Zephyr's shock

Three days later.

During a break in training, Lorne secretly made his way to Marineford's shore.

He closed his eyes and released his network of Observation Haki perception.

One hundred meters... two hundred meters... three hundred meters...

Beneath the sea, the paths of swimming schools of fish were clearly visible in his perception.

But it wasn't enough.

Nowhere near enough.

What he wanted was to "see" the outcome before his opponent threw a punch, just as Zephyr did.

Future Sight.

It was one of the highest levels of Observation Haki.

"I'm still far short." Lorne opened his eyes and scratched his hair in frustration.

"All I can do right now, at best, is sense an attack's intent in advance, then dodge with my reaction speed. But real Future Sight means directly seeing what will happen a few seconds later."

"There's an unbridgeable gulf between the two."

He threw himself back into training.

The days passed one by one.

Zephyr's training never stopped. It only grew more insane.

During the day, sparring to train both Observation Haki and Armament Haki.

In the afternoon, developing derivative techniques of the Six Powers.

At night, Lorne went to the shore alone to practice "listening."

He carefully concealed the secret of the Voice of All Things, practicing in secret only when no one was around.

Meanwhile, he also figured out Life Return on his own.

Through precise control of his muscles, bones, and hair, he could actively alter his body's form.

Lorne already possessed the monstrous recovery and cellular vitality granted by "Battlefield Valor." When he combined this talent with the internal workings of Armament Haki, he discovered that he could actively control the direction in which his muscle fibers contracted and how their strength was distributed.

This made his Iron Body more flexible and his power output more precise.

The first time Zephyr saw Lorne use Life Return, he fell silent.

"You monster," he finally said, and nothing more. "There's hardly anything left to teach you."

Half a month later.

The training grounds at Marine Headquarters.

The sun blazed, and the stands beside the training grounds were packed with Elite Recruit Camp cadets.

All their eyes were fixed on the two figures in the center of the grounds.

Zephyr.

Lorne.

The two were sparring.

Zephyr's mechanical arm, the Crusher, swept out, cloaked in pitch-black Armament Haki and carrying terrifying force enough to crush steel into scrap.

Lorne did not retreat.

His arms were covered in a deep-black layer of hardening. Under the control of Life Return, his muscles contracted precisely as he met Zephyr's iron fist at the optimal angle.

Boom!!

A shock wave exploded between them, covering the training grounds beneath their feet in a dense web of cracks.

"Good!" Zephyr shouted, immediately following up with a sweep of his right leg.

Lorne's beast ears caught the sound of the kick tearing through the air. His body reacted in advance, slipping sideways with Kami-e to avoid the sweeping leg as his right fist, coated in Armament Haki, simultaneously drove toward Zephyr's ribs.

Zephyr pressed his left hand down to block. Metal clashed with Haki, sending sparks flying.

"Your Armament Haki is denser than it was half a month ago," Zephyr said as they fought, undisguised approval in his voice.

"Your use of Life Return is also growing more proficient. Your precision in controlling your muscles has already surpassed that of most field-grade officers who use it."

He forced Lorne back two steps with a punch, then suddenly stopped attacking and stood still.

The recruits held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

Zephyr turned his head to look at Lorne.

In his single eye, a rare expression appeared, something almost like gratification.

"Lorne."

"Yeah?"

"There's nothing left for me to teach you."

The moment those words fell, the stands erupted.

"What?!"

"Instructor Zephyr said there's nothing left to teach him?!"

"How long has he even been here?! A little over a month at most, right?!"

The recruits burst into an uproar, whispers rising one after another.

Zephyr ignored the noise and continued.

"You've mastered all Six Powers, your Armament Haki hardening is stable, and you've grasped the basics of Observation Haki. You even learned Life Return without a teacher."

He paused.

"The rest is only a matter of time. You're still young, and your bones and muscles haven't fully matured. As you grow older and your body reaches its prime, your physical capabilities will increase exponentially."

Zephyr drew back his mechanical arm, his expression returning to its usual sternness.

"You're ready to take the graduation assessment."

The commotion below the stands grew even louder.

"That's impossible! How long has he even been training?!"

"We've been in the Elite Camp this long, and we're still not qualified to take the graduation assessment!"

"Is Instructor Zephyr doing this because he's Vice Admiral Garp's grandson...?"

"Connections! It has to be connections!"

The buzzing discussion grew increasingly grating.

Lorne lazily picked at his ear, his beast ears twitching impatiently.

Zephyr's face abruptly darkened.

He turned toward the recruits whispering among themselves in the stands and walked over, one step at a time.

With every step, the ground beneath his feet cracked with a sharp snap.

The temperature across the training grounds plummeted.

The recruits' whispers stopped abruptly, as though someone had seized them by the throat.

Zephyr stood before the stands, his single eye sweeping over every stiffened face.

"There's nothing to discuss."

His voice was icy.

"If you can trade blows with me too, you can graduate as well."

The entire grounds fell utterly silent.

Zephyr's gaze grew colder.

"I don't even need you to be able to spar with me."

He raised one finger.

"As long as you learn all Six Powers, you can graduate too."

His single eye slowly swept over the crowd, like a dull blade scraping slowly across each person's neck.

"Have you learned them?"

No one answered.

No one dared to answer.

Of the Six Powers, most of the recruits had yet to fully master even the most basic, Soru, let alone the most difficult ones, Kami-e and Geppo.

One by one, they lowered their heads, their faces flushing red.

"Useless."

Zephyr spat out the word, turned, and walked away.

Lorne stood in the center of the training grounds with his hands behind his head and an amused smile playing on his lips.

He looked at the recruits who dared not utter a word and said nothing.

But that look alone was the greatest humiliation.

Zephyr returned to Lorne's side and patted his shoulder.

"Go train."

"Train what?" Lorne tilted his head.

"Your own things." Zephyr's tone softened. "I've laid the framework for your Six Powers and Haki. You'll have to walk the rest of the road yourself. You have the talent and the brains."

"Keep refining your Observation Haki. Push it as far as you can. Don't slack off on Armament Haki either. There's still room to improve the density of your hardening."

Lorne nodded.

"And one more thing-" Zephyr paused. "That 'Haymaker' of yours. Try combining it with Armament Haki and see if you can produce an even more terrifying effect."

Lorne's beast ears twitched, and a dangerous gleam flashed through his golden beastlike eyes.

"Are you sure? That punch nearly brought down the training hall's ceiling last time."

"Then practice outside," Zephyr snorted. "If you knock down the Marines' training hall, the repair costs will come out of your pay."

"I don't even get paid."

"Then they'll come out of Garp's pay."

"...Does he get paid? Isn't Staff Officer Tsuru chasing him around every day to collect his debts?"

"Shut up and get training."

Lorne shrugged and headed out of the training grounds.

As he passed the stands, he glanced at the recruits.

Some lowered their heads to avoid his gaze, some clenched their fists and gritted their teeth, and a few had a fire of defiance burning in their eyes.

Lorne did not stop. Humming an unknown tune under his breath, he strolled away with his hands in his pockets.

Zephyr watched his figure disappear through the training grounds' gates.

Then the former Marine Admiral's expression changed.

An extremely complicated expression emerged on the face that had just been full of sternness and authority. There was pride, worry, and, more than anything, a heavy sense of responsibility.

"That kid..."

Zephyr muttered to himself, the joints of his mechanical arm making faint scraping sounds.

"He's growing too fast. So fast that I'm not sure whether I'm guiding him or he's pushing me forward."

He turned and walked in another direction.

Along the way, the Marine officers he encountered stood at attention and saluted. Zephyr acknowledged each with a nod, never slowing his steps.

He needed to speak with Sengoku.

About the arrangements for Lorne's graduation.

About what position this monster should be placed in next.

About whether Garp's claim a month ago that he had "the makings of an Admiral" had been an exaggeration.

Zephyr entered the main building of Marine Headquarters. At the end of the long corridor stood the heavy iron door marked "Fleet Admiral."

"Sengoku, I need to talk to you."

A weary sigh came from inside.

"Come in."

Zephyr pushed the door open and entered.

The heavy iron door slowly closed behind him, shutting out the curious gazes of the Marine soldiers in the corridor.

Meanwhile.

Lorne reached an empty stretch of coast on Marineford's outskirts.

There was no one around.

He stopped and faced the sea.

The sea breeze rushed into his beast ears, bringing the cries of seagulls several kilometers away, the dull crash of waves against submerged reefs, and-

The low rumble of water churned by some enormous creature turning over in the deep sea.

The Voice of All Things.

Lorne closed his eyes, a smile known only to himself tugging at his lips.

"Future Sight, huh..."

He murmured to himself and raised his right fist, a thin layer of Armament Haki flowing over his knuckles.

"Just wait. I'll reach the threshold soon."

He opened his eyes again, the blue sea and endless horizon reflected in his golden beastlike eyes.

Then he began training.

Training alone.

His fist shot out, and the sea breeze burst apart.

His beast ears pricked up, and all things whispered.