Facing Garp

"Urgh."

Phil's Iron Body was forcibly broken, and he staggered back.

Clutching his stomach and drenched in cold sweat, he opened his mouth.

He wanted to say something, but no words came out.

The crowd gasped, and Zephyr looked over as well.

Seeing Phil's predicament, he said:

"Phil, step down for now."

"Yes... cough... cough!"

"Sakazuki, is it? Not bad. Even as a Logia user, you haven't neglected your hand-to-hand skills."

"Next, I'll personally..."

Garp, who had been watching from the side, took an interest and spoke before Zephyr could finish:

"Hahahaha, now this looks interesting."

"Zephyr, let me take over!"

Zephyr thought it over.

"Well... all right."

"Sakazuki, any objections?"

Sakazuki wanted to feel the gap between himself and a top-tier fighter. How could he refuse?

"No objections."

After agreeing, he adjusted his stance.

He looked toward Garp opposite him.

Garp folded his arms across his chest and grinned broadly at Sakazuki.

"Come on, kid."

Sakazuki immediately unleashed his red lotus state.

He stamped his foot, and force erupted beneath it like a volcanic explosion.

He was thirty percent faster than before.

"Molten Burst!"

Reaching Garp, he drove his fist of condensed magma forward.

As if he had anticipated it, Garp raised his left arm and punched straight at him.

Their fists collided.

Boom!

An immense shock wave burst from Sakazuki's fist, accompanied by erupting magma that surged toward Garp.

But the collision with Garp whipped up fierce winds all around them, preventing the magma from engulfing him.

The wind also forced the surrounding soldiers to raise their arms to shield themselves.

Garp remained unmoved, still grinning broadly.

"Again!"

Boom!

Boom!

Boom, boom!

Figures flashed across the arena.

The two traded punches relentlessly, leaving afterimages flickering across the arena as magma burst and scattered.

The surrounding recruits backed away again and again, afraid of being splashed.

But only Sakazuki knew what so many exchanges in such a short time meant.

The enormous drain of red lotus mode.

He could barely maintain his current state.

The red lotus state harnessed magma's explosive properties, circulating that power through his body.

This allowed him to greatly increase his strength for a short time.

But it also consumed an enormous amount of stamina.

After trading blows for so long, he had already reached his limit.

If he kept it up, he might have to be carried out.

As their figures crossed, Sakazuki dropped out of his red lotus state.

His right hand transformed into a magma arm, and he punched the ground.

Watching Sakazuki drive his fist into the ground,

Garp stopped moving, remaining unfazed.

"Your Devil Fruit power, huh?"

Suddenly, he sensed something.

Shave!

Bang!

A jet of magma burst from underground, exploding in all directions!

It erupted right where Garp had just been standing.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

In an instant, eighteen jets of magma erupted from underground.

Is that all? Garp thought, having just flashed aside.

"Hell Hound!"

Before Garp could react, Sakazuki's figure took shape within the scattered magma beside him, compressed, condensed magma flowing into shape around his right hand.

He slammed his fist hard into Garp.

The magma erupted in an instant, engulfing Garp.

"Gasp!"

"He's that strong?!"

"Amazing!"

"This..."

The watching recruits cried out in astonishment.

The officers around them also looked surprised, while Zephyr smiled with open approval.

"Thorough planning, every move setting up the next. Not bad."

After that strike, Sakazuki reverted from his magma form.

He stood where he was, waiting for Zephyr to speak.

Meanwhile, the figure on the ground remained wrapped in magma.

Bang!

The magma blasted outward, revealing Garp within, completely unscathed and laughing heartily.

"That packed a punch! Kid, come aboard my ship after you graduate. Hahahaha!!!"

"Enough, Garp! Don't lead my students astray!"

Beside them, Zephyr looked exasperated and hurried to stop him.

He couldn't let Garp lead such a fine soldier astray.

"All right, Sakazuki, fall back in."

"Yes, sir."

The testing continued...