Two years had passed, and all of Creed's abilities had reached SS rank, with his swordsmanship at a terrifying SS+ level.
However, he had hit a bottleneck.
He originally thought that once all his abilities reached SS rank, he could begin extracting SSS-rank abilities.
But it didn't work that way.
Even though his overall combat power was already at SS rank, he still couldn't extract SSS-rank abilities.
That SS+ swordsmanship was something he had honed himself over the past two years, relentlessly training until he reached that level.
Could it be that abilities beyond SS rank could only be improved through personal training?
Creed narrowed his eyes for a moment, then dismissed the thought.
No, it must be that he simply hadn't triggered the necessary conditions yet, so he couldn't extract SSS-rank abilities for the time being.
Stretching lazily, he decided it was time to leave the primeval forest.
He had spent a year and a half at Marine Headquarters, extracting an entire set of SS-rank abilities.
Then he'd spent another six months here in the forest, fully integrating them, mastering them completely.
After being away for half a year, it was time to return.
Leaving the forest behind, one could see the chaos in his wake — the terrain shattered, ancient trees severed, thickets torn apart.
All the destruction was the result of Creed training to control his immense power.
…
Back at Marine Headquarters, at Garp's residence—
"So you still know how to come back?" Garp greeted him with a sharp flick to the head.
In just half a year, more of Garp's hair had turned white, and the wrinkles on his face had deepened.
Looking at Garp, Creed grinned. "Yeah, I'm back."
"Wash your hands, time to eat!"
Though Garp said it gruffly, there was a clear sense of relief in his voice, as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.
Creed felt warmth in his heart. It was a good feeling — knowing someone cared whether you returned.
After dinner, Garp seemed to remember something. "Zephyr came looking for you today. He's taking the Elite Training Camp students out to sea to capture pirates."
"You just happened to come back a day late. Leave early tomorrow and you should be able to catch up to them."
Capture pirates, huh…
Creed's eyes narrowed slightly. A good opportunity to test himself.
And he was curious — after two years, how much had Smoker and the others improved?
"Alright. I'll leave early tomorrow."
…
The next morning, under Garp's arrangement, Creed boarded a small warship and slowly left the harbor of Marine Headquarters.
The sea breeze caressed his face with a refreshing touch.
Standing at the bow, he gazed at the sparkling water.
This was his first time leaving Marine Headquarters.
Leaning against the mast, his mind wandered.
It had been seven years since he came to this world.
By now, his strength was more than enough to secure a foothold here.
Zephyr had taken Smoker and the others to train in a part of the New World close to Headquarters.
It would take some time to catch up.
Feeling the early morning drowsiness, Creed yawned and closed his eyes to rest.
…
Five hours later—
Creed's eyes snapped open.
His expression hardened as he looked ahead.
He released his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki).
There was a violent clash of auras in the distance — someone was fighting.
His pupils contracted slightly.
Far away, fragments of a ship floated on the sea.
A warship.
One of the escort ships protecting Zephyr's training vessel.
Something had happened.
"There's trouble ahead. I'll go on ahead!"
With that, Creed stepped into the air, using Geppo (Moonwalk) to speed toward the distant battle.
On the warship, the Marines were stunned.
All they knew was that Vice Admiral Garp had ordered them to send Creed to meet Zephyr.
They hadn't expected him to be this strong.
…
Far ahead—
The sea was littered with the wreckage of warships and the bodies of Marines.
Boom!!
A deafening impact echoed.
On one warship, two figures were clashing at incredible speed.
One was Zephyr.
The other was a massive, deformed giant, his body shaped like a ball of flesh, a foolish grin on his face.
The most striking feature — a crescent-shaped mustache.
His weapon was a naginata similar to the Qinglong Yanyue Dao (Green Dragon Crescent Blade).
Their speed was so great that the human eye couldn't follow; the air screamed, the sea trembled — the battle was ferocious.
"Old man, you're tough. To fight my son to this extent — impressive, Zephyr."
Nearby stood a short, wrinkled old woman, her height like that of a dwarf.
"In that case, I'll kill your students!"
The old woman moved, targeting the group of trainees Zephyr was shielding — Smoker and the others.
"You dare?!"
Zephyr roared in fury, throwing a punch to block her.
Bang!!
But in that instant, he exposed an opening.
The giant's blade crashed into him, sending him flying into the warship's deck, blood spraying.
"So you value your students that much? Son, don't kill him yet — kill his students first!"
"Yes, Mama."
The giant scratched his head and grinned at Smoker's group.
Smoker, gravely injured, lay on the ground, seething.
Earlier, he had tried to help Zephyr, only to be knocked out in a single blow.
His fists clenched so tightly his nails cut into his palms.
Too weak. He was still too weak!
"You dare!!"
Zephyr forced himself up, roaring as he charged again—
Only to be kicked away by the giant.
Watching the giant raise his naginata high, Zephyr's eyes filled with tears. His heart sank into despair.
This was all his fault. He should never have brought them to the New World.
His only solace was that his most gifted student wasn't here.
Ain, Binz, and Tashigi stepped forward, weapons raised, shielding Smoker and the other wounded.
The giant's blade came down toward Ain—
In that instant, she felt the cold grip of death.
Vmmm!
Clang!
"Sorry I'm late."
Steel met steel, forcing the giant to retreat.
A bright, confident voice rang out.
(End of Chapter)
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