"The times have changed, old man."
Luffy held the sword in one hand, casually twirled it into a flourish, and hoisted that Supreme Grade Blade named Magi onto his shoulder. He flashed Zephyr a brilliant smile.
"I'm half a swordsman, I guess! When it comes to attack methods, the more the better—better safe than sorry!"
From the very beginning of the fight, his target had been Zephyr's mechanical arm.
It could fire Kairoseki bullets and energy cannons.
That thing was too dangerous. Once he was caught by it or hit by a Kairoseki bullet, he would instantly lose his strength.
So, the best move was to eliminate that biggest threat first.
As for Zephyr thinking his mechanical arm was indestructible?
Just as a top-tier swordsman who comprehends the breath of all things can easily cut through iron, Luffy, now wielding the Supreme Grade Blade Magi, achieving this level was not surprising.
After absorbing the experience from Moria's massive shadows, his own swordsmanship had already quietly improved, reaching the threshold of cutting iron and beyond.
With Zephyr focusing all his attention on Luffy's fists and Haki, completely unprepared for swordsmanship, Luffy's sudden sword strike indeed caught Zephyr off guard.
"How unexpected."
Zephyr swung his prosthetic arm, which felt somewhat lighter after losing the mechanical arm covering it.
"I haven't gone all out yet." Luffy grinned. "Are you already about to give up?"
"Don't underestimate us veterans." Zephyr showed a ferocious smile.
He clenched his left fist, covered in Busoshoku Haki. The Haki, like flowing black liquid, rapidly spread from his fist, covering his entire forearm, emitting a more dangerous aura than before.
"This black blade, if this old man isn't mistaken, should be one of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades—the Black Blade: Magi.
It is said that this blade is extremely difficult to wield due to the ferocious spirit it contains. It hasn't been heard from for many years. I didn't expect it to fall into your hands." Zephyr narrowed his eyes.
"You really are well-informed, old man."
Luffy was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Zephyr to recognize this blade.
"Hmph!"
Zephyr let out a cold snort, putting force into both his prosthetic arm and left fist. "The more amazing talent and potential you show, the more it proves how dangerous you are. So, this old man absolutely cannot let you leave today!"
A truly strong person can turn any part of their body into a deadly weapon.
Losing the convenient mechanical arm was a weakening for Zephyr, but it also freed him from that heavy burden, making his movements even more agile.
However, the blessing of a Supreme Grade Blade to any strong fighter was enormous!
The world's strongest swordsman, Dracule "Hawk-Eyes" Mihawk, wielded the Black Blade: Yoru.
The man called the world's strongest man, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, wielded the naginata Murakumogiri.
Even the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, wielded the blade Ace—all of them were divine weapons of the Supreme Grade level!
Zephyr could feel that Luffy's body, which seemed to have been quite consumed after that fierce battle, had its momentum rising again after gripping this sword, becoming even more dangerous.
"Then let's find out!"
Luffy grinned, showing his teeth. "I'm really looking forward to a tough opponent like you, old man. You can help me solidify that little feeling I just fumbled. Maybe you can even help my strength take another step forward!"
Although Zephyr's pressure was strong, Luffy could clearly feel that there was a clear gap between Zephyr's Haki and physique—both in quantity and qualityand his grandfather Garp's.
That was only normal!
They were both old men. There was no reason for one to be more perverted than the other.
One monster like his grandfather was already outrageous enough!
Zephyr's burly body, after losing the heavy mechanical arm, truly seemed to have become much lighter. His aura also became more condensed.
He adopted a standard fighting stance, his eyes locked on Luffy like a hawk's.
"As you wish, Straw Hat Luffy!"
Having suffered a dark loss at Luffy's hands, Zephyr had lost his mechanical arm, but his offense grew even fiercer.
His figure vanished from the spot. His remaining left fist clenched tightly. Pitch-black Busoshoku Haki wrapped around it like a living thing, emitting a heartbeat wave. One punch struck Luffy's abdomen, sending him flying into the air.
He stared at Luffy, the corners of his mouth curling into a ferocious grin that mixed pain and excitement.
"If you want to learn Haoshoku Infusion,"
Zephyr pulled his fist back to his waist, tensing every muscle in his body. His aura was like a volcano about to erupt. "Then show this old man some real skill! Relying on cheap tricks and a good blade won't let you touch the true meaning of this power!"
"Of course,"
Luffy twisted in the air, unaffected by the blow. He flipped down and landed on the deck, his body slightly crouched. The black blade Magi in his hand emitted a soft hum as he pointed it at Zephyr. Scarlet pupils burned with fiery fighting spirit. "Don't die, old man. I still want to learn more from you!"
"Quite the big mouth!" Zephyr growled.
SWISH!
CRACK!
Before the words faded, Zephyr moved again. His figure vanished from the spot, his speed extreme. He was clearly using techniques from the Six Styles Soru and even Geppo—for short-range explosive bursts.
His left fist, covered in Top Armed Color, like a black cannonball, with no unnecessary flourish, punched Luffy's abdomen again with a slam!
"Urgh!"
But this time, Luffy wasn't sent flying. With the experience from just now, Luffy let out a grunt. His rubber abdomen instantly sunk to a surprising depth, then wrapped around Zephyr's hand.
"Quick reaction."
Zephyr grinned. His caught hand showed no panic at all. His fist seemed to spawn something forward.
"This is?!" Luffy's brow furrowed.
"Hahaha, brat, don't forget that Busoshoku Haki is also strong."
Zephyr showed his white teeth. "Wrapping around my hand was a very unwise decision."
His fist seemed to burst with some kind of energy. A violent impact penetrated the elasticity of the rubber, reaching straight to his internal organs.
Luffy almost instinctively took a defensive stance, using the properties of his rubber fruit to absorb part of the impact. But the power of Zephyr's anger-filled blow was simply too terrifying.
Internal Destruction!
This was also an advanced application of Busoshoku Haki.
Luffy didn't know it, so he apparently suffered a bit of a dark loss.
"If you want to learn Haoshoku Infusion, you first need to learn how to take hits! It's the same principle as learning basic Haki—all power is connected! If you can't withstand the enemy's attacks, no matter how high your understanding is, it's just a castle in the air!"
Zephyr roared, the power in his fist erupted again. "But if you can't take the hits, then you might very well die here!"
"Now fly!"
Zephyr let out a muffled drink. His fist, still pressed against Luffy's abdomen, violently thrust outward, sending him flying like a torn sack!
"Pfft!"
Enduring this punch, Luffy could no longer suppress his churning blood and energy. A mouthful of bright red blood sprayed from his mouth in mid-air.
He hadn't completely avoided it because he couldn't. Instead, he had chosen to take the hit at that moment, trying to use his body to feel and understand the advanced Haki application contained in Zephyr's attack.
As Zephyr had said—taking hits was for understanding.
But the price of that punch was not small.
"Can't fall into the water."
Luffy endured the severe pain and stomped in mid-air, using Geppo to briefly hover. At the same time, he swung the black blade Magi in his hand!
SWISH!
A giant slash, wrapped with black and red arcs of electricity, detached from the blade, like a black crescent moon tearing across the sky, swooping down toward Zephyr, who had just landed.
SHRIIIIP!
The chop swept across the ship's surface. The solid deck was easily split open like tofu, creating a huge crack so deep the bottom couldn't be seen. Seawater immediately gushes from the crack.
Zephyr dodged to the side at the critical moment. He glanced at the hideous wound on the ship, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "You're not at an ordinary swordsman level. Where did you find the time to delve into swordsmanship?"
From what Zephyr knew, that old bastard Garp was no swordsman. His fighting style had always been straightforward iron fists.
Had he been learning from Bogard, the man beside Garp?
That guy's swordsmanship level was decent, but he didn't seem like someone who could teach a swordsman of this level.
And would Garp allow his grandson to primarily follow the swordsman path?
The thought was absurd.
"Time? You can always squeeze a bit more out."
Luffy steadied himself and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He almost ground his teeth as he said this.
Only he and that damned Pirate King Training Plan knew the bitterness behind this.
Every minute and every second of his time had been squeezed out of devil training and learning.
But it was undeniable that Moria had also played a role in this. His shadows were indeed like experience packs.
Just as Zephyr dodged the chop, Luffy kicked hard in the air again. The air exploded with a sonic boom. He plummeted like a meteor, appearing above Zephyr's head. The black blade covered in Haki came down again!
Zephyr's eyes condensed. He instinctively raised his left fist, covered in Haki, ready to clash with the black blade.
But just as they were about to touch, Luffy flicked his wrist. The black blade Magi suddenly shrunk to a weird angle, turning into a pitch-black dagger. He tossed it upward!
"Hmm?!"
Zephyr was stunned.
Changing the size of a black blade mid-battle?
Zephyr quickly realized something.
He also saw that Luffy was indeed a swordsman, but only as one of his attack methods. He still relied more on his fists.
Sure enough, Luffy's real killing move was his other fist—already ready, beginning to spin at high speed and ignite with blazing flames.
"Gomu Gomu Jet: Hiken Gun!"
"HAH!"
Zephyr instantly understood that he had been deceived. With his rich combat experience, he reacted extremely quickly. He immediately abandoned his defense against the sword and crouched low, narrowly dodging the flame-coated fist wind. At the same time, his right prosthetic arm, covered in Busoshoku Haki, aimed at Luffy's ankle—which he couldn't retract in time!
On the prosthetic arm, pitch-black Busoshoku Haki swirled like a black tornado, emitting an even more dangerous aura than before.
This was an advanced application of Busoshoku Haki—Ryuo!
CRACK!
One hit landed.
***
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