In Episode 12, Mu Chen saw Tokikake's fist flying straight at his face.
You really are trying to kill me while I'm down.
Mu Chen grumbled. After all, he had just dodged the last light-speed kick and had not even regained his footing.
Yet Tokikake was already impatient to press the attack, but Mu Chen was not about to back down.
Mu Chen quickly adjusted his stance and drove his fist straight into Tokikake's.
At once, Mu Chen and Tokikake's fists collided with a thunderous boom, the shockwave kicking up the dust from the ground.
What was more, the force behind the clash was no joke. Deep craters appeared beneath both Mu Chen and Tokikake's feet.
At the same time, Kuzan and Onigumo, who witnessed the scene, were both somewhat surprised.
"Not bad, kid. You can trade blows with Tokikake without losing out. Vice Admiral Garp really does have a good eye. Hahaha, not bad at all."
As the three talked, Wu Shu also walked over to them. "I knew this newcomer wasn't ordinary. Looks like our Marines are about to produce another monster."
Wu Shu had always been a good judge of character. When Garp brought Mu Chen to the Marine Elite Training Camp, Wu Shu had immediately sensed that Mu Chen was no ordinary person, so he went over to greet him. From Mu Chen's words, he could tell that Mu Chen was completely calm, not nervous in the slightest. Unlike other newcomers, who might grow tense when someone came over to speak with them, a confident and capable person simply would not be nervous. Mu Chen happened to be exactly that sort of person. Still, it was too early to call him a monster. If they were talking about monsters, then Borsalino and Sakazuki, who had already graduated, definitely qualified. Hehe, those two were already at vice admiral level now. And then there was Kuzan from their batch, right?
Kuzan merely smiled. Doberman was teasing him, but Kuzan did not seem to mind at all and maintained his usual cool demeanor.
An Ice-Ice Fruit user, and a rare Logia-type Devil Fruit at that. Honestly, it was truly enviable.
Meanwhile, Tokikake had not expected that Mu Chen's offensive power would actually be on par with his own.
"I never expected this. Newcomer, you're pretty good. Looks like I can't hold back anymore."
"Seems like you were holding back too."
Mu Chen answered simply. At the start, he had only opened the first of the Eight Gates, because he knew Tokikake had to be concealing his true strength as well. Anyone who could enter the Marine Elite Training Camp could not possibly have only this much fighting power. No matter how full of himself Tokikake was, he could not be this weak. The strength Tokikake had shown so far was not even at rear admiral level. "So you were holding back too. Then I won't be polite."
"Armament Haki!" Tokikake's arm instantly turned black, gleaming like a metal rod.
Mu Chen stared at it. So this is Armament Haki? He had been in the Pirate World for so long, yet honestly, he had never seen Haki before. This was his first time seeing it.
Seeing this, everyone knew that Tokikake had finally gotten serious.
"Armament Haki... Looks like Mu Chen is going to have a hard time now."
Zephyr wore a faint smile. He simply did not believe that a mere newcomer could defeat his student.
Tokikake might be unreliable at times, but his strength was indeed quite decent.
But when Garp heard Zefa boasting, he looked unconvinced. "Hmph, Zefa, what are you so smug about? Just watch. Mu Chen still has a trump card."
When Zefa heard that, he was taken aback. So Mu Chen had been hiding his strength too? Tokikake immediately charged toward Mu Chen and began attacking.
Tokikake was extremely fast, but Mu Chen was no slower. The two traded blow after blow, fists striking flesh as they fought fiercely.
Although they had exchanged many moves, thanks to Mu Chen's Blood Sharingan, ninety percent of Tokikake's attacks were actually ineffective. But in everyone else's eyes, Mu Chen was slowly being forced back. Clearly, against Tokikake, who had activated his Armament Haki, Mu Chen, who could not use Haki, was at a huge disadvantage.
Mu Chen had a headache dealing with Armament Haki attacks. He had taken one punch with his body just now, and it really hurt. Furthermore, his hands could not use Armament Haki either, so he could only use skillful force to deflect Tokikake's attacks. He did not dare take them head-on at all.
"Come on, then! Let your senior teach you what Haki is!"
"Hahaha, Qiyuan, did you see my heroic bearing?"
"Wasn't I handsome?"
Tokikake taunted Mu Chen while also making sure to show off in front of Qiyuan. Mu Chen had initially formed a somewhat favorable impression of Tokikake, since Tokikake was fairly strong, but now Tokikake had gone and acted like this.
But Qiyuan pretended not to hear him at all and continued watching Mu Chen and Tokikake fight. Zefa's face darkened. So this was his student—still distracted in the middle of a battle. "Hehehe, Zefa, are all your students this interesting?"
"Hahaha!"
Faced with Garp's ridicule, Zefa's face was covered in black lines. He truly wanted to drag Tokikake over and beat him up again.
"Garp, you can still laugh? The newcomer you brought is being suppressed by Tokikake and is about to lose." Garp was not worried about Mu Chen losing at all, since Mu Chen still had a trump card left unused. "Zefa, you sure talk a lot. Just watch." Everyone else had already begun to look down on Mu Chen's disadvantageous position. "Looks like you spoke too soon. This newcomer Mu Chen probably won't make it. What a waste—I was actually looking forward to something."
Onigumo and Doberman spoke with some disappointment.
But Wu Shu still believed his judgment had not been wrong.
Just then, Mu Chen suddenly took a large step back.
Seeing Mu Chen retreat, Tokikake smiled confidently.
"Mu Chen, what's wrong? Are you going to admit defeat?"
"It's fine. There's no shame in admitting defeat. Besides, I'm this strong." As Tokikake laughed mockingly, Mu Chen merely smiled faintly. "Eight Gates, second gate—Gate of Healing, open!"
In an instant, all the fatigue and discomfort from opening the first gate vanished from Mu Chen's body.
Before you continue