Healing / New Recruit Ain

Whew~

The new recruits watching the battle couldn't help but back away, the gusts of air blowing against them stinging their faces, and their hearts were filled with utter shock.

This is... top-tier combat power!!!

Bang!

The two were locked in a stalemate for a moment, when the ground beneath Zephyr's feet began to crack and split, and his feet quickly sank into it. Veins bulged on his arms and his neck turned red. Atlas was thrown into the air by Zephyr's sudden outburst, and Zephyr's feet sank even deeper into the ground.

Atlas didn't use the power of the Chicken Talisman; he simply slammed down hard in mid-air where there was no leverage, resulting in a direct and evenly matched contest!

"Your strength has increased, kid."

Zephyr stepped forward, shaking his slightly numb fist. He had experienced Atlas's unparalleled strength in the training camp, and at that time he was able to suppress it to some extent.

Nowadays...

Seeing Atlas's relaxed expression, Zephyr couldn't help but smile wryly.

I guess I'm getting old.

"However, this is just a warm-up, so don't let your guard down, kid!"

Zephyr's gaze sharpened, and his clenched fists were instantly covered by Armament Haki, the dark color slowly flowing around, not too much and not too little.

This is enough to show that Zephyr is at the pinnacle of the world in the training of Armament Haki. His extreme penetrating power and destructive force make it difficult for anyone to confront his sharp edge head-on!

"What an exhilarating battle..."

Atlas is a man who doesn't allow himself to have any weaknesses. He wants both Swordsmanship and Hand-to-Hand Combat; only children make choices!

Following suit, he channeled his Armament Haki, hardened his arms, and a red glow flowed within the darkness. His Armament Haki, of no less quality than Zephyr's, flowed slowly.

Bang!

Almost simultaneously, the two lunged forward, their fists clashing. One was eerie, the other heavy; two different colors of Armament Haki clashed against each other, both employing advanced Armament Haki techniques— Internal Destruction!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

It was as if two arms made of cast steel were intertwined and colliding, the sound of metal clashing against metal was continuous and made the eardrums of the surrounding recruits hurt.

Amidst the clash of fists and the seemingly erratic dodges, the two had already clashed for no less than a hundred rounds, leaving the surrounding area in a chaotic mess with flying sand and stones.

"Hahaha! Your Armament Haki has improved quite a bit. Looks like you've learned a lot from that old man, Golden Lion!"

Zephyr felt exhilarated, and at the same time, he was greatly surprised by Atlas's training in Armament Haki. Once Armament Haki was brought out, the rest was just a matter of patience and effort.

Of course, fighting against stronger opponents will undoubtedly accelerate this process.

I'll say it again.

The strong will only wield their swords against the even stronger!

Chapter 188 Healing

"Teacher Zephyr, I'm going to have to get a little more serious now!"

Atlas felt exhilarated. He took a deep breath, his legs shot out, and he suddenly hovered in mid-air, his body spinning rapidly, flames rising from his skin. Looking up, it was as if there were two suns in the sky, incredibly dazzling!

"What... is Vice Admiral White Hou trying to do?"

Looking at Atlas, which was wreathed in wind and fire, a new recruit couldn't help but ask a question.

"I don't know. All I know is that if we don't leave soon, things might get really bad!"

The other recruits didn't have time to think and retreated one after another. The rolling heat and the indescribable sense of oppression made them feel suffocated. Even the sky was filled with dark clouds, which made Atlas's figure shine even brighter!

Atlas's Hand-to-Hand Combat have long since transcended the limitations of the Six Powers. His fists, palms, elbows, and knees are all deadly weapons, and the Secret Art derived from the Six Powers maximize his physical advantages, allowing him to achieve a near-annihilation of an island with a single blow through pure Hand-to-Hand Combat!

"Rokushiki Ogi - Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel!!!"

Like a meteor falling to earth, it carried unparalleled power, causing the wind and clouds to rage and bricks and tiles to fly everywhere, resembling an apocalyptic scene.

Meanwhile, the new recruits had already kept their distance. They had finally witnessed what true strength was. Although they were all geniuses from major Marine Base around the world, they had to suppress their arrogance.

Zephyr was naturally not to be outdone. His domineering Haki grew even deeper, sharp as it flowed, his muscles bulged, and he was extremely excited. His muscles were like a drawn bow, his fascia trembled, and the air seemed to groan!

As a Marine who had been immersed in the Six Powers for a long time, he naturally saw the brilliance of Atlas's Secret Art. His entire body's power was almost concentrated into a single point, and when combined with his masterful Armament Haki, it was even more astonishing.

--boom!!!

The two enormous forces collided violently, and an even more intense shockwave swept outwards, causing the ground to crack rapidly and the entire Marineford to shake violently!

Sengoku Office.

Holding a document in one hand and a steaming cup of tea in the other, Sengoku was busy every day, but he felt content and fulfilled, at least because he was busy upholding the Justice in his heart.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the entire office building seemed to turn upside down, and the hot tea in his hand almost spilled. Sengoku's expression changed drastically, and a flash of red light appeared in his eyes.

"These two guys..."

Sengoku gritted his teeth inwardly. Atlas was one thing, but when did Zephyr become so willful? What bad luck!

A sea breeze swept by, dispersing the smoke, dust, and sand.

The Training Ground was already a scene of devastation. Even though the two had restrained most of their power, the several bottomless cracks deeply pierced the heart of Shuzo, who had long since fled thousands of miles away.

As Zephyr's right-hand man, he was in charge of most of the financial work in the training camp, and the repair costs for such a huge crack alone were enough to make him feel the pinch for a while.

"It feels so good, it's been so long since I've fought this seriously..."

Zephyr slowly emerged from the center of the rift, his clothes tattered. He casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression more relaxed than ever before, even the furrowed brows of his face were completely relaxed.

Such battles between top-tier combatants can only be seen in the New World. Moreover, even the emperors of the New World rarely engage in large-scale conflicts, as their high positions make any move extremely important.

Moreover, Zephyr had long since retired to the second line. Apart from his early clashes with the three legendary Pirates, he had basically been using his body in the Recruit Camp.

But...

Zephyr's eyes burned with even stronger fighting spirit, as if he had returned to his youth, his fighting will soaring once more.

Swish!

Zephyr vanished abruptly, his fists raining down on Atlas in a rapid, overwhelming barrage.

However, Atlas's Observation Haki was no joke. He had already secretly prepared his stance, and his black and red fist met the attack head-on. The wind and clouds surged, and their Haki clashed, easily unleashing their power to shatter gold and split rocks.

"Hahaha! That's great! That's great!"

Even though his arms were already tingling, Zephyr's attacks did not stop; instead, they became even more fierce and domineering.

"We can't keep fighting like this; we can't play freely at all. Why don't we just stop here, Teacher Zephyr?"

Atlas smiled wryly as he parried Zephyr's barrage of punches.

That single, Secret Art attack nearly sank the entire Recruit Camp. If he hadn't used the power of the Chicken Talisman to forcibly hold it together, Sengoku would probably have rushed over from his office to settle the score.

Even the Golden Lion of yesteryear only destroyed most of Marineford. If our own people were to destroy the entire training camp today, it would be a huge disgrace.

"--Um?"

Zephyr was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously looked around. He quickly snapped out of his frenzied fighting state, and his hands gradually stopped moving.

"You little rascal... Hahahaha!"

Unexpectedly, the fierce battle just now made him feel a long-lost sense of youth, and he even forgot where he was. If the fighting continued like this, the entire Recruit Camp would probably have to be rebuilt.

"Are you alright, Teacher Zephyr?"

When Atlas saw Zephyr stop fighting, he quickly stepped forward. He had clearly seen the blood at the corner of Zephyr's mouth. His "Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel" was an ultimate attack that broke through the surface with a single point. Combined with advanced Armament Haki Internal Destruction techniques, even Kaido probably couldn't withstand it, let alone the ailing Zephyr.

"Hahaha! It's alright, it's alright. I don't have any more martial Hand-to-Hand Combat to teach you, you little brat."

"Cough cough cough..."

Zephyr patted Atlas's broad shoulder heavily, his face full of satisfaction.

"However, today's training session for the new recruits is probably canceled. You'll have to come back tomorrow."

Atlas chuckled awkwardly, but then grasped Zephyr's arm, and the power of the Horse Talisman surged in, a cool restorative force slowly circulating, instantly removing all of Zephyr's hidden injuries and old ailments!

"... This is!!?"

Zephyr was startled, suddenly feeling an unprecedented sense of ease and comfort in his body and mind, and even the Asthma that had just shown signs of flaring up disappeared without a trace.

"Just consider it my innate ability. I've cured your Asthma, so you won't need to worry about it anymore, Teacher Zephyr."

Atlas didn't explain much. Actually, he had wanted to find Zephyr to treat his Asthma after returning from the East Blue, but coincidentally, Zephyr had taken his students out for combat training those days.

Chapter 189 New Recruit Ain

Marineford, Recruit Camp.

After yesterday's great battle, the Recruit Camp wasn't as dilapidated as one might expect. With the manpower and resources of the Marine Headquarters, repairing the Recruit Camp within a day would be a piece of cake, after all, this is a world with extraordinary military power.

On the Training Ground, apart from Zephyr, the head instructor, and the instructors for the other subjects, Atlas arrived at the Recruit Camp as promised.

"Cough cough..."

"Today, I've brought you a temporary instructor— Vice Admiral White Hou. I'm sure you witnessed his strength firsthand yesterday."

Zephyr habitually surveyed the entire area, smiled slightly at the expectant eyes of the new recruits, and finally fixed his gaze on a man and a woman at the very front of the group of recruits.

The man was dressed strangely, resembling a ninja, with a long sword and a huge shuriken on his back, and a Marine Uniform casually draped over his body.

The woman's attire was much more normal. She wore a navy-style blouse and shorts that exposed her thighs. She had long, flowing, wavy, navy blue hair and black pointed high heels.

Zephyr had reviewed their information and found them to be among the stronger recruits of this year. The man was named Binz, and the girl was named Ain. They were Paramecia Devil Fruit User, the Lush Fruit and Paramecia Rewind Devil Fruit User, respectively, both possessing very impressive Devil Fruit Ability.

He nodded slightly in satisfaction, then gestured to Atlas, stepping back to fully expose Atlas's figure.

"I believe you are all familiar with me. My name is Kanos Atlas. As a former student of Teacher Zephyr, I have been invited here to teach you for a few days."

Atlas understood and first gave a brief self-introduction.

His reputation and his battle with Zephyr yesterday should be enough for these recruits to have a full understanding of his strength. At the very least, he is more than qualified to be their instructor.

"I will be in charge of teaching you Swordsmanship for the next few days."

Atlas and Zephyr had discussed it. There was no shortage of instructors in the Recruit Camp who taught Hand-to-Hand Combat. In terms of Hand-to-Hand Combat instruction, Atlas and Shuzo were no different, but Swordsmanship training was a different story.

The Swordsmanship instructors in the Recruit Camp were more than capable of teaching basic Swordsmanship, but they couldn't handle anything more advanced. Just like how Atlas needed Gion to teach him Swordsmanship, which is why Atlas didn't bring Zoro to the Marine Headquarters for special training.

Swordsmanship?

The recruits below the stage looked puzzled. They had clearly witnessed Vice Admiral White Hou's terrifying Hand-to-Hand Combat in yesterday's battle. Although the long sword at his waist reminded them that this young Candidate Admiral was not only a master of Hand-to-Hand Combat but also a powerful Swordsman.

However, I still subconsciously believe that Atlas's Hand-to-Hand Combat are superior to his Swordsmanship.

Atlas naturally noticed the slightly unnatural expressions on the faces of the new recruits, and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, but his hand had already quietly touched the Futsu-no-Mitama at his waist.

Sometimes, actions speak louder than words.

Swish!

The long sword was drawn, and a blood-red slash shot into the sky. The sharp blade's momentum stung the eyes, and the slash, imbued with Armament Haki, seemed to cleave the heavens in two!

Then, the recruits witnessed a scene they would never forget.

The sky... has cracked open!!!

Clang!

Sheathed the sword.

Atlas, observing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, calmly stated, "The most powerful swordsmanship doesn't rely on flashy moves, but rather on unstoppable, ultimate force. It cuts until there is no one in the world I cannot slay!"

That move just now was indeed nothing fancy; it was simply an extreme display of domineering Haki combined with extreme strength that barely managed to cleave the sky, much like Atlas's 'Blood-Red Skyline'.

Whoa--!!!

After a moment of silence, the entire arena erupted in uproar, and the gazes directed at Atlas were now filled with a hint of fanaticism. Although yesterday's battle had left a deep impression on them, this was the first time they had ever witnessed a mere Swordsmanship cleave through the sky.

"Now, demonstrate all the basic movements you've learned to me."

The previous Sky-Splitting Strike was merely a show of force to intimidate the new recruits. The real teaching will naturally focus on basic movements. Whether in the past or present, Atlas has always been someone who places great emphasis on the fundamentals.

But the cruel reality is that Atlas's teachings might only be helpful to a minority. Basic Swordsmanship instructors are sufficient for basic training; what they need is a seed, a seed to comprehend the art of Iron Cutting.

"Yes, raise your hand a little higher, use a little more force, and enjoy the feeling of swinging the knife with all your might every time."