The Birth of a Third Admiral-Level Combatant

Issho attacked once more, his swordsmanship defined by the word "exquisite."

In an instant.

Thousands of slashes enveloped Lin Yan.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

Blade light and sword shadows came in an endless stream.

Issho's slashes even caused brief distortions in space.

They were airtight, without the slightest opening to break through.

His blade could cleave through water, sharp beyond compare.

Everything.

Before Issho, seemed destined to be reduced to dust and cease to exist.

The two exchanged dozens of afterimages.

Yet neither gained the upper hand.

"Gravity Field!"

"Gravity Compression!"

"Ten-Thousandfold Gravity!"

Suddenly.

Issho clenched one hand, instantly unleashing the power of the Press-Press Fruit!

It would have been one thing if he had held back, but the moment he unleashed it, he brought out three of his trump cards at once.

The Press-Press Fruit.

It could generate gravitational waves and freely manipulate the strength and direction of gravity, including gravity, antigravity, pressure, repulsion, attraction, and more.

It possessed terrifying gravitational waves. Once struck by the user, one would be mildly trapped as though in a swamp, or severely crushed into pieces!

Issho imposed gravity upon Lin Yan.

Lin Yan felt as if two enormous mountains were pressing down on his shoulders.

Even his feet sank deeper into the ground.

It was as though the Mountain-Moving Sea-Turning Art had been cast upon him, slowing his entire body.

Lin Yan closed his eyes and sensed the burden on his body. "Is this... the power of the Press-Press Fruit?"

"Gravity Blade—Slash!!!"

Issho crouched slightly, shouted "Slash," then swung his blade.

He exerted his full strength.

A vast crescent-shaped slash emerged, hurtling toward Lin Yan like a meteor chasing the moon.

Its movement was incredibly swift.

Nothing could stand in its way!

"Good grief, you either do nothing or make a shocking entrance. The moment you strike, you use so many abilities to suppress me!"

"You really think highly of me!"

Although two mountains weighed upon his shoulders and his body had become sluggish, Lin Yan still dodged the roaring slash at once. At the same time, he did not forget to unleash Talk no Jutsu on Issho.

Issho remained silent.

However.

The movements of his hands.

Became even faster!

Because their battle was simply too fast.

Combined with their earlier clashes of pure strength.

Every collision was like the beating of war drums.

Each boom shook the heavens.

The stronger people.

Such as Zephyr and Ain, were doing all right.

But the other trainees were having a miserable time.

Before long.

Some were shaken so badly that they covered their ears.

Others had already suffered ruptured eardrums, blood streaming from them.

One had to know.

These people.

Were mostly trainees cultivated by Zephyr.

A large portion of them were elite officers who had come from the Marines!

Each of them could take on ten opponents alone.

Yet even so.

When they saw the terrifying battle between Lin Yan and Issho.

And found themselves unable to withstand even the shockwaves produced by their clash.

They could not help widening their eyes, their hearts filled with shock.

Was this the full-force collision of two top-tier powerhouses of the New World?

They did not even have the right to watch!

Lin Yan was still understandable.

At the very least, he was the universally acknowledged division commander.

Even Teacher Zephyr had been defeated by him.

As for Lin Yan's strength.

Everyone admired it greatly.

The problem was.

Who was this blind man?

Issho?

They had never even heard of him.

He was merely a passerby who had happened to land in their Seventeenth Division some time ago.

And yet?

Who could have imagined.

That a passerby they had encountered by chance before.

Would possess strength so terrifyingly powerful as well!

People said that top-tier powerhouses of the New World were everywhere.

They had not believed it before.

But now.

They did.

They could casually pick someone out from the sea.

And that person could fight their division commander to a draw.

Was that not far too terrifying?!

Although they did not know what level their division commander had truly reached.

He was at least at an admiral's level.

Yet this blind man was fighting their division commander on equal footing, neither able to defeat the other.

What did that mean?

The blind man before them.

Was probably at least admiral-level as well.

My god!

Since when.

Had admiral-level powerhouses become so cheap?

This was far too shocking!

The many trainees finally came to their senses.

No wonder he dared challenge the division commander.

This strength.

Surpassed everyone present!

As the battle continued for a long time.

More and more beads of sweat appeared on Issho's forehead.

Though he appeared evenly matched with Lin Yan over this extended battle.

In truth.

No matter what move Issho used.

Lin Yan had him completely under control.

It was as though his opponent had predicted his every direction of attack in advance.

No matter how hard Issho tried, he could never touch Lin Yan in the slightest.

Issho was also deeply confused.

Why did he feel as though Lin Yan had seen completely through him?

The reason Issho felt this way.

Was simple.

From the very beginning.

Lin Yan's Observation Haki and Mangekyō Sharingan had complemented one another as they were activated simultaneously.

Lin Yan had pushed both to their limits.

Observation Haki predicted the trajectory of Issho's swordsmanship.

The Mangekyō Sharingan precisely saw through every flaw in Issho's attacks.

As a result.

For a long time, Issho felt as though his fists were striking cotton.

He had strength but nowhere to use it.

As one side waned, the other waxed.

When Issho was drenched in sweat and his Stamina plummeted.

Lin Yan remained as calm as an ancient well, utterly unaffected.

The contrast between the two was stark.

"Gravity Blade—Kirin!!!"

This time.

Issho once again used his full-force strike, while terrifying gravitational force was imposed upon Lin Yan.

A kirin emerged from within the sword radiance.

The kirin locked onto Lin Yan.

And rammed into him!

Seeing Issho erupt with his full strength once again, Lin Yan naturally noticed that little power remained in him. "That's about enough!"

Lightning coiled around both of his hands.

The power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was unleashed to its utmost limit.

The Press-Press Fruit was one of the top Devil Fruits of the Grand Line.

But was his Rumble-Rumble Fruit any less so?

"One Billion Volts—Thunder God!!!"

If the ultimate move of the Mera Mera no Mi was Flame Emperor, and the ultimate move of the Dark-Dark Fruit was Dark Emperor.

Then the ultimate move of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was Thunder God!

In an instant.

A full one billion volts exploded outward like a violent eruption.

The sky turned gray, and rain fell in a soft patter.

Dark clouds pressed down overhead, black clouds churning endlessly.

Giant lightning covered the sky, sweeping down from above as though to erase everything.

At that moment.

Empowered by the boundless rumbling thunder.

Time itself seemed to freeze, the void seemed to vanish, and space seemed to shatter.

All matter ceased to exist within the Raging Thunder.

The lightning had become so brilliant that it could no longer be seen.

That terrifying power.

Crushed every shockwave Issho had unleashed before.

"What terrifying power!"

Issho's expression changed drastically as he tried to evade.

But.

There was no time at all.

"Rumble!!!"

In an instant.

The entire island was engulfed beneath Lin Yan's Thunder God.

Everything was drowned in lightning. Mist spread through the air, smoke and dust billowed, the island was scorched black, and the sea churned violently.

Nothing remained.

Inside the massive crater.

The exhausted Issho lay on the ground.

He knew.

He had lost.

Lost to Lin Yan before him.

In a clash of top-tier power.

He had been no match for Lin Yan at all.

The moment Issho fell.

Lin Yan had already withdrawn all the lingering aftereffects of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

He descended from the sky and landed before Issho. "Are you alright?"

Hearing Lin Yan's words.

Issho gave him a bitter "look," then sat up. "You held back!"

If that terrifying lightning had truly struck him.

Unless he was an insulator.

Otherwise.

Being reduced to ashes in an instant would have been the least of it!

One billion volts.

Just how immense was that power?!

"If I didn't hold back, was I really supposed to kill you?"

Lin Yan said with a laugh.

Kill Issho?

He could not bear to.

Issho lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

With this defeat.

As a result.

After Zephyr, Issho also became a member of Lin Yan's Seventeenth Division.

From then on.

Within the Seventeenth Division.

A third Admiral-level combatant had been born!