Silverback Great Ape, the Slaughter Begins

But Loa could no longer hear him. Ravenous with hunger, he pushed his speed to the limit and closed in on the gorilla sitting on the hillside eating fruit at a pace that even made Zephyr sigh in admiration.

"Silverback Great Ape!"

Inside the warship's monitoring room, numerous vice admirals slammed their hands onto the table and rose to their feet, anxiously watching Loa's back on the screen and the Silverback Great Ape, which had noticed its enemy and raised its head.

"It's still alive? I remember it was already living on this island more than ten years ago." One vice admiral stared intently at the gorilla, recalling the time he had taken the recruit examination. Back then, he had nearly been beaten to death by this very gorilla.

"Admiral Zephyr, give the order to deploy! It's still not an opponent Loa can defeat!"

Momonga looked anxiously at Zephyr. He had been the one to bring Loa off that isolated island, and Loa had also felt close to the first familiar person he met after crossing over, so the two had always gotten along well.

Zephyr did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Kuzan, who was sleeping soundly. Just moments ago, he had clearly seen the corner of Kuzan's mouth curl upward. Though subtle and quickly concealed, Zephyr had still caught it.

He asked in a deep voice, "Kuzan, this isn't training. One mistake could cost someone their life! Tell me honestly, can Loa handle that beast or not?"

Hearing Zephyr's words, Kuzan knew he could not keep pretending to sleep. "Well, who knows~"

Kuzan said lazily, rolling over and leaning sideways against his chair.

Zephyr's eyes blazed as though he wanted to devour someone.

No one was more anxious than him about the decline of Marine recruits in recent years. Loa was not just an ordinary recruit; he was also a disciple Zephyr had acknowledged, an important fighting force for the Marines' future!

Kuzan's indifferent attitude made it seem as though he did not care about Loa's life or death at all!

"And you call yourself his teacher!"

Zephyr immediately slammed his fist onto the table in rage. Armament Haki had somehow already wrapped around his hand, and the sturdy steel tabletop was smashed into a deep dent.

His imposing eyes glared fiercely at Kuzan, and undisguised anger filled Zephyr's voice. "Kuzan! Answer my question!"

"Oh dear, Teacher is angry."

Kuzan slowly sat upright, only to lazily prop his chin up with one hand again. Meeting Zephyr's vicious glare head-on, Kuzan said without concern, "Don't be so angry, Teacher. Look, I'm not worried at all."

"You!"

Just as Zephyr was about to say something, a flash of insight suddenly struck his mind.

That was right! Loa was not merely his disciple; he was also the disciple of the tall man before him. Though Kuzan had never been willing to admit it verbally, after this past month, he had already tacitly accepted the title.

If that was the case, what gave Kuzan the confidence not to worry?

Unless...

Thinking of this, Zephyr seemed to understand. He turned back toward the screen.

Seeing his expression, Kuzan knew Zephyr had figured it out. He lay back down in his chair and pulled down his sleep mask, chuckling softly. "Looks like you finally noticed, Teacher. That kid Loa might not be able to maintain a continuous transformation like other Zoan users, but once he transforms, his strength is no weaker than a vice admiral at Marine Headquarters~"

No weaker than a vice admiral at Marine Headquarters—didn't that mean he already possessed the strength of a Headquarters vice admiral!

Hearing Kuzan's words, everyone stared at the screen in shock.

That ordinary-looking fellow, only 175 centimeters tall and even rather skinny, actually had vice admiral-level strength? Without Haki, he did not even know the Six Powers!

For some reason, hearing the exclamations around him made Kuzan feel very comfortable. His heart swelled with an inexplicable sense of pride, feeling better than taking half a year off.

After a pause, Kuzan continued explaining to Zephyr. Right now, he wanted to show off, especially in front of his own teacher.

"Mythical Zoan Fruits are even rarer than Logia Fruits. So no one can say for certain what Mythical Zoan users are like. Aside from getting motion sickness from every form of transportation, Loa's Giant Dragon Fruit has another flaw: he can't achieve a complete transformation."

"Because the power of dragons from legend is too strong for him to control right now. To master that power, he developed that move to achieve transformation. Well, he went through quite a bit of hardship just to create a move that lets him transform for a short time."

"But being able to grow to this level in just one month, that really is..."

By the end, Kuzan's tone had become somewhat wistful.

A month ago, even if he stood still, he could have destroyed Loa's strongest roaring attack. Yet one month later, even an Ice Bomb casually thrown out by Loa could pose a lethal threat to him. Loa's close-combat prowess had also improved by leaps and bounds, and even Kuzan needed to use thirty percent of his strength to shatter that hard Ice Armor.

Whether it was talent, effort, or Fruit development, Loa's rate of growth made Kuzan take notice.

At this rate, Loa might possess genuine Admiral-level strength before he turned twenty. That was Kuzan's assessment.

But that was not what exhausted Kuzan the most.

During the final week, he had sorrowfully discovered that his Ice-Ice Fruit was actually restrained by Loa's powers in terms of attributes!

They were clearly both ice, yet their relationship was one of superiority and inferiority! In other words, even without using Haki, Loa could strike Kuzan's true body with ice attacks!

How was this game supposed to be played?

Somewhat lost, Kuzan had already begun considering his retirement life.

"Teacher is already old, and his body is getting worse by the day. Maybe taking over his role at Headquarters and training recruits in the future would be a good choice."

After hearing Kuzan's words, Zephyr fell silent.

He had still underestimated Loa. Although he would secretly watch the two train whenever he had time, he did not understand Loa's true combat strength as clearly as Kuzan did.

Vice admirals at Marine Headquarters and vice admirals in the branches belonged to entirely different tiers in terms of strength. Since Kuzan had specifically used the words "Headquarters," even if it was only a short-lived burst, it meant Loa truly possessed that level of power.

At that moment, Momonga was the most affected. He stared blankly at Loa as he leaped through the air, recalling what Zephyr had said when Loa first joined the Marines.

"Wiping out a pirate crew with a 5,000-berry bounty in one move—I admit his strength is decent. But right now, he is still just a child. He has a long road ahead of him."

In Zephyr's eyes, "children" specifically referred to disciples whose strength was below the rank of commodore. Since Zephyr had said that back then, it meant Loa's strength had only been hovering around the officer ranks at the time.

And now...

"In one month, you've grown this much already, Loa?" Momonga said with a sigh. "That really is... terrifying talent."

Food! Food!

As Loa moved rapidly through the air, he had no idea that Kuzan was showing him off aboard the warship as someone else's exemplary child. Right now, only one thought filled his mind.

I need to eat!

Separated by several hundred meters, the Silverback Great Ape suddenly raised its head and let out a savage roar in Loa's direction.

"Roar!!!"

With its movement, the forest instantly erupted into commotion. Countless animals looked over in panic. What had happened? Why was the king of the island angry?

"It sensed my hostility from this far away? Not bad. But that's how it should be—otherwise, what fun would there be in hunting you!"

That foul stench hit him head-on. Loa opened his mouth wide and sprang high into the air.

"What kind of bark is that, a dog barking from afar? This is what you call a roar!"

Ice Dragon's Roar!

Boom!

An Ice Tornado more than ten meters wide rapidly formed in the air and howled toward the Silverback Great Ape. The biting cold instantly froze the moisture and particles in the air, turning them into countless ice shards that were swept along by the Ice Tornado as it charged straight at the ape.

The Ice Tornado was so violent that the Silverback Great Ape immediately felt a powerful sense of danger. It roared, uprooted a tree over ten meters tall beside it, and hurled it viciously toward the tornado.

But how could an ordinary tree withstand Loa's greatly strengthened ultimate move? The moment it struck the Ice Tornado, it was swallowed without even causing a ripple, turning into massive chunks of ice that slammed into the Silverback Great Ape before exploding.

Rumble!

The explosions rang out without end, and the resulting shockwaves pushed the frigid air in every direction. Cold winds began to howl as flowers, grass, trees, insects, fish, birds, and beasts were instantly frozen. A patch of pure white ice abruptly appeared within the lush green forest. From above, it looked like a bucket of white paint had been splashed across a green canvas.

Roar!

The Silverback Great Ape let out a miserable scream that echoed across the entire island as the Ice Tornado pushed it along the ground, gouging out a trench dozens of meters long.

On the deserted island, the naked law of the jungle taught Loa that whoever struck first gained the advantage, while whoever struck late suffered—and also...

Strike while the iron was hot and finish them off!

Before the cold wind dispersed, Loa leaped down from the sky. Two ice blades formed beneath his feet, and he used the icy path created by Ice Dragon's Roar to race toward the center of the explosions.

Once he got closer, Loa slammed his hands together, spread his palms, and aimed at the massive figure in the smoke. "Ice Bomb!"

"Rapid Fire!"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several piercing sounds rang out as cone-shaped blocks of ice whipped up gusts and ice shards, striking the Silverback Great Ape like cannonballs. Then, rumble, rumble, rumble—a series of explosions once again echoed across the isolated island. Even on the other side of the island, the air could be felt trembling.

The scene resembled a Buster Call's cannon barrage. Countless chunks of ice and dirt were blasted into the air, making the explosions even more destructive.

"What happened?"

"What was that sound just now? Were the warships firing their cannons?"

Elsewhere in the forest, the other recruits raised their heads in bewilderment and looked toward the depths of the dense woods.

"Moo!"

"Gurgle gurgle!"

"Baa~"

The forest became lively at once. Countless animals fled for their lives, turning from scattered groups into a massive herd, then into a full-blown beast tide.

The battle was taking place in the territory of the island's king, the Silverback Great Ape. That scream had truly terrified them. Moreover, most animals feared loud noises; it was instinct engraved into their genes.

This made things miserable for the recruits on the island. They were already weak enough that they might have had a chance against a single beast, but against a beast tide, they were no tougher than a blade of grass by the roadside.

"Run! The beast tide is coming!"

"Climb the trees! They can't climb trees!"

Some clever fellows shouted as they scrambled up trees in a few quick movements, hugging the trunks and praying.

"Don't get knocked down~ Don't get knocked down~"

Inside the warship's monitoring room, the Marines stared dumbfoundedly at the surveillance footage, cold sweat trickling down their temples.

Just now, it had clearly only been the beasts within the Silverback Great Ape's range of activity fleeing for their lives. Why had it turned into a beast tide?

"Well, get ready to work. Otherwise, our cute new recruits are going to suffer heavy casualties."

Vice Admiral Momonga stood up and spoke to his colleagues, then looked toward Zephyr.

Zephyr clicked his tongue, staring in frustration at Loa, who was still continuously firing Ice Bombs on the screen. In the image, Loa was attacking with murderous intent while swallowing his saliva.

Sensing Momonga's gaze, he sighed and waved his hand. "Go on, go on. Remember to notify those people hiding on the island. Save whoever you can."

"Yes!"

Momonga and the others saluted, pushed open the cabin door, and hurried toward the island.

Fortunately, the examination had only just begun. Aside from Loa, the others were not far from the shore, so the chances of them facing mortal danger were low.

After all the officers had left, Zephyr gave Kuzan a strange look. "I admit his strength has grown terrifyingly over the past month, but didn't you teach him how to cause less trouble?"

Kuzan's face stiffened as he pulled down his sleep mask and refused to look at him.

Thanks to readers Book Friend, Book Friend 01***, Bookworm 759, Book Friend 189***, Behind the Night Curtain (I'm really curious what those asterisks are), Yi Xiangkai, Black Ghost Impermanence, Book Friend 14***, Broken Soul of the Remaining Night Dream, Jusie, Book Friend 40***, All Things Without Rain P, Baise Baise Crow, Penglai Immortal Venerable, ZAF001, Recalling丶Sentimental Person, Book Friend 190, Big Big Big Yuzu, Book Friend 105**, Ningning's Counterattack, Book Friend 151***, and Book Friend 107*** for their recommendation support.

Because of the display limit in the mobile assistant, the endings of many readers' IDs cannot be seen, so "*" is used in their place.