Bang! Bang! Bang!
Across the sea, thunderous booms reverberated like thunder in broad daylight.
Martial Exercise Island, already battered, trembled violently as if an army were relentlessly shelling it.
But everyone knew the truth: there were no armies here.
The other competitors had been evacuated long ago by medical ships, leaving only two figures, or rather, two monsters, on the island.
Hōng lóng!
Amidst the deafening explosions and billowing smoke, the two figures moved with such blinding speed that they were nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.
Their silhouettes flashed across the live broadcast screens, across the sky, the ground, shattered rocks, and cliffs carved out of thin air, only to vanish in an instant.
Yet, with each appearance and aftershock of their clashes, their power surged with a force capable of crushing most of the so-called "strongest" warriors in the Sea.
At that moment...
"Black Body Style·Thorn Spike!"
After another collision in the sky, Zephyr's mechanical arm spun like a drill, unleashing a speed disproportionate to its size.
Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) erupted from his fist, leaving a whirlwind in its wake as it blasted a massive crater through the smoke and dust below.
But when this blow, capable of leveling an entire mountain with a single strike, hurtled toward Roy...
Buzz!
The golden waves of energy and Haki flowing from Roy's body completely neutralized the attack's momentum.
The residual force struck Roy, leaving only a shallow scratch.
"Devil Fruit Combination: Defensive Enhancement!"
Having blocked Zephyr's attack, Roy gave the old man no time to rest.
[Dice-Dice Fruit LV4 → Ryu Ryu no Mi (Dragon-Dragon Fruit), Model: Wind God Winged Dragon LV4]
Riding the gale created by Zephyr's earlier strike, Roy's speed instantly surged to its peak. This allowed him to materialize above Zephyr's head in the blink of an eye.
Before Zephyr could react, Roy activated his Devil Fruit combination, [Muscle Enhancement].
He clenched his fist and unleashed a devastating blow: [Spear of Elbaf: Hakoku Sovereignty!]
Zephyr raised his mechanical arm once more, but Roy's punch slammed him into the ground like an aerolite anyway.
Another massive crater erupted in a cloud of smoke, yet Roy's assault showed no signs of stopping.
[Light Fuwa Fuwa no Mi (Float-Float Fruit): Mass Amplification].
In the next instant, his figure plummeted downward like a meteorite.
"Shockwave Fist: Eternal Frost!"
"Shockwave Fist: Sea-Burning Blaze!"
As he fell, flames and frost visibly coalesced around his fists.
Below, Zephyr, who had just been knocked to the ground by Bang, instantly jumped to his feet and leaped aside, narrowly avoiding Roy's attack. However, the scorching heat of the magma and the bone-chilling cold of the frost drastically altered the surrounding terrain.
Having evaded the attack, Zephyr wasted no time. He immediately raised his Smash Machine again: "Black Body Style: Mountain Shatter!"
Seizing the brief moment when Roy was rigidly suspended in the air, Zephyr channeled Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) to its limit and unleashed another devastating punch.
Seeing this, Roy remained utterly unfazed.
[Zoan-type Snow Rabbit Devil Fruit LV4] [Dragon-Dragon Devil Fruit, Tyrannosaurus Rex Form LV3] [Muscle-Muscle Fruit LV4]
This was
[Leg Power Enhancement - Geppo: Shun!]
His leg power, amplified to its absolute limit, instantly propelled his Geppo speed to its peak. With a single leap, he dodged Zephyr's punch, then raised his leg and unleashed [Rankyaku (Tempest Kick): Mountain Shred!].
As the words echoed, a massive, slicing kick tore another colossal fissure into the ground. Roy's figure seemed to have fallen unexpectedly into the chasm.
But the next moment...
Buzz!
His body melted into the earth, merging with the soil and leaving only a massive crater in his wake.
"Hmm!?"
Zephyr hadn't had time to react when he sensed movement beneath his feet.
Had anyone been observing at that moment, they would have clearly seen Roy moving rapidly beneath the ground.
Roy moving rapidly beneath the ground.
[Mouse-Mouse Devil Fruit — Mole Form LV3]
[Dice-Dice Fruit LV4]
This was:
"Earth-Digging Enhancement: Shockwave Fist!"
A violent tremor erupted from the ground beneath Zephyr's feet, and Roy burst forth in its wake.
Realizing that he couldn't evade the approaching shockwave fist, Zephyr opted to stand his ground. He unleashed a ferocious kick.
"Black Body Style: Sever!"
In the next instant, Roy's fist and Zephyr's leg collided.
Both fighters were sent flying backward, and another massive shockwave exploded, further complicating the ground maintenance crews' future repair work.
The intensity of the battle left spectators breathless and unable to keep up with the frenetic action.
Even the commentator, who had insisted on continuing his commentary despite biting his tongue, finally gave up. He could only gape, staring dumbly at the unbelievable battle unfolding before him.
"This...this is..." He couldn't find the words to describe it.
Though he was an elite member of the World Economy Newspaper and had witnessed many strong fighters and sensational news stories, he had never seen a battle of this magnitude.
"What an absurd display of power! Look at that island, viewers! Those two are practically natural disasters."
He stared at the colossal Martial Exercise Island, specially constructed and repeatedly reinforced by the World Government, which was now on the verge of complete collapse.
His trembling voice echoed the thoughts of the entire world at that moment.
For ordinary people on the sea, the battle unfolding before them was utterly incomprehensible, the sheer power displayed by the two combatants defied their understanding.
It was a genuine, heartfelt smile.
"Ha ha! Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."
Zephyr's teeth chattered, and the veins on his left arm bulged.
He wasn't angry, just exhilarated.
Zephyr knew Roy was strong. They had sparred countless times, and Zephyr even suspected that Roy's rapid growth might surprise him. But he never imagined the surprise would be this immense.
Since the attack four years ago, he hadn't unleashed such raw power, yet Roy was still holding his own.
In response...
"Old man, you've still got it!" Roy grinned, clenching his fists and relishing the sensations coursing through his body.
In that moment, he finally understood the battle-hungry warriors who lived for combat. The long-forgotten pain and exhaustion didn't faze him. Instead, they ignited his excitement like a wild beast smelling blood.
It was the power within him roaring to life.
"Come, long-awaited Strongest... let's clash!"
For Roy, this feeling was entirely new. He had finally found an opponent who could unleash his full potential. He felt an exhilarating, visceral thrill unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
And so...
"Come!"
With guttural roars, both men charged at each other again!
"Super Shockwave Fist!"
"Black Body Style Esoterics!"
But just as they gathered Haki and prepared to strike,
"Hmm!?"
Zephyr's expression shifted abruptly.
The next moment, the Haki surrounding him began to visibly wane at an alarming rate. His body slumped almost uncontrollably, wracked by surging pain from within.
"Have I reached my limit?"
In that instant, scenes from Zephyr's past flashed before his eyes once more.
"Severe asthma, Admiral Zephyr. This is likely a side effect of your excessive training in the Black Body Style during your youth, triggered by the tragedy involving your wife. I deeply regret having to say this, but I believe you must withdraw from frontline duty."
"This type of asthma is incurable. It will worsen with age, so you must exercise extreme restraint when using your power."
"After you turn seventy, you may need to carry asthma medication at all times, and you will never be able to use the Black Body Style again."
This was the first image, the diagnosis from the Marine Corps' top physician after the man collapsed from an asthma attack, overwhelmed by grief after his wife and daughter were murdered.
Then came the second image.
Four years ago, aboard the recruit training ship.
The ugly pirate he had once completely suppressed seized the opportunity during one of Zephyr's asthma attacks. He severed Zephyr's right hand and slaughtered nearly everyone on board.
Those were all his students.
Back then, as now, his crippling asthma forced him to collapse helplessly as the tragedy unfolded.
And now...
"Is it happening again?"
Zephyr's body collapsed weakly while his heart murmured, "I am his Sensei, after all. How infuriating. I can't accept this."
Regret, pain, resentment, and sorrow had permeated his life since he turned forty.
But then...
"... "
The next moment, Zephyr felt no pain.
A hand caught him, preventing his fall.
"Sensei?"
He heard a voice.
Gradually, the blurry image before him sharpened.
He saw Roy Amos standing before him.
Zephyr could see the concern in Roy's eyes as well as the slight distortion of his arm from forcefully retracting his power.
"Sorry about that, brat," Zephyr murmured softly.
Roy grinned widely. "What are you talking about, Sensei? Can you still stand?"
"Your battle isn't over yet!"
At that moment, Zephyr felt something slowly melting away within him.
"You think I'm just some old man, kid? Of course I can stand!"
Zephyr took a deep breath.
The next moment... He stood up firmly.
A true hero never loses.
Perhaps those who endure countless defeats and suffering yet still manage to rise again could also be called heroes.
They still feel pain.
It's just that pain can no longer break them.
"Come at me, Roy!" Zephyr roared with laughter. "Prove yourself to this old man, my disciple!"
As he spoke, the Smash Machine in his hand erupted with an unprecedented surge of Haki. The Haki's intensity was so overwhelming that visible cracks appeared on the Smash Machine itself.
He concentrated all his power into a single point, pushing every part of his body to its absolute limit.
It was...
"Black Body Style: Great Esoterics - Black Tea Wise King!"
In response, Roy clenched his fist tightly.
His extraordinary regenerative abilities had almost completely healed his hand, but mere restoration wasn't enough.
"Munch-Munch Fruit: Enma Iron - Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) Release Restriction Unleashed!"
"Great Buddha Fruit: Wave Emission - Maximum Power!"
In the end...
Roy's muscles, Haki, and fluctuations converged, mirroring Zephyr's. His stamina was rapidly draining, but he paid it no mind.
BOOM!
An unprecedentedly massive golden wave infused with Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) erupted from his fist, rivaling Zephyr's Haki.
"Black Body Style · Ultra-Shockwave Fist · Spear of Elbaf!"
In the next instant, both fighters threw their punches simultaneously. The golden wave and the pitch-black torrent collided at the center of Martial Exercise Island like two comets.
This time, however, the thunderous bang seemed to be swallowed by the overwhelming force.
For a fleeting moment, the world seemed to fall silent.
Then...
BANG!
A visible, ultra-condensed, circular shock wave erupted from Martial Exercise Island and expanded violently in all directions.
The clouds shattered instantly, and the sea centered on Martial Exercise Island seemed to be flattened by a colossal hand.
Immediately following this, a spectacle reminiscent of Doomsday unfolded: circular tsunamis, each exceeding a hundred meters in height, erupted in concentric rings from the point of impact.
They surged outward in all directions, even toward Marineford along the coastline.
"It's...it's a tsunami!"
"Unbelievable... their battle triggered an enormous tsunami! Hide from what? Hide from what? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the clash of the strongest firsthand. Even if I die, it'll be worth it!"
While the crowd inevitably panicked, the commentator remained steadfast in his duty.
Yet, judging by his trembling voice, fear was still palpable.
But just at that moment...
"Wait, wait, wait!"
The commentator suddenly noticed something: three figures had appeared on the coast, using Soru.
"Those two are really going wild."
"Oh well, can't blame them. After all, Zephyr Sensei's new disciple is as strong as a monster; it's terrifying!"
"For someone his age, Roy Amos's level of power is truly extraordinary."
The figures clad in blue, yellow, and red Marine uniforms were none other than...
"Three admirals?!"
Before the commentator could finish his sentence, the three Admirals had already moved.
BOOM!
Scorching, dark red magma surged forth.
ZZZT!
Freezing frost erupted in a blue wave.
Buzz!
Flickering radiance danced.
The three Admirals made no unnecessary movements, simply extending their hands.
In an instant, the colossal tsunami surging toward them from the distant sea froze solid. It shattered into dust from light blasts and finally evaporated from magma.
The next moment, the billowing steam, swirling dust, and lingering shockwaves that had blanketed the sky vanished completely.
Yet the three supreme combatants of the Marines paid no heed to the gasps of awe behind them.
The gazes of Garp, Sengoku, and the other Marine Vice-Admirals were fixed on Martial Exercise Island, whether they were standing atop the Podium or elsewhere.
Or rather, on the spot where Martial Exercise Island had been.
The colossal island, which was specially crafted by the world's top artisans for the Three-Forces Military Exercise, had almost completely disappeared from the sea.
Its fragments littered the waves in every direction.
Only a final fragment of the island's foundation remained in its former location.
On top of that fragment of the island's foundation...
Zephyr and Roy stood frozen in a fist-to-fist clash.
Now, however, the "prototype" Smash Machine in Zephyr's hand had clearly shattered.
Crack!
Clang!
Fragments of Zephyr's Z Alloy Iron Body Technique fell to the ground, but he paid them no heed. His gaze remained fixed on Roy.
At that moment, the clouds parted by their combined power, and sunlight streamed down, bathing Roy in golden light. His Marine Justice Coat billowed in the wind, revealing the word "Justice" emblazoned across its back.
The sight struck Zephyr like a mirror, reminding him of his younger self—the boy who had stood beneath the Tenshukaku in Marineford, vowing to himself:
"I will forge my own path and carry the banner of justice."
But now...
The banner had been passed to a new standard-bearer.
Zephyr couldn't be certain which path Marine would take nor could he guarantee that Marine's idea of justice would align with that of the World Government.
At least he could take solace in one certainty, though:
"This old man truly took on a remarkable disciple."
He had left a spark for Marine to carry forward.
He would no longer be bound by duty.
Thud.
He collapsed.
And at that very moment...
[0:00:00]
The countdown timer, shattered by Bang and sunk into the sea, reached its final zero.
The 'Three-Forces Military Exercise' had officially concluded.
Yet at that moment, everyone who had been following the exercise knew…
The shockwaves and repercussions of this battle across the Sea were only just beginning.
(End of Chapter)
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