Chapter 31: Garp and Zephyr's Amazement
In a short while, the medics carefully carried Garon away on a stretcher, and the observing Marines also began to leave.
Soon, only Zephyr and Garp remained on the training ground.
Only then did the two of them truly see the almost annihilating destructive power this battle had caused.
The once-flat Training Ground One was now completely unrecognizable.
The ground was covered in deep pits and fissures, as if chewed up by a giant beast. Some areas were even in a bizarrely warped state. Faint vibrational waves still permeated the air, as if the air itself had been shattered and was struggling to stabilize.
The most terrifying part was the ground around the central crater. The space there showed glass-like cracks, as if it had been torn apart by some invisible force. One could even faintly hear tiny crackling sounds.
The walls of several Academy buildings in the distance were covered in spiderweb cracks; some had even collapsed. The perimeter wall of the training ground had long since been pulverized, leaving only a few lonely, twisted steel rebar rods sticking out of the ground.
"Hey, hey, hey..." Garp stood at the edge, eyes wide as he looked around. "This looks like it was hit by a meteor!"
Saying this, Garp squatted down and touched a fissure that was still trembling. His fingertip immediately felt a sharp, high-frequency vibration.
"Hiss~ Even the ground is still vibrating." He pulled back his hand, his brow furrowed.
Zephyr, however, silently watched all this, his right hand unconsciously moving to his left arm.
Garp noticed the abnormality, his gaze falling on Zephyr's slightly trembling left hand. "Zephyr, you..."
Zephyr pulled at the corner of his mouth, revealing a forced smile. "I didn't manage to coat it with Armament Haki in time for that last hit... I didn't expect the 'Sky-Tremor' power to be so astonishing."
Garp's expression sharpened. A vibration that could even get the better of "Black Arm" Zephyr... one could only imagine its power.
But then, Garp suddenly grinned and slapped Zephyr's shoulder. "If that guy Sengoku comes back and finds Training Ground One is gone again, isn't he going to be so mad his mustache curls? It was just repaired less than three months ago, right?"
Zephyr snorted lightly, glancing at Garp. "You were the one who suggested Garon go all out."
"Huh?" Garp's eyes went wide, his face a mask of innocence. "I just said it off-handedly! Who knew you'd actually let him cut loose!" As he spoke, Garp muttered, "You could have ended it with one punch..."
But Zephyr's mouth quirked upward. "When Sengoku gets back and asks, we'll just say you're responsible."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Garp immediately waved his hands, taking an exaggerated step back. "I don't want Sengoku nagging me! Last time, he hounded me for a whole week about the repair costs! I had to go to the scrapyard just to train!"
Zephyr let out a low laugh and said no more, just silently rubbing his still-aching left arm.
Garp scratched his head, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "How about this: we just say the training ground was hit by a meteor? It's not like Sengoku has any proof!"
"That..." Zephyr shot him a look. "You think Sengoku will believe that?"
"Hahaha! Who cares!" Garp laughed, slapping Zephyr's back. "It's not like he can summon a meteor for questioning, right?"
Zephyr shook his head helplessly, but internally, he was relieved. At least this guy Garp would probably draw all of Sengoku's fire.
But joking aside, once they calmed down, both men looked at the terrifying destruction, and a trace of shock flashed through them.
"This level of destruction..." Garp said in a low voice. "It's... almost worse than Whitebeard... no, it might be even more dangerous."
Zephyr nodded slowly, the pain in his arm causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead. "The Gura Gura no Mi is dangerous enough, but this kid is a Logia on top of it. And..." He looked in the direction Garon had been carried. "Most importantly, he's only had the fruit for a year, but look at how many different moves he used against me. And that was with me forbidding him from using his sword!"
The residual vibrational waves in the air were still spreading, and small cracking sounds echoed from the ruins. The two legendary Marines looked at each other, seeing the same emotion in each other's eyes.
...
Meanwhile, in the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine HQ.
"Steel Bone" Kong had his hands steepled in front of his chin, staring intently at the battle report and several photos of the destroyed training ground.
His brow furrowed tighter and tighter, until he finally slammed his fist on the table, splashing water from his tea.
"This kid... is he really a Logia?" The Fleet Admiral's voice was full of disbelief.
Although Garon had a record of fighting Whitebeard, Kong, who hadn't seen it himself, was still skeptical. He was especially more focused on the three "monsters" who had just graduated from the Academy.
But now, this "spar" between Garon and Zephyr had finally, truly, put Garon on his radar.
"This destructive power... it's like Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi and the traits of a Logia were fused together."
The adjutant standing to the side wiped his cold sweat. "Report, Fleet Admiral. Vice Admiral Zephyr confirmed that Warrant Officer Garon's ability is indeed the Logia-type Sky-Tremor Fruit. And..." He hesitated, pointing to the area in the photo with the spatial cracks. "According to observations from the Science Division on-site, the vibrations from his fruit can... linger for a short time after the attack."
Fleet Admiral Kong took a deep breath. His gaze fell on the handwritten comment Zephyr had submitted at the end of the report (his fourth one).
[Potential far exceeds expectations. Recommend priority cultivation...]
"Heh. That Zephyr... his eye for talent is as sharp as ever." "Steel Bone" Kong shook his head, but his mouth quirked up. "First Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino... those three monsters. And now Garon... Four powerful Logia users. The Marines have really hit the jackpot."
After a moment, the Fleet Admiral suddenly asked, "Right, what's Sengoku's status?"
"Admiral Sengoku is expected to return to HQ tomorrow."
"Very good." A meaningful smile spread across Kong's face. "When he gets back, remember to immediately take him to tour the 'newly renovated' Training Ground One. And... just say Garp did it."
...
Two months later, Marine HQ Infirmary.
Snip.
The last of the bandages was cut. Garon winced as he sat up on the hospital bed, looking down at his chest, which was finally seeing the light of day.
The ugly bruising had faded, but the faint, fist-shaped marks still remained on his skin.
"Teacher Zephyr's fists... really pack a punch."
Garon rolled his shoulders, which immediately protested with a crackling sound. "I only took a few hits... and it put me in bed for two whole months!"
"You call that 'a few hits'?!" the medic couldn't help but retort as he put away his scissors. "If Captain Kuzan hadn't used his ability to stop the bleeding and cool your core temperature in time, you probably..."
"Stop, stop!" Garon waved his hands frantically. "Any more and I'll start thinking I'm a medical miracle."
He hopped off the bed and grabbed his uniform, slinging it over his shoulders. "By the way, where's my sword?"
"Your weapon was sent to your office."
"Also..." The medic handed him a file. "Vice Admiral Zephyr left this for you last month before he left for his mission. He said to open it only when you were 'back up and jumping around.'"
"Left for me?" Garon raised an eyebrow, took the file, and froze the moment he opened it.
On the paper was a single, explosively written line of text:
"Tomorrow, 0400, at the docks. Be late and I'll multiply your training tenfold. —Z"
"Hey, hey... What kind of get-well-soon gift is this?! Wait... how did Teacher Zephyr know exactly when I'd be recovered?"