The clash of weapons rang out as the deformed giant was forced back.
A familiar voice carried over, making Zephyr and the others freeze in surprise.
When they saw that familiar face, disbelief flashed across their expressions. "Creed?"
"And who might you be? I'd advise you not to meddle in matters that don't concern you," the old woman narrowed her eyes.
"Me? I'm his student."
Creed smiled, though his eyes were cold.
It was his own negligence.
In the original events, wasn't Zephyr crippled by this so-called "Whitebeard Jr," the deformed man named Edward Weevil?
And on that training ship, every student except Ain and Binz had been slaughtered.
As for why Smoker and Tashigi weren't there in the original… no one could say for sure.
Perhaps the two of them had left the Elite Training Camp halfway through.
Or maybe Smoker had become strong enough to graduate early and had been assigned to a branch, with Tashigi following him.
After all, the original story had always been too one-sided in its portrayal.
But this was a real world.
And with Creed's arrival, the course of events had changed — Smoker and Tashigi were still in the Elite Training Camp.
Edward Weevil…
Whether for public duty or personal reasons, Creed would not let him go.
Especially since, right now, a purple treasure chest shimmered above Weevil's head.
"A student? Then I'll kill you too! Son, go!"
"Yes, Mama!"
Edward Weevil grabbed his massive naginata, over a man's height, stomped the deck, and charged at Creed with ferocity.
"Creed, run! I'll hold him off!" Zephyr's face carried the resolve of a man ready to die.
Creed felt a wave of warmth in his chest.
"Zephyr-sensei, there's no need. Don't think of me as weak."
The moment the words fell…
His figure shot forward in a blur. Rinne left its sheath, his blade swinging upward.
Clang! Bang!
The metallic ring of steel echoed, the air shrieking with the pressure.
Sparks flew from the clash, and the immense force drove the warship down into the sea.
Water surged several meters high before falling as a rain curtain.
After the first exchange, they broke apart instantly.
Creed's eyes sharpened. With a swing, blades of light slashed through the falling rain toward Edward Weevil.
Weevil brought his naginata up to block the attack.
"A Great Swordsman?!" The old woman's eyes widened. This boy… a Great Swordsman at his age? How old could he possibly be?
Zephyr, too, was shaken. In just two years, Creed had reached the rank of Great Swordsman?
The leap from Swordsman to Great Swordsman was a chasm few could ever cross.
Countless swordsmen spent their whole lives unable to touch that threshold.
And yet his student…
Two years!
In just two years, he had climbed from Swordsman to Great Swordsman!
His talent in swordsmanship could only be described as monstrous.
"So young, yet a Great Swordsman. It seems your luck has run out. A future Marine Admiral might just die here today," the old woman said coldly.
"Is that so? Come and try."
"Son, cut him down!"
Edward Weevil grinned foolishly and charged, his body tensing. Armament Haki coated his arms and weapon, giving them a metallic sheen.
Creed matched him, coating his blade in Armament Haki, his body flashing forward to meet him head-on.
Boom!
Steel struck steel.
The air thundered, sparks bursting once again.
The pressure between them crackled with faint arcs of energy as the sea roiled around them.
Both fighters locked in a test of strength, feet driven deep into the deck.
Crrrack…!
The entire warship groaned under the strain.
From the center of their clash, a fissure split the ship.
With a deafening crash, the warship tore apart from where they stood.
It was terrifying — these ships were built with the finest materials the Marines could acquire, yet they couldn't withstand even the aftershocks of this battle.
As the ship split, both fighters leapt back.
Zephyr and the others had already been moved onto the small warship Creed had arrived on.
Creed used his system to scan his opponent's abilities.
[Name]: Edward Weevil
[Abilities]: SS-rank Armament Haki (Extractable), S-rank Observation Haki (Extractable), SS-rank Brutal Blade (Extractable), S-rank Giant Strength (Extractable)
[Overall Strength]: SS-rank
…
An overall strength of SS, huh…
Seeing Weevil charge again, Creed met him head-on.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In mere seconds, they clashed dozens of times. Sword-light and blade-shadows danced in the air, the collision of their Armament Haki crackling with blue arcs.
Every impact sent shockwaves through the sea.
Under their immense power, the warship broke apart, reduced to floating planks.
They fought fiercely for over half an hour…
The surrounding waters were littered with shattered timber.
Boom!
They clashed again, the force of their blows sending the sea surging backward as the sky darkened above them.
Crrrack!
The planks beneath their feet shattered into splinters.
They separated once more.
Weevil's body was covered in countless sword wounds, though the bleeding had already stopped, some cuts even beginning to scab over.
Creed, on the other hand, was completely unharmed.
Weevil's strength was formidable, but Creed's SS+ swordsmanship was no joke.
Still, Creed frowned. Giants had incredible vitality and recovery speed.
In the original story, even after losing half his head, Whitebeard had fought on energetically — and that was in his twilight years, surviving only with medical support.
It was hard to imagine the vitality he must have possessed in his prime.
But…
If his life force and recovery were that strong, Creed would just have to make sure he never had the chance to recover at all.
(End of Chapter)
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