Diligence and Hard Work

Ain, who was watching from the sidelines, was stunned by Lin Yan's words!

Who was her teacher?

He was the former Marine Admiral, Black Arm Zephyr!

Marine Admirals were already among the very strongest people on these seas.

And who was Zephyr?

He was a king who had fought his way through the old era!

The old era and the new era were two completely different times.

Who was there in the new era?

Whitebeard, Shanks, Kaido, Big Mom—that was about it.

Who was there in the old era?

Roger, Garp, Sengoku, and Red Count were merely appetizers. There was also that legendary King of the World, Rocks, who had dominated an entire era!

Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Big Mom, Kaido, and the rest had merely been subordinate officers under Rocks.

Take any top-tier powerhouse from the old era.

They could easily sweep across the Grand Line.

It could be said—

Calling it a dimensionality reduction strike would not be an exaggeration.

This man before her.

A guy she had never even heard of.

He had arrogantly claimed that he would take down her teacher in a single exchange.

Take down Zephyr, who had carved a bloody path through the old era.

Did he not know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth?!

"You're far too full of yourself!"

Ain said with a dark expression.

Whether it was Zephyr or Ain.

Both of them had been enraged!

Only Lin Yan.

His expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "Begin!"

Neither Zephyr nor Ain.

Took his words seriously.

Just as they had thought.

Even Roger.

Even Whitebeard.

Even Rocks at the height of his power.

Would not have dared to claim that he could defeat a Marine Admiral in a single exchange.

Zephyr did not know where Lin Yan got the confidence to make such wild claims.

Young people could have pride.

But they could not be arrogant.

Excessive arrogance.

Came at a price!

"Smashing Tornado!!"

The components on Zephyr's mechanical arm began to spin at high speed.

With the added kinetic force.

Zephyr's strength instantly rose to a new level.

He threw a devastating punch straight at Lin Yan.

Lin Yan remained perfectly composed.

He raised one hand before him.

And effortlessly blocked Zephyr's fully charged strike.

"Smashing Destruction Ray!!"

Zephyr unleashed his power once more, and his mechanical arm shone with a brilliant radiance.

No matter how he exerted himself, however, he could not get what he wanted.

Every attack was blocked by Lin Yan.

Watching Lin Yan intercept his attacks again and again.

Zephyr raised his brows.

Lin Yan was putting immense pressure on him.

This guy.

Just who was he?

Before he could continue thinking.

The power of the Goro Goro no Mi erupted from Lin Yan's hand. "My turn!"

"Crackle, crackle—!"

In an instant.

Thunder roared and lightning flashed, silver serpent-like bolts spreading around Lin Yan.

The surging lightning was like radiance tearing through the sky.

It shot into the clouds and blasted the heavens.

It was an aura of unparalleled brilliance.

"Thunder Dragon!"

Empowered by the vast lightning.

A Thunder Dragon appeared out of thin air.

The Thunder Dragon coiled around Lin Yan, making him look as though a thunder god had descended.

Even his figure seemed to grow towering and majestic.

Then.

Lin Yan pointed at Zephyr with one hand.

The Thunder Dragon, condensed to its fiercest state, let out a roar. Its dragon cry shook everything, waves of sound spreading as endless lightning filled the air, and it charged toward Zephyr with overwhelming force.

At that moment.

The entire world lost its color.

Time seemed to have frozen.

"What terrifying power!"

Feeling the horror of the lightning, Zephyr's expression changed slightly.

He hurriedly activated his strongest defense.

Trying to withstand Lin Yan's attack.

Just then.

Mysterious tomoe appeared in Lin Yan's eyes once again.

The Mangekyo Sharingan opened.

A dazzling crimson light flickered within them.

"Genjutsu!"

He directly imprinted the genjutsu into Zephyr's pupils.

Although genjutsu was rather overpowered.

Especially against people like Ain, where it was remarkably effective.

Zephyr was still a Marine Admiral.

And a man who had endured the ravages of these seas!

His strength.

His willpower.

Were beyond those of ordinary people!

Even Lin Yan's genjutsu.

Could only slow him down for one or two seconds.

One or two seconds sounded short.

But for a powerhouse.

Especially a top-tier, transcendent powerhouse like Lin Yan.

One or two seconds.

Were enough to turn the tide of battle!

Just as Zephyr slowed.

The Thunder Dragon slammed into his defenseless body.

"Pfft—!"

A piercing sound rang out as lightning at its most intense crashed into Zephyr's body.

Even he could not withstand the Thunder Dragon's impact.

The Thunder Dragon pierced through Zephyr's body.

Behind Zephyr, several great mountains were all pierced through by the Thunder Dragon, blasting open a sky-reaching path across the battlefield.

The scale of the scene.

Made the entire Sabaody Archipelago tremble violently!

Seeing this.

Ain, who had not believed Lin Yan could defeat her teacher in one exchange, was utterly shocked!

Her teacher, Black Arm Zephyr.

Though he had now resigned from the Marines, was nearing eighty, and had greatly declined in strength.

At the end of the day.

He had once been a Marine Admiral!

A starving camel was still bigger than a horse.

Looking across these seas.

Who could claim to settle her teacher in a single exchange?

Even Whitebeard would only be left sighing helplessly.

Ain's little mouth formed an "O."

With an incredulous look on her face, she stared blankly at the man standing amid the lightning.

He...

How had he done it?

"Not bad power."

Lin Yan waved his hand, dispersing all the lightning around him.

With his current strength.

Even if he encountered someone truly at the Admiral-Emperor level.

He would not be afraid in the slightest.

Much less Zephyr before him, whose strength had already fallen out of the Admiral ranks.

Although Zephyr had been defeated.

He was only barely alive.

He still had one last breath in him.

As the person involved.

He understood Lin Yan's strength better than anyone!

How old was Lin Yan?

He looked barely over twenty.

Yet he possessed Admiral-Emperor level strength at just over twenty!

Even he himself.

Even Garp, Roger, and other supreme figures of their era.

Had only barely entered this level.

When they were in their thirties or forties.

Though weakened, Zephyr still asked in an incredulous tone, "You... how did you gain such strength at just over twenty?"

Hearing Zephyr's words.

Lin Yan clasped his hands behind his back with the air of an old man and said in a firm, resounding voice, "Naturally, through diligence and hard work!"

Dili...

Diligence? Hard work?

By being a little more diligent and working a little harder.

One could reach the Admiral-Emperor level at just over twenty?

If someone else had said that.

Perhaps they would have believed it.

But who was Zephyr?

That was the man who had cultivated multiple admiral-level figures.

He had supplied the Navy with fresh blood.

He was the man who had laid the Navy's foundation!

He knew full well how difficult it was to achieve something like that.

Can you fucking make it any more absurd?

Even Ace, who carried Roger's bloodline, was only in his early twenties and had barely reached commander level!

He was still one step away from Admiral-Emperor level.

I believe you, my ass.

You little brat, you're rotten to the core!

Actually.

For Lin Yan.

The so-called rewards of heaven for diligence.

The reason Lin Yan possessed his current strength and status.

Had everything to do with his hard work and sweat.

His terrifying comprehension.

His earth-shattering talent.

Either one of them was among the very best in the entire Grand Line.

To put it bluntly.

The reason Lin Yan had reached this point today.

Was because of his unwavering will, far surpassing that of ordinary people, that he had climbed to the pinnacle of the New World.

So...

Enough talking. This young master is going fishing!

"Who exactly are you?"

Watching Lin Yan spout nonsense, Zephyr no longer dwelled on how strong he was. He wanted to know Lin Yan's identity.

"Lin Yan, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' Seventeenth Division!"

Lin Yan replied calmly.

Upon learning that Lin Yan came from the Whitebeard Pirates, Zephyr recalled the division captain who had dominated the headlines recently. "So it was you!"

"The Seventeenth Division was just established, and we need people. That's why I'm looking to recruit fresh blood."

"So, former Navy admiral, shall we have a talk?"

Lin Yan said with a smile.

After this battle.

The two of them could be considered acquainted through a fight.

As for Zephyr.

Lin Yan still had a favorable impression of him.

Just then.

The system issued its congratulations.

One of Lin Yan's missions.

Had been completed!

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Mission Three has been completed.]

[Mission Three: Defeat a top-tier powerhouse of the Grand Line!]

[Current Progress: Defeated former Navy Admiral Black Arm Zephyr.]

[Reward Obtained: 30 bait]