Zephyr's Ecstasy

A rare, satisfied smile spread across Zephyr's face, and his voice rang out like a bell.

"Good! That's the spirit!"

Instead of patting Lorne, his enormous hand gripped his shoulder with steady strength.

"Then come with me!"

"Gahahahaha!" Garp's laughter shook the documents on the desk. "Go on, kid! Don't embarrass me!"

Sengoku pressed his aching temples and waved at Garp as though shooing away flies. "Go, go! Get your problem child out of my office!"

Zephyr said nothing more. Holding Lorne, he turned and left, his enormous mechanical arm, the Crusher, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen under the lights.

Dangling in his grip, Lorne looked back at the languid Aokiji, grinned, and mouthed something provocative.

"Arara~" Aokiji rubbed the back of his head and muttered, "What an... energetic brat."

Marine Headquarters, the recruit Elite Camp's training ground.

This was the training base for future pillars of the Marines that the organization took the most pride in. Everyone who graduated from here became part of its backbone.

At that moment, thousands of elite recruits selected from around the world stood ramrod straight, forming a sea of white.

Every one of them held their head high and chest out, their eyes sharp and full of elite pride.

When Zephyr's burly figure appeared on the platform, the entire training ground instantly fell silent. Every gaze converged on him, filled with heartfelt reverence and fervor.

"Today, a transfer student will be joining you."

Zephyr's words caused a barely perceptible stir in the formations below.

A transfer student?

Just who could someone personally brought here by Instructor Zephyr be?

Under everyone's curious gaze, Lorne slowly emerged from behind Zephyr with his hands in his pockets and stood at the very front of the platform.

His pair of beast ears, particularly conspicuous in the sunlight, and his casual demeanor, utterly at odds with the solemn atmosphere around him, instantly made him the center of attention.

"What the hell? That guy's ears..."

"Is he from the Mink Tribe? Doesn't look like it. He doesn't have fur."

"Just a freak. How did someone that lazy-looking get into the Elite Camp? Did some officer pull strings to get him in?"

Though the murmurs below were quiet, they reached Lorne's ears clearly.

He paid them no mind, simply studying his future colleagues with interest-or rather... punching bags.

"Quiet!"

Zephyr's voice instantly drowned out every other sound.

He pointed at an oddly shaped machine in a corner of the training ground.

"Transfer student, according to the rules, you'll have your Doriki Value tested first."

Doriki Value was a numerical standard for measuring a Marine soldier's physical strength. An ordinary armed soldier had a Doriki Value of 10.

"Yes, Instructor," answered the officer responsible for recording the results. "New guy, go over there and punch it as hard as you can."

Lorne raised an eyebrow and walked over.

"Hurry up! Stop dawdling!"

"Yeah, let's see what someone who got in through connections can really do!"

Several conceited veterans jeered sarcastically.

Lorne ignored them and stood before the machine, recalling the techniques for generating force that Garp had taught him aboard the ship.

He relaxed his entire body and bent his knees slightly, his feet seemingly rooted in the earth.

He slowly drew a breath, then sharply exhaled!

His waist and hips twisted, his spine moving like a dragon. The power drawn from the earth traveled through his muscles and bones, layer by layer, finally gathering in his right fist!

BANG!!!

A deep, explosive report rang out!

Lorne's fist slammed squarely into the machine's sensor plate.

Time seemed to stop at that moment.

The recording officer's expression shifted from disdain to bewilderment, then horror, before finally going blank.

The pen in his hand dropped to the ground with a clatter.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the machine's display.

The numbers on the screen did not stop at a few dozen or a hundred as they had expected.

Instead, they shot upward at a dizzying speed!

1000!

2000!

3000!

"Hey, hey... is this real?" A recruit rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"It's still going up! Five thousand!"

The numbers showed no sign of stopping.

They easily surpassed the record held by the Elite Camp's top recruit, broke the records of those legendary prodigies, and kept surging onward!

"Crack... crunch..."

Just as the number was about to reach five digits, strange sounds suddenly came from inside the machine as it buckled under the strain.

The numbers on the display flickered wildly before freezing into a blurred afterimage, and a wisp of smoke rose.

Bzzzt-!

The machine had burned out.

The entire training ground fell deathly silent.

Everyone looked as though they had been frozen in place, mouths hanging open as they stared blankly at the smoking machine, then at the boy slowly drawing back his fist as though he had done something utterly trivial.

"Just now... I think I saw... 5000?"

"No... impossible! How could a recruit have a Doriki Value over five thousand!"

"The machine's broken! It has to be broken!"

"But... being able to break a specially made Doriki testing machine with one punch... doesn't that already make him a monster?"

On the platform, Zephyr's impassive face finally betrayed a flicker of emotion. The appreciation in his eyes became overwhelming delight and fervor.

"Gahahahaha!" He could not help bursting into hearty laughter, his voice filled with exhilaration. "Good! Good lad! That bastard Garp finally told me the truth!"

He leaped down from the platform and landed firmly before Lorne, his enormous figure exerting an intense pressure.

"Doriki Value is only a reference. True strength can only be demonstrated in actual combat."

Zephyr took off his coat, which bore the word "Marines" on the back, revealing a black tank top and that intimidating mechanical arm.

He beckoned to Lorne, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"Boy, fight me with everything you've got!"

"Let me experience for myself just how much that brute strength of yours is really worth!"

An uproar swept through the crowd!

"Instructor's going to fight him himself?"

"My God! Did I hear that right? The legendary former Marine Admiral is going to spar with a recruit?"

"Just where did that guy Lorne come from?"

Watching Zephyr's fighting spirit rise, Lorne felt no fear. Instead, he grinned, baring his white teeth in an arrogant, bloodthirsty smile.

"Just what I wanted!"

Before he had finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet exploded, and he shot straight at Zephyr like a streak of black lightning!

Simple, brutal, and utterly unreasonable!

"Too slow!"

Zephyr stood where he was without moving his feet an inch.

He merely raised his flesh-and-blood left hand casually and blocked Lorne's powerful punch with perfect precision.

BANG!

Fist met palm with a dull thud.

A visible wave of air spread outward from the two of them, making the nearby recruits' uniforms flap.

"Decent strength, but it's too scattered," Zephyr assessed impassively. "Your punch only uses the strength of your arm, not your body."

He flicked his wrist, releasing a deft burst of force.

Lorne felt an irresistible force surge toward him. He staggered backward uncontrollably for seven or eight steps before barely steadying himself.

"Again!" Lorne growled, the fighting spirit in his eyes burning even brighter.

He charged again. This time, instead of relying on brute strength, he used the Fist Bone force-generating technique Garp had taught him!

The instant his fist shot forward, his muscles, bones, and fascia vibrated at a peculiar frequency, concentrating all his strength into a single point!

"Oh?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Zephyr's eyes.

He could clearly feel that Lorne's punch was completely different from the last.

That power was no longer scattered. It was condensed like steel, carrying a powerful penetrating force!

Is this... that bastard Garp's Fist Bone?! Zephyr was deeply shaken. How long has this kid been with Garp? He's already reached this level of proficiency?!

No longer daring to take him lightly, he met the attack with a punch of his own!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Their fists collided repeatedly in midair, producing explosive reports as dense as raindrops.

The longer Lorne fought, the more excited he became. He seemed to have forgotten fatigue and pain, with only one thought left in his mind-Fight!

Under the pressure of a top-tier fighter like Zephyr, the Grit within him accumulated rapidly, and the golden energy gauge rose at a visible speed!

Zephyr, too, gradually grew serious after his initial probing.

He discovered that the boy before him was like an unbreakable rock. Not only was his recovery astonishing, but his ability to learn was terrifying!

In battle, he could absorb experience at a frightening speed, correct his movements, and grow stronger and stronger!

This kid... is a born fighter! Zephyr's gaze grew ever more fervent, as though he had discovered an unparalleled uncut gem.

Just as the battle reached a fever pitch, Zephyr abruptly stopped. He clutched his chest, his face turning slightly pale as he began coughing violently.

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

Cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and his breathing became rapid and labored.

"Asthma..."

"Old man?" Lorne stopped attacking and frowned.

He watched Zephyr take an inhaler from his pocket and expertly spray it into his mouth several times before his rapid breathing gradually settled.

At that instant, a flash of realization shot through Lorne's mind.

He remembered.

In his memories of his previous life, Marine Admiral Zephyr had had his arm severed by Edward Weevil. At the time, he had wondered how someone with an Admiral's strength could lose to a Shichibukai, even while protecting his students.

So that was it...

Looking at the legendary old man before him, visibly worn down by asthma, Lorne understood.

It was not that he was not strong enough. Age and illness had worn down this hero's claws and fangs.

Zephyr took several deep breaths and steadied his breathing.

He looked at Lorne with a complicated gaze. There was approval, appreciation, and a trace of barely perceptible loneliness.

"That's... enough for today."

He turned to face all the recruits, his voice once again loud and authoritative.

"From today onward, Lorne is the top recruit of the recruit Elite Camp!"

"Anyone who objects can step forward and challenge him now! As long as you can beat him, the top spot is yours!"

Zephyr's voice echoed across the enormous training ground.

Yet only deathly silence answered him.

Every recruit lowered their head. None dared meet Lorne's eyes, which still burned with fighting spirit.

They had witnessed him destroy the testing machine with one punch and personally felt the terror of that fight.

Challenge him?

That wouldn't be a challenge. It would be suicide!

Looking at the silent crowd, a deep disappointment flashed through Zephyr's eyes.

"Hmph. A bunch of useless fools!"

"If you don't even have the courage to throw a punch at someone stronger, what business do you have being Marines?!"

"Dismissed! Everyone, free time!"

He stopped looking at the dejected recruits and turned to Lorne instead.

"You, come with me."

"Your training plan needs to be revised."