The Six Powers / Life Return

Atlas turned to look expressionlessly at the baffled Smoker. So you're the brat who got me into this mess!

"Sorry, you're too weak. I'm not interested." Atlas rejected Hina's challenge without hesitation. Fighting her couldn't compare to eating meat in the mess hall. She walked past Hina and headed straight there.

"Hey, boss, wait for me!" Smoker and the other two were stunned by her blunt refusal. Only when Atlas had walked away did they hurry after her.

Hina stayed where she was, watching Atlas's retreating back with clenched fists. A fierce determination rose within her. Never in her life had someone her own age overwhelmed her like this. She had only thought a little more highly of Smoker because he had a Logia Devil Fruit.

Night fell, and Atlas continued her evening training as usual.

"Brat, how about having this old man as your opponent?"

A deep voice suddenly sounded behind Atlas.

"Instructor Zephyr!?" Atlas exclaimed, surprised to see the chief instructor there.

"Atlas, I've had my eye on you for a long time. As it happens, I've been itching for a fight today..."

"I'd love to." Atlas grinned, excitement in her voice.

"Shave!" The muscles in Atlas's legs tensed, and she appeared before Zephyr in an instant. Her body drew taut like a bow, her arm suddenly thickened, and her fist shot straight for his face!

Zephyr's expression did not change. As though he had anticipated the blow, he put his palm in its path and caught her fist firmly. Then he stepped forward and twisted at the waist, trying to throw her over his shoulder!

"Tekkai: Knee Strike: Divine Strength!" Atlas had no intention of letting him. Combining her deeply honed Tekkai with the Ox Talisman, she drove her knee toward Zephyr.

Zephyr hurriedly raised a hand to block the crushing knee strike, sparing Atlas from being thrown over his shoulder.

"Not bad, brat. You're strong, quick to react, and you've trained your Tekkai well!" Zephyr could not help praising the way she had countered him.

"But I'm getting serious now. Watch yourself, brat!"

"Iron Body Fist: Shatter: Divine Strength!"

Atlas answered with her fists. Her punches came so fast that they seemed to leave hundreds of afterimages.

"Hahaha! Iron Body: Steel: Armament!" Zephyr was not fooled by such a trick. With his powerful Observation Haki, he tracked Atlas's fists clearly and placed Armament Haki precisely where each blow would land.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

A series of dull impacts rang out. Atlas shook her numbing fists. So hard! I can't break through his Armament Haki at all.

"Hahahaha! That's some strength!" Zephyr was startled by her power too. For a seventeen-year-old, Atlas was extraordinarily strong. If he had not already known she relied entirely on her physique, he might have suspected she had secretly eaten a Devil Fruit.

"One-Sword Style: Lightning Cutter: Divine Strength!" Seeing that her fists had no effect, Atlas promptly drew Sandai Kitetsu from her waist and slashed at Zephyr!

A bright flash of steel appeared, almost lighting up the night. A bone-deep chill cut through the cool evening air. It was an Iaijutsu strike!

The fierce sword intent swept toward Zephyr, making every hair on his body stand on end. That flash of steel seemed ready to split him in two.

Zephyr's eyes lit up. This slash could inflict serious damage on almost anyone below Vice Admiral, especially those whose Armament Haki was lacking. But despite its speed and impeccable timing, his powerful Observation Haki let him dodge it.

Shave!

Zephyr appeared before Atlas in an instant. Armament Haki coated his fist as he drove it toward her stomach! Atlas sensed the attack with Observation Haki, but he was too fast for her body to counter.

Bam!

Tekkai: Utsugi!

Six Powers ### Morning came to the Recruit Camp's Training Ground.

Rows of Marine recruits raced along the edge of the grounds with all their might, their numb faces barely showing any expression.

This training was nothing like interval training, with its stretches of jogging. They had to run flat out, using every ounce of strength. Anyone who had raced four or eight hundred meters knew how that felt. It was an excellent way to wring out a person's potential and stamina.

Atlas was unquestionably in the lead, many laps ahead of everyone else despite the weights she wore. Even the light in her eyes had dimmed a little, though that had more to do with remembering Zephyr's punch the night before. Just thinking about it seemed to make her stomach ache again.

Tekkai: Utsugi!

Just as Zephyr's fist was about to strike Atlas's stomach, she managed to react, trying to defend with Tekkai. At the very least, she hoped to lessen the damage.

Bam!

A violent force with a strange penetrating quality drove into Atlas's abdomen. Her insides churned so fiercely that the blow nearly knocked last night's dinner out of her!

Good thing I got through her defense! What did this brat eat growing up? That muscle density is monstrous. Luckily, I used a little Ryuo Haki. Otherwise, how would I have saved face?

It was fortunate Atlas did not know Zephyr had used Ryuo Haki against her. She would not have known whether to laugh or cry.

"Ten minutes left in the twenty-minute sprint! Keep going! Look at Atlas. She's carrying weights on top of everything else. What excuse do you have to stop?" Shuzo stood in the center of the Training Ground and barked at them, his face stern. "Remember how you feel right now. A true powerhouse needs more than physical strength. They need strength of will. It doesn't matter if you don't understand that yet. One day you will."

"So all you have to do now is persevere, push past your limits, and overcome yourselves!"

This kind of conditioning was primarily meant to train their will, though it also did wonders for their stamina. Their current strength did not matter. What mattered was the strength of their conviction and resolve.

Five minutes passed...

Thud!

At the back of the group, someone collapsed without warning. He gulped down the fresh air, his heavy breathing like the bellows of a forge. His body lay limp on the ground.

Soon, several more recruits who could not hold on gave up. Like falling dominoes, a whole swath of them went down at once.

Shuzo watched it happen without intervening.

At the front, Atlas kept running toward her goal like a machine. Apart from her slightly labored breathing, nothing about her had changed. Even her footsteps remained precise.

Monster!

The same word surfaced unbidden in everyone's mind.

Atlas jogged over to Shuzo. "Instructor, are there any heavier weights? These are too light!"

The Aide-de-Camp beside him said helplessly, "No. You're already wearing the heaviest weights in the Recruit Camp."

Shuzo was speechless for a moment. Then he told Atlas, "Ordinary training like this is meaningless for you now. Come find me later with the others whose Doriki Values are above five hundred."

"...Yes, sir!"

The conditioning session had ended. Everyone lay sprawled on the ground, too exhausted to care how they looked. Even Hina was no exception.

Shuzo glanced around. Atlas was the only one still standing, but roughly a hundred others had lasted until the end.

He nodded to himself. He would pay closer attention to those hundred. Some might have Doriki Values of only one or two hundred, but their resolve had been outstanding.

"On to the next exercise. Aide-de-Camp, supervise them. Anyone whose Doriki Value was above five hundred, step forward and follow me!"

After giving the Aide-de-Camp his instructions, Shuzo walked out of the Training Ground.

About eight recruits stepped forward, Atlas among them. She knew only four of the others; the rest had left little impression on her.

"I called you out for the next stage of special training. Your physiques have essentially surpassed ordinary human limits. Now I'm going to teach you a form of Hand-to-Hand Combat that pushes beyond those limits: the Six Powers!"

"But even though you meet the physical requirements, I must warn you not to bite off more than you can chew. If you don't think you have the aptitude, you can choose just a few forms to practice," Shuzo said seriously.

Every recruit present was talented, though, and each had stood out at their respective base. They were proud of themselves. Shuzo could already tell someone would want to master all six forms.

"Atlas is the exception. You must learn all six."

"You're now the Recruit Camp's elite class. But there'll be an assessment at the end of the year, and recruits from the regular class will be allowed to challenge you. Winners move up; losers move down. Here, stronger fists mean more resources!"

Shuzo's words stirred them up. None of the recruits were fools; they knew what they needed to do.

"All right. Let me explain the Six Powers!"

"I'm sure you've all encountered at least some of them. I'll explain the principles first, then demonstrate them in a fight to give you a clearer understanding. After that, it'll be up to you to choose your path."

"Shave works by stamping the ground dozens of times in rapid succession, generating an explosive burst of force that propels the body forward. Tempest Kick is a kicking technique that creates a vacuum blade, producing a slash like a Swordsman's..." As he spoke, the others looked toward Atlas. She was the only Steel-Cutting Swordsman present.

"Geppo lets you remain in the air briefly, but it consumes an enormous amount of stamina. It may be the hardest of the Six Powers to learn. Shigan concentrates the strength of your entire body into your index finger, making it strike like a bullet. It can pierce steel with ease."

"Kami-e is..."

When Shuzo finished, he looked toward Atlas. She immediately had a bad feeling.

"Atlas, come spar with me. Let everyone see the Six Powers in action."

There it is. I'm in for it again. Smoker and Rosinante watched her with unmistakable delight at her misfortune.

Life Return ### "Well, if I have no choice, I won't hold back, Instructor Shuzo!" Unable to escape, Atlas steeled herself and stepped forward.

"Quit boasting, brat!"

"Shigan: Madara!" Shuzo shaped both hands into Shigans. His arms seemed to multiply like those of a demon, sending countless shots toward Atlas. He had called her up for a demonstration, but he had no intention of underestimating the young woman before him.

Atlas stayed calm. A red glint flashed in her eyes as she activated Observation Haki. With tiny shifts of her body, she dodged every one of Shuzo's strikes.

But Atlas was not one to dodge without fighting back. Before Shuzo could draw his arms back, she lunged forward and stamped her left foot down hard, sending cracks spreading in every direction.

Tekkai: Tiekao: Divine Strength!

Shuzo's eyes widened. He quickly crossed his arms in front of him, but the impact still felt like a steam train hitting him head-on. He stumbled back several steps before he could stop.

"How was that, Instructor Shuzo?" Atlas grinned at him. The onlookers' hearts pounded. If they had been in his place, they doubted they could have taken even that one hit.

"Not bad, kid. Again!" Shuzo's competitive spirit flared, and he answered with a fierce grin.

"Tempest Kick!"

"Rankyaku: Ran!"

Atlas had only just learned Tempest Kick and had not yet developed any variations. She was immediately put at a disadvantage as dense waves of vacuum slashes threatened to swallow her whole!

"Razor!" Atlas vanished from the spot. Several afterimages appeared in midair as she narrowly slipped past every slash.

With her current physique, Atlas would have suffered no more than a few superficial wounds if the slashes had landed. But she wanted to keep up appearances. Standing there with her clothes in tatters would hardly look good.

She seized the chance to rush Shuzo, reaching him almost instantly. Her Shigan shot straight toward a vital point.

"Watch closely. This is Tekkai!" Shuzo still had time to explain the move to the others. Atlas unconsciously put more force into her strike.

Clang!

Metal rang against metal. Iron Body: Steel: Armament!

To avoid an embarrassing defeat, Shuzo had discreetly coated himself in Armament Haki beneath his clothes!

It turned out his caution was justified. It was Atlas's first time using Shigan, but her powerful physique combined with the strength granted by the Ox Talisman amounted to far more than a simple sum of its parts!

Without Armament Haki, Shuzo would at the very least have been left with a bloody puncture wound. It would not have been serious, but losing face in front of his students was another matter!

"All right, all right. That's enough demonstration for today." Seeing an increasingly excited, almost crazed smile spread across Atlas's face, Shuzo hurriedly called a stop.

Atlas could hardly keep attacking after that. She licked her lips, still wanting more. She had never met a decent opponent in the East Blue. Coming to Marine Headquarters had been well worth it.

To Atlas, the truly strong challenged those stronger than themselves. The strong turned their blades on stronger foes; the weak only turned theirs on weaker ones. Strength never came from nowhere, and fate would not waste a single drop of sweat she shed.

"All right, practice on your own for the rest of the session. Come to me if you have questions. Atlas, come with me. Teacher Zephyr wants to see you." Shuzo dismissed Smoker and the others, then beckoned Atlas to follow him.

Hearing that Zephyr wanted to see Atlas drew envious looks from the recruits. A summons from a Marine Admiral might even mean personal instruction. But envy was all they felt. People might grow jealous of someone close to their own level; when the gap was this vast, envy was all that remained.

Atlas wondered why Zephyr wanted to see her. Was last night's fight not enough for him? At the thought, she grimaced.

"How's your training in the Six Powers going, brat?" Zephyr asked as soon as they met, a warm smile on his face. He could be strict, but he was never needlessly harsh.

Otherwise, so many Marine officers would not still be grateful to him long after graduating. Shuzo was said to have stayed at the Recruit Camp to help because he wanted to follow Zephyr. Even when Zephyr later resolved to leave the Marines and establish the NEO Marines, many followed him. It spoke to the force of his character.

"Not bad. I understand the principles and can use the forms. What I need now is time to practice," Atlas answered seriously.

Zephyr was not surprised. He had long since grown used to Atlas's monstrous ability to learn.

"Don't take practicing the Six Powers lightly. They're more than a form of combat."

"Master all six, and you'll eventually gain complete control over your body. That is the Seventh Form of the Six Powers: Life Return!" Zephyr explained.

"Life Return?" Atlas let some surprise show. In truth, she had known about it all along. After all, wasn't it common knowledge that the Six Powers had a seventh form?

"Yes, Life Return. Very few Marines have mastered it. The best-known example is Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral Onigumo's Eight-Sword Style. He uses it to channel his consciousness into his hair, but Life Return can do far more than that."

"In fact, you've already achieved part of it. You can use energy with exceptional efficiency to repair your body, which explains your powerful self-healing ability. But yours is passive. Life Return means controlling it consciously."

Zephyr was very pleased with Atlas. As a Marine of the older generation, he placed great importance on honing the body. He did not reject Devil Fruits, but he discouraged relying too heavily on their abilities.

When Borsalino had been at the Recruit Camp, Zephyr had criticized him many times for relying too much on his Devil Fruit Ability.