Fight-How Exhilarating!

It seemed Garp sensed Beiyuan Heng's gaze. He stuffed all the senbei 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 sheepishly grinned, then looked at Zephyr and said,

"I'd long heard of Admiral Zephyr's strength, but I also wanted to find out just how wide the gap between an admiral and me really was."

"Hahahaha!" Zephyr burst out laughing. "You're quite arrogant, kid! Fine, fine. Let me show you what an admiral is."

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

"Come on. Let's head to the training grounds and test your strength while we're at it."

At the training grounds.

Beiyuan Heng and Zephyr stood facing one another.

Beiyuan Heng looked at Zephyr, who stood half a meter taller than him, without the slightest fear. His eyes were filled 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 men about to fight with curious expressions.

They were also Zephyr's disciples. They had decent talent and had already attained the rank of major at such a young age.

Most people their age were still sweeping floors.

Zephyr had called them over to watch this battle because he wanted them to witness a higher level of power.

Suddenly—

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 either of them moved!

Boom!

A towering figure was sent flying backward out of the billowing dust.

It was actually Zephyr!

Ain and Binz stared in astonishment.

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

Although Admiral Zephyr had restricted his strength to the Commodore level, he should not have been truly knocked away by a newly appointed Commodore, right?

Yet it had actually 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 your strength well, kid."

"That kind of power 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 by him.

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

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

Soru, Paper Arts, and Geppo were unleashed 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 the limits of humanity, as he shot toward Zephyr like a bolt of lightning!

But this time, Zephyr was fully prepared.

He could clearly see that lightning-fast figure.

As Beiyuan Heng's fist came hurtling toward him, Zephyr neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he threw a punch directly at Beiyuan Heng's incoming fist.

Boom!!

For a moment, a thunderous roar erupted across the entire training ground.

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

"Plant Dance!"

Realizing something was wrong, Binz immediately activated his Devil Fruit power.

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

Even so, the shockwave overturned the vines one after another, causing them to break apart and collapse.

"How could they be this strong?"

Binz stared in shock at the continuously falling 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 training for another four or five years?

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

At the center of the battlefield.

Zephyr and Beiyuan Heng continued to wrestle against each other's strength.

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

[Steel and Iron Bones (Green)] plus [Great Strength (Green)] plus [Iron Grip (Green)], combined with the physical qualities constantly enhanced by [Big Eater (Green)], gave his hands unbelievable strength.

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

Feeling the force coming through his hand, Zephyr's smile grew increasingly bold.

His opponent's physical strength had already far surpassed the Commodore level.

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

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

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

Meeting Beiyuan Heng's gaze, Zephyr saw a flicker of smugness in his eyes.

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

Zephyr's hands abruptly turned black as he used Armament Haki without the slightest restraint.

"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 was sent flying backward.

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

Feeling his body lose control, Beiyuan Heng trembled like a sheet of paper, dispersing that terrifying force.

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

He looked at Admiral Zephyr with a bitter smile. "Admiral, aren't you bullying me? Why are you using Haki too?"

"Pirates won't care whether you know Haki or not."

Zephyr said.

"I only said I would use strength at the Commodore level. I never said I wouldn't use Haki."

"You should hurry up and use your Haki too."

Beiyuan Heng said nothing and merely shook out his hands.

Even for him, that clash had left both hands somewhat numb.

That earlier exchange of punches had even left bruises on his fists.

But as Beiyuan Heng shook his hands, the bruising visibly began to fade.

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

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

Seeing how quickly Beiyuan Heng had recovered, 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 powerful.

If his opponent had fought him at this age.

There was no question—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 ground.

"My Haki training has been slow. It's the thing I'm least able to show off."

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