First Clash with an Admiral

"Pfft!" "Aah!" "Urgh~"...

It was a miserable sight—truly unbearable to watch.

Of the hundred-odd 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 in exchanging a punch with Zephyr, and his hand was still trembling. Rosinante, meanwhile, was not skilled at frontal attacks and could only rely on his solid fundamentals to defend against the punch.

"My turn." Wright stepped forward. Taking that punch would be easy—he would not even need to draw his sword...

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

"I need to understand your true strength before I can formulate a targeted training plan, so..."

"Attack me with everything you have. Treat me as your opponent in a fight to the death. Go all out!"

"..." Wright felt the entire training ground overflowing with malice—all the trainees, even instructors Gumir and Shuzo, were 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 lieutenant junior grade should be able to withstand—even a Headquarters colonel might not be able to take a casual punch from Vice Admiral Garp!

Shuzo and Gumir could not help sighing. It seemed Admiral Zefa truly regarded Wright differently. Since the current Headquarters vice admiral Kuzan, Zephyr had shown no such interest in anyone else.

"Yes, sir!" Wright ignored the odd looks. He felt as calm as an ancient well at having successfully caught Zephyr's interest—yeah, right! Joining the Marines was a step closer to his dream, but 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 turned his full attention to training Marine soldiers. Strengthening the Marines as a whole would deal a tremendous blow to pirate forces. And if he could train a top-tier admiral-level powerhouse, it could change the balance of power!

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

Taking a deep breath, Wright drew Ashes. Unprecedented golden Armament Haki wrapped around the blade, followed by a layer of soaring, burning gold-red flames that swept over it, drawing cries of surprise from the crowd.

"That sword... interesting!" As a swordsman who also trained in swordsmanship, Gumir was seeing such a dazzling longsword for the first time. This sword gave off... such a peculiar feeling. And that golden Haki was even more unheard of.

A faint golden mist radiated from his body as Wright went all out. Watching Wright surrounded by golden light, Zephyr's lips curled upward. "Is this the Holy Light Fruit, said to combine offense, defense, and recovery? It truly is as dazzling as the rumors say... Wright, are you ready?"

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

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

The trainees retreated to a safe distance, then moments later retreated 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 swept his Armament Haki-coated arm, dispersing the slash. "A Flying Slash combined with Devil Fruit abilities? Very good! It actually consumed some of my Haki!"

Before his words had even faded, Wright had reached melee range. Gripping the longsword wreathed in Holy Fire with both hands, he brought it crashing down. Zephyr's fist, wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki, swung up to block—

"Clang—!"

Fist and blade collided, scattering sparks and ringing like clashing steel. A storm then spread outward.

"Rrip—"

When the strike failed, Wright swiftly changed moves, tilting his sword to his side. Golden light flashed in his eyes as his Observation Haki reacted—martial arts powerhouses were all like that old schemer Garp. Zephyr's other blackened fist had already come at him without a sound, 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 Devil Fruit abilities too? Such strong defense!"

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

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

Zephyr had not merely struck Wright. The positions of his arms had also pinned the longsword, preventing Wright from pulling it free. He could not waste the opportunity he had gained by taking that punch. Wright shook his sword, twisted his body with the force, and swept out with a kick. His right leg struck Zephyr's waist like a massive sword!

"Bang—!"

The shockwave burst outward. Zephyr did not budge, while 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 your body is a weapon. A top swordsman will not simply resign himself to death because his weapon has been restrained!"

"..." Though Zephyr had not moved, he had already released his hold on the sword and resumed attacking. Wright thrust with the tip of his blade, launching himself backward through the air. He cast a Holy Light Spell midair to recover, then stomped heavily upon landing and charged at Zephyr again.

"Ashes Awakening!"

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

"Boom—!"

The slash collided with Haki and unleashed an astonishing impact, like a bomb exploding on the training ground. Zephyr crossed his arms to defend, yet was driven back two steps by the strike!

"Soru!"

Wright was about to press his advantage when his Observation Haki detected that Zephyr had vanished. His blade cut through empty air, and then his abdomen took a heavy blow...

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

"All right, that's enough. I have a rough understanding of your strength now, Wright." After knocking Wright down with an empowered punch, Zephyr announced, "Wright will be the first member of this year's Elite Squad. If anyone objects, you may challenge Wright. If you win, the first position will be yours."

Looking at Wright lying motionless on the ground, Zephyr cleared his throat. "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 return to full vigor after a Holy Light Spell. They could only shake their heads repeatedly.

He was a monster. Better not provoke him!