Coldness, destruction, despair.
It wasn't the loud noise of an explosion—the sound created by this strike resembled the dull thud of space being crushed by a giant hammer, causing all who witnessed it to tremble inwardly.
...
Black-red mist churned and coalesced like a living entity, covering Griffin's arms in a layer of pitch black, with threads of dark red swirling across it.
Zephyr looked down at the spot where Griffin's fist had struck him. There was a clear fist imprint, and within that area lingered an obscure, unknown energy that required him to use Observation Haki to detect.
How to describe it...
Zephyr felt as though several invisible snakes, filled with chaotic madness and an extreme will to destroy, were tearing at his flesh.
It felt similar to having Armament Haki invade and destroy from within, yet it was different.
This power was too sinister, even affecting his own will and stirring destructive desires, making Zephyr, who upheld justice, deeply uncomfortable.
—
Shatter Evil!!
Zephyr spread his arms wide, unleashing a surge of immense power from within to disperse this strange energy, causing the fist imprint to fade.
...
In the stands, Kizaru rubbed his chin: "It's only been half a year—where did my kind, well-behaved Griffin go?"
"He's been corrupted by that old man Zephyr!"
Kuzan stared intently at the arena, frowning: "An aura of palpable evil, like a devil..."
Looking at Griffin now, Kuzan's heart wavered... Could that matter still be entrusted to this man?
He doesn't seem like a good person at all!
...
...
"Kid, what is that..."
Zephyr asked directly, also trying to determine whether Griffin had lost his sanity or fallen into demonic possession from the fight.
If that were the case, he'd have to knock the kid out and send him to the Marines' psychiatric department.
...
Griffin carefully sensed the surging power within his body. Armament Haki flowed and covered every part of him, smooth and seamless.
It took him a few seconds to react. Seeing Zephyr rolling up his sleeves as if ready to fight, he hurriedly spoke up.
"I added something to my Armament Haki—seems to work pretty well."
Pointing at his eyes, he grinned: "The Sharingan, pretty amazing, right!"
...
Nether Entanglement Armament Haki, simply put, was infusing Armament Haki with Eye Power. Not only did it speed up the coverage of Armament Haki, but it also came with a penetrating effect.
In previous fights, Griffin had to split his focus: part of his mind controlling the Sharingan to track his opponent's movements, and part controlling Armament Haki to respond.
It was like drawing a circle with one hand and a square with the other.
Now, it was like stamping down with a seal engraved with both shapes—accomplishing both at once!
Applied in actual combat...
First, it should be noted that Griffin hadn't yet unlocked the full package of Uchiha illusion techniques. His use of the Sharingan remained at the basic functional stage, with the added effect of being able to influence others with massive spiritual power.
Just like the victim Lucci, long-term spiritual interference had made him believe Griffin was some kind of bosom friend.
Now this idle Eye Power finally had a more direct utility.
As long as Griffin strikes his opponent in this state, he can simultaneously inject Eye Power—in plain terms...
I'm punching illusions directly into your brain!
...
During a major historical battle in Griffin's homeland, the military once conducted an experiment.
They blindfolded a prisoner, told him they would drain his blood, then applied slight pain to his wrist while letting a faucet drip continuously to simulate the sound.
After some time, the prisoner who hadn't actually lost any blood genuinely died.
This demonstrates the power of psychological suggestion—the terrifying potency of mental attacks!
...
This is the unique characteristic of Griffin's Armament Haki.
Nether Entanglement Armament Haki, as the name implies, is Armament Haki that binds opponents with chains from the netherworld!
Though Zephyr appeared to break this technique easily, one must consider—who is Zephyr?
A former Marine Admiral, one of the strongest fighters at the peak level!
With his current willpower, resisting this mental assault wasn't difficult. Using him as a benchmark for this ability is unfair. If we consider another reference point...
...
Red-Haired Shanks, Kuma, Barladi, King, Hawkeye...
Griffin mentally went through the list and realized that those he'd fought or was familiar with were either far stronger than him or completely insignificant...
That's it!
If the opponent were Hancock, that would be about right!
Her charm has no effect on me, and she has serious psychological issues anyway. I could take her!
Nether Entanglement Armament Haki would definitely be super effective against her!
After much consideration, Griffin had picked what he considered 'easy prey'—with zero gentlemanly courtesy.
...
...
"I roughly understand now. Young Griffin uses a special racial talent to imbue his Armament Haki with unique properties, similar to the mental assault of Conqueror's Haki..."
"How terrifying~"
That familiar tone left no doubt about who had arrived.
Kizaru approached with hands in pockets, raising a hand in casual greeting like a delinquent: "Yo~ Teacher Zephyr, long time no see~"
...
"Hmph!"
Everyone knew Zephyr and Kizaru were like oil and water—constantly at odds.
"Relying on special eyes is just like your over-dependence on Devil Fruit abilities! Both are unorthodox paths!"
Kizaru picked at his ear, sighing helplessly: "So stubborn, old man. How long are you going to keep saying that?"
Griffin let out a long breath as the black-red coloration faded from his body. He deactivated his Sharingan, exiting his main combat state.
"With all due respect, why don't you try not relying so much on Armament Haki then? There's nothing shameful about using the power you naturally possess."
"Blame your lack of a Devil Fruit~"
Griffin moved beside Kizaru, delivering the sarcastic remark with pointed mockery.
He knew his words could be irritating at times, but he just couldn't help it.
And besides...
It felt really good to say it!
...
Watching the two most troublesome individuals standing together made veins bulge on Zephyr's forehead.
"You two bastards... looking for a beating, are you?!"
Whoosh—
The Armament Haki that Zephyr had previously withdrawn reappeared, this time even more intense, gleaming with an obsidian-like luster under the sunlight.
He was truly furious.
Kizaru immediately raised his hands in surrender: "I didn't say anything—it was young Griffin who spoke. If you want to fight someone, fight him."
Griffin mirrored the gesture, raising both hands: "Admiral Kizaru's appearance influenced me! I wasn't going to say it originally!"
...
Sometimes, when people are utterly speechless, they can only respond with exasperated laughter.
Zephyr sighed helplessly, knowing now wasn't the right time to lecture these two.
He looked at Kizaru and said gravely, "Can't this be delayed any further?"
Kizaru spread his hands helplessly. "They've been pushing for this for months. I've been stalling out of respect for you... Don't make this difficult for me, Teacher Zephyr."
...
The Five Elders had agreed to let Griffin join the training camp on the condition that he cooperate with the Science Unit's experiments.
These two matters could proceed simultaneously. With Kizaru acting as transporter, traveling between both locations wouldn't take much time.
Due to certain past events, Zephyr had always held grievances against the higher-ups and didn't want Griffin getting involved in their schemes.
When Kizaru first came to make the request, Zephyr had driven him away using training at a critical stage as an excuse. This scenario had repeated several times since.
This time, Kizaru had directly sought them out during their sparring session. Zephyr realized the higher-ups' patience had reached its limit.
Frowning, he looked at Griffin and said in a low voice, "Kid..."
"I know what they want to do. If you don't want your bloodline abilities exposed, you can refuse."
"Protecting my disciple is something this old man can still accomplish!"