So hard!
It didn't feel like striking flesh—
It was like punching solid iron.
Even with Armament Haki coating his fist, the recoil made his hand throb painfully.
Unwilling to accept it, Dragon followed with a kick.
Same result.
Roldy smiled faintly and reached out with a massive hand.
Dragon tried to retreat—
But this time, Roldy 's speed far exceeded before.
Zephyr nodded in satisfaction.
A Body of Steel.
After his Bloodline Awakening, Roldy truly possessed a body as hard as steel.
Without conscious effort, his flesh now rivaled iron in durability.
He had achieved the equivalent of Iron Body (Tekkai) without activating it.
Against top-tier powerhouses, this might not matter much.
But against fodder? Bullets? Cannon fire?
It was a tremendous advantage.
Even someone as powerful as Whitebeard, whose might was monstrous, still had flesh and blood. That was why he suffered gunfire and cannon wounds during the Summit War.
A Body of Steel was rarely achieved through training.
Most were born with it.
Roldy 's had simply manifested fully after awakening.
Could it evolve further someday?
Into an indestructible body?
Zephyr felt anticipation rising within him.
Meanwhile—
Dragon was being thoroughly beaten.
The trainees watching couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their eyes.
Were they really supposed to fight a monster like this?
The gap was absurd.
And yet—
Not a single one retreated.
Not even half a step.
To fight a monster in their youth—
To taste a crushing defeat—
To engrave that humiliation into memory and grow stronger because of it—
Talent created monsters.
But so did relentless effort.
That was the first lesson Zephyr had taught them.
"It's just one Roldy ! The so-called strongest monster of the new generation? I'm not afraid!"
"Yeah! Ten against one—we've got the advantage!"
"Marines! Follow me—charge!"
A Zoan-type Devil Fruit user surged forward first—one who possessed the Ape-Ape Fruit, Model: Gorilla.
In his hybrid form, he became a massive silverback gorilla. Thick muscles turned him into a walking shield.
Armament Haki coated his body as he stomped forward.
Behind him, his classmates followed—each wielding their best weapon, roaring as they charged Roldy .
Even the weaker trainees—those knocked out at the start—trembled back to their feet and joined the assault.
Zephyr felt immense pride.
This resolve.
This courage.
These were Marines worth nurturing.
But—
"Numbers mean nothing before absolute power."
"Remember this moment well, brats."
Reality would knock them down.
But their spirits would not yield.
To persist despite knowing defeat is inevitable—
That was the foolish romance of the brave.
And it was precisely because such fools existed—
That justice carried color.
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