr would verify it himself!

Taking a deep breath, Wright drew Ashes. Unprecedented golden Armament Haki wrapped around the blade, followed immediately by a layer of soaring, blazing crimson-gold flames that drew waves of exclamations.

"This sword... interesting!" As a swordsman who also practiced swordsmanship, Gumir was seeing such a gorgeous longsword for the first time. This blade gave off... such a peculiar feeling, and that golden Haki was even more unheard of.

A faint golden mist radiated from his body. Wright was already at full power. Watching Wright enveloped in golden light, Zephyr's lips curled up. "So this is the Holy Light Fruit, said to combine offense, defense, and recovery? As dazzling as the rumors say... Wright, are you ready?"

"Reporting to the Chief Instructor! Preparations complete! I can begin at any time!"

"Good. Everyone, fall back! Wright, begin your attack!"

The trainees retreated to a safe distance, then moments later all backed away even farther.

"Whoosh—" Wright charged forward at high speed. His recent special training had further improved his stamina.

"Final Judgment!" A massive crescent-shaped golden slash flew out. Zephyr swung his Armament Haki-covered arm, dispersing the slash. "A Flying Slash combined with Fruit powers? Very good! It actually consumed some of my Haki!"

Before his words had faded, Wright had already entered close range. Gripping his longsword burning with Holy Fire in both hands, he brought it down heavily. Zephyr's fist was wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki as he swung it up to block—

"Clang—!"

Fist and blade collided, sparks flying as metal rang against metal, followed by a storm spreading outward.

"Crack—"

When the strike failed, Wright immediately changed moves. He angled his sword to the side, golden light flashing in his eyes as his Observation Haki reacted—every physical combat expert was like that old schemer Garp. Zephyr's other blackened fist had already come at him soundlessly, only to be blocked by Wright's angled blade!

"Your Observation Haki isn't bad, but you're too slow!" Zephyr commented. Wright's Observation Haki had detected Zephyr's change in attack, but it had been too fast—his body simply could not react in time—

"Thud—!"

With a dull impact, Zephyr's fist slipped past the blade and slammed viciously into Wright's abdomen. But—

"Armament Haki, and Fruit powers too? Such strong defense!"

Zephyr's punch failed to move Wright even a step—under normal circumstances, anyone taking that punch might have been sent flying!

Even with Haki and the Holy Protection Spell shielding him, and even though Zephyr had not used his full strength, Wright still felt a burning pain in his abdomen after taking that punch head-on.

At this point, Zephyr had done more than strike Wright. The position of his arms had also pinned the longsword, preventing Wright from pulling it free. He could not waste the opening bought at the cost of taking a punch. Wright shook his sword, twisted his body with the force, and swept out with a kick, his right leg striking Zephyr's side like a greatsword!

"Bang—!"

The shockwave blasted outward. Zephyr did not budge, but Wright felt as if his leg were about to break. So this is admiral-level strength... He didn't even move?!

"Not bad. You understand that you cannot be bound by your weapon. In a real battle, every part of the body is a weapon. A top-class swordsman will not simply let himself be slaughtered because his weapon has been restrained!"

"..." Though Zephyr had not moved, he had already released his hold on the sword and resumed his attack. Wright jabbed with the tip of his blade and leaped backward into the air, using a Holy Light Spell midair to recover. The instant he landed, he stomped down hard and charged at Zephyr again.

"Ashes Awakening!"

Ashes, wrapped in Armament Haki and burning with Holy Fire, seemed to break free of some restriction. In an instant, the entire longsword expanded into a giant blade formed from blinding crimson-gold flames of light, slashing down at Zephyr!

"Boom—!"

The slash collided with Haki and erupted with astonishing force, like a bomb exploding on the training ground. Zephyr crossed his arms in defense, yet that slash forced him back two steps!

"Soru!"

Just as Wright was preparing to press his advantage, his Observation Haki sensed that Zephyr had disappeared. The space beneath his blade was suddenly empty, and then his abdomen took a heavy blow...

This strike was completely different from the last one. Wright was knocked straight to the ground—an instant defeat!

"That's enough. I have a rough understanding of your strength now, Wright." After putting Wright down with a stronger punch, Zephyr announced, "Wright is the first member of this year's Elite Squad. If anyone objects, you may challenge Wright. If you win, the first position is yours."

Looking at Wright lying motionless on the ground, Zephyr gave a light cough. "Stop playing dead. Get up and heal yourself. Let's see whether anyone wants to challenge you."

The trainees who had passed the first round watched Wright groan as he got to his feet, then become lively again after a single Holy Light Spell. They could not help shaking their heads.

What a monster. Better not mess with him!