Black Arm

Above G-3 Base, violent air currents tore the clouds apart, and sunlight pierced through like sharp swords, spilling over the devastated ground.

Gern knelt on one knee, Black Blade: Eight Desolations plunged deep into the ground to support his swaying body.

Half of Sakazuki's body had turned to magma, but the Armament Haki on his right arm had already dissipated.

The Golden Lion hovered high in the air, his long golden hair whipping wildly, Oto and Kogarashi crossed before his chest. Haki flowed over their edges as though it had taken solid form.

"Honestly, given enough time, you two might grow into truly terrifying men."

Did you think the Golden Lion was about to praise them? No!

"So..." The Golden Lion's expression changed as he looked down at Gern and Sakazuki, slowly descending to the ground with a mocking sneer on his lips.

"You should've gotten on your knees and begged for mercy from the start!!

"Then I might've given you time to grow. Jihahahaha!"

"Bastard..." Gern clenched his teeth. The vibration particles around his left arm flickered, like a candle guttering in the wind without enough stamina to sustain them.

Beside him, Sakazuki was panting as well. Magma dripped between his fingers, scorching black marks into the ground.

As for the Golden Lion, aside from when Gern had exploited his carelessness at the beginning,

and wounded him once with the Godslayer Nail, he had suffered no other injuries.

Gern and Sakazuki exchanged a glance, each seeing resolve in the other's eyes-this was a battle they could not win.

"But if I kill you two..." the Golden Lion muttered to himself, "the bounty the Navy puts on my head will surely surpass Roger's, right?!"

"In that case, die." The Golden Lion swung his sword casually, sending a slash spanning the sky screaming down at them!

The shadow of death engulfed them, but both their bodies had already reached their limits.

They both knew this strike was enough to crush them...

Boom!! A purple figure fell from the sky like a meteor, his pitch-black fist wreathed in black lightning as it smashed into the golden slash!

Amid a deafening explosion, the slash was shattered by brute force, and the blast hurled rubble into the air for a hundred meters around.

As the dust cleared, Zephyr stood before Gern and Sakazuki.

The Armament Haki on his arms gleamed like obsidian, and his justice cape snapped in the raging wind.

"Instructor... Zephyr?!"

Zephyr did not look back. His gaze remained fixed on the Golden Lion opposite him, his voice cold as iron.

"What do you think you're doing to my disciple and my student, Shiki?"

Facing the man who had suddenly appeared, the Golden Lion narrowed his eyes, his expression turning grave. Cigar smoke curled around the corner of his mouth. "Zephyr..."

"It's been a while since we last fought, Shiki!" Zephyr slowly raised his right arm. Armament Haki spread to his shoulder like a rising tide, his muscles swelling as power gathered within them.

Then he turned his head slightly and barked at the two behind him, "Fall back. Leave this to me."

"Instructor Zephyr..." Gern tightened his grip on his sword, his knuckles turning white.

This was the Golden Lion in his prime! Yet Zephyr's strength had already begun to decline from the peak he had reached after becoming an Admiral.

As he was now, he could not defeat the Golden Lion, one of the era's three greatest fighters, in a head-on battle...

"That's an order!" Zephyr cut him off sharply, his eyes behind his sunglasses as keen as blades. "You've already done more than enough.

"This isn't someone you can handle at your current level!"

Zephyr flung off his cape as he spoke. "Relics of the old era should be left to men of the old era!!"

"Zephyr, can you still handle me as you are now?" The Golden Lion scoffed and swung his crossed swords.

"Then let's find out, Shiki!!" Zephyr stamped down, and the ground collapsed with a thunderous crash.

He shot toward the Golden Lion like a cannonball, his black fist tearing through the air with a piercing boom!

"Black Arm: Falling Star!" The Golden Lion raised his swords to block. The instant fist met blade, a visible ring of shock waves exploded across the sky.

Zephyr's fist did not budge, while the Golden Lion's blades were actually knocked back slightly!

"What?!" The Golden Lion's pupils contracted.

Zephyr attacked like a raging storm, every punch carrying enough force to shatter mountains.

The Golden Lion was forced back again and again. His twin swords formed an impenetrable barrier, yet the impacts still left the webbing between his thumbs and forefingers numb.

Below, Gern stared intently at the battle. He had never seen Zephyr exert himself like this-no, this was not even his full strength.

"It's been ages since we had a fight!" The Golden Lion's wild laughter echoed through the clouds, his long golden hair dancing freely in the gale.

"Zephyr!!!" Before the shout had faded, terrifying black-and-red lightning erupted from the Golden Lion's swords.

Conqueror's Haki swept across heaven and earth like raging waves. "Lion: Thousand-Cut Valley!"

Countless slashes infused with Conqueror's Haki tore through the sky, pouring down in an overwhelming deluge.

Zephyr clenched his teeth and crossed his arms, pushing his Armament Haki Hardening to its limit.

Yet the savage slashes still drove him back repeatedly. His uniform was torn apart in an instant, and dozens of bloody gashes opened across his powerful body.

The Golden Lion looked down at the sight, a trace of gravity flashing in his eyes.

Even if he's no longer in his prime, "Black Arm" Zephyr still isn't someone I can finish off easily...

At that thought, the Golden Lion discreetly glanced to the side.

Gern had already risen to his feet, gathering vibration particles powerful enough to shake space itself in his left hand while gripping Black Blade: Eight Desolations in his right.

Half of Sakazuki's body had become searing magma. The two stood guard on either side of Zephyr.

Heavenquake, who can suppress my Devil Fruit ability, magma with considerable power against a single target, and "Black Arm" Zephyr on top of that...

Looking at this lineup, the Golden Lion quickly weighed his options.

He had flown ahead alone, and his pirate fleet was still far away.

With things as they stood, and those two brats having recovered some of their stamina, if this dragged on any longer...

It would definitely put him at a disadvantage. Besides, Garp was probably already on his way.

Just then, a furious shout interrupted the Golden Lion's thoughts.

"Shiki!!" Zephyr's roar crashed like thunder. His arm muscles bulged, Armament Haki covered his entire body like black steel, and the ground beneath his feet shattered!

"You're distracted!!"

Not good. The Golden Lion snapped back to his senses, only to find Zephyr already before him, having charged in like a cannonball.

His right fist was poised to strike, black Haki coiling around it in spiraling currents. Even the air warped beneath that punch!

"Wha-?!" The Golden Lion hurriedly raised his swords to block, but Zephyr's fist slammed into his chest first!

Bang!! Terrifying force erupted in an instant. The Golden Lion flew backward like a kite with its string cut, smashing through several ruined buildings before slamming into a distant mountainside. Rubble and dust shot into the sky!

"Cough!" A trickle of blood spilled from the corner of the Golden Lion's mouth, and disbelief flashed in his eyes.

Zephyr's fists could still hit this hard?!

He struggled to rise from the rubble, waves of intense pain spreading through his chest. That blow had clearly damaged his internal organs.

"Heh..." Zephyr slowly drew back his fist. His breathing was slightly labored, but his eyes remained sharp as blades.

"Looks like you haven't gotten much stronger since back then either, Shiki."

The Golden Lion wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned viciously. "Interesting... very interesting!"

PS: This assessment of Admiral Zephyr's current strength is relative to the three greatest fighters of the modern era following Rocks's era: Roger, Whitebeard, and the Golden Lion.

Zephyr was indeed outmatched by them-he couldn't win head-on-but apart from those three top fighters of the current era, he could handle anyone else with ease. Even against the current Rayleigh... Zephyr had nothing to fear.