"If you're not afraid of Zephyr-sensei beating you half to death, you can go ahead and try,"
Dorag poured a bucket of cold water on Garp without hesitation.
Garp's hand, still holding a doughnut, froze mid-air.
After a long pause, he sighed dramatically.
"Ahh… Dorag, you've really become so unlikeable.
Where did that little snot-nosed kid go—
the one who used to stick to his daddy's butt every day?"
"Shut. Up."
Veins bulged on Dorag's forehead as he fought the very real urge to punch his own father.
The fight on the field continued.
"Rankyaku — Wolf Fang!"
Perhaps provoked by Longinus's relentless ferocity,
Zephyr's demonstration no longer stayed within the basics of the Rokushiki.
He had begun showcasing advanced derivatives as well.
Dozens of slashing shockwaves bounded across the ground like a pack of hunting wolves,
each one carrying deadly unpredictability.
"Rankyaku — Wolf Fang!"
Longinus, incredibly, responded with the same technique—
both legs whipping out in rapid succession.
But the results were worlds apart.
If Zephyr's slashes were a pack of ferocious wolves,
Longinus's slashes were…
hyperactive huskies—
collapsing on contact.
His own shockwaves were instantly shattered,
Zephyr's continuing toward him.
Yet Longinus didn't dodge.
He planted his feet, summoned every ounce of qi and blood through his body—
"Tekkai — Kumogaki!"
The barrage of Rankyaku hammered his chest,
forcing his vision to blur—
but the technique held.
He absorbed the full assault,
then reflected the force backward like rebounding steel.
"Hahaha! To think you've already reached the point of freely receiving and returning force…
Impressive!"
Zephyr praised him loudly,
though his hands didn't stop—
ten fingers slicing out like spears, crushing the returning shockwaves into dust.
At the side, Kake and Gion were dumbfounded.
How did this suddenly turn into the advanced class!?
We haven't even mastered the basics!
"To use your own body to memorize Zephyr's attacks…
That kind of ruthless self-training is nothing like a normal fourteen-year-old,"
Garp said with unusual solemnity.
"Longinus lost his entire village to pirates at age nine.
When you carry that kind of weight and hatred…"
Dorag's gaze followed the increasingly brutal duel below.
"You don't get to live like other children."
"But—
thanks to the good people of Fallen Leaf Town,
he never allowed revenge to blind him."
"From that pain… emerged Marine Hero Longinus.
A contradiction—
a man pirates fear on the battlefield,
yet civilians cherish in everyday life."
Garp blinked.
"…Did you really just say all that?"
The words were far too emotional for someone as cold as Dorag.
"I see in him Sakazuki's iron resolve,
Kuzan's gentleness…
and something more—
a power to draw people together."
Dorag's expression turned unreadable.
"If he grows to his full potential…
he might unify the Navy's two factions in a way never seen before."
"You're saying he could become… Fleet Admiral!?"
Garp was stunned—
and a little bitter.
His own son had never praised him that highly.
Dorag murmured:
"…Though I do not know whether a fully unified Marine Headquarters
would bring hope to the world…
or destruction."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Shigan — Jūshigan!"
"Shigan — Jūshigan!"
"Rankyaku — Lotus Wheel!"
"Rankyaku — Lotus Wheel!"
"Soru — Tekkai Tama!"
"Soru — Tekkai Tama!"
A storm of slashes lit up the sky,
nearly annihilating the entire training ground—
a battlefield built to withstand battles between officer-level Marines.
Whatever technique Zephyr used,
Longinus mirrored it,
even though the power gap was like heaven and earth.
But with every exchange,
Longinus's understanding of the Rokushiki deepened.
And with it—
so did his wounds.
After one more devastating blow,
Zephyr stopped.
"Longinus.
How much have you grasped?"
"Shamefully…
even with your personal instruction,
I've only reached around eighty percent."
Longinus wiped blood from the corner of his mouth,
voice hoarse but unwavering.
"Eighty percent?
To learn that much in a single battle is unheard of.
But the last twenty percent…
cannot be taught through fighting.
You'll need to practice and refine it slowly."
Zephyr exhaled deeply.
"So—
I'll end today's session with one final technique."
"Yes, Sensei!
I'll memorize it with everything I have!"
He invoked Life Return,
rapidly breaking down whatever body fat remained
to replenish his battered body.
A tiny spark of strength returned to his limbs.
"How much did you learn?"
Kake asked numbly.
Gion winced with embarrassment.
"I-I barely managed fifty percent…
Compared to Longinus, my talent really is lacking."
She clenched her small, blood-stained fist.
"If I want to catch up to him…
I have to work even harder."
"…Gion?"
She turned.
Kake had already sunk to the ground, hugging his knees.
"I didn't even reach thirty percent…
I'm an embarrassment to everyone…"
On the field, Zephyr took stance for the final blow.
"Rokushiki is a style that surpasses human limits.
When fully unified—
those limits can be broken."
His aura swelled.
"This technique…
draws out the hidden power within the human body—
Rokuōgan.
The Six Kings Gun!"
The same name, the same technique—
but used by a Marine Admiral,
its power was incomparable.
It wasn't like Rob Lucci's attack at Enies Lobby.
Zephyr suppressed his Haki,
suppressed his strength,
and it was still overwhelming.
The shockwave struck Longinus instantly—
not like being hit by a Sea Train…
…but as if one had run him over back and forth.
He was blown straight into the mountainside,
embedded deep into solid rock.
Most of his body went numb.
Bones felt shattered.
Organs screamed.
"Taking that head-on was far too reckless…
I nearly killed myself."
Buried in rubble, Longinus still laughed breathlessly.
"So this…
is the true strength of a Marine Admiral."
"No Haki…
holding back his power…
and still—
just one strike turned me into this."
"That kind of strength…
truly is worthy of envy."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789