"I guess the saying is true, the young really would surpass the last generation," Gildarts said with a smile, his eyes tracking Sinbad carefully as the boy moved through some stretches. The kid was doing some light stretches and warm-up movements, loosening his muscles in preparation.
"What do you think about joining my pirate crew? Makarov rejected me because he was old. What about you?" Sinbad asked with a smile, his question direct and casual.
"A pirate? I'm not sure, maybe when you're a little bit older, ask me that question." Gildarts said with a smile and a raised eyebrow, his tone carrying amusement at the proposition.
Sinbad shrugged lightly in response, accepting the answer without argument. Then his expression shifted, and he got serious, his entire demeanor changing in an instant. Seeing Gildart's mirror his readiness and get into position, Sinbad disappeared from view in a blur of motion.
He reappeared directly before Gildarts in the next fraction of a second, throwing a fist forward that moved faster than lightning could arc across the sky. The air screamed as his small knuckles cut through it.
Gildarts held his hand out, palm open, and easily caught the incoming fist before it could connect with his face. His fingers wrapped around Sinbad's small hand, stopping the attack completely.
Although the punch itself was halted, this created a massive shock wave that radiated outward from the point of contact. The compressed air exploded in all directions, and the land around them was instantly destroyed, the ground tearing apart and creating craters.
"Not bad… that's one heavy fist," Gildarts said with a light frown creasing his features. He shook the hand that he had used to catch the fist, flexing his fingers to work out the numbness.
Sinbad's fist was truly overwhelming in its raw power, the force behind it staggering. If Gildarts didn't have the magical power necessary to strengthen and reinforce his body significantly, he was completely sure he would have been knocked out cold or even killed outright by that single punch.
'To think he is only 3 years old… by next year he would be stronger than me.' Gildarts thought, the realization settling in his mind. He glanced back towards the town behind them, which they had left far behind, not wanting to destroy the whole settlement in their battle. The distance was considerable. There, standing at a safe observation point, Makarov and the rest of the guild members watched from afar, their eyes straining to follow the action.
Gildarts smirked, excitement building in his chest, and turned his full attention back to Sinbad. The boy was practically overflowing with the raw intent to fight, his battle hunger visible in every movement. Gildarts wouldn't disappoint the kid or hold back now. He shot forward explosively, closing the distance, and instantly threw a powerful fist at Sinbad's small frame.
Sinbad easily dodged the incoming attack, his body moving with fluid grace. He used his small body size to its full advantage, slipping through openings that would be impossible for a larger person.
With perfect timing and perfect movement that wasted no energy, Sinbad jumped upward. He used the incoming fist itself as a platform, his foot briefly making contact with Gildarts's knuckles for just a split second to launch himself towards his opponent.
But with the fist shooting forward with momentum, and him pushing off it in the opposite direction simultaneously, it caused his body to spin rapidly through the air.
Sinbad took full advantage of this rotation, recognizing the opportunity immediately. With that spin, he built up tremendous rotational speed and angular momentum. Then he unleashed it all with a devastating kick, his leg whipping around like a blade.
Gildarts blocked the incoming strike, crossing his arms in front of him to absorb the impact. The ground beneath his feet exploded outward from the sheer force transferred through his body. The shockwave traveled through the earth for incredible distances.
Even the town far away, separated by miles of terrain, felt the blow clearly. The tremors reached the buildings and streets, leading to many unprepared people falling over and stumbling as if there was a sudden earthquake shaking the foundations.
"Monsters!" Laxus said, gritting his teeth hard enough that his jaw ached. He was watching the battle unfolding up ahead in the distance, frustration and awe mixing together. He couldn't even follow the battle properly with his eyes, as Gildarts and Sinbad moved at simply scary speeds that blurred together. Their forms became streaks and afterimages rather than distinct shapes.
It became increasingly clear to all observers that Gildarts was being forced to go all out, using his full strength without any restraint. Their bodies quickly moved further and further away from the town as the battle progressed, covering ground rapidly.
This was necessary because the shock waves alone that were generated by their clashes were powerful enough to completely erase mountains from existence, leveling the peaks entirely. These waves could even erase a small island if they fought too close to one.
By the way, there were two distinct types of islands in this world that people referred to. The "Small Islands" were simply what Earth would classify as a normal island—relatively modest landmasses surrounded by water.
But when people used the word "island" without the qualifier "small" before it, they were referring to these world's standards of islands, which were vastly larger. Ishgar itself was many, many times bigger than the entire planet Earth in total landmass, yet it was still considered just an island by this world's geographical classification system.
"You're strong, I didn't expect I would have to go all out," Gildarts said with a grin. But in the end, after a moment of consideration, he shook his head as he admitted defeat, acknowledging the reality of the situation.
"You're growing stronger as we fight… plus, I can tell you're wearing weighted clothing, right?" Gildarts asked with a smile, his experienced eyes having picked up on the tell-tale signs. He noticed Sinbad's excited look die down when he heard the admission of defeat.
"Yeah… but," Sinbad said, trailing off. Yes, he was wearing weights. Yes, he was growing stronger as they fought, after all, with his blood pumping in this fun battle, his strength quickly began increasing far faster then normal.
Just a few minutes ago, at the start of their battle, he had been noticeably weaker than Gildarts. And now, after such a short time, they were fighting on completely equal footing, matching each other blow for blow, even with his weights on… but it should be noted that Gildarts didn't use his crush magic.
"If in the future you still want me to join your crew with the rate you're growing, then sure, I will happily join," Gildarts said with a smile, making the promise genuine.
"Fine… can I join you when you take a 100-year quest?" Sinbad asked, shifting topics immediately. There were different types of missions, quests, or jobs in the guild system. People called them by different names depending on preference.
The normal type of jobs were not ranked at all; just about anyone in the guild could take them on, depending on the level of risk or danger the mission held. These were everyday tasks.
Above that tier were S rank jobs; these missions were extremely dangerous and needed one to first become an S rank mage before they could even attempt them. Only the elite could take these.
Above that were SS rank jobs; the only person in the entire guild who could do such missions was Gildarts himself. Such missions were extremely dangerous and beyond most mages' capabilities.
Above that were 10-year jobs. These jobs were missions that had gone at least 10 years without anyone being able to complete them successfully. Gildarts was the only one in the guild capable of doing such a mission and coming back alive.
Lastly were the legendary 100-year jobs; these were missions that had gone a full century without being completed by anyone. Again, Gildarts was the only one in the guild with the strength and skill to even be considered capable of taking them on, but even he didn't dare to actually accept those missions. The danger was simply too great.
"Absolutely not, you know how dangerous 100-year jobs are? Strength alone isn't everything." Gildarts said with a shake of his head, his expression serious now.
"Fine, how about a 10-year mission?" Sinbad asked, adjusting his request. Gildarts thought for a moment, weighing the risks and Sinbad's capabilities carefully. After a pause, he nodded in agreement. Sinbad cheered in response, pumping his fist.
They returned to the guild together, walking back across the terrain. They ignored the completely destroyed land around them, the craters and shattered earth, as if they were not the ones who had caused this devastation.
They made their way back to the town, which had its citizens scared shitless by the powerful shock waves that had hit their settlement. The waves had been strong enough to destroy windows across multiple buildings, shattering glass everywhere. Some buildings had even sustained structural damage from the impacts.
Makarov gave them two enthusiastic thumbs up, granting permission for them to go undertake the 10-year quest together. The mission in question was simply to hunt down and kill a dangerous sea monster that had been actively devouring boats and ships for years. Sailors feared the waters where it lurked. So they accepted the mission officially and set out.
Sinbad was genuinely shocked when they finally came across their target and discovered it was actually a Sea King. And to make matters significantly worse, the creature was absolutely massive—the size of an entire mountain in scale. It was considered just a baby by Sea King standards, still growing. And that enormous mountain-sized mass was only its head rising from the water.