The globally sensational promotion ceremony had just ended when Kaito immediately went to visit Zephyr.
They met on the wasteland behind the old training camp—the very spot where Zephyr used to give Kaito one-on-one lessons back in the day.
Zephyr looked at his student with deep satisfaction. In such a short span of time, Kaito had already become a Marine Admiral. Zephyr himself hadn't reached that rank until he was thirty-eight.
And Kaito? He wasn't even twenty yet.
A Marine Admiral under twenty! Just the thought of it was hard to believe.
With a sense of awe in his heart, Zephyr said,
"Kaito, I didn't expect you to become an Admiral so soon. I'm truly happy for you!"
Kaito smiled and replied,
"It's all thanks to your excellent guidance, Sensei."
"No... compared to your talent, my teaching played only a minor part."
"When did you get so humble, Sensei? That's not like you. I heard from Fleet Admiral Sengoku that you've been training hard lately—is that true?"
Zephyr froze for a second. That blabbermouth Sengoku... He had planned to keep it under wraps until he'd fully mastered the abilities of that Mythical Zoan Fruit, and only then challenge Sengoku to a spar to see whose was stronger.
He had to admit: you never truly appreciated Devil Fruits until you ate one.
Zephyr had never been that interested in Devil Fruits. But after consuming the Demon Bull King Fruit, even he had to marvel at the tremendous power boost it gave him.
If only the damn thing didn't taste so god-awful, he'd probably have said, "Damn, that's good stuff!"
Now that Kaito already knew, Zephyr saw no reason to hide it—especially since the fruit had come from Kaito in the first place. Between the two of them, there was nothing worth concealing.
Thinking this, Zephyr said directly,
"Yeah, I've already eaten the fruit you gave me. It's insanely powerful—I feel even stronger than I did back in my prime!"
Kaito raised a brow at that. Was it just him, or did Zephyr have that newbie-with-a-power-up kind of overconfidence going on?
Zephyr, unaware of Kaito's thoughts, had something else in mind. Since the conversation had gone this far, why not give Kaito a taste of his current power?
He also wanted to see how strong his student truly was—especially since Kaido and Shanks couldn't even beat him.
The more Zephyr thought about it, the more eager he became. His gaze toward Kaito began to change.
Noticing the look in his mentor's eyes, Kaito grew puzzled and asked,
"Sensei Zephyr, why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong? If you need anything, just say the word—I've got you."
Zephyr shook his head, then locked eyes with him and said,
"It's nothing. I just want to have a fight with you!"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean huh? Don't tell me you're scared of breaking your old teacher?"
"Uh... that's not what I meant, it's just—"
"Just what? Take this!"
Before the sentence had even finished, Zephyr's fist was already coated in pitch-black Armament Haki and launched straight at Kaito's abdomen.
Kaito reacted instantly. His body transformed into a flash of lightning and reappeared some distance away, putting space between them.
Ever since he absorbed the Thunder-Thunder Fruit, his Observation Haki had been constantly enhanced by the current running through him. And Zephyr's punch had only been a test—there was no way it could have hit him.
Zephyr was quite satisfied with Kaito's reaction. He had always prioritized training his students in the basics. That's why he constantly criticized Borsalino for over-relying on the Glint-Glint Fruit.
Sure, Kaito had just used a Devil Fruit ability, but it was based on sharp combat instincts.
That said, Borsalino's physical prowess wasn't bad at all—it's just that the Glint-Glint Fruit was way too convenient to pass up.
Borsalino, Aokiji, and Akainu all wield top-tier Logia Fruits, but the Glint-Glint Fruit was easily the flashiest and most user-friendly of the three.
...
Back to the fight—now that they were separated again, Kaito looked at the clearly fired-up Zephyr and sighed inwardly.
Come on, Sensei... you're really ambushing your own student like this? That's not very honorable!
Still, letting Zephyr enjoy a good fight didn't sound too bad. Today, he'd just go along and have some fun with his teacher.
With his decision made, Kaito's expression shifted to something more serious. His hands were enveloped in advanced Armament Haki, and a heavy, oppressive aura surged from his body—he was ready to fight for real.
Sensing that, Zephyr smiled. Kaito was taking this seriously now, which meant he should too.
A deep, black Armament Haki spread from Zephyr's hands all the way up to his elbows. At that moment, the legendary "Black Arm" Zephyr returned.
His eyes locked tightly onto Kaito. Then, his feet slammed the ground dozens of times in rapid succession—Soru from the Six Powers.
In Zephyr's hands, the technique was terrifyingly efficient. From initial movement to appearing in front of Kaito took barely an instant.
Muscles bulged on Zephyr's right arm as he launched a punch at Kaito, who responded with a punch of his own.
Boom!
The ground beneath them shattered inch by inch as powerful shockwaves rippled out, kicking up a storm of dust.
Zephyr didn't let up. His left arm followed up with another punch, then another, unleashing a relentless barrage like a violent tempest.
Kaito's fighting spirit flared in response. Without using any additional abilities, he simply traded punch after punch with Zephyr.
...
After a while, Zephyr was the first to falter. He stomped the ground and jumped back to end his flurry.
Kaito, on the other hand, looked at his fists with a hint of unspent energy. Heat was still radiating from his knuckles—a clear sign of how intense that exchange had been.
Zephyr stepped back to a safe distance and steadied his breathing.
His face bore a hint of satisfaction. Sure, the exchange had burned through a lot of stamina—but damn was it satisfying.
More importantly, he now had a much clearer understanding of Kaito's true power. He could tell that Kaito hadn't gone all out—none of his real abilities had even come into play.
And yet, even in a pure hand-to-hand contest, Zephyr had clearly been overwhelmed.
He couldn't help but sigh.
This student of his... was an absolute monster.
No wonder Kaido and Shanks lost to him—they never stood a chance.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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