"I didn't expect your Devil Fruit control to be at this level already."
Zephyr said, lowering his stance slightly, his eyes sharp with appraisal.
"Thank you for the compliment, Instructor Zephyr,"
Kuzan replied with calm respect, his lazy tone gone for once.
Zephyr nodded once. "Good. Now show me—your full strength. No holding back."
Kuzan exhaled softly. "Understood."
Inside the observation room, Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Sengoku, and Vice Admiral Tsuru watched the live feed from the training arena.
The earlier spar with Captain Drake had already shocked them, but seeing Zephyr himself step in, they leaned forward, eager to gauge the newcomer's true potential.
Zephyr's arm darkened with Armament Haki, the air around him humming with invisible pressure. Without warning, he lunged forward—his fist a blur.
The impact resounded like cannon fire.
Kuzan's form burst apart in a spray of ice crystals, reforming several meters away. He wiped a trace of blood from his lip—Zephyr's Haki had pierced through his elemental body just enough to sting.
So that's the power of a true master of Armament Haki…
Kuzan thought silently, eyes narrowing. His respect for the man deepened.
Zephyr cracked his knuckles. "Not bad, but if that's all you've got, you won't last a minute in the New World."
"I haven't even started yet," Kuzan said quietly.
The temperature in the training arena dropped in an instant. Frost crawled across the floor, spreading like a living tide. Within seconds, the entire ground shimmered under a sheet of ice.
Zephyr smirked. "Good. Show me that spirit."
Kuzan raised his hand. "Ice Soldier."
From the frozen ground, several figures of solid ice rose—vague human shapes wielding blades of frozen steel. They rushed Zephyr from all directions.
The instructor didn't even flinch. His fists, coated in hardening Haki, shattered the first, then the second, then the third ice soldier with thunderous blows.
But each one reformed as quickly as it broke.
So he can sustain multiple constructs simultaneously? Zephyr noted with approval. That's advanced focus for someone this young.
"Enough playing around!" Zephyr barked, bursting forward through the ice and closing the distance in a single leap.
Kuzan crossed his arms. "Ice Wall."
A thick barricade of ice erupted before him, absorbing Zephyr's punch—but it cracked instantly. The second blow shattered it completely, sending shards flying like glass.
The shockwave flung Kuzan backward, but he steadied himself mid-slide, ice forming beneath his boots to anchor him.
Zephyr charged again, faster this time. His body was a blur of movement, every strike backed by decades of experience.
Kuzan's pupils dilated. He focused every ounce of will into his next move.
"Great Ice Saber!"
A gleaming blade of pure ice formed in his hand. He drew it across the air in a single, precise motion—a flash too quick for most to see.
Zephyr's fist met the strike head-on. The sound was deafening. For a moment, the air itself seemed to freeze.
When the shock cleared, Kuzan was on one knee, his saber cracked. Zephyr stood several paces away, his arm trembling slightly.
A thin red line ran across his forearm—a shallow cut, but one drawn through full Armament Haki.
The entire class watching from the viewing area went silent.
Zephyr looked down at his arm, then at Kuzan. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Hah… impressive," he said. "If I hadn't hardened my arm in time, you might've taken it clean off."
Kuzan exhaled slowly, ice vapor rising from his breath. "Guess I'll take that as a compliment."
Zephyr laughed, the sound echoing across the training ground. "You should. Very few recruits have ever made me bleed."
The instructor's laughter faded, replaced by a look of firm approval.
"You've got potential, Kuzan. From now on, you'll train under me personally. Report here after every class. I'll make a Marine out of you yet."
Kuzan straightened, despite the pain in his ribs, and saluted.
"Yes, Instructor Zephyr."
Zephyr's tone softened slightly. "Good. Now let's get those injuries checked out before Tsuru gives me an earful."
He turned and started walking toward the headquarters infirmary. Kuzan followed, his boots crunching over the frozen floor, the air around them still carrying the chill of his power.