Anyone with Hands Could Do It!

That afternoon, the first thing Randall did was seek out Aequus.

A one-on-one fight!

Zephyr also believed in tailoring his teaching to each student.

The top three in the Elite Camp—Milers, Aequus, and that Devil Fruit User—were leagues above everyone else.

So Zephyr allowed those whose strength far surpassed the others to train in their own way.

After all, training with the main group would only waste their time.

As for Randall, that inhuman monster had even less reason to join the group.

This teaching approach also made it possible for Randall to challenge Aequus.

Aequus had been about to head to the gravity chamber to continue tempering his body, but Randall stopped him.

He asked in surprise:

"You want to fight me? Are you sure?"

He knew Randall was pretty strong, but that was all.

Yesterday, Randall had already given everything he had just to block a slash delivered at half of Milers's strength.

He, Aequus, could trade wins with Milers!

Granted, he had only won once and never again after that.

But those losses had come after exhilarating battles, and he had only narrowly lost to Milers!

Narrowly!

So he saw little point in fighting Randall.

"I'm sure! Please fight me! I'm begging you!"

Randall spoke earnestly.

Aequus had intended to refuse, but when he saw the burning fighting spirit in Randall's eyes, it was like looking at himself.

So he swallowed the refusal on the tip of his tongue.

"All right! I accept your challenge!

Get ready to spend a few days in bed, kid!"

Delighted that Aequus had accepted, Randall said:

"Thanks!"

A short while later, the two arrived at the Training Ground and stood facing each other, ten meters apart.

Aequus stood at ease, beckoned to Randall, and said:

"Come on!"

As far as he was concerned, this fight would end very quickly if he got serious.

So, to spare Randall's fragile feelings, he would let him show what he could do first.

Randall didn't stand on ceremony.

"Here I come!"

He stamped both feet hard against the ground, and his figure vanished without a trace.

At the sight of that speed, Aequus screamed inwardly, Holy shit!

What the fuck...

This kid hadn't been anywhere near this fast when he fought Pietro this morning!

Back then, he had still been able to clearly track Randall's movements.

But now...

The instant Randall vanished, Aequus's senses screamed a warning.

It was so intense that he even felt phantom pain in his back!

Every hair on Aequus's body stood on end. At the last possible instant, he exerted his waist muscles and shifted his body a few centimeters to the side.

Then a roar thundered past his ear.

Next, he saw a transparent channel of air skim past his arm.

Iron Fist: Impact Steel!

Sensing the power of that move, Aequus broke into a cold sweat.

Damn, if that had actually landed, he might have been done for!

He hurriedly pulled back, putting distance between himself and Randall.

"Hey, hey! You weren't even going all out against Pietro this morning?

You were hiding a move this vicious? You sneaky bastard!"

Seeing that his attack had missed, Randall withdrew his fist with some regret.

He had hoped to inflict as much damage as possible while his opponent's guard was down.

In the end, he had underestimated the perception and reflexes of fighters at this level.

Hearing Aequus's complaint, he rolled his eyes and said:

"What do you mean, sneaky? That's slander, I'll have you know!

I didn't know this move before!

I only came up with it myself after Instructor Zephyr taught me the Six Powers this morning!"

"Oh, so you came up with it yourself after Instructor Zephyr taught you...

Wait! What?!"

Randall's answer made Aequus's expression even more exaggerated.

"You're telling me you learned the Six Powers in just a few hours?

And not only did you learn and master them, you even created your own move?!

And that move is ridiculously powerful, too?!

Are you sure you're not joking?"

Randall calmly nodded and said:

"That's right! I learned the Six Powers in a few hours, then put everything together and developed my own move. What's wrong with that?"

Aequus: ?

That question mark doesn't mean there's something wrong with me. It means I think there's something wrong with you!

"What's wrong with that? You're asking me what's wrong with that?!

Do you have any idea how much effort I put into learning the Six Powers back then?"

Aequus was losing his mind.

Three weeks!

Almost an entire month!

He had thought that was already incredibly fast!

After all, he had learned them faster than anyone he knew!

Including the current Vice Admirals!

Back then, his attitude had been: I learned the Six Powers in just three weeks.

Now, his attitude was: It took me three whole weeks to learn the Six Powers!

Fuck!

How could someone this ridiculous exist?!

For a moment, he felt like a complete failure.

His pride in learning the Six Powers in just three weeks belonged to his lost youth.

Watching Aequus's reaction, Randall was immensely pleased with himself.

Hehe, having something to brag about and not showing it off was like wearing fine clothes in the dark!

Sure enough, you needed someone in the same line of work for comparison to really feel superior.

He felt his ego soaring now.

But outwardly, he maintained a perfectly serious expression and said:

"Oh? Is learning the Six Powers in a few hours really that outrageous?

Can't anyone with hands do it?

Speaking of which, Aequus, how long did it take you back then?

About as long as me, right?

Surely it didn't take you more than a day?

No way. No way!"

With every sentence Randall uttered, Aequus's face darkened further.

By the end, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

A dense black aura even rose behind him.

He looked like a demon that had crawled out of hell, ready to devour someone.

By the time Randall noticed the increasingly chilly atmosphere around him, it was already too late.

He looked at the dangerously menacing Aequus, swallowed, and asked in a slightly trembling voice:

"A-Aequus, what are you going to do?"

Had he gone a little too far with the teasing?

"What am I going to do?"

Aequus gave Randall a savage grin.

Randall swallowed and was just about to speak when Aequus stamped hard against the ground and shot toward him like a cannonball. Sensing that unstoppable momentum, Randall's heart nearly stopped.

He hurriedly crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Bam—

An overwhelming force swept from his arms through his entire body.

Randall simply relaxed and let himself fly backward to dissipate the force.

He shook out his slightly numb arms, but before he could do anything else, Aequus charged at him again.

"That's for 'what's wrong with that'!"

"That's for 'anyone with hands can do it'!"

"That's for 'surely it didn't take more than a day'!"

Aequus practically forced the words through clenched teeth.

Each punch was fiercer than the last, and every one went straight for Randall's face.

With Aequus unleashing his full strength, Randall could only retreat again and again, struggling to fend off his immensely heavy punches.