"There's actually such a thing? Who is this guy?" Zephyr was quite displeased.
In his view, hoarding something good was a tremendous waste.
Especially something that could enhance the Marines' overall strength—if it couldn't be shared, it would be utterly wasteful.
"Raleigh? Didn't that kid run off to the North Blue to be some kind of Vice Adjutant?"
"And that brother of his, Borsalino. The two of them are like peas in a pod, always slacking off."
Muttering to himself, Zephyr suddenly looked up and scrutinized Momonga with a suspicious gaze.
"Tell me, kid, did you just conspire with Raleigh to trick me? I don't recall any retired Marine officer who mastered the Six Styles to this extend. I know every single Marine member who has mastered the Six Styles. Even going back twenty or thirty years, I'd remember them. But there aren't many experts from the East Blue in the Marines."
Armed with the excuse Raleigh had given him, Momonga wasn't worried about Zephyr seeing through their deception.
He chuckled awkwardly, "Zephyr-sensei, who would dare trick you? When did we ever succeed in deceiving you back at the military academy? Weren't we always punished with extra training?"
Zephyr laughed heartily. "True, you greenhorns would need another twenty years to fool me. But I'm taking this matter seriously—you'd better hope I don't discover you've deceived me. Otherwise, even if you get promoted to Admiral, I'll make sure you learn the power of this old man, Black Arm Zephyr."
Momonga seemed to recall some unpleasant memories, his face turning slightly green.
Back at the naval academy, he had suffered greatly.
Raleigh had tried to deceive Zephyr but was caught, resulting in Momonga being punished by association.
And that rascal Raleigh actually managed to evade punishment in the end, leaving Momonga alone to dutifully complete the training penalties.
"Alright, since they've already mastered the Six Styles, let me test how much you've improved since leaving the academy," Zephyr said. "That uninhabited island in the distance—let's have a spar there, teacher and student."
"Agreed." Momonga also wanted to test his recently enhanced abilities.
With Raleigh not around, it was hard to gauge exactly how much his strength had grown.
Whether facing pirates or Marine members, Momonga could handle them all effortlessly at his current level.
"We'll go ahead first. The warship can wait here."
As he finished speaking, Zephyr's figure shot skyward, using Geppo to rapidly advance toward the uninhabited island.
Seeing this, Momonga called over a messenger to give some instructions before chasing after Zephyr's retreating figure.
Step... step...
Momonga continuously stomped through the air, allowing him to walk through the sky.
Before long, he spotted Zephyr standing with crossed arms, already waiting.
"You're somewhat slow, Momonga. I expected your speed to impress me more."
"Zephyr-sensei, I had to arrange some matters, hence the slight delay." Momonga drew the Dōjigiri Yasutsuna that Raleigh had gifted him, the gleaming blade radiating a cold light under the sun's rays.
Zephyr's eyes lit up. "Where did you obtain this sword? This is a famous Skillful Grade blade—in my opinion, it might even have potential to reach the Great Grade."
Momonga raised Dōjigiri Yasutsuna high. "This was a promotion gift from Raleigh before he left, Teacher Zephyr."
"Hahaha, that kid is that generous? Giving away such a fine treasure? Then again, that fellow doesn't know any swordsmanship anyway. Keeping it would just be a waste in his hands. Momonga, with such an excellent blade in your possession, don't let it remain unknown. Strive to temper it into a Black Blade soon." Zephyr was delighted—nothing made him happier than seeing his former students achieve great things.
"Let this old man measure your current strength, Momonga."
"Soru!" Zephyr's figure suddenly appeared before Momonga, covering dozens of meters in less than half a second.
A massive iron fist coated in purplish-black Armament Haki struck toward Momonga.
This was the combat characteristic of the older generation of Marine elites.
They didn't consume Devil Fruits or use Conqueror's Haki—all they possessed was incredibly powerful physical combat skills and indestructible Armament Haki.
They had practically tempered Armament Haki into their very bones.
Momonga remained calm, his eyes continuously tracking Zephyr's movements.
Dōjigiri Yasutsuna simultaneously slashed toward the charging Zephyr.
Iron fist and sharp blade collided in the air, sending sparks flying.
"Huh. When did you learn Armament Haki, kid? Judging by your proficiency, you've mastered it for quite some time, haven't you?" Zephyr seemed to have discovered something new.
He hadn't paid much attention to this spar initially, thinking he knew Momonga well.
But Momonga had given him a pleasant surprise.
"Sensei, Raleigh once said, 'After three days apart, view others with new eyes.' Having been away from headquarters for so long, growing under the pressure of daily battles with pirates, of course my progress would be much faster than when I was in the military academy."
Zephyr exerted force with his arm, easily throwing Momonga off balance.
Momonga remained calm, using Geppo to adjust his posture in mid-air and land steadily on the ground.
Zephyr ran his hand through his purple hair and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, well said. Walking the line between life and death is indeed one of the fastest ways to grow. I hadn't considered that."
Some pirates, when they first set out to sea, were completely unknown, but every battle pushed them to break through.
Zephyr knew several such pirates—men who could significantly increase their strength after just a few months apart.
"Well then, I'm going to get serious, Momonga."
Momonga tightly gripped the handle of his sword, his eyes completely focused on Zephyr's movements, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
Whoosh... whoosh...
Zephyr casually kicked several small stones from the ground, sending them flying toward Momonga at speeds surpassing bullets.
Clang... clang... clang...
Instead of recklessly dodging, Momonga continuously deflected the stones with his sword blade.
When facing an opponent far stronger than yourself, it's best not to dodge their probing attacks.
Dodging creates openings.
For veterans like Zephyr, even the slightest opening could be precisely exploited.
(Though this was just a test battle. Otherwise, according to what Raleigh had taught him, Momonga would have already been fleeing with all his might.)
Zephyr looked approvingly at his disciple, pleased with his flawless handling of the situation.
Aside from those few monsters, Momonga was undoubtedly the most outstanding of his class.
"Next, I'll show you why they call me Black Arm!"