Still a Little Short

Remember in one second[] or enter the website on your phone: iashu, massive collection of free books to read and download.

The rising sun broke through the dawn, and new light illuminated the entire world!

Today, many people were looking forward to it, because today's battles would be incomparable to those of the previous days. The fights would undoubtedly be far more spectacular than before!

There were many more people in the stands. Before it had even begun, some were already cheering on the cadets or friends they favored.

The thrilling moment began with the arrival of the major referee.

"First match: Smoker versus Sakazuki."

Right from the start, it was a battle between two Logia users. Things were getting intense!

"Do your best."

Before he went up, Vergo patted Smoker on the shoulder. Compared to Sakazuki, Smoker was still a little lacking in strength, and Smoker himself knew it.

Even so, he would not retreat. Even if he lost, he would lose with dignity.

"Even if you lose, make sure he doesn't get off easy." Ye Chen said only that, but Smoker's tense expression immediately relaxed.

"If I lose, you two had better win back some face for me."

Completely at ease, having taken off his weights yesterday, Smoker shrugged. After saying that to Vergo and Ye Chen, he headed straight into the arena, since Sakazuki was already waiting for him.

"Go, Smoker! Go, Smoker!"

There was no need to guess. Hina and the other two must have been in the stands, shouting encouragement through megaphones.

No explanation needed—they were cheering for their friend, regardless of whether he was an opponent!

"Sakazuki."

With his usual expressionless face, Sakazuki did not treat Smoker with the same arrogance he showed other contestants. Simply because Smoker was a Logia user, Sakazuki afforded him a certain degree of respect.

"Smoker."

Taking a deep breath, Smoker's gaze instantly sharpened. This time, he would give it everything he had.

"I'm not looking down on you, but you should just surrender. You're not my opponent."

Sakazuki looked at Smoker calmly.

"I know." Yet Smoker was even calmer, smoke already beginning to billow from his body.

"Then come on!"

The temperature soared as half of Sakazuki's body began to emit smoke and dripping molten lava.

White Fist.

Right from the start, dense, impenetrable smoke transformed into a fist. Like a barren mountain, it crashed toward Sakazuki.

Sizzle!

The ground scorched and magma surged. Sakazuki clenched his fist, and a magma fist carrying tremendous impact collided with the White Fist. After only a brief pause, it pushed forward with unstoppable force.

Gritting his teeth, Smoker retreated continuously. Thick smoke churned behind him, and countless smoke-formed spears shot toward Sakazuki.

Watching the whistling attacks approach, Sakazuki merely frowned, then allowed them to pierce through his body. Smoker's Armament Haki was still unable to infuse his ability.

The clash between magma and smoke had already determined which possessed greater destructive power!

From the outset, Smoker had been at a disadvantage. Sakazuki was truly formidable, and his strength was immense.

Sakazuki's cleverest move was to imitate a volcanic eruption with his magma ability. That kind of impact was like a meteor crashing into the ground, enough to shatter everything.

Every strike of Sakazuki's fist weighed as heavily as an island. Combined with magma's properties, it made Smoker suffer miserably.

Moreover, Sakazuki's Armament Haki was stronger than Smoker's.

An hour later, Smoker lay on the ground, covered in wounds, his chest heaving violently. Not far away, blood seeped from the corner of Sakazuki's mouth, and his face was somewhat flushed.

"I lost."

Lying on the ground and watching Sakazuki approach from afar, Smoker unwillingly unclenched his fist.

"You're quite good." Standing at the edge of a crater, Sakazuki wiped the blood from his mouth, seeming to acknowledge Smoker somewhat.

"Sakazuki wins!"

Looking at the utterly ruined ground, the major referee stepped forward, his eyes twitching. These two were actually stronger than he was.

"Next match: Vergo versus Kuzan."

The major then announced the second showdown.

Watching Kuzan and Vergo in the center, Ye Chen frowned slightly below. If nothing unexpected happened, his opponent would likely be Borsalino, which would be troublesome.

Apparently, Borsalino had guessed as much as well, because he glanced at Ye Chen from the other side.

Their gazes met. There were no sparks between them. It was troublesome, but that did not mean defeat was certain.

For now, however, everyone's attention was fixed on the arena.

"Kuzan." The originally lazy Kuzan became serious the moment he stepped onto the field.

"Vergo." Clenching both fists, Vergo looked at Kuzan and felt pressure like never before.

The temperature plummeted instantly. Frosty breath spilled from Kuzan's mouth, and icy mist drifted from his body.

Whoosh! The ground exploded as Vergo vanished from where he stood, appearing above Kuzan out of thin air. The muscles in his right arm tightened as black Armament Haki instantly covered it. He went all out from the very beginning.

Crack!

Kuzan's entire body shattered in midair, turning into fragments of ice that scattered in all directions.

Though his attack had landed, Vergo's tense face did not relax. Instead, it grew even more solemn.

Ice Spear.

A biting chill assaulted him, and Vergo felt his body stiffen. On his right, Kuzan instantly condensed into form, gripping an ice spear and thrusting it at Vergo.

Spinning away at high speed, Vergo narrowly avoided the spear. He could clearly feel that the skin it had brushed had already gone completely numb.

He kicked out, his leg howling through the air. This time, Kuzan did not turn into ice. Instead, he spread his arms and embraced Vergo.

Death Embrace.

A chill ran down Vergo's spine. Without a second thought, he forcibly withdrew his attack and vanished from the spot.

After flashing away several times and opening the distance, Vergo breathed heavily. He moved his body to dispel the stiffness, then watched Kuzan solemnly.

Kuzan, meanwhile, looked at Vergo with some surprise. He had not expected his opponent to abandon the attack without even attempting to resist.

Huff.

Letting out a heavy breath, Vergo's body suddenly swelled. Black Armament Haki spread across more than half his body.

In the stands, Garp lowered his feet from his seat while eating a donut, staring at Vergo in surprise.

"This kid has given me quite a surprise."

"Return Life. Even if he has only just awakened it, it is enough to show this kid's talent in physical arts," Tsuru said, equally astonished.

"His Armament Haki has actually materialized to this extent."

"You have all underestimated this kid." Only Zephyr had expected it all along.

In terms of physical arts alone, Zephyr thought most highly of Vergo. Even Ye Chen fell a little short—that was Zephyr's assessment of Vergo.

Even Kong, seated at the head, had his eyes light up as a smile appeared on his face.

Even if Vergo lost this time, his future would still be boundless.

After all, among the Navy's highest combat powers, the greatest number were physical arts experts. Kong, Garp, and Zephyr were all masters of physical arts and Haki. To earn the appreciation of those three showed just how much potential Vergo possessed in physical arts.