The Training Incident Ends

Thunderclouds still churned above the training ground, with lightning serpents dancing wildly, but Zephyr—the man who had been blasted to one knee—slowly rose to his feet.

Scorch marks from the lightning still smoked across his body, his skin charred and mottled by the shocks, yet he showed not the slightest intention of retreating.

Instead, the moment he lifted his head, he seemed like a colossal beast that had been completely set ablaze.

"Whew—"

With that exhale of stale air, his fighting spirit surged several times stronger than before, blazing skyward like flames and making the air hum.

High in the sky, Rock hovered in the heart of the thunderclouds, his brows and eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.

Seeing Zephyr rise again, he grinned. "Just as expected of you."

His right hand rose, and lightning immediately shot up along his arm. The thunderclouds across the sky rumbled and shook violently.

That stance—

He was clearly preparing to summon Heavenly Punishment again!

The Marine soldiers below were still sprawled everywhere. They had only just recovered from their temporary blindness caused by the blinding lightning, and the ringing in their ears had not fully faded when they saw Rock raise his hand again.

In an instant, everyone cried out in despair. "Hey, hey, hey, hey!! H-He's doing it again?! Again?!!"

"We've got nowhere left to hide!!!"

"Is this still training?! This is the end of the world!!!"

The training ground was a complete mess, as though it had just endured a small-scale war.

But Zephyr grinned atop the ruins.

Blood stained the corner of his mouth, while his eyes shone brightly. "Kid, I haven't lost yet!"

He stomped down hard!

Crack—!!!

The ground shattered like a sandcake, cracks racing outward for dozens of meters.

His fighting spirit soared into the heavens, echoing Rock's lightning from afar.

The two were like raging storms, one from the sky and one from the earth, about to clash head-on once more.

The air tightened. At the very peak of the crisis—

A burst of golden light exploded!

"You two are not allowed to continue—!!!"

The earth trembled along with that furious roar!

Blinding golden light exploded between them with a boom!!!, illuminating the entire training ground as brightly as day.

A massive golden Buddha descended from the sky!

—It was Sengoku in Buddha Form!!!

The broad body of the golden Buddha landed steadily between Zephyr and Rock. Like a heavenly pillar planted in the earth, it forcibly severed their fighting spirits.

The overly shocked Marine soldiers nearly thought another natural disaster had arrived.

Before they could react, Tsuru landed lightly beside Zephyr and patted his shoulder. "You hot-blooded idiot... you're going to tear Marine Headquarters apart."

Her voice was gentle, but helpless.

As soon as she spoke, Zephyr stiffened. Only then did he come to his senses and look around—

Marine soldiers lay scattered everywhere, thirty percent unconscious and seventy percent trembling;

The training ground had cracked apart, slashed with dozens of charred black trenches;

The surrounding buildings were split open as though an earthquake had struck;

And a thundercloud vortex capable of destroying a city still hung overhead.

He paused for three seconds, and his fighting spirit vanished with a whoosh, leaving not even a shadow behind.

Zephyr's expression collapsed. "Ah... Fleet Admiral Kong is going to scold me to death..."

Sengoku maintained his Buddha Form, golden light radiating from his body while his face was dark as the bottom of a pot. "You two... did you take Headquarters for a battlefield in the New World?!"

At that moment, the thunder in the sky gradually fell silent as well.

Garp floated in front of Rock using Geppo, grinning shamelessly. "Kid, if you strike one more time, Headquarters might collapse!"

Rock: "..."

He took a deep breath and helplessly lowered the hand he had raised to unleash Heavenly Punishment.

"Zzt—"

As his arm lowered, the lightning faded bit by bit from his shoulder, wrist, and fingertips.

"Whoosh—"

The thunderclouds blanketing the sky seemed to receive a recall order as well. They rapidly collapsed from the center, dispersed, and were blown apart by the wind into fragments of white cloud.

The moment they dispersed, it felt as though someone had dragged the training ground back from hell and into reality.

The next moment, sunlight broke through the gaps in the clouds.

Slanting golden rays shone upon the training ground torn apart by lightning:

Charred cracks, shattered stone slabs, weapons blasted away, soldiers strewn about, Marine caps scattered all over the ground... under the sunlight, everything seemed especially real.

As the sunlight fell, the Marine soldiers finally recovered from the pressure of the lightning, the aftershocks, and the explosions.

Some clutched their chests and gasped for breath;

Some touched their faces with trembling hands to make sure they were still alive;

Even more simply stared blankly at the sky.

"W-We survived..."

"I thought I was going to evaporate..."

"For a moment, I even saw my great-grandmother..."

Their voices came in fragments, swaying around the training ground like lingering aftershocks.

They looked at the figure slowly descending, bathed in a faint golden glow from the sun.

The person who had covered the entire island with thunderclouds, driven back Zephyr with Thunder Dragon, and shaken Marine Headquarters with lightning—the true embodiment of a "natural disaster."

Respect.

Fear.

Worship.

In that sunlit moment, those feelings seemed carved into the heart of every Marine soldier.

Even though he was merely a youth who had just joined the Marines.

Even though he had no rank yet.

Even though he had not yet put on a proper Marine uniform.

But everyone knew it: the Marines had welcomed a monster capable of changing the era.

Though the disturbance had settled, Marineford still bore the scorch marks and explosive traces of lightning, as though it had endured a war.

Sengoku and the other two had stopped the battle in time, but the post-battle meeting did not bring the severe punishment everyone expected.

Fleet Admiral Kong instead sat in his chair and laughed loudly. "This kid is excellent!"

"The Marines need monsters like this who can suppress the entire battlefield!!"

He even stated clearly that Rock's extraordinary combat strength was a valuable asset to the Marines.

Rather than feeling resentment, the Headquarters soldiers' admiration only soared. That showed how fiercely he had stirred their fighting spirit.

Sengoku held his forehead. "Fleet Admiral Kong, are you praising them or indulging them?"

Kong replied, "Both! Hahahaha!"

To maintain "military discipline," the two received a symbolic punishment—

They were ordered to repair the Headquarters buildings they had destroyed themselves.

The sunset was like blood, gilding the half-collapsed rooftops.

Beside the training ground stood a building damaged by the impact of Thunder Dragon. Two highly conspicuous figures stood there now.

Zephyr was bare-chested, holding a wooden board in one hand and swinging a hammer with the other.

Thud—thud—thud!!

His force was steady and his rhythm precise. Every nail seemed to strike out his iron-blooded will.

Rock stood on the other side and casually raised a hand.

"Zzt—"

Pale blue arcs danced across his fingertips, and tiny lightning needles automatically pierced through the wooden boards, instantly driving the nails into place.

Tap—tap—tap—

He moved so quickly that even the Marine soldiers nearby could not keep up with his rhythm.

Zephyr shot him a glare from the corner of his eye, his face as dark as Armament Haki. "Can you... stop using lightning to hammer nails?!"

Rock raised a brow. "But it's faster this way."

Zephyr's mouth twitched. "Th-This is punishment labor, not a chance for you to show off!!"

Rock nodded seriously. "I'm not showing off. I'm just doing my best to complete the task."

"..."

Zephyr said nothing and silently hammered three nails.

When he glanced at Rock's side again, Rock had already repaired the entire roof.

"Tap."

The nail in Zephyr's hand nearly bent from his grip.

He muttered under his breath, "It's just... a flashy ability... hmph."

The Marine soldiers who had volunteered to help nearby were holding back laughter until their stomachs hurt.

"Senior Rock! I'll carry the materials for you!"

"Vice Admiral Zephyr! I'll secure this side!"

"Mr. Rock's Thunder Dragon was so cool! Please let me become your subordinate!!!"

The entire repair site was as lively as a celebration banquet.

Veins bulged on Zephyr's forehead as he watched the soldiers all over the place calling Rock "Lord Rock" and "Senior Rock."

"Hey, kid, he's still a rookie! Why are you all calling him 'Lord' and 'Senior'?!"

The sunset slanted across their backs.

Zephyr drove in the final nail with force and sighed. "Seriously... how did I end up losing to a monster like you?"

Rock stood at the edge of the roof as the wind brushed across his face. "We can have another fight later."

Zephyr glared fiercely. "No! At least wait until Headquarters is repaired!!"

Rock said, "Then I'll master Armament Haki first."

Zephyr said, "Why does that sound even more dangerous?!"

In the distance, Garp leaned against a pillar, munching on rice crackers as he watched the two.

"Wahahaha!! Being young is great—!!!"

(PS: Current timeline: Zephyr is 32, Tsuru is 34, Garp is 36, and Sengoku is 37.)