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Before the competition began, Roy hadn't expected things to develop to this point.
But for the Roy of now, that no longer mattered.
He had received Zephyr's resolve.
And his request.
And he had chosen to answer it.
"Sensei, how's that arm feeling?" On the battlefield, Roy, wearing the Black Mane gauntlets, looked at his teacher and grinned.
"Not bad. It's not quite the same as my original arm, but with a bit more time to adapt, it'll be close enough."
Zephyr flexed his right arm, the massive Smash Machine, and laughed boldly.
"I see…" Roy nodded. "That's perfect."
He raised one arm and extended it horizontally to his side.
"You need time to adapt. Luckily, I've almost finished adapting a technique that will help you."
As his words fell...
"Boom!"
...the aura around him changed abruptly.
"Hmm?" Zephyr's eyes narrowed instantly.
He could clearly see the transformation in Roy's body. His muscles tightened rhythmically, compressing and channeling tremendous force into his arm.
From his palm...
"Buzz...!"
...the intense vibrations gathered, faintly forming the shape of a blade.
"This aura..." Even Zephyr's pupils contracted. "Don't tell me..."
As a veteran of countless battles, Zephyr recognized that distinctive presence immediately. It was the same power that had appeared in this forest not long ago.
"Shockwave Fist · Spear of Elbaf · Hakoku Sovereignty!"
With a low shout, Roy's arm slashed downward. A golden shockwave erupted like the edge of a colossal sword. The battered earth of Martial Exercise Island seemed to cry out in despair.
Zephyr's eyes sharpened. He raised the massive Smash arm in front of him.
"Tekkai · Immovable Vajra!"
The instant he spoke, the attack arrived.
"Skreee!" "Skreee!"
The enormous metal arm screeched violently, and sparks exploded across its surface.
The next moment... Zephyr's towering figure was blasted backward.
"BOOM!"
He tumbled through the air. Everything his feet touched shattered like fragile paper. In the blink of an eye, a golden shockwave slashed forward from Roy's fist, cutting straight across the entire island.
Mountains of broken stone and shattered timber... were erased.
Completely annihilated.
Finally, the attack surged beyond the island and struck the sea.
"Wooooosh!"
The ocean split apart as a massive V-shaped trench opened up on the surface, and seawater crashed inward with a deafening roar.
And so, along the coastline, the crowd, already in shock from the previous event, fell into an even deeper silence.
Well, perhaps not silence.
One could clearly hear the sounds of jaws dislocating.
"Th-th-th-that was..."
"There's no mistake! That was Vice Admiral Hamo's technique, 'Spear of Elbaf · Hakoku Sovereignty'!"
The commentator bit his tongue again, but he didn't care.
"Did Roy, a mere lieutenant commander, just learn it during the battle?! And is it just me, or was that strike even stronger than when the giants used it?"
His cry was not the only one echoing through the stands.
"Oh?" Even Sengoku couldn't help but frown slightly.
For a brief moment... Garp even stopped chewing his senbei.
"I had already heard Zephyr mention it, but to think he could do it in such a short time..."
There was unmistakable astonishment in Sengoku's voice.
The Spear of Elbaf, a hereditary military technique of the Giants, was renowned across the entire sea for its overwhelming power. Training in this technique required tremendous physical stamina and extraordinary bodily control.
Just like Vice Admiral Hamo had said earlier, even among the Giants, very few could master it. The last time a giant displayed this technique was many years ago when the Giant Warrior Pirates' "Blue Ogre" Dorry and "Red Ogre" Brogy used it.
As far as Sengoku knew, only one person outside the Giant race had ever learned it.
It was Charlotte Linlin, also known as the Yonko "Big Mom," who learned it while she lived in Elbaf during her childhood.
And now...
What Roy displayed was even more outrageous. He had only seen Vice Admiral Hamo use Hakoku Sovereignty once, not long ago, and directly learned it.
"His terrifying physique... the bodily control granted by Black Body Style... and that absurd learning talent..."
At that moment, Sengoku no longer doubted Zephyr's description of Roy's talent. However, neither he nor Garp had any intention of discussing it further.
Their eyes remained fixed on the live broadcast.
They both knew that the battle was far from over.
Not only them/... Even spectators who knew nothing about combat could sense it.
Through the broadcast screen, they could see Roy's tense body, and the battle intent blazing in his eyes.
Everyone had a faint premonition.
What would happen next on that screen... would shake the entire sea.
And indeed...
"Boom! Boom!"
Amid the thunderous sounds...
Zephyr slowly walked out from the far end of the shockwave's path. Even from such a distance, the weight of his footsteps and the heavy clang of the Smash Arm could clearly be heard.
"Spear of Elbaf... Roy, you really pulled off something incredible."
He looked at Roy and smiled while Black Haki was already flowing across his body.
[Black Body Style]
"Well, I am your student." Roy smiled back. "Besides, you did punch me earlier. Consider this strike a return favor."
"Buzz..."
From Roy's arm, Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) surged forth, dark as ink.
[Black Body Style]
On the battlefield, teacher and student stood facing one another.
"Black Arm" versus "Black Arm."
"Then... warm-up complete." ×2
They spoke simultaneously. The content of their words alone was enough to shock everyone.
Yes...
That terrifying attack earlier had merely been a warm-up for them.
"Come!" ×2
The instant the words fell... Roy and Zephyr vanished from where they stood.
In the next moment, their figures reappeared at the center of the massive trench… And collided.
"BOOM!"
Mechanical arm and Black Mane gauntlets crashed together. The exaggerated power and Haki released a devastating shockwave… Formally declaring the true beginning of the battle.
(Note: In this setting, Kaido and Big Mom used "Hakoku Sovereignty" together, Big Mom contributed the Giant combat technique aspect, while Kaido provided the Haki. Primarily because Kaido himself has almost no connection to the Giants throughout the story, so it's difficult to justify him knowing a Giant-exclusive military technique on his own.)
(End of Chapter)