Battle, That Felt Great! (Please Keep Reading!)

It seemed Garp had noticed Beiyuan Heng's gaze. He tossed all the rice crackers in his hand into his mouth and said,

"Kid, I have no plans to take on a disciple."

Seeing that his thoughts had been exposed, Beiyuan Heng awkwardly grinned before turning to Zephyr.

"Though I've long heard of Admiral Zephyr's strength, I also want to see just how large the gap between an admiral and me really is."

"Hahaha!" Zephyr burst out laughing. "You're quite the arrogant kid! Fine, fine, I'll show you what an admiral is."

As he spoke, Zephyr waved a hand, signaling Ain and Binz to follow him.

"Come on, let's go to the training grounds. It'll be a good chance to test your strength."

At the training grounds.

Beiyuan Heng and Zephyr stood facing each other.

Beiyuan Heng looked at Zephyr, who stood half a meter taller than him, without the slightest fear. His eyes brimmed with fighting spirit.

Seeing the battle intent in Beiyuan Heng's eyes, Zephyr said approvingly, "I won't take advantage of you, kid. You're a Marine commodore, right? I'll try to keep my strength at your level and have a match with you."

Ain and Binz watched the two about to fight with curious expressions.

The two of them could also be considered Zephyr's disciples. Their talent was fairly good, and despite their young age, they had already attained the rank of major.

Most people their age were still doing menial work.

Zephyr had brought them along to watch this battle partly so they could witness a higher level of power.

Suddenly—

The figures of Zephyr and Beiyuan Heng vanished from their sight.

The battle had begun, and dust instantly filled the air.

The two had already begun exchanging punches!

Yet they had not even seen how the two had moved!

Boom!

A tall figure shot backward from the swirling dust.

It was actually Zephyr!

Ain and Binz looked shocked.

How was that possible? An admiral had been sent flying?!

Although Admiral Zephyr had restrained his strength to the level of a commodore, there was no way a newly appointed commodore should have been able to knock him flying, right?

Yet it had really happened...

Zephyr rose to his feet and dusted himself off.

An attack of that level could not injure his body at all, even without Armament Haki.

Still, the kid's strength had exceeded his expectations.

"You really hid yourself well, kid."

"That strength isn't something a commodore should possess."

He had not expected Beiyuan Heng's strength to be so great. Caught off guard for a moment, he had actually been knocked flying.

Zephyr's eyes were filled with surprise and admiration as he looked at Beiyuan Heng.

Meanwhile, Beiyuan Heng did not sit still. He stomped down and charged straight at Zephyr.

Soru, Paper Arts, and Geppo activated in an instant!

"Geppo: Air Step: Soru!"

Combined with the effects of [Light as a Swallow (Blue)] and [Six Powers Peak (Blue)].

His speed surpassed human limits, and he shot toward Zephyr like a bolt of lightning!

This time, however, Zephyr was fully prepared.

He could see that lightning-fast figure clearly.

Seeing the other man's fist coming at him, Zephyr neither dodged nor retreated. He simply threw a punch straight at Beiyuan Heng's incoming fist.

Boom!!

For a moment, a thunderous roar resounded throughout the training grounds.

A visible white shockwave spread outward from the two of them.

"Plant Dance!"

Seeing that things were going wrong, Binz activated his Devil Fruit ability without hesitation.

A shield made from dozens of vines formed before him and Ain.

Even so, the vines were tossed about by the shockwave, breaking apart and falling one after another.

"How could they be this strong?"

Binz stared in shock at the collapsing vine shield.

If he remembered correctly, Beiyuan Heng was only four or five years older than them, wasn't he?

Could he really reach this level after another four or five years of training?

Or was this the difference between a Genius and an ordinary person?...

At the center of the battlefield.

Zephyr and Beiyuan Heng were constantly locked in a contest of strength.

This was the close-combat field Beiyuan Heng excelled at most.

[Steel and Iron Bones (Green)], [Great Strength (Green)], and [Iron Grip (Green)], together with the physical attributes constantly strengthened by [Big Eater (Green)], had given his hands astonishing power.

"To reach this level with pure physical strength and without using Haki is truly remarkable."

Feeling the force coming from their locked hands, Zephyr's smile became increasingly hearty.

His opponent's physical strength had already far surpassed the level of a commodore.

In fact, Beiyuan Heng's strength was already capable of causing some damage to his body...

Beiyuan Heng's physical talent was the greatest Zephyr had ever seen.

He even suspected that Beiyuan Heng might be a Zoan Devil Fruit user.

Meeting Beiyuan Heng's gaze, Zephyr caught a trace of smugness flash through his eyes.

"You brat, don't underestimate an admiral."

Zephyr's hands suddenly turned black as he openly unleashed Armament Haki.

"Are you ready? I'm going to use Haki."

Zephyr grinned, and the hands locked against Beiyuan Heng's suddenly exerted force.

This time, it was Beiyuan Heng who flew backward.

His body shot away like a cannonball, crashing straight toward the wall at the edge of the training grounds.

Feeling his body go out of control, Beiyuan Heng's body trembled like paper, dissipating the terrifying force.

In the end, he slowly landed before hitting the wall.

Looking at Admiral Zephyr, he smiled bitterly. "Admiral, isn't that bullying? Why are you using Haki too?"

"Pirates won't care whether you can use Haki or not," Zephyr said.

"I only said I'd use strength at the level of a commodore. I never said I wouldn't use Haki."

"As for you, hurry up and use your Haki too."

Beiyuan Heng said nothing, merely shaking out his hands.

Even for him, the exchange just now had left both hands somewhat numb.

That earlier clash of fists had even left bruises on his knuckles.

Yet as Beiyuan Heng shook his hands, the bruising visibly faded at a rapid pace.

"Oh? Not only is your physical strength impressive, even your recovery speed is this fast?"

"You really do keep giving me surprise after surprise, kid."

Seeing Beiyuan Heng recover so quickly, Zephyr could not help praising him again.

He had already known that Beiyuan Heng was Cipher Pol's strongest Genius in eight hundred years.

But after this exchange, he truly had not expected the strongest Genius in eight hundred years to be this formidable.

If Beiyuan Heng had fought him at this age.

There was no need to say it—he would not have been able to withstand even a single move.

Beiyuan Heng looked at the eager Zephyr, then glanced at the Visual Den Den Mushi above the training grounds.

"My Haki training is slow. It's the thing I'm least proud of."

Beiyuan Heng sighed. "I hope Admiral Zephyr can give me more guidance in the future."