"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"
In the northwest corner of the battlefield, every dull, muffled impact felt like a giant hammer striking everyone's heart.
There were no dazzling fruit power lights there, no sweeping sword auras or flashing blades.
Only the most primal, savage, and awe-inspiring—physical collision!
Bullet and Zephyr, two men who had honed their physical skills and Haki to monstrous levels, chose the most direct way to clash.
" Black Arm - Meteor Fall!"
Zephyr roared, his massive body seemingly transforming into a black meteorite.
It crashed down from mid-air with the force of Mount Tai, the Armament Haki gathered in his right fist as thick and heavy as an abyss.
Wherever the fist passed, the air was compressed into white shockwaves, emitting a piercing shriek!
This attack was enough to blast a Marine Vice Admiral- class flagship into pieces!
"Come on, Zephyr!! White Tiger - Shattered Star!"
ground,
Bullet's White Tiger: Human-Beast Form's muscles swelled to an almost terrifying degree, and his white fur stood on end like steel needles.
Instead of retreating, he advanced, his legs slightly bent, the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked, and he shot into the sky like a spring compressed to its limit!
His right fist was pulled back, the muscles and veins on his arm coiling like a dragon, the edge of his fist covered by the same jet-black Armament Haki.
He met Zephyr's massive fist descending from the sky head-on without any fancy moves!
The moment their fists collided, time seemed to stand still for a split second.
Immediately afterwards--
boom!!!!!!!!!!
A deafening roar, far more terrifying than any previous collision, erupted!
That wasn't the clang of metal on metal, but the destructive sound of pure power and Haki crushing matter and shaking space!
Centered on the point where the two fists met, a visible, semi-transparent spherical shockwave suddenly expanded outwards, instantly spreading to a range of hundreds of meters!
Wherever the shockwave passed, the ground seemed to be ruthlessly plowed by an invisible giant plow, with rubble and soil shooting into the sky, only to be torn to shreds by the violent shockwave that followed!
"Hey hey hey~ You're kidding, right!"
"That's Instructor Zephyr!"
Some weaker naval soldiers in the distance, even from a great distance,
He was also shaken by the aftershock of this pure force collision, causing his ears and nose to bleed and him to stagger and fall to the ground!
As the smoke and dust cleared, a giant crater, over fifty meters in diameter and more than ten meters deep, appeared where the two had exchanged blows!
Zephyr remained suspended above the crater in his downward-slamming posture, his right fist trembling slightly, the skin on his knuckles cracked and bleeding profusely.
Bullet, on the other hand, had half of his lower leg embedded in the broken rocks at the bottom of the pit.
But he tilted his head back, his face full of a ferocious and gleeful smile, his right fist also torn and bleeding.
"Hey! Old man Zephyr! You've got some strength! Much better than back in the day!"
Bullet laughed wildly, then kicked his legs out of the hole, sending pebbles flying.
He twisted his neck, making a cracking sound, and the wound on his fist was stopping bleeding and healing at a visible speed. Although slow, it was definitely recovering!
Zephyr's pupils contracted slightly. He clearly remembered that although Bullet was physically strong back then...
But there's absolutely no such abnormal recovery ability!
Moreover, the power of that punch just now exceeded his expectations!
"Don't get cocky, kid!"
Zephyr landed, shook his bloodied fist, and his dark Armament Haki once again covered it, forcibly suppressing his injuries.
"My iron fist is far more powerful than that! That was just an appetizer!"
"That suits me perfectly!"
Bullet's eyes flashed with a fierce light.
"I haven't warmed up enough yet!"
Come on!
Let's see if your Black Arm is harder, or my bones are harder!
Before the words were even finished, the two charged at each other again!
This time,
It was no longer a head-on fistfight, but a dazzling close-quarters combat session!
As a former Marine Admiral, Zephyr's physical skills had already reached their peak, and he was also proficient in all the secrets of the Six Powers.
At this moment, he integrated the Six Powers into his own Haki technique, making his moves ever-changing, fierce and unparalleled yet revealing shrewdness and precision.
Shigan - Spotted!
In an instant, Zephyr brought his right index and middle fingers together, creating countless afterimages. Each finger was imbued with a finger force capable of piercing steel, enveloping Bullet's vital points!
" Six Powers? I can do that too!"
" Tekkai & Steel!"
Bullet growled, neither dodging nor avoiding, his muscles tensing to their limit, his skin gleaming with a metallic sheen, and Armament Haki evenly covering his body.
Zephyr's Shigan rained down on him, making a dense "clanging" sound, like striking iron, but could only leave shallow white spots on his skin, unable to truly break through his defenses!
" Rankyaku - Kicking Bird!"
Zephyr's moves were incredibly fast; his Shigan failed, and his right leg swept across like a battle axe.
A perfectly condensed, azure-blue vacuum slash roared out, aiming for Bullet's waist!
" Geppo - Instant!"
Bullet's massive frame displayed astonishing agility; his feet moved with Geppo, his form blurring into nothingness.
He narrowly avoided the slash, while simultaneously unleashing his left fist like a cannonball towards Zephyr's face! " Beast King Fist!"
" Kami-e: Martial Body!"
Zephyr's body swayed like a willow catkin in the wind, narrowly avoiding the punch.
At the same time, his right hand formed a blade, as black as ink, thrusting straight into Bullet's exposed ribs! "Hand Blade - Pierce!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two figures flashed, collided, separated, and then collided again at the edge of the huge crater!
The dull thuds of fists and feet clashing were like the beating of drums, sending shivers down one's spine.
Every encounter was fraught with danger, yet each was defused by the opponent's exquisite martial arts or formidable defense.
Zephyr grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed.
Bullet's fighting style remains wild and domineering, but after bloodline optimization and the development of Mythical Zoan Fruit, his speed, reaction, defense, and even combat intuition have been comprehensively enhanced!
In particular, his monstrous physique and regenerative abilities greatly reduced the effectiveness of many of Zephyr's moves that would normally be enough to severely injure or even kill his opponents.
and,
Bullet seems to be intentionally refraining from using his Devil Fruit powers, relying purely on his physical strength and Haki to fight against himself. This seems more like a... test?
"Are you using me as a whetstone?!"
Zephyr roared, punching Bullet away, his face turning ashen.
"Haha! You figured it out?"
Bullet licked his lips, his eyes burning with even greater fighting spirit.
"Just how strong is my new body? I'll use you, this old whetstone, to test its edge!"
Don't worry, when you're done for, I'll naturally use my Devil Fruit power to send you on your way!
"Arrogant!"
Zephyr was enraged, and his domineering Haki surged once more.
"Then let this old man see if your knife is hard enough!"
Black Arm - Ultimate Technique - Mountain Crash!
Zephyr crossed his arms in front of his chest, and his jet-black Armament Haki flowed and gathered like liquid, brewing a destructive wave.
This is one of the profound techniques he has mastered by combining his lifelong physical skills with his Haki cultivation. He concentrates all his power into a single point and unleashes it, enough to shatter mountains!
Seeing this, Bullet was not afraid at all.
Instead, it let out a low growl of excitement, and the phantom of the white tiger flashed past behind it.
His fists clenched, adopting a similar posture of gathering power, and his aura surged wildly.
The white animal markings seemed to come alive, swimming across the skin!
"Come on, Zephyr! Let's see who collapses first!"