The Return of Life · Divine Martial Arm / Combat

The year-end assessment mainly consisted of one-on-one matches arranged according to lists supplied by the instructors. After all, the instructors who had supervised the recruits throughout their training knew their strength best, so the matchups were reasonably balanced.

Several temporary rings had been erected on the Recruit Camp's Training Ground. Temporary though they were, they were still far too sturdy for these recruits to destroy. The productive capabilities of this pirate world were not to be underestimated, especially here at Marine Headquarters—Marineford—where superhumans were everywhere.

Rows of spectator stands sat in front of the rings, descending in tiers. Seated at the very top was Sengoku, an Admiral of Marine Headquarters and the only serving Marine Admiral. By now, Kong rarely handled Marine affairs. The internal transfer of authority was effectively complete; all that remained was for the World Government's appointment to arrive before the promotion ceremony could begin.

Beside Sengoku sat Vice Admiral Kizaru, wearing brown-tinted sunglasses and his usual sleazy expression. The other two monster Vice Admirals were away on missions. Even Kuzan, whom Atlas had met before entering the camp, had not come.

Naturally, Rear Admiral Gion, who was temporarily staying at the Recruit Camp as a swordsmanship instructor and Atlas's sparring partner, had also come to watch the much-discussed year-end assessment.

Atlas barely knew the other officers scattered around the stands, so she could not even name them.

The other recruits, however, grew excited. It was rare to see so many high-ranking Marine officers gathered together, especially Sengoku, one of the Marines' greatest fighting assets. Even some recruits from headquarters had never seen him this close before.

"Whoa! That's Admiral Sengoku! This is my first time seeing him in person. He really does look imposing..."

"Why isn't Vice Admiral Garp here...?"

"Whoa, Vice Admiral Kizaru came too! But is it just me, or does he get more handsome the longer you look at him...?"

Atlas had no idea which little darling had made that last remark. All she could say was that they had a unique eye for beauty.

Soon, Zephyr appeared before the recruits with Shuzo. After exchanging a slight nod with Sengoku, he turned toward the recruits whispering among themselves.

"Attention! Silence! Form ranks!"

At Zephyr's command, the recruits snapped into formation as if by reflex, their movements uniform and orderly.

Zephyr nodded in satisfaction and continued, "This year-end assessment will test the results of your training over the past year. I don't want you becoming parasites who join the Marines just to coast through life! You are the Marines' future and the hope of people around the world. So give every match your all. Don't let your sweat and hard work go to waste!"

Every word came from Zephyr's heart. This old man, who had devoted his entire life to the Marines, placed earnest hopes in every student, wishing to see them shine in the service of justice.

"Shuzo, I'll leave the rest to you." After giving Shuzo his instructions, Zephyr walked over and plopped down beside Sengoku.

"What a lively bunch of youngsters. Just looking at them makes me feel several years younger," Sengoku remarked as he looked at the young faces below.

"Yes, they're all the Marines' future. Speaking of which, where's Garp?" Zephyr smiled, then asked.

"That bastard went to the New World, and he stole my senbei before he left!" The mere mention of Garp made a vein bulge on Sengoku's forehead and gave him a headache.

"Hahaha! That certainly sounds like him. Still, let's watch the recruits for now." Zephyr could only shake his head at Sengoku and Garp's love-hate relationship. Garp's usual antics clearly remained a constant source of grief for Sengoku.

"Ooh, Teacher Zephyr, what you really want us to watch is your prized student, Kanos Atlas, isn't it?" As Sengoku and Zephyr chatted, an infuriatingly smug voice drifted over from beside them. It was Kizaru—Borsalino—with his pursed lips and sleazy expression.

"Of course! Unlike you, Atlas doesn't rely too heavily on a Devil Fruit Ability, Borsalino!" Zephyr's tone turned unfriendly. His longstanding complaint about Borsalino was his neglect of hand-to-hand combat. In Zephyr's eyes, Borsalino's talent should have surpassed Sakazuki's, but his go-with-the-flow attitude had often made Zephyr feel that he was wasting it.

That was why Zephyr and Kizaru had never quite gotten along.

"Ooh! Don't say that, Teacher Zephyr. A powerful Devil Fruit can make someone a top-tier fighter too, can't it? Don't be so harsh!" Kizaru replied in the same irritating tone, his lips still pursed. "All right, all right, stop arguing. Let's watch the matches!" Seeing them on the verge of another argument, Sengoku hurried to intervene. He had finally taken a day off and had no desire to get caught between them.

On the Training Ground, Shuzo had already begun assigning combatants to the rings, list in hand.

"Ring one! Smoker versus Hina!"

"Area two! Grus versus Helbert!"

There were ten rings on the Training Ground in total, enough—there were ten rings on the Training Ground in total, enough to finish the assessment in a single day.

Life Return: Martial God Arm

In ring one, Smoker and Hina were already locked in combat.

Both Smoker and Hina were Devil Fruit users, and their individual fighting styles leaned heavily on their abilities.

However, Hina had yet to master Armament Haki, which meant Smoker was practically unbeatable from the outset. A Logia really could force an even match against just about anyone.

"Smoke: White Fist!"

"Bars-Bars: Gun Shield!"

Smoker and Hina knew each other far too well. Each understood the other's fighting habits and methods, but when it came to basic physical strength, Smoker clearly held a slight advantage.

"Birdcage!"

Countless black iron bars tried to trap Smoker completely.

But Smoker turned into smoke and slipped out of the attack. In fact, if the Black Cage could have enclosed him tightly enough, even his elemental transformation might not have let him escape.

Shave!

Both used Shave to close in, moving with an unspoken understanding. But Smoker's physique was clearly stronger than Hina's, giving him a slight edge in speed.

"Smoke: White Fist: Shigan!"

Before they could meet, however, Smoker's fist shot forward, a Shigan poised to strike Hina hard.

"Jail-Jail: Iron Body!"

Thick black bars swiftly covered Hina's graceful figure, forcing Smoker's flying Finger Pistol to return empty-handed. Ever since Atlas had taught them a lesson, Smoker had chosen to focus first on Shigan, Shave, and Tekkai, while Hina primarily practiced Tekkai, Shave, and Kami-e.

At their current level, Tempest Kick and Geppo were still rather difficult. Both were advanced techniques related to Shave and demanded tremendous leg strength.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

They clashed several more times, but Smoker avoided every one of Hina's attacks by turning into smoke.

"Ooh, what a frightening young man. A Logia!" That tone could only belong to Kizaru himself. He truly was a master of sarcasm.

"Logia Devil Fruits do give their users a very high baseline," Sengoku agreed beside him.

In truth, the outcome had long since been decided. Although Smoker's Logia had often been branded a disgrace among Logias, its sheer unfairness was still not to be underestimated.

As expected, Smoker won. He hardly looked good afterward, though. His clothes had been reduced to strips, and bloody marks covered his body, leaving him looking rather miserable.

As time passed, the assessment approached its end, but Atlas still had not been assigned an opponent. No one knew what Zephyr had in mind.

"Atlas, to the center of the Training Ground!" Atlas paused, then understood. Her fights caused far too much destruction for a ring to accommodate her. As for her opponent, she already had a few guesses.

Under everyone's gaze, Atlas slowly walked to the center of the Training Ground. Opposite her stood a bare-chested Shuzo, clearly unwilling to ruin another set of clothes.

Atlas watched Shuzo quietly, her eyes eager. Over the past year, she had sparred with him more than anyone else, yet she had never truly beaten him. This time, though, the result might be different...

"Has this kid really gotten that strong? Shuzo has to fight personally?" Sengoku was surprised. Busy with official duties, he had not paid close attention to Atlas. Besides, he had complete confidence in his old comrade Zephyr.

"Just watch. There's no guarantee Shuzo will win." Zephyr was clearly delighted. Few things were more satisfying than showing off a prized student in front of an old comrade.

Shave!

Atlas and Shuzo both seized the initiative, clearly intending to fight at close quarters. Atlas declined to take an advantage, abandoning swordsmanship and its ranged attacks.

"Iron Body Fist: Shatter!"

A storm of fists hurtled toward Shuzo. Unruffled, his eyes flashed red as his Observation Haki locked on!

Kami-e: Soft Mud!

Shuzo's body immediately became like a mass of soft mud, twisting freely through Atlas's barrage of fists!

Seeing this, Atlas stopped wasting her effort. She stepped back and shaped both hands like guns.

"Flying Finger Pistol: Gatling!"

Vacuum bullets poured out without restraint, their tremendous kinetic force producing a series of explosive cracks in the air.

"Iron Body: Steel: Armament!"

Shuzo's pupils contracted. His blood flow accelerated, and Armament Haki covered his entire body. The Flying Finger Pistols hammered his blackened skin, throwing off showers of sparks, but their immense force still drove him backward.

Shuzo had little choice. When teaching him Haki, Zephyr had warned that coating the entire body was a foolish approach because everyone had a limited reserve. First, anyone whose Haki was insufficiently trained would weaken its defensive power by spreading it so widely. Second, it consumed far too much Haki.

But Atlas's Flying Finger Pistols were too dense and too fast, and their power could not be ignored. To preserve his condition for the rest of the fight, Shuzo had no choice but to expend a great deal of Haki.

"Rankyaku: Ran! Shave!"

Unwilling to remain a passive target, Shuzo raised his right leg and unleashed a dense barrage of chaotic vacuum slashes at Atlas, using Shave to close the distance at the same time.

"Come on, then! Hahaha!" Atlas laughed and relied on her formidable mastery of Tekkai to take Shuzo's Tempest Kicks head-on. Clear bloody marks appeared across her body, then slowly faded into faint white lines.

"That..." Sengoku stared in surprise from the stands. Although the reports had described Atlas's regenerative ability as monstrous, he had not expected anything this outrageous.

Shuzo, however, was not surprised in the slightest. Long accustomed to it, he simply closed the distance, hoping to seize the chance to land a heavy blow.

"Life Return: Iron Body: God of War Arm!"

Facing Shuzo's attack, Atlas neither dodged nor retreated. Her raised right arm suddenly swelled, shredding her sleeve into flying scraps. Her blue-black fist collided squarely with the charging Shuzo! This Martial God Arm was the fruit of her recent Life Return training. She could now channel her consciousness into her arm. Though her Life Return was still incomplete, she had made some progress.

The explosive strength caught Shuzo off guard. Despite the protection of his Armament Haki, the terrifying force sent him flying.

"Well done, kid! You've really surprised me! Hahaha!" Zephyr laughed heartily.

Beside him, Sengoku was left speechless. Atlas had already given him more than enough surprises today.

"Absolute Justice..." Sengoku murmured distractedly. Perhaps this kid really could achieve it...

Live Combat

Marineford, the Recruit Camp's Training Ground.

"What terrifying strength..." Shuzo slowly climbed to his feet in the center of the Training Ground, his expression complicated. He had lost count of how many times he had said that since meeting Atlas. Every fight with her made him feel that overwhelming strength he could do nothing about.

"I lost... Congratulations, Atlas!" Shuzo felt somewhat dejected, but he was happy for her at the same time.

"Thank you for the match, Instructor Shuzo!" Atlas replied humbly. Her rapid improvement owed much to his sparring, and she certainly was not going to gloat now.

Besides, this was not a fight to the death. Once the gap between them was clear, stopping there was enough.

March, Sea Circle Calendar 1504, the Recruit Camp's Training Ground at headquarters.

A resolute young woman, roughly two meters eighty tall, stood in the center of the Training Ground. Smoothly defined muscles fitted her body perfectly, like a suit of battle-tested armor, making her an intimidating sight.

Opposite her stood a burly, dark-skinned man. A glossy layer of black-purple Armament Haki covered his hands as he repeatedly pounded the young woman before him.

The pair were Atlas and Shuzo. Following Zephyr's advice, Atlas had shamelessly volunteered to serve as Shuzo's human punching bag.

Feeling the collision between Armament Haki and her flesh, Atlas gained an ever-deeper understanding of it. She had a premonition that all she needed was the right opportunity for her Armament Haki to fully awaken!

"That's enough. Today should be our live-combat training day, right? Let's stop here!" Shuzo slowly withdrew the Armament Haki from his hands and spoke to Atlas, who looked as though she had been enjoying herself.

Live-combat training was part of the Recruit Camp's second-year program. The first year involved spending substantial resources on developing recruits; sending them onto a battlefield then would have amounted to slaughter. But they could not be raised in a sheltered environment forever, either. Starting in the second year, they were regularly taken out to experience the cruelty of war.

In the original story, Zephyr had encountered that idiot Whitebeard Jr. and Miss Bakkin while leading Ain, Binz, and the others through live-combat training. Struggling to protect the recruits while fighting, and suffering an asthma attack on top of it, he had lost an arm.

"Heh heh heh heh... Boys, we'll be reaching the Sabaody Archipelago soon!"

A burly man with a scar-covered face and an open shirt stood at the bow, holding a club bristling with spikes. He laughed brazenly at the crowd of pirates below.

"Yeah! Yeaaah...!"

"Hahaha! New World, here we come!"

"Captain, let's start by knocking Whitebeard off his throne as the World's Strongest... Hahahaha!"

"Of course! Our captain's a pirate Supernova with a ninety-million bounty!"

The pirates roared with unrestrained laughter. They firmly believed that aboard their ship was the man who would become the Pirate King!

Marine Headquarters, Marineford harbor.

Rows of solemn Marine soldiers stood before the harbor, led by Zephyr, chief instructor of the Marine Recruit Camp!

"Recruits, justice must be nourished with blood. Today, I will lead you through your first live-combat training operation of the year. This is no drill. This is a bloody battlefield!"

Zephyr swept his gaze across the recruits' faces, then continued, "Our target is the Mad Dog Pirates. Their captain is Dias, a pirate Supernova with a ninety-million bounty. First mate Carlos has a bounty of fifty-five million, and second mate Buhara has a bounty of fifty million Beli. The other pirates have varying bounties. That is all the intelligence I can provide."

Soon, the recruits set off toward the Sabaody Archipelago under Zephyr's command.

"Teacher Zephyr, are we heading to the Sabaody Archipelago?" Leaning against the ship's rail, Atlas smiled at Zephyr beside her.

"That's right. According to our intelligence, the Mad Dog crew plans to have their ship coated at Sabaody, dive down to Fish-Man Island, and then enter the New World. That is the pirates' traditional route, after all!" Zephyr chuckled.