No one knew how much time had passed.
Finally, the raging winds above began to die down. Only then did Onigumo and Momonga dare to cautiously poke their heads up.
The moment they looked out, both were stunned with horror—
the once-lush island forest had been completely leveled. Everywhere they looked, the trees were reduced to charred stumps and smoking ash.
"Cough… cough…"
At the center of that scorched wasteland stood Zephyr—
his clothes in tatters, his body covered in cuts and bruises.
He panted heavily for several moments, then suddenly straightened up and drove his fists forward again and again, each punch dispersing the lingering shockwaves from Nao's "Wind and Thunder—Doomsday Burial."
"Magnificent! Glorious! HAHAHA—glorious!!"
Though he had endured the full force of the thunderstorm and his body was aching all over, Zephyr's eyes gleamed with wild excitement.
It had been so long since he'd felt the thrill of such an all-out battle!
For those who stand at the very summit of the world's power, it was a rare luxury to find a worthy opponent—
and for Zephyr, who had long since retired from the front lines, it was an even rarer joy.
All the more reason for him to savor every moment of this duel.
SWOOSH!
Zephyr's figure vanished from the ground, reappearing midair.
He launched himself toward the hovering Nao, unleashing a relentless storm of blows. Nao instantly raised his twin blades to meet him—
thunderlight clashing violently against obsidian fists.
The entire island trembled once more as though the earth itself might split apart.
"Not just your strength!"
Zephyr shouted between booming impacts, laughing heartily.
"Your speed, your technique, your mastery of Haki—they've all improved immensely since a few years ago! Even this old man's starting to lose his edge against you!"
"You flatter me, Sensei. It's only because you built such a solid foun—"
"This isn't the time for sweet talk!"
Zephyr interrupted with a thunderous laugh, slamming a full-power punch that forced Nao back.
"Come on, show me something new! Don't hold back—this old man still has plenty of fight left!"
"…Alright then."
Seeing Zephyr's face—satisfied, yet clearly craving more—
Nao could only shrug helplessly.
He parried the latest punch with a cross slash, then leapt backward to widen the distance.
At that instant, his pitch-black pupils turned into a radiant, electric blue.
His jet-black hair spiked upward, arcs of electricity dancing through the strands.
Within moments, those sparks expanded, wrapping his entire body in surging azure current.
HUMMMMM!!
Half the island was instantly swallowed by light.
Vast waves of energy surged across the terrain, branching outward—
and in just a few seconds, the current condensed into nine colossal, semi-transparent dragons of blue lightning.
Each one raised its head toward the heavens and let out an ear-splitting roar!
Their forms were awe-inspiring—every detail identical to the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
"Thunder Attraction: Nine Dragons Annihilation!"
Holding his twin blades before his chest, Nao's eyes flashed sharply as he gave a low shout.
If his earlier "Wind and Thunder Burial" had drawn upon the storm and the sky's natural lightning,
then this technique was the opposite—
its destructive power came entirely from within, born of his own boundless energy.
ROAR!!
The nine dragons, responding to his command, flapped their wings and charged in unison—
each trailing torrents of thunder as they dove from all directions toward the island's center,
toward Zephyr himself!
"What an unbelievable display…"
Zephyr looked up, momentarily dazed, as the nine lightning dragons blotted out the sky itself.
For the briefest instant, even he was struck by awe.
Then, drawing in a deep breath, Zephyr steeled his resolve.
Without hesitation, he gathered every last ounce of his strength—
and launched his most powerful strike straight into the heavens!
Sixteen years!
It had been sixteen whole years since anyone had forced him to fight like this,
since he had last been pushed to use his full power!
BOOOOOOM!!!
The nine dragons roared as they descended, twisting and crashing together in midair.
Each collision unleashed surges of raw electric fury that tore at the fabric of the air itself.
The sheer magnitude of it was terrifying—
as though anything caught within that storm would be utterly erased from existence.
When Zephyr's strongest punch collided head-on with Nao's devastating attack—
CRACK!!!
Terrifying fissures spread instantly beneath Zephyr's feet, racing outward in all directions and splitting the ground into a web of deep ravines.
In that instant, the island finally reached its limit.
Its foundations shattered completely, and the surrounding sea erupted into towering waves as countless massive water pillars shot into the sky.
Above them, the thunderclouds slowly dispersed, revealing the heavens split by a vast rift—
a colossal scar stretching from the island's center all the way to the horizon, as if the entire sky itself had been cleaved in two.
Thud.
As his Armament Haki faded away, Zephyr collapsed to the ground, utterly spent.
Not far away, Nao descended from the sky, his face noticeably paler than before—
clearly, the back-to-back use of two ultimate techniques had taken a toll on his stamina.
"You alright, Sensei?"
He hurried over and helped Zephyr sit up.
The older man wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and, smiling with satisfaction, shook his head.
"Nothing serious. I managed to hold out. But you, brat—clearly, you pulled your punches at the end, didn't you?"
"It was just a spar, after all…" Nao gave a sheepish grin.
"I can't really go all out as if it were a fight to the death. Gotta show some restraint."
"If it were a real fight to the death," Zephyr chuckled, "this old man wouldn't be dumb enough to take your hits head-on like that."
He waved it off with a laugh.
"Forget it. I've had my fill. That's enough for today. How long have we been fighting?"
"About two hours, I'd say."
Nao glanced up at the sky.
"If we head back now, we can still make it in time for lunch."
"Then let's go! You two hiding over there, come out! Don't leave for lunch. Come to my place, and the old man will cook for you himself!"
Zephyr patted Nao's shoulder, shouted toward the coast, then laughed heartily as he took to the air, using Moon Walk to head back toward Headquarters first.
Nao followed right behind without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Onigumo and Momonga stood in place, staring blankly at the two retreating figures. They exchanged glances, feeling slightly lost.
Although they had somewhat anticipated it with the shifting dynamics of the fight, seeing this scene unfold, both of them—especially Momonga—still found it hard to believe.
Vice Admiral Nao… had actually gained the upper hand against Zephyr-sensei in their spar?
...
Meanwhile, high above the sea,
Nao was quietly reflecting on the outcome of their battle.
Onigumo and Momonga, as distant spectators, had only witnessed fragments of the fight. Their vantage point was too far, their understanding too shallow to grasp what truly happened.
Only Nao himself understood that the match had been nothing more than a friendly spar—
no real winner or loser had been decided.
Still, the battle had given him a much clearer sense of his current power.
First of all—
he could say for certain that, in terms of pure close combat technique and mastery of the two types of Haki,
he was still a tier below Zephyr.
To put it in "controlled experiment" terms:
if the two of them were to fight relying solely on physical strength,
Zephyr would suppress him from start to finish—
and when his stamina ran out, Nao would be the one to fall.
If he added his swordsmanship — the very skill he prided himself on —
then, in all likelihood, their fight would end in a stalemate.
They might battle for ten days and nights, hard-fought and exhausting,
but at least he wouldn't be completely suppressed.
And if he further added the power of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit,
then his combat strength would stand fully on par with Zephyr's.
Considering his immense stamina and the advantages of a Logia-type fruit,
the final victor would most likely be himself.
In other words —
his power had now truly broken through the final barrier,
ascending to the so-called Admiral-class level.
Even if he were to be thrown straight into the Marineford War right now,
he'd be fully qualified to sit in one of those three chairs below the execution platform.
However…
even within the "Admiral-Emperor" tier of power, there were still clear distinctions in strength.
For instance, in his prime, Zephyr-sensei was absolutely among the top of that rank—
on par with Garp himself.
But now, being over sixty,
long removed from the front lines and with his fighting spirit somewhat dulled,
his strength had declined noticeably from its peak—
placing him at the lower end of that level.
Nao estimated that his current power was roughly about the same—
perhaps still a little weaker than the "Three Admirals" during the Marineford War.
But only slightly.
And in the ever-changing chaos of battle, such a gap was almost negligible.
Raising his head slightly, Nao gazed toward the distant horizon under the warm afternoon sun.
If he ever got the chance to fight Kaido again,
he was confident that things would no longer go as they had two years ago—
where he had been completely overwhelmed from start to finish,
barely managing to stall Kaido long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
At the very least, this time he could fight him to a true draw.
Even if the battle lasted ten days and ten nights,
even if Kaido went all out—
he wouldn't be able to do a thing to Nao!
...
After having lunch at Zephyr's house,
Nao didn't return home to rest.
Instead, he headed straight for the harbor.
Originally—
he had just returned from the Holy Land, where he'd stood in for Fleet Admiral Kong to oversee the Reverie.
Marine Headquarters had granted him three days off,
and he had planned to spend the time with his family.
But, as always, a Marine's life wasn't his own.
He had barely finished slurping noodles with Zephyr
when a call came in from Sengoku,
informing him of an urgent situation.
In the sea region under the jurisdiction of G-2 Branch,
two countries had suddenly fallen into simultaneous coups—
and there were even rumors that Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, had appeared.
The situation was extremely dire.
Originally, Kizaru, who had been in charge of escorting several royal families,
immediately rushed back from Mary Geoise to the G-2 branch upon hearing the news,
leaving behind a mountain of unfinished work.
Headquarters couldn't find anyone else free to fill in—
so they had no choice but to recall Nao from his hard-earned leave
to clean up Kizaru's mess.
...
"Seven royal families?"
At the harbor, Nao's eye twitched as he listened to Momonga's report.
He turned his head sharply.
"Old man Sengoku didn't mention that number before.
Is he kidding me?"
"About that, Vice Admiral…" Momonga said awkwardly.
Momonga flipped through the documents in his hands, sighing helplessly.
"Originally, Mr. Borsalino was only in charge of three royal families," he explained.
"But when the nearby kingdoms heard you were coming to take over, all of them refused the Commanders originally assigned to them and demanded to join your escort fleet instead. I guess they feel more at ease knowing you're the one in charge."
"Still," Onigumo added carefully, sneaking a glance at Nao's expression, "the situation isn't too bad, Vice Admiral. I checked the sea charts just now—these seven countries are all fairly close to one another. If we plan the route properly, we can visit them in a single line. It won't delay things by much."
"That's more like it."
Nao snorted softly, his expression easing a little.
Well, fine—call it the price of being capable.
At least it would save Headquarters some manpower and avoid redundant deployments.
Still, the next time he went to G-2, he swore he'd make that yellow monkey, Kizaru, treat him to a feast until his wallet bled.
...
The Thunder Hawk soon set sail, leading a large, diverse fleet of ships toward the North Blue.
It was truly a "large fleet."
Seven entire nations. The royal family members and the diplomatic delegation of each country typically required two or three ships as a minimum. The sheer size of the assembled fleet was easily imaginable.
Nao had never been fond of escort missions,
but fortunately, the kings of these nations were all fairly sensible.
Every one of them came forward personally and greeted him with respect—
none dared to act arrogant.
Of course, that was only because it was Nao they were dealing with.
Momonga and Onigumo both curled their lips in amusement.
They had seen firsthand how these same princes and princesses
had treated their original escort officers—
with the utmost disdain, barking orders as if they were servants.
But the moment they set foot on the Thunder Hawk,
they became quiet as mice.
...
The journey proceeded without any incident.
After all, not every pirate was a lunatic like Jack.
With Nao personally leading the fleet,
any pirate crew who even considered attacking would have to think twice—
not about whether they could succeed,
but about how fast the grass would grow on their graves afterward.
A pair of Sea Kings did try their luck midway through,
but Nao didn't even bother to move.
He simply sipped his tea on deck
while Momonga and Onigumo leapt out using Moonwalk.
Within half a minute, each had slain one of the giant beasts.
Yes—having capable subordinates really did make things easier.
After two years of training, both of them had reached power levels
that Nao believed were close to that of a standard Vice Admiral.
Their roles were also clearly defined:
Momonga was the strategist—sharp-minded and reliable,
often helping Nao manage operations and draw up battle plans.
Onigumo, meanwhile, wasn't the brightest,
but in battle he was a raging storm—
always the first to charge in, fearless and unstoppable.
They had become an increasingly perfect pair of aides.
And when the day finally came for them to be promoted to Vice Admiral,
Nao thought to himself—
he really wouldn't want to let them go.