Layers of air currents blew out from Zephyr's body.
Beads of sweat formed on Momonga's forehead.
He felt like a rabbit being stared down by a tiger. The threat of death stimulated his nerves.
"Is this the strength of an Admiral?" Momonga felt envious.
This kind of suffocating power was something everyone dreamed of possessing.
"Now, watch carefully."
Zephyr's speed suddenly increased, becoming three times faster.
In the blink of an eye, Momonga lost track of him.
"Behind you!."
A tall figure appeared behind Momonga, completely blocking out the sunlight.
When did he—!
Momonga's pupils dilated.
His body reacted faster than his brain, rolling forward instinctively.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed as the spot where Momonga had been standing transformed into a massive, ten-meter crater.
Spiderweb cracks radiated outward.
As the dust settled, Zephyr's towering figure stood at the epicenter, his eyes gleaming with appreciation.
"Not bad. Your reflexes are sharp. But will you only keep running away, Momonga?"
Momonga remained silent, focusing instead on coating his Dōjigiri Yasutsuna with Armament Haki.
"Single Sword Style: Swallow Slash!"
Without hesitation, Momonga charged.
This battle was merely Zephyr's test; continuous evasion would only earn Zephyr's disdain.o
The blade sliced through the air, appearing directly before Zephyr.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as Zephyr's wrist firmly blocked Momonga's blade.
"Not a bad technique, Momonga." Zephyr looked completely at ease.
However, Momonga raised his head and smiled.
Zephyr sensed something amiss.
Just as he was about to throw Momonga off, he felt a stinging pain.
Unfazed, Zephyr's battle-hardened instincts took over.
Ignoring the blade, he pivoted and delivered a powerful kick.
Momonga never believed he could defeat Zephyr; merely injuring him was an achievement.
He crossed his arms and used the momentum from the kick to retreat.
Zephyr raised his right wrist.
An almost imperceptible cut was on the skin, through his Armament Haki.
Momonga had managed to leave a mark.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Well done, Momonga!"
Zephyr paid no mind to the minor injury; his powerful physique would heal it in minutes.
But being injured by a mere Captain genuinely surprised and pleased him.
"So you've already reached the iron-cutting. At this rate, you'll soon be unleashing flying slashes and step into the master swordsman realm." Zephyr's love for the Marines ran deep.
The stronger the Marines became, the more heartfelt his joy, especially when his own disciples showed progress.
"Show me what else you've got. If this is all, the battle ends here."
Truth be told, Zephyr was already satisfied.
His honest disciple had mastered the Marine Six Styles and made significant advances in swordsmanship.
This far exceeded his expectations.
Momonga nodded, then hesitated. "Zephyr-sensei, I've eaten a Devil Fruit. I'll now show you my full power."
He wasn't worried about Zephyr being unable to handle it; he feared the reprimand.
Both Zephyr and Garp considered Devil Fruits impractical, a hindrance to true mastery of Haki and physical techniques.
Sure enough, Zephyr's face darkened immediately.
"I've told you how many times, Devil Fruits aren't that great!" he cursed angrily. "Only the most powerful ones provide real assistance. Weak ones just hinder your mastery of physical combat and swordsmanship. You brat, I was just praising you, and now you pull this. Are you trying to piss me off?"
Zephyr was genuinely angry.
He, Kong, and Garp—and on the pirate side, Roger and Silvers Rayleigh—were all powerful individuals without Devil Fruits.
Their strength was in no way inferior.
In Zephyr's mind, Devil Fruits were a shortcut that hindered true potential.
He assumed Momonga had eaten a worthless fruit and strayed from the correct path.
Momonga remained silent.
He knew only by demonstrating his strength could he break this prejudice.
His body slowly dissolved, and wisps of white mist enveloped the island, trapping Zephyr.
"A mist-type Devil Fruit? A Logia?" Zephyr was knowledgeable enough to identify it.
"Just as I thought—a trash fruit." He felt irritated, lamenting the waste of a good student.
"Zephyr-sensei, be careful." Momonga's voice echoed from all directions within the thick fog, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.
"This level of development only obstructs vision. Not very useful." Zephyr closed his eyes, using Observation Haki to scan the fog.
Ahead... behind... left... right... Found him!
In his mind's eye, Momonga's figure was silently approaching at high speed.
He could even predict the next attack.
"That's enough, Momonga."
Zephyr's muscular right arm bulged, covered in steel-like Armament Haki.
He threw a punch deep into the fog, the force violently dispersing the mist.
"Huh?"
When the fog cleared, Zephyr realized the "figure" he had sensed with Observation Haki had turned into a white, misty form.
His punch had merely scattered a decoy.
"To think it can deceive Observation Haki. Interesting." Zephyr had no choice but to elevate his Observation Haki to a higher level.
This time, Momonga could no longer conceal his presence.
The human-shaped thick mist originally used to deceive Observation Haki was also clearly perceived by Zephyr.
Three? Is this your limit, Momonga?
Three humanoid figures were detected by Zephyr within the dense fog.
He let out a contemptuous laugh, his clear voice echoing through the mist.
"I must admit, Momonga, you've developed some skill with this fruit. But that's all there is to it."
"In the weak seas of the Four Seas, this might be enough to suppress most people."
"But the strong warriors of the New World would never be defeated by such a trash Logia-type fruit. Watch closely now."
Zephyr's figure moved rapidly through the thick fog, and his movements were simultaneously fed back to Momonga through the mist.
'Zephyr-sensei is so fast.'
The moment this thought flashed through his mind, an iron fist struck him heavily.
"This level of concealment and perception cannot evade the Observation Haki of top-tier fighters."
Momonga was struck hard in the abdomen, and a mouthful of blood instantly surged up his throat.
At the same time, the two humanoid figures in the fog quickly grabbed hold of Zephyr.
"Hmph, too fragile."
The Armament Haki covering Zephyr's body was too hard.
Although the strength of the humanoid mist figures was equivalent to Momonga's own power, they couldn't restrain Zephyr at all.
Zephyr stomped heavily on the ground, and an overwhelming aura burst forth from his body.
The two humanoid mist figures were instantly dispersed.
But Momonga's true form had long been hidden within the fog.
"Although the fruit ability itself is somewhat trash, you've developed it in a good direction."
When it came to his students, Zephyr never held back his criticism when needed, but he would also praise loudly when deserved.
Momonga emerged from the fog, looking at his teacher with a bitter smile.
He was still too weak after all, completely outmatched.
He clenched his fists tightly—but fortunately, he was still young.
There would be plenty of opportunities to catch up.
Zephyr walked over and patted Momonga's shoulder while laughing.
"I only intended to test your strength, but you've given me quite a few surprises. Well done, Momonga."
A pleased expression appeared on Momonga's face.
"But the battle is over. Why haven't you dispersed the fog yet?" Zephyr was curious about the lingering mist, not understanding Momonga's intention.
Momonga showed a triumphant smile, then waved his hand to disperse the fog.
When the mist cleared, Zephyr looked around in surprise.
"When did you arrange this?"
Surrounding Zephyr and Momonga were rows of perfectly aligned soldiers, all holding rifles in aiming positions.
They were the same soldiers who had been on the warship before the battle began.
"Zephyr-senseir, actually, my Mist-Mist Fruit can enhance the effect of blocking perception by adjusting the mist density," Momonga explained. "At the beginning, I did cover half the island—that was just to make you form a preconception. In reality, when I appeared before you, the mist only covered about twenty meters, always moving with us."
He wasn't a fool.
After Raleigh discussed the development direction of the Mist-Mist Fruit with him, he had conducted many experiments.
The most important aspect was how to block and mislead Observation Haki.
Currently, he had preliminarily mastered how to resist Observation Haki by altering the mist density.
The strongest form was one that enveloped only Momonga himself.
It could likely block advanced Observation Haki within a ten-meter radius, and intermediate Observation Haki within about twenty meters.
When Momonga realized Zephyr wasn't taking the fight too seriously, he began devising this plan.
"Excellent combat design. It seems you've gained a solid understanding of how to use this fruit," Zephyr praised once again.
"Striking unexpectedly and catching the enemy off guard—it appears you've grasped the secret to winning battles."
"Our Marines outnumber pirates overall, so our advantage lies in overwhelming them with numbers. Your ability to silently integrate soldiers into the thick fog and surround pirate crews—I believe you could make a name for yourself even on the Grand Line."
As for this fruit, Zephyr didn't think much of its combat capabilities, but he was quite interested in its ability to block the enemy's perception.
If every operation could deploy an encirclement like this, victory would become straightforward.
In naval battles nowadays, both sides generally possess Observation Haki, making ambushes difficult.
Most engagements end up as direct confrontations.
"Keep up the good work, Momonga. I look forward to the day you make your mark on the Grand Line." Zephyr had always been lenient with his disciples.
Although he didn't hold Devil Fruits in high regard, Momonga had proven through his performance that he hadn't made any mistakes so far.
"However, you must not neglect your swordsmanship and Haki training. Don't rely too much on this fruit—on the Grand Line, the strength of the combatants is what ultimately determines victory."
After the praise came a stern lecture.
Momonga stood obediently in place, listening intently.
He knew Zephyr meant well.
After all, the Mist-Mist Fruit lacked the destructive power of other Logia Devil Fruits.
Just among those he knew—Sakazuki's Magma-Magma Fruit, Borsalino's Glint-Glint Fruit, and Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit—each was far stronger than his.
Moreover, Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit actually countered his abilities quite effectively.
The Mist-Mist Fruit, to be honest, was formed by tiny water droplets suspended in the air.
If the Ice-Ice Fruit froze those droplets solid, the Mist-Mist Fruit would essentially be rendered useless.
'At least Kuzan and I are on the same side,' Momonga consoled himself inwardly.
"But since you've managed to develop supportive applications, have you considered infusing your mist with toxins? Even with precautions, enemies might inadvertently inhale your fog."
Zephyr offered this suggestion to his disciple earnestly, having contemplated how to enhance the Mist-Mist Fruit's combat effectiveness during their earlier spar.
It was as if a door had opened in Momonga's mind, instantly flooding it with countless ideas.
He was right—if he could blend his mist with toxins, allowing enemies to inhale it unknowingly, they would be powerless by the time they realized what was happening.
If he added anesthetic-like substances, capturing pirates alive would become much less challenging.
"While strong fighters can hold their breath for extended periods, the human body ultimately requires air—especially during intense battles, where oxygen consumption increases rapidly," Zephyr noted.
During their earlier fight, Zephyr had inhaled quite a bit of the mist.
Fortunately, Momonga hadn't infused it with any substances, so it had no effect on Zephyr.
"Of course, don't pin all your hopes on that either. Your own strength is what lasts forever."