As Zephyr's words fell—
The spacious Fleet Admiral's office suddenly turned deathly silent.
Not a single sound.
After a long moment, Garp finally stared at Zephyr with a blank look.
"…What are you talking about? Why do I feel like I'm not understanding a word?"
Sengoku, Tsuru, and even Kong all looked just as confused.
Not qualified to teach?
What did that mean?
A dignified Marine Admiral—saying he wasn't qualified to teach a four-year-old kid?
Was he out of his mind?
"Zephyr… what exactly did you experience?" Kong couldn't help asking.
Zephyr's face was still stiff with lingering shock.
"Just now, I personally taught Kai how to train the two Haki types."
"You can try guessing…"
"How long it took him to master them."
The instant those words came out—
Kong and the others froze.
Eyes widened. Minds went blank.
"…W-What did you just say?!" Kong blurted out.
"That brat Kai mastered Armament and Observation?!" Sengoke was visibly shaken too, and immediately pressed him. "Are you sure?!"
Zephyr let out a bitter laugh.
"Would you believe it?"
"In less than an hour, he went from a complete beginner to fully mastering both."
"This is the first time in my life I've ever seen something like this."
"Kai is too terrifying."
"Otherwise, why would I say I'm not qualified to keep teaching this monster?"
Even now, Zephyr still couldn't calm down.
"W-What the hell…?!" Garp was stunned stupid.
Huh?
What?
What the hell did Zephyr just say?
Less than an hour?!
Kai learned both Armament and Observation in under an hour?!
Was this a dream?!
Garp knew exactly how hard it was to cultivate both colors of Haki.
Even back in his day, it took him nearly a whole year to barely get a grip on them.
And now—
What was he hearing?!
His own grandson, Kai…
Did it in less than an hour?!
What kind of concept was that?
Garp stood there like an idiot.
The gap was too absurd—hundreds, even thousands of times over.
What kind of heaven-defying talent was this?
It was unimaginable.
Even Garp—who already had a strong idea of how freakish Kai's potential was—still got his mind blown by Zephyr's report.
"Mastered both colors of Haki in under an hour…" Kong sucked in a cold breath.
Zephyr's words hit them like a sledgehammer.
"Zephyr," Sengoku spoke again, voice heavy, "do you realize what you're saying?"
"I do," Zephyr said helplessly, a bitter smile on his face. "I taught that monster with my own hands. You think I don't know exactly what happened?"
"Looking across centuries of this sea…"
"I've never seen a monster like him."
"In under an hour, he grasped Observation and Armament one after the other."
"Honestly… I even started wondering if you, Garp, secretly taught him the method ahead of time."
"Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense!"
Garp instantly exploded.
"Bullshit!"
"If I'd taught Kai those methods, would I have needed to toss him to you in the first place?!"
"If I'd known my grandson was this damn promising…"
"I would've taught him myself—why would I hand him to you, you old fossil?!"
"I basically gave you a free gift!"
"Teaching my grandson Kai, a once-in-a-century genius—this is something you can brag about for the rest of your life!"
"With a good thing like that, shouldn't you be kneeling down and kowtowing to thank me?!"
Zephyr opened his mouth… then closed it.
He had no rebuttal.
Because, honestly—
Producing a once-in-a-century prodigy…
Having him master both colors of Haki in under an hour…
That really was the kind of achievement that could be remembered in history.
As Kai's "teacher," Zephyr's face shone too.
Even though—
He'd only been Kai's teacher for a single day.
But no one could deny it.
Zephyr is Kai's teacher. That fact alone was real.
And the moment that thought settled in—
Zephyr's mood brightened in a very real way.
"Kong, that old man, actually did one good thing for once…"
"Letting his grandson become my student…"
"With that, my name can go down in Marine history."
"Who dares question my teaching ability?"
"The number one genius in hundreds of years—came from my hands!"
Zephyr's lips curled into a pleased smile.
In his heart, he knew—
A monster like Kai would become terrifying even without Zephyr teaching him anything.
But Zephyr still "got in first."
Before Kai had mastered Armament and Observation, Zephyr had already become his teacher.
"Kai really is a monster…" Kong muttered, still stunned.
At this point, he fully believed Zephyr.
Zephyr wouldn't lie about something like this.
And even if he did—
What would be the point?
"It's hard to imagine…" Sengoku said, voice filled with awe. "A four-year-old kid, and he already has both colors of Haki."
"Add Rokushiki, its advanced techniques, and his Conqueror's Haki—something he awakened and mastered on his own…"
"Put it all together, and even across the entire sea, this kid is already a terrifyingly powerful fighter!"
Tsuru finally snapped out of her shock as well.
"A beginner… who mastered both colors of Haki in under an hour."
"What a frightening genius."
"Once in a century."
"In all the Marines' hundreds of years, we've never had an example like this."
Her gaze shifted to Garp, and her tone grew complicated.
"Garp, bringing your grandson Kai to Marine Headquarters… this may be one of the very few correct decisions you've made in your life."
"If not for you, and a monster like this became a pirate…"
"The consequences would be unthinkable."
"A monster pirate like that would become an immeasurable threat to the Marines in the future."
"And then…"
"The pirates of this sea would only grow more rampant."
Garp nodded instinctively, deeply agreeing—
Then immediately felt something was off.
"One of the very few correct decisions"?
What was that supposed to mean?
Since when was he unreliable?!
Everything he did was correct, okay?!
Bias! It's all bias!
Sengoku and Tsuru were obviously just jealous that he had a genius grandson.
That had to be it.
Garp grumbled inwardly.
Zephyr sighed, looking genuinely helpless again.
"Fleet Admiral… I really don't want to keep teaching this monster."
"And more importantly…"
"I simply can't teach him anymore."
"I can't even think of what I'm supposed to teach."
"Everything I know—he already knows."
"How am I supposed to continue?"
Kong fell into silence.
He had to admit—
That was a real problem.
Kai was too freakish.
Mastering both colors of Haki in under an hour…
It was unprecedented.
So the question was—
Faced with a monster that defied common sense like this…
What could Zephyr possibly teach him?
At this moment, Kong finally understood Zephyr's frustration.
Meeting a student who was wildly beyond imagination—
Yes, it brought pride and joy…
But it also inevitably created an overwhelming sense of defeat.
If Zephyr's mentality wasn't stable enough—
He'd probably already be questioning his entire life.
"With a prodigy like this…" Sengoku said slowly, "I don't think anyone is truly qualified to teach him."
"I agree," Tsuru nodded.
"Don't look at me," Garp scratched his head. "Even Zephyr can't teach him anymore—what the hell can I teach?"
Only now did everyone realize—
When someone's talent becomes too terrifying—
It also becomes a massive headache for everyone around them.
Garp spread his hands and put on a very "troubled" expression.
"Sigh… having a grandson who's too monstrously talented…"
"That's its own kind of suffering, you know?"
"Don't you agree?"
Everyone: "..."
Enough, Garp.
Your grin is about to split your face in half.
Could you at least look in a mirror and see how shamelessly you're showing off right now?!
Kong: "..."
Sengoku: "..."
Tsuru: "..."
Zephyr: "..."
For some reason—
Watching Garp's smug, self-satisfied face made everyone in the room want to beat him on the spot.
If they weren't scared they couldn't win—
Garp wouldn't be walking out of the Fleet Admiral's office today.
After a long pause, Sengoku finally spoke weakly—like he was doing Garp a favor.
"Since you're so troubled, Garp…"
"Then I'll just have to make a sacrifice and adopt your grandson."
"I don't mind at all."
"As long as you agree."
Garp's mouth twitched.
"Get lost. Don't even think about it!"
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