Watching Roger's Execution at the Start of My Life in One Piece

"Do you have any other intel on them, Teacher? Hahaha..."

Atlas was curious. Honestly, pirates with bounties like these held little appeal for her, but Zephyr must have had another reason for choosing this crew as their target.

"Hahaha! You'll have to find that out for yourself. The intel you get on future missions won't always be accurate." Zephyr laughed at the eager look on Atlas's face.

"Heh, fair enough." Atlas let it drop. Whatever surprises a pirate worth a mere ninety million might have in store, she had nothing to fear.

"Reporting to Chief Instructor Zephyr! The Mad Dog Pirates have been spotted ahead!" a Marine called from the lookout.

"Good! Keep moving!"

On the Mad Dog Pirates' ship, the scar-faced Dias watched the Marine warship approach at speed. His eyes narrowed, and a cruel gleam appeared in them.

"Boys! The Marines are here! They've brought me a present for my trip to the New World! Hahahaha!"

He had been thinking his bounty was a little low. Slaughtering everyone aboard that warship might just drive it up!

Before long, the warship and pirate ship came alongside each other not far from the Sabaody Archipelago!

"Boys, kill every last one of those Marines!"

Dias rested a spiked club on his shoulder and grinned viciously at the Marines. He noticed Zephyr, but since the former Marine Admiral had long since retired from the front lines, Dias failed to recognize him.

"Recruits, this battle is entirely yours!"

Lightning Speed: Razor!

The moment Zephyr finished speaking, Atlas used Shave to rush Dias. As the strongest recruit, she naturally took the captain for herself.

She left his second-in-command, who had a bounty of over fifty million, to Smoker and the others.

Bam!

"Hm? Iron Body?"

Before Dias could react, Atlas's fist slammed into him! But instead of the feeling of flesh giving way, it felt as though she had struck steel. It had only been a casual blow, but surely it should have done something!

"You fool! I ate the Paramecia Steel-Steel Fruit! Hahaha..."

Dias was startled by Atlas's speed, but his Devil Fruit gave him confidence. Since acquiring its power, no one had ever broken through his defenses!

Iron Body Fist: Pierce!

"Guh!"

Atlas's huge fist struck Dias again. She had no idea why people in this world liked telling their enemies how their powers worked, but she wasn't one for idle chatter. She let her fist teach him a lesson.

Awakening Armament Haki ### "What? The Steel-Steel Fruit? I thought it was the Tofu-Tofu Fruit..."

Atlas looked down at Dias's corpse and scoffed.

The battle between hunters and prey soon ended. Marines moved back and forth in rows, taking stock of the spoils. Unfortunately, they found no Devil Fruits, Famous Swords, or anything else of value. Swords were one thing, but Devil Fruits were usually eaten as soon as they were found: they could turn into fighting power at once. Though one was worth a hundred million Beli on the black market, finding one for sale was another matter.

"So, Atlas, your Armament Haki..." Zephyr asked aboard the warship, studying her calm expression. Atlas herself wasn't surprised. Given her physique and resolve, awakening Armament Haki had only been a matter of time.

"Yeah... it just awakened out of nowhere." Atlas raised an arm as she spoke. Black-and-red Haki swiftly wrapped around it like a bloodstained gauntlet...

"Armament Haki this strong, right after awakening..." Zephyr was astonished. Its quality was nothing like that of someone who had just awakened it. Then he thought of Atlas's monstrous physique, and it made sense.

"Come on. There's an uninhabited island ahead. Let's test your Armament Haki."

Atlas was tempted. If Zephyr could guide her right after her awakening, she would have a much clearer direction for her training.

They could hardly fight on the warship. Neither had reached the absurd level of destroying an island with one blow, but a single warship would never withstand their sparring.

The warship soon docked at the island. The other Marines stayed aboard and watched from afar, unwilling to get caught in the crossfire.

"Teacher Zephyr, I'm going all out! Watch yourself!" Atlas grinned. Armament Haki covered her hands, her leg muscles tightened, and every sinew in her body stretched taut!

Razor! Life Return: Iron Body: Martial God Arm!

"Hahahaha! Come on, kid! Don't underestimate this old man!" Zephyr laughed, his grin brimming with confidence. He was Zephyr the "Black Arm," once among the Marines' greatest fighting forces!

Bam! Atlas's black-and-red fist, huge as a giant's, collided with Zephyr's comparatively tiny fist, which gleamed black and purple. Waves of force burst outward, and jagged cracks spread across the ground from where they stood.

"Hahahaha! Now this is a fight!"

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Several more heavy blows collided. Atlas gave a little ground, but she felt no discomfort at all.

"That's some formidable Armament Haki, kid! Come on, show me your limit!" Zephyr's fighting spirit surged. He raised his fist and drove it toward Atlas.

Then something strange happened. Zephyr's fist had yet to touch her, but Atlas felt a wave of energy bearing down on her.

"Armament Haki Emission!?"

Atlas's expression darkened. However strong her newly awakened Armament Haki was, she had only mastered hardening.

"Hahaha! That's right. Feel what the second stage of Armament Haki is like."

Atlas said nothing. She crossed her arms before her, poured Armament Haki over them, planted her feet firmly, and lowered her stance...

Boom!

The tremendous impact hurled Atlas more than ten meters back, but her posture barely changed. Her feet had plowed a deep trench through the ground!

Shave!

Atlas didn't pause. The ground cratered beneath her foot, and in an instant she closed in on Zephyr again!

Iron Body Fist: Hundred Pierces!

Atlas had developed this move specifically to fight Haki users. It couldn't compare to Ryuo's terrifying penetrating power, but it could still give Zephyr a little trouble.

When Zephyr met her fist again, he noticed something odd. A trace of force seemed to pass through his Armament Haki and strike his fist directly. To him, though, it was no worse than a mosquito bite.

"That's a fine move!" Zephyr had no idea how Atlas kept devising such strange techniques, but they often proved effective. Against anyone else, Hundred Pierces might have caused serious trouble.

In a battle between powerful fighters, even a second's distraction could tip the scales.

"Teacher Zephyr, try this!"

Atlas smiled. Dense Armament Haki rapidly covered her entire body without leaving a gap, forming what looked like black-and-red armor. Two black markings ran from the corners of her eyes down toward her neck, lending her an eerie beauty. Meanwhile, her body compressed until she stood just two and a half meters tall!

"Teacher Zephyr! I haven't finished developing this move. I'd appreciate your advice."

"A combination of Haki and Life Return?"

Zephyr murmured as he looked at the "little one" before him. He stood three meters forty-eight himself.

Whoosh!

In this form, Atlas seemed untouched by gravity. With the Rabbit Talisman boosting her already terrifying speed, even light seemed unable to catch her outline. She moved like a ghost in the night.

Zephyr's heart tightened. His body went taut, and his Observation Haki locked onto Atlas—but it was too late!

Armament: Iron Body Fist: Heavy Hammer!

Atlas's fist swelled abruptly and crashed toward Zephyr like a warhammer. Sparks flared where her arm tore through the air.

Zephyr felt a suffocating shadow press against his chest. Fighting through the discomfort, he raised his Haki to block!

Boom!!!

The deafening impact rolled across the island. Even the Marines aboard the warship were left with ringing ears and spinning heads.

When the dust cleared, two figures—one large, one small—stood facing each other. Neither had gained the upper hand!

"Cough, cough... Hah... hah... hah..."

Suddenly, Zephyr bent forward and began breathing hard. His face gradually flushed red.

"Hm?" Atlas saw that something was wrong. Their fight shouldn't have taken much out of Zephyr. Then she frowned, as if she had remembered something.

Lightning Speed: Razor!

Atlas sped back to the warship. Ignoring everyone's startled looks, she rushed to Zephyr's room and smashed straight through the door without opening it!

Graduating Early ### Sea Circle Calendar 1504, on an unnamed island near the Sabaody Archipelago.

Atlas helped Zephyr take the asthma medication she had fetched, then gently patted his broad back.

At last, Zephyr's face relaxed and his breathing steadied. He had suffered an asthma attack during their fight, leaving him suddenly short of strength. Fortunately, Atlas had heard of his condition and fetched the medicine from the ship at once. Zephyr usually carried some on him, but it had been knocked away while they fought...

Recruit Camp headquarters, Zephyr's office.

"Teacher Zephyr, what happened that day..." Atlas asked worriedly. A week had passed since their combat exercise. Though her final blow had matched his, she wasn't arrogant enough to think she had reached the level of the Marines' greatest fighters.

"It's nothing. An old problem..." Zephyr brushed it off. He had seen doctors about his asthma, but the many hidden injuries he had accumulated in his younger years had left it beyond treatment.

Atlas said no more. Zephyr was a former Marine Admiral and the current chief instructor of the Recruit Camp. The medical care available to him far exceeded anything she could imagine.

Moving on, Zephyr recalled their fight and asked:

"How long can you maintain that state you used?"

"Hm? I think... quite a long time," Atlas replied, sounding uncertain.

"If I'm not mistaken, that move combines Life Return and Haki. It should consume a great deal of Haki and stamina."

"Yeah. And I haven't fully mastered Life Return yet, so the move probably lacks power. But I'm not too worried about stamina or Haki. I feel like my Haki reserves are... much greater than most people's."

As she spoke, Atlas covered her entire body in Haki. "I think I could fight like this for days and nights without a problem."

Zephyr's pupils contracted, and shock broke across his face.

"You remind me of someone. A pirate with extraordinary talent."

"Oh? Who?"

"Douglas Bullet!"

"Bullet?" The name was unfamiliar to Atlas. She couldn't remember anyone by that name in the original story!

"Bullet was known as the Successor of the Devil. He was once a member of Roger's crew. In Sea Circle Calendar 1499, when he was twenty-two, the Marines launched a Buster Call against him. He was defeated only after his stamina ran out. Garp and Sengoku were among those sent to capture him. He's now imprisoned on Level 6 of Impel Down. His physical gifts are much like yours, and his Haki reserves are terrifying!"

Zephyr's expression turned grave. He hadn't taken part in that battle, but even hearing Garp and Sengoku describe its outcome had stunned him. The man had earned the title "Successor of the Devil."

Atlas was surprised, but not afraid. People like that were merely stepping stones on her path to becoming the strongest.

"So never underestimate anyone. This sea is never short of monsters!" Zephyr warned her sternly.

"Yes, Teacher Zephyr!" Atlas wasn't one to take an opponent lightly. She knew that even a lion had to use its full strength to catch a rabbit.

"Teacher Zephyr, there's one more thing I'd like to report..."

Knock, knock, knock... Knock, knock, knock...

"Come in!"

"Recruit Atlas reporting, Admiral Sengoku!" Atlas walked to Sengoku's desk and gave a crisp salute.

Only then did Sengoku reluctantly look up from his paperwork. He adjusted his round glasses; his hair was still fluffy, and his beard still tied into braids.

"What is it, Lieutenant Atlas?"

Sengoku was puzzled. Atlas was still supposed to be training at the Recruit Camp. Normally, she would have no reason to come to him yet.

"Reporting, Admiral Sengoku! I request permission to graduate early after the new year!"

"Oh? Can you tell me why?"

"I don't think the Recruit Camp can do much more to improve my strength. What I need now is combat, and I'm ready to step onto the world stage!"

After a pause, Atlas smiled and added, "Besides, I think the pirates are looking forward to finding out what fear feels like!"

Tap... tap... tap...

Sengoku slowly tapped the desk, a thoughtful glint appearing in his eyes. He considered how Atlas's debut might change his plans. As the Marines' "Strategist," Sengoku could not issue orders lightly. Every move he made was closely tied to countless lives around the world.