A roaring inferno burst from Ares' mouth, lined with razor-sharp teeth.
In an instant, the sky and sea were bathed in a brilliant shade of orange.
It was a breathtaking spectacle.
Ares' attack was like the starting gun, and Gold Lion instantly launched his assault on Garp in perfect sync.
Shiiing!
Shiiing!
Two dazzling golden sword lights slashed across the sky, tearing through the air.
The battle had begun.
Facing the searing flames, Zephyr's usually calm expression finally shifted, his brows furrowed in surprise.
"A Mythical Zoan who can control fire…"
But his reaction was not slow.
Buzz!
His arms instantly hardened with Armament Haki. As a Marine Vice Admiral-in-training, Zephyr's mastery of Armament Haki was exceptional.
Whether it was hardening or external projection, he could wield both with ease.
"Black Arm, Crushing Impact Fist!"
His Armament Haki condensed into visible shockwaves around his fists, forming a stark contrast against the raging flames.
Boom!!
Though his arm looked black against the blaze, it pierced through the flames like an unstoppable spear.
One punch shattered the sea of fire.
But Zephyr's pupils suddenly contracted, reflected in his eyes was a set of cold, gleaming claws.
Bang!
With a thunderous blast beneath his feet, he shot sideways, narrowly dodging Ares' lightning-fast, air-tearing strike.
The whistling sound of the claw strike echoed past Zephyr's ears.
His expression darkened as he crossed his hardened arms in front of him.
Boom!!
A deafening impact.
Ares' overwhelming dragon-tail sweep slammed into Zephyr's guard.
It was like being crushed by a collapsing mountain. Zephyr was instantly blasted backward, his body like an arrow released from a bowstring.
His heart trembled.
"Is this guy really a rookie from the Rocks Pirates?!"
"His battle instincts, his raw power… this is terrifying!!"
The raging wind screamed past him, roaring in his ears.
It wasn't until he was mere meters from the ocean surface that he managed to stop himself, stomping on Moonwalk in a sharp 'Z' pattern as he shot back into the air.
"Azure Dragon Claw, Slash Wave!!"
Ares swung his dragon claw, the razor-sharp talons slicing through the air with explosive speed and force.
As his right claw descended, four brilliant blue-white sword waves instantly tore through the sky.
His left claw followed.
Those four waves instantly became eight!
Swish! Swish!
Zephyr's eyes narrowed as he weaved through the air, darting left and right, shifting up and down to evade each incoming strike.
The sword waves whistled past him, cutting through the sea below with thunderous crashes, sending surging waves rippling outward.
From the very start, Ares had unleashed an aggressive, relentless assault, fully ignited by his thirst for victory.
Zephyr's heart tightened. He no longer saw Ares as a rookie but immediately elevated him to the level of a full-fledged Rocks Pirate officer.
"These slashes… they're on par with the great swordsmen of the sea!"
Zephyr's face was grave.
He quickly closed the distance, his Armament Haki-coated fist raised high.
A fierce punch ripped through the air, causing a sonic boom.
"Armament, Impact!"
"Blood Armament, Giant Ape King Fist!!"
Ares' golden vertical pupils blazed with excitement, his fighting spirit surging wildly.
A massive red fist clashed violently against Zephyr's smaller, black-hardened fist.
Boom!!!!
The raw, bone-crushing collision allowed Ares to fully experience Zephyr's terrifying power.
This thrilling, explosive impact brought a wave of exhilaration no amount of iron-bar body training could ever replicate!
"Haha…"
The surging shockwaves slammed against Ares' body and face, but he laughed in sheer joy.
"A powerful opponent, just my type!!"
"Black Arm Zephyr, you're a worthy adversary. I will defeat you!!"
His core muscles tightened as energy surged into his powerful legs. His next kick tore through the air with explosive force.
Zephyr's heart skipped a beat.
His sharpened senses and Observation Haki instantly told him the horrifying strength behind that kick.
In a split-second decision, Zephyr's body twisted through the air like a drifting autumn leaf, moving with an almost impossible angle to evade Ares' sweeping leg strike.
The sheer force of the kick sent a violent shockwave rippling past Zephyr, causing his Justice cloak to flutter wildly behind him.
"Finger Gun!!"
His counterattack came in the blink of an eye, vicious finger jabs piercing the air like a barrage of lances.
His strikes were so fast that his arms seemed to blur and split into multiple afterimages.
But the very next second, Zephyr's face darkened in shock.
Ares' crimson fist launched a barrage of wild, frenzied punches.
He didn't defend.
He completely abandoned his guard and chose to meet Zephyr head-on trading blow for blow!
Bang bang bang!!
Swish! Boom!
The rapid, brutal exchange sent shockwaves rippling in every direction. The two struck each other with such speed that even the eye could barely keep up.
But in the end, both landed hits.
One of Zephyr's finger strikes pierced Ares' chest with a sickening squelch, his entire index finger buried deep.
Even Ares' hardened physique couldn't withstand Zephyr's precision and mastery of Armament Haki, it was like stabbing through tofu.
At the same time, Ares' fierce, blood-red fist slammed into Zephyr's chest with devastating force.
Zephyr was sent flying again, his finger tearing out of Ares' chest and leaving a trail of crimson in the air.
When Ares' punch landed, Zephyr felt as if his chest had been struck by a battering ram.
A metallic taste surged in his throat, but he forced it back down.
"Even Iron Body… couldn't fully withstand this guy's punch?!"
Zephyr's body crashed into the ocean like a cannonball, sending a towering pillar of water shooting skyward.
The icy seawater snapped his mind back into focus.
His heart raced in shock.
"What a terrifying rookie!!"
He swiftly swam through the ocean's depths before rocketing back into the sky.
Meanwhile
Ares' golden vertical pupils gleamed with pure excitement.
His mind raced.
"So this is the strength of the Marine elites…"
Their combat techniques fascinated him.
Whether it was Zephyr's inhumanly flexible evasions or the deadly precision of his Finger Gun, Ares was utterly enthralled.
But what thrilled him most was when his fist slammed into Zephyr's chest. In that moment, he had clearly felt the texture change, Zephyr's muscles had hardened, like punching solid steel.
Hovering atop his flaming cloud, standing tall in his dragon-human form, Ares looked like a monarch ruling the heavens and seas.
He gazed down upon the ocean.
Ares lowered his head to watch the rapidly ascending Zephyr and couldn't help but think of one thing, "Experience points!"
The corners of his ferocious dragon face curled into a grin.
"Perhaps… I can also master the combat techniques Zephyr is using!!"
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