Zefa launched another fierce attack, his jet-black iron fist wrapped in surging Haki, crashing straight toward Rhett's face. This time, Rhett did not dodge. He swung the Black Tide Greatsword across his body. Sword and fist collided with an earth-shattering impact, the shockwave tearing the battleship's deck apart.
On the Nirvana, the cracks ran deeper than just the planks. They reached Rhett himself.
"Iron Fist Impact!" Zefa roared, his punch driving forward like an unstoppable avalanche. Yet Rhett stood rooted to the spot, refusing to give an inch.
"Oh?" Rhett raised a brow, excitement flashing in his eyes. "Worthy of the 'Black Arm.' Age hasn't dulled you at all."
The cadets instinctively tried to rush in to assist.
"Fall back, all of you!" Zefa's voice thundered across the ship. "This isn't a fight you can interfere in!"
Almost instantly, Rhett's form dissolved into twisting blood mist. Zefa's pupils shrank, his right arm coated in Armament Haki as he spun around and unleashed a crushing straight punch.
"Bang!"
The mist exploded apart. The Black Tide's blade clashed with Zefa's iron fist, the impact tearing up the deck within ten meters. Splinters rained down on the terrified recruits.
"Good Observation Haki, Zefa," Rhett's mocking voice echoed in the mist, his silhouette flickering in and out of view. "But how long can you keep it up?"
The blood mist suddenly condensed into dozens of scarlet spears, stabbing toward Zefa from every angle.
"Not done yet. Mist God Style: Annihilation."
"Petty tricks!" Zefa roared, his fists blurring into afterimages as he shattered each spear with precise strikes.
But Rhett's mist was not so easily dispersed. Instead of fading, the broken fog coiled around Zefa's arms with a sizzling hiss, burning into his sleeves. Where his skin was less reinforced by Haki, a numbing sting spread.
"Poison?" Zefa muttered.
"Just a little entertainment," Rhett's voice teased. His form suddenly solidified behind Zefa, the Black Tide slicing down with lethal force.
Zefa narrowly twisted aside, the blade grazing the bridge of his nose. Alarm flared within him. His Observation Haki was faltering. Rhett's form was slipping further and further out of reach.
Zefa raised his arm to block, only for the sword to pass through it.
An illusion.
The greatsword twisted mid-swing, shifting from a vertical cut to a horizontal strike. The flat of the blade slammed into Zefa's chest, hurling him across the ship.
"Teacher Zefa!" the recruits cried out in panic.
"Stay back!" Zefa snapped as he twisted in midair. His boots struck the mast, launching him back like a cannonball. His fists now spiraled with Armament Haki, the force tearing the air apart.
"Crusher Spiral!"
Rhett conjured layer upon layer of blood mist barriers, but the punch blasted through all of them, crashing into his crossed arms with devastating power.
"Boom!"
The entire warship tilted violently. Rhett was sent skidding more than ten meters, his boots gouging two deep scorch marks into the deck. He flexed his numbed arms, eyes narrowing. "Oh? That one's interesting."
Zefa's technique drained him heavily, but the results were undeniable. The blood mist around Rhett thinned noticeably.
"Again!" Zefa pressed forward, though unease gnawed at him. Something about Rhett's resistance felt wrong. Too weak. But hesitation was fatal in battle. He struck like a storm.
Fists crashed down like boulders, making the ship groan under the pressure. Rhett danced around the attacks with ease, his blade occasionally sparking against Zefa's fists. He even laughed. "Zefa-uncle, you still got it?"
"Shut your mouth!" Zefa roared, an uppercut blasting Rhett skyward. But once again, his body dissolved into mist.
The real Rhett lounged atop the lookout, legs crossed as if spectating. "What's the matter? I heard admirals are supposed to stay calm."
Something was wrong. Zefa adjusted his glasses, his movements suddenly deliberate. The gesture made Rhett squint.
No. Dangerous.
"You rely too much on that ability." Zefa's voice was quiet now, as he stomped forward, shattering the deck. His speed tripled in an instant. His punch made no sound, but every hair on Rhett's body bristled.
"Crusher: Silent Impact!"
For the first time, Rhett dropped his playful mask. His Conqueror's Haki erupted violently, the sheer pressure forcing Zefa's charge to falter for a heartbeat.
A heartbeat was all Rhett needed. The Black Tide flared with black and red lightning as he slashed head-on.
"Mist God Style: Annihilation!"
"Clang!!!"
The detonation shook the entire ship. The deck collapsed inward, recruits clutching onto railings as their ears bled from the shockwaves.
At the center, Zefa held his punch frozen. Rhett's blade stopped three inches from his throat, unable to advance further. Two Haki-wrapped fingers pinched the edge in place.
"What—" Rhett's eyes widened. "Seriously? You're playing me?"
"Got you." Zefa grinned. His left hand seized Rhett's wrist. His right hand spread wide, Armament Haki surging to its peak.
"Sky Impact!"
The point-blank blast catapulted Rhett through three decks before embedding him into the steel bulkhead of the stern. The ship reeled, sinking lower into the sea from the shock.
"Is it… over?" one cadet whispered.
Zefa fell to one knee, coughing blood. His instincts screamed otherwise.
"Of course not." Rhett's voice drifted from the wreckage, teasing.
A phantom Rhett appeared, brushing dust from the real one's shoulder before fading. This time it wasn't just illusion, but a tangible doppelgänger.
"Close call," Rhett admitted with a smirk. "As expected from a master of Armament Haki."
Zefa staggered upright, disbelief roiling inside him. That blow could cripple even Garp. Yet Rhett still stood.
Rhett chuckled. "Heh. Just trading a normal strike for a special move."
The battle raged on. Zefa's breathing grew ragged, but his eyes never lost their fire.
"Your stamina won't last forever. Illusions like that drain you," he growled, smashing through a wave of blood blades.
Stamina? Rhett almost laughed. He had a cheat.
And it wasn't Zefa's fault he couldn't sense it. Slowly, subtly, Rhett was leeching his strength. In such a high-intensity fight, it was only natural for Zefa to think the exhaustion was his own.
Grinning wide, Rhett answered, "Don't worry. I can play as long as you like."
He stomped down, Conqueror's Haki flooding outward. The Black Tide crackled with black lightning as he unleashed another slash.
"Mist God Style: Annihilation."
Yes, he even used Conqueror's Haki just to create openings.
Zefa braced, arms crossed, but the strike hurled him into the mast, splintering it into rubble.
"Teacher!" the cadets cried.
Blood flecked his lips as Zefa rose, warlust blazing brighter than ever. "Again!"
The mist twisted into the shapes of his students, rushing to his side as if to help him.
Zefa didn't even look. "Illusions like that won't fool me. Don't underestimate me, brat,"
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