Upon hearing Zephyr's challenge, King no longer hesitated. He gripped the hilt of the long, jagged miaodao at his waist with his right hand.
Instantly, pale green and orange-red flames quietly spread from his fingertips, climbing along the scabbard and enveloping the entire longsword into a burning blade of dual-colored fire. Sunlight fell on the fiery blade, reflecting a dazzling, lethal light, and even the surrounding air seemed visibly distorted by the intense heat.
"What I am currently best at is the seamless combination of my Devil Fruit ability and my swordsmanship," King's voice remained cold and calm beneath his mask, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.
Before he even finished speaking, he suddenly pushed off the ground. His tall body shot towards Zephyr like a black arrow released from a heavy bowstring, his fiery blade bringing with it a whistling, apocalyptic heatwave.
"Draw Slash..." King murmured, his eyes locking onto the Admiral. "Matsumi!!"
This was a devastating swordsmanship technique created by York in this world, imitating the legendary, ash-turning swordsmanship of an old man from his previous life's memories. Because King was also an exceptionally lethal fire-type ability user and deeply wanted to master swordsmanship, York had personally taught him the framework for this move.
The pale green and orange-red flames violently twisted, turning into a massive fire tornado that completely engulfed Zephyr.
Yet, Zephyr stood directly amidst the raging flames, steadfast and unmoving, like an ancient mountain.
Whoosh!
A localized, invisible burst of Armament Haki erupted from the Admiral's body, stirring up a fierce, outward wind that instantly scattered the whistling fire tornado, revealing Zephyr's towering, completely unharmed body.
He casually extended one hand, using his bare, Haki-coated palm to perfectly catch the lethal slash that King had hidden deep within the flames.
"From the perspective of pure, foundational swordsmanship, I cannot give you a precise judgment on this slash yet," Zephyr analyzed, his grip on the blade absolute. "But from the perspective of Devil Fruit application, I can immediately offer some vital advice."
Zephyr looked at the flickering green flames on the steel. "The Phoenix's flames... their absolute core conceptual ability is healing and regeneration. They are fundamentally not suitable for direct, destructive attacks."
"While your creative method of fusing your dual flames certainly increases the visual explosive power and volume of the fire, their actual destructive power in terms of raw scorching and high temperature is greatly weakened by the combination. In fact, after your blade slices open an enemy's flesh, there's a very high probability the Phoenix flames might accidentally promote the rapid healing of that exact wound."
Zephyr paused briefly, releasing the blade and letting King step back, before continuing his critique: "My suggestion to you is to use the two types of flames completely separately!"
"The Lunarian racial talent flames should focus entirely on offense, and the Phoenix Devil Fruit flames should focus entirely on defense and stamina recovery!"
"Each serving its own distinct, specialized purpose—not used simultaneously. This will also massively reduce your rapid stamina consumption."
King's grip on the miaodao tightened slightly, and the dual flames on the blade flickered faintly due to his internal emotional fluctuation. He lowered his head to look at the burning steel, his brows slightly furrowed.
Previously, he had only felt that the combined, visual power of the dual flames was stronger. He had never once considered that the biological healing attribute of the Mythical Zoan would directly counteract the lethal attack effect of his Lunarian fire, nor had he realized the massive issue of stamina drain.
Indeed, every single time he used Matsumi, he would feel a heavy wave of exhaustion wash over him. He had originally thought it was simply a normal physical reaction to the move's great power, but now he clearly understood it was due to the internal, conceptual conflict between his flame attributes fighting each other.
"Using them separately..." King repeated Zephyr's words softly, unconsciously rubbing the hilt of his blade. "But if I only rely on my racial talent flames for an attack... will the raw power be insufficient?"
Zephyr withdrew the hand he had used to block, gently tapping his own forearm, where a faint, harmless warmth from the earlier flames still lingered.
"True power isn't accumulated by mindless stacking, kid. It's achieved by absolute focusing!"
Zephyr pointed at King's sword. "Your racial talent flames are naturally, genetically built for extreme scorching. As long as you physically concentrate them tightly onto the razor edge of the blade instead of carelessly spreading them out into a flashy fire tornado, their lethality and penetrative power will be stronger than it is now."
"As for the Phoenix flames, you can actively cover your own body with them when blocking or dodging. This way, you can instantly negate incoming damage with their healing ability and completely avoid interfering with your own attack rhythm."
"Furthermore, future advancements in your swordsmanship and Armament Haki can give this Matsumi move of yours another deadly variation." Zephyr held up two fingers. "One is what I just mentioned: using a highly concentrated approach, focusing all kinetic and thermal power on a single point for extreme, single-point penetration."
"The other is to maintain your original swordsmanship form, but the fire tornado primarily serves to blind and confuse the enemy's Observation Haki, while the true, silent killing blow is the slash and Haki hidden within the chaos!"
Zephyr's tactical words were exactly like a pair of sharp scissors, instantly tearing open the thick mist that had clouded King's mind for months.
His hand, holding the miaodao, slowly loosened and then tightened again with renewed purpose. The pale green Phoenix flames on the blade gradually receded entirely into his body, leaving only the terrifying, magma-like orange-red Lunarian flames.
This time, it wasn't a chaotic, wild burn. Rather, the flames heavily condensed along the blade's folded steel patterns, exactly like a scorching, vibrating golden edge, making the sword appear sharper.
"The slash and Haki hidden within the fire tornado..." King repeated softly.
A crystal-clear scene formed in his tactical mind: a roaring barrier of flames entirely obscuring the enemy's vision, while the true, lethal killing blow was hidden silently within the heat haze. When the enemy relaxed to block the fire, he would launch an instantaneous surprise attack with a blade heavily enhanced by Armament Haki.
This highly optimized approach not only preserved the original deterrent power and flashiness of Matsumi but also completely compensated for the fatal flaw of conflicting flame attributes, adding multiple layers of lethal surprise.
He looked up, his gaze at Zephyr now filled with genuine, profound conviction.
"Thank you, Instructor Zephyr, for your invaluable guidance!"
Zephyr nodded gently, then instructed King to use pure swordsmanship, or purely his racial talent, to spar with him a few more times.
Finally, after a series of brutal, high-speed tests, Zephyr provided more detailed and highly specific physical guidance.
"Your future training path in this camp will focus on advanced swordsmanship and Haki as the absolute core, with your flames serving strictly as an auxiliary tool for attack, defense, and self-healing."
"Your Lunarian racial talent flames will naturally, automatically grow hotter as your physique develops into adulthood in the future. What you need is not to try and force the burning and temperature limit of these flames higher right now, but to physically control their shape and density more precisely."
"As for your swordsmanship and Haki... they are the true, absolute foundation of your power!! Only when your foundational swordsmanship and Haki are strong enough can your two flame powers play a flawless synergistic role. Otherwise, you are simply putting the cart before the horse."
King nodded emphatically, deeply convinced by the logic. Zephyr's brutal, straightforward words were like a sudden enlightenment, making him thoroughly clear about his future path to becoming a true Vanguard.
"My sincere, utmost thanks to you, Instructor Zephyr!" King bowed solemnly to the towering man.
This aging instructor from the Marines had successfully, definitively earned the Lunarian's heartfelt recognition. Zephyr smiled contentedly, adjusting his wrist wraps, then motioned for King to step aside and called out to the next intern.
"Next!"
"Hee-Ha! It's finally my turn!!"
Emporio Ivankov spun rapidly on one foot like a massive top, arriving directly in front of Zephyr. Seeing his highly peculiar, flamboyant entrance, Zephyr's heavy brows immediately furrowed together.
However, he didn't verbally criticize it yet. Through his Observation Haki, he could clearly see that despite the ridiculous spinning, Ivankov's lower body center of gravity was actually incredibly stable. But on a personal level, the ex-Admiral really didn't like Ivankov's one-legged, theatrical martial arts style.
Ivankov's spinning motion slowly stopped, his single massive foot landing steadily, while the other long leg was slightly raised, its tip pointing directly towards Zephyr, striking a highly unique, dramatic kicking stance.
"Instructor Zephyr! This is my own, personally created Hormone Kenpo! It primarily involves rotating the limbs and using elaborate feints before attacking. Please give me your brutal guidance!"
Zephyr nodded slightly, crossing his arms. He had seen similar, unconventional forms of martial arts before in the Grand Line. For instance, in the Flower Country of West Blue, there was a martial art called Hasshoken and another called Drunken Fist, which adopted a highly similar philosophy. It used the unpredictable swaying of a 'drunk' body to perform various jerky movements that didn't conform to normal martial arts logic, entirely confusing the target's vision and lowering their guard. Then, when the opponent was momentarily careless, the user launched a storm-like, lethal counterattack.
"Come at me." After understanding the core concept, Zephyr directly asked Ivankov to attack.
Ivankov immediately initiated his Hormone Kenpo. He swayed, dipped, and spun like a massive, weak willow branch in the wind, striking incredibly strange, disjointed poses with various exaggerated limb movements. Then, at the most unexpected, off-beat moments, he launched lightning-fast kicks at Zephyr's joints.
Zephyr, however, didn't move from his spot. He simply relied on his overwhelming, battle-hardened Observation Haki to precisely, effortlessly block or deflect every single one of Ivankov's high-speed attacks with minimal movement.
A minute later, Ivankov ceased his breathless offense, and Zephyr began his clinical critique.
"Your martial arts concept is highly creative, but there are still many fatal, amateur problems in its physical execution."
Zephyr's sharp gaze fell on Ivankov's slightly raised right leg, his tone calm but directly piercing the core issue.
"In the brief exchange just now, I could feel that your lower body is incredibly stable, which suggests you must have undergone very rigorous, hellish physical training under York. However... your physical feints appear far too deliberate. A true feint should be flawlessly hidden within completely natural movements, not loudly announced to the enemy as a fake through highly exaggerated, theatrical limb flailing."
Ivankov froze for a moment, subconsciously recalling his earlier footwork.
"Deliberate?" Ivankov was somewhat confused, scratching his massive head. "Could you elaborate, Instructor?"
"Tactical confusion isn't about 'showing the enemy chaos,' kid. It's about 'making the enemy logically guess your next move incorrectly.'"
Zephyr took half a step forward, extending his right hand to simulate a basic attacking posture.
"Try making a feint kick first, but without your arms swaying wildly along with it. Just swing your arms exactly like how you naturally swing them when walking down the street. Then, when the enemy's visual attention is entirely drawn to the subtle shift in your kicking leg, you suddenly, violently attack with the other leg."
Ivankov nodded slowly, adjusting his massive limbs according to Zephyr's advice.
He slowly raised his left leg, making a highly subtle, believable feint kick towards Zephyr's knee. Seeing Zephyr's gaze naturally fall on his left leg, Ivankov suddenly put explosive power into his planted right leg, his body instantly spinning halfway around. His extended right leg swept violently towards Zephyr's waist with a sharp, lethal whoosh of air.
This specific set of movements was much smoother than before, and the kinetic transition between the subtle feint and the real, devastating attack was far more natural and unpredictable.
A heavy hint of approval flashed in Zephyr's eyes. As he raised an arm to block the heavy kick, he pointed directly to Ivankov's drooping arms.
"You're improving incredibly quickly. But while your legs are coordinating perfectly... your arms are entirely dead."
Zephyr pushed the leg away. "I know the core of your personal martial art is kicking techniques, but your hands are absolutely never 'superfluous decorations.' They are also a vital part of your martial art and must serve to obscure the enemy's vision, guard your vitals, or confuse their rhythm."
"Even more so... when an enemy occasionally, correctly predicts that you are about to kick, but you brutally punch them in the jaw instead—that absolute, unexpected surprise should be the true, lethal core of your martial art!"
Upon hearing this, Ivankov, exactly like King before him, felt a massive, sudden enlightenment, as if a heavy veil had been violently lifted from his eyes.
Some vague, theatrical ideas he had previously entertained instantly flowed like a surging river into practical combat logic. Many lethal martial arts movements and misdirections he had never conceptually thought of before suddenly appeared in his mind like flashes of lightning.
Ivankov didn't even bother to continue asking Zephyr for advice. Instead, he immediately bowed deeply and respectfully to the towering man.
"Thank you for your incredible guidance, Instructor Zephyr!!"
Then, he excitedly scurried off to the corner of the field to frantically brainstorm and shadow-box his newly optimized martial arts techniques.
"Next!" Zephyr's calm, commanding voice continued to ring out.
"Heh heh heh! A loud boom in the sky, and the Thunder God makes a dazzling entrance!!"
CRACKLE!
Bright blue electric arcs violently flashed. Although he was only standing a few meters away in the queue, Enel insisted on arrogantly using his Logia Devil Fruit ability to instantly teleport and appear directly before Zephyr.
Looking at the arrogant, somewhat chuunibyou teenager floating in front of him, Zephyr couldn't help but twitch his mouth in sheer annoyance.
"You're far too young and frail," Zephyr stated flatly. "Focus entirely on building a good physical foundation first before relying on your fruit."
"Eh?!" Enel pouted unhappily, crossing his arms. "Why the hell are you saying that too?! York says that all the time!"
"Then attack me and find out." Zephyr was entirely amenable to proving it.
He wasn't the type of teacher like York, who would make a harsh judgment and then violently force others to follow it through sheer terror. Since Enel was arrogantly unconvinced, Zephyr would simply prove his point with cold, hard physical facts.
Enel's face immediately lit up with arrogant joy upon receiving Zephyr's permission. He had thought that verbal provocation wouldn't work on a legendary Admiral, but unexpectedly, it was quite effective!
Immediately, he completely transformed into blinding lightning and rapidly, arrogantly charged directly towards Zephyr's chest.
Zephyr simply sighed softly, not even bothering to shift his stance to dodge. He simply wrapped his massive right fist in dense Armament Haki and slammed it ruthlessly downward like a hammer.
With a heavy, sickening THUD.
Enel instantly materialized from the lightning, his face slamming violently onto the invisible layer of Haki that York had imbued into the bedrock. The terrifying recoil made his eyes see stars, and because his chin hit the reinforced ground so hard, he felt like his jaw was about to entirely dislocate. Yet, Zephyr's Haki-coated fist had landed squarely on the top of his head, making the 'God' feel like his skull was about to crack into pieces.
"It hurts so much... my head is going to explode..." Enel mumbled softly, clutching his afro, his body curled up on the ground like a pathetic small shrimp.
Zephyr's voice rang out above him at the opportune moment.
"You are far too reckless, kid. Charging headfirst in a straight line... your movement trajectory is far too easy to predict for anyone with basic Observation Haki."
Zephyr looked down at him. "Furthermore, your physical constitution is pathetically weak. I just lightly slammed you to the floor, and you can't even handle the recoil. What if you encounter a New World monster who truly wants to crush your skull? Not to mention whether you can dodge... can your fragile body withstand even one of their serious slams?"
Zephyr's words were incredibly blunt. Enel had heard similar, mocking things from York and the others, but never before had he felt such a deep, physically agonizing understanding as in this exact moment on the floor.
"I... I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Instructor Zephyr," Enel groaned.
The throbbing pain in his head gradually subsided enough for Enel to shakily stand up from the ground and bow deeply, his arrogance temporarily beaten out of him.
"Continue. Next!"
Ginny walked forward with highly steady, confident steps to face Zephyr.
"Instructor Zephyr. I am a Paramecia-type user, specifically the Bari Bari no Mi (Barrier-Barrier Fruit)."
Ginny cracked her knuckles. "Currently, I specialize heavily in close-quarters martial arts and long-range sniping."
Hearing this unique combination, Zephyr couldn't help but raise a scarred eyebrow.
'Another top-tier, conceptually absolute Devil Fruit user!' Zephyr thought, amazed. 'These youngsters under York's banner are truly, monstrously favored by fate! Regardless of their inherent physical talent, just these top-tier Devil Fruits alone make even an old man like me feel a distinct touch of envy.'
Of course, Zephyr wouldn't reveal his inner thoughts directly. As before, he casually beckoned to Ginny with a wave of his hand.
"Come at me, girl. Show me your true strength."
Ginny nodded, her eyes narrowing. She didn't rush to attack blindly like Enel. Instead, she smoothly spread her feet slightly shoulder-width apart, lowered her center of gravity into a perfect fighting stance, and quietly clenched her right fist.
She deliberately chose not to use her absolute Barrier-Barrier Fruit first, opting instead to physically test the Admiral with her most familiar, foundational martial arts. Having acutely watched King and Ivankov's combat exchanges, she clearly understood Zephyr's terrifying reactive strength and knew that being overeager would only expose more fatal weaknesses for him to exploit.
"Hup!"
Ginny let out a sharp, low shout, stomping her boot heavily onto the Armament Haki that York had imbued into the ground. Her body lunged forward explosively like a hunting leopard. Her right hand was instantly covered in a faint but dense coating of black Armament Haki, and she unleashed a flawless, devastating straight punch directly towards Zephyr's broad chest.
This specific punch had absolutely no unnecessary, theatrical flourish, yet it perfectly condensed seventy percent of her total physical strength. The punch wind was incredibly fierce, carrying a sharp, lethal, air-breaking sound.
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Give me powerstones.
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