As the words fell—
Creed stomped as well. A shockwave lifted, dust billowed, and he charged at Lokav.
Just as they were about to collide—
Creed's lips curled. "Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), cover!"
In an instant, his right hand was sheathed in a pitch‑black metallic sheen. Busoshoku Haki also wrapped around Samsara; the already dark blade turned even deeper in that moment.
Lokav's face changed. "Busoshoku Haki!"
The blade light blazed, already at his eyes.
His body twisted in an inhuman contortion, barely slipping past the cut.
But the next second, the edge snapped around—Samsara's spine smashed into Lokav's body.
Boom!!
Like a sandbag, Lokav was blasted away and crashed hard to the ground.
Woah~!
The crowd roared in shock.
They were stunned—what the hell was that?
How could he hit a Logia user?
Then they saw Creed's right hand turned jet‑black.
Another uproar.
That was Instructor Gust's "thing," right? When Gust fought Smoker, his hand looked just like Creed's.
Smoker's pupils tightened.
It really was Busoshoku Haki.
He had once asked Instructor Gust why, without seastone, he could still strike Smoker's elemental body.
Gust had explained it was called Busoshoku Haki—
An ability that can hit the true body of Logia users.
He never expected Creed to know it.
Not far off…
"Hahahaha! Sengoku, you old fossil—didn't see that coming, did you? The brat from my family can use Busoshoku Haki." Garp cackled, openly needling Sengoku, while joy surged in his chest. As expected of my grandson—making me proud!
"Hmph. It's only Busoshoku Haki. All that does is put them back on the same starting line. Whether he can actually win is another matter," Sengoku snorted. Still, he was shaken inside. Already proficient in Busoshoku Haki? A total freak. Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji—before joining the Elite Training Camp, none of them had Haki yet.
This kid—so long as he lives—will surely claim a spot among the Navy's strongest!
Zephyr's eyes shone, excitement completely unhidden.
He had to take this disciple.
He felt this student could surpass every disciple he'd ever had—
Including the current Three Admirals!
…
Creed, of course, didn't know the evaluations brewing in Sengoku's and Zephyr's hearts.
He stood fully on guard.
Knowing Busoshoku Haki only put them on equal footing; it merely meant he could hurt the opponent.
Winning was another question.
Major Lokav absolutely couldn't be underestimated.
"I admit it—you're a monster. So young and already this skilled with Busoshoku Haki," Lokav said gravely, now placing Creed on the same level as himself—
A very troublesome enemy.
"Hokori no Yaiba (Dust Blade)!"
Dust whirled around him, coalescing into countless razor‑sharp little blades, then surged toward Creed like a monsoon, a locust swarm blotting the sky.
Creed's battle intent blazed.
Sword intent burst forth; from Samsara's black blade bloomed a half‑crescent arc of darkness. It tore the air and shot out.
The arc met the wave of dust knives.
Blade aura rampaged, shredding the myriad dust‑blades to pieces.
The shattered dust became a choking cloud on the field, veiling all sight.
Fwoosh~!
Out of the haze, a long spear howled in to pierce him.
Creed split it with a single slash.
A prickling sense crawled up his back.
Behind him, Lokav swung down with a longsword forged of dust.
"I've been ready for that!" A ghostly light flashed in Creed's eyes. He whipped his waist and traced an icy arc with Samsara.
Bang!
Lokav's dust‑sword shattered at once, turning to powder.
He hastily elementalized, becoming a mass of dust that skimmed more than ten meters away before recondensing.
Blood ran down his arm; his face soured.
What a sharp blade.
He'd pulled back fast enough, yet the ferocity riding that edge still cut him.
He couldn't match Creed up close—his swordsmanship was too strong.
Dragging this out was bad for him.
He needed to finish it quickly.
He drew a deep breath, decision made. "Didn't expect you to push me this far."
He slammed both palms to the ground.
Shshshshh—
All at once, the stone platform seemed to corrode, weathering away until it all crumbled into fine powder—dust.
A storm of dust spiraled around Lokav, a spectacular sight.
"This is my strongest move. If you can take it, I'll admit defeat!" Lokav's face flushed, veins bulging under his skin. Controlling such a massive dust mass was exhausting even for him.
"Hokori Ryū (Dust Dragon)!!" he roared.
The sky‑darkening dust gathered, finally forming an Eastern dragon made entirely of dust. Its aura was terrifying; its body was nearly ten meters thick.
Its basin‑sized eyes were downright chilling.
Faces in the crowd twisted with fear as they swallowed hard. So this was a Major's power.
"Fall back fifty meters!"
Seeing this, Zephyr swept a hand, and the spectators scrambled back.
On the field—
No, there was no platform anymore.
Creed stared up at the massive dragon, his heart jolting—but there wasn't a hint of retreat.
"Come on!" he said.
…
(End of Chapter)
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