A dull thud sounded as Sabo's steel pipe landed squarely on Law's abdomen.
The tremendous force that struck sent Law flying instantly, and the pain radiating from his abdomen forced a muffled grunt from him.
Yet, he paid no mind to that, instead lifting his head to stare at Sabo in disbelief.
"H-how…? I clearly hit you, so why didn't my ability cut you apart?!"
Sabo merely revealed a smile to Law and spoke calmly, "You did indeed hit me, but who said that hitting me would be effective?"
Sabo slightly raised his hand, Armament Haki instantly coiling around it and emitting a deep, dark luster.
"With your current strength, you still cannot break through my Armament Haki!"
"Keep training, Law!!"
With that, Sabo dispersed the Armament Haki from his hand, slid the Supreme Grade steel pipe back onto his back, and strode outward with his head held high, his steps fully exuding confidence.
A bunch of petty villains; as long as I live for a day, you will remain subordinates!!
Still coveting his Second Brother's position?
Wishful thinking!
"Damn it!"
Watching Sabo's retreating figure, Law couldn't help but curse under his breath, slowly standing up as the pain from his abdomen faded somewhat, though it still left him quite uncomfortable.
He had failed yet again, once more falling before Sabo.
The only slight comfort was that he wasn't the weakest in the squad.
If he were the oldest in the squad and also the weakest in strength, that would truly be utterly humiliating.
Law shifted his gaze to another spot where two people were also engaged in combat.
It was Luffy and Ace!
It was a common occurrence for members of the squad to spar in pairs; it happened almost every day over these past two years.
So, Law merely glanced at them before looking away, his eyes turning towards the sky.
At first glance, no figures could be seen in the sky, but he could sense waves of residual combat aura continuously emanating from above.
Even separated by an unknown distance, the residual aura made Law shudder.
"The Captain, that guy... he really is a monster!!"
…
High in the sky, a flash of purple lightning flickered, instantly appearing before a sturdy, bare-chested man, and a fist coiled with Armament Haki slammed fiercely forward.
BOOM—
A tremendous force erupted from Kyle's fist, causing the very air to tremble faintly, and the figure before him was similarly sent flying backward.
His body flew back uncontrollably, the whooshing wind roaring past his ears.
As he was sent flying, Zephyr continuously used Moon Walk to lightly kick against the air, trying to dissipate the force impacting him.
Yet, even so, Zephyr flew back a full kilometer before finally halting his momentum.
Raising his eyes, he saw Kyle already hovering not far in front of him, gazing at him with a calm expression and a faint smile on his lips.
"Teacher Zephyr, what's the matter? Have you gotten this old already?"
"Heh~"
Zephyr chuckled, the veins on his body bulging prominently.
"Kyle, don't get too arrogant!!"
As his words fell, his body kicked off violently in the air, shooting forward and arriving before Kyle in the blink of an eye, a fist smashing towards Kyle with fierce intent.
Yet, facing this ferociously incoming punch, Kyle didn't move an inch, nor did he make any move to block, the same faint smile still hanging on his lips.
CRACKLE!!
The sound of surging lightning erupted as Zephyr's fist did not truly land on Kyle's body.
The part of Kyle's body that was struck transformed into crackling, flashing purple lightning.
!!!
A flicker of shock passed through Zephyr's eyes. Staring at Kyle smiling before him, he took a deep look and then suddenly laughed as well.
The bulging veins on his body receded as he withdrew his strength, and Zephyr retreated a distance, observing Kyle who, despite being only ten years old, now looked no different from an eighteen-year-old youth.
A strange feeling welled up from the depths of his heart, simultaneously making him recognize a certain reality.
He, it seemed, had truly aged!
From the fight with Kyle just now, he had realized that now he wasn't even quite qualified to serve as Kyle's sparring partner.
The other had surpassed him in every aspect.
Perhaps if he were twenty-some years younger, he could still have a good fight with Kyle, but now he clearly no longer possessed that strength.
With this thought, Zephyr spoke, "You brat, the rate of your improvement is honestly a bit exaggerated!"
"Next time you need a sparring partner, go find Garp. This old man's bones can't take it!"
"A ten-year-old with Admiral-level combat strength? I won't keep you company!"
As a former Admiral, Zephyr naturally understood what level Kyle's current strength resided at.
That's right, after two years of training, Kyle's combat power had now officially stepped into the Admiral tier.
Though he had just crossed that threshold, he could still be considered to have entered the ranks of the world's top-tier powerhouses.
One could take pride in that, but not become complacent.
Compared to seasoned Admirals like Akainu and Kizaru, his current strength still had some gaps.
But compared to a certain so-called 'King,' that leader of the entertainment troupe, he should be doing a bit better.
Becoming a speed bump was something he truly couldn't bring himself to do.
Admiral-level combat power was just a starting point, a standard set for convenience of distinction.
The span within this tier was equally vast.
To give the simplest example, in the original story, the two post-timeskip Admirals Fujitora and Ryokugyu had far less imposing presence compared to the veteran three Admirals.
One used his sword to block Doflamingo's Birdcage, and the other, without even seeing Red-Haired Shanks' face, was scared off merely sensing his Haki.
Their performance was somewhat… underwhelming!
Think of the veteran three Admirals, each exuding overwhelming pressure!
And looking at the entire world, there were even more powerful individuals.
So his road was still long, a fact Kyle was very clear about.
But these were minor issues. Kyle possessed one immense advantage.
He was young, far younger than all those aforementioned powerhouses.
And youth was capital!!
A statement that held true in most situations.
He was only ten years old now and had already reached Admiral-level combat strength. What level could he reach in a few more years?
By then, it would be punching the Five Elder Stars and kicking Im!
Hmm! Kicking Im might not happen that fast, after all, that being had lived for nearly a millennium, and it wasn't even clear if they were human.
He didn't have the '200 times the effort' of that deserter 'King,' otherwise he might consider it.
Sigh!
Still out of reach?
"Alright, it's about time. Let's head down as well!"
"Otherwise, we might miss the ceremony!"
"Let's also tell those guys to stop. If they miss this ceremony, who knows how long they'll have to wait for the next one!"
Zephyr said to Kyle.
"Alright, I'll go call them!"
As soon as the words fell, Kyle's figure transformed into a streak of purple lightning and vanished into the air.
Meanwhile, Zephyr looked downward, a faint smile also curling on his lips.
Nowadays, the Marines were thriving. Not only were the current Admirals immensely powerful, but the new generation also possessed extraordinary potential.
Especially the members of Kyle's squad; the vast majority were Admiral-caliber seedlings.
All had the potential to become pillars of the Marine in the future.
Seeing the Marines in such a state filled Zephyr with deep gratification.
And the ceremony he mentioned was also one meant to showcase the Marines' strength.
The New Admiral Appointment Ceremony!!!
...
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