Zephyr launched another attack, his iron fist cloaked in violent Armament Haki, striking straight at Rhett's face! This time, Rhett neither dodged nor evaded. His Black Tide greatsword swung horizontally, and blade met fist in a collision that sent shockwaves rippling out, instantly shattering the warship's deck!
"Iron Fist Impact!" Zephyr roared, his fist's momentum unabated, but Rhett remained firmly rooted in place!
"Oh?" Rhett raised an eyebrow, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "Impressive, 'Black Arm.' Still got it in your old age."
"All of you, fall back!" Zephyr suddenly bellowed. "This is not a fight you can participate in!"
Almost simultaneously, Rhett's figure twisted and dissipated within the blood mist. Zephyr's pupils contracted sharply, and Armament Haki instantly covered his right arm. He turned and delivered a powerful straight punch—
"Bang!"
The blood mist exploded as the blade of Black Tide clashed with the iron fist, the shockwave lifting the deck within a ten-meter radius. The recruits watched in horror as wooden splinters rained down like a storm.
"Observation Haki's not bad, Zephyr," Rhett's voice carried a hint of amusement, his figure flickering in and out of the mist. "But how long can you keep it up..."
The blood mist suddenly condensed into dozens of crimson spears, thrusting at Zephyr from every angle!
"It's not over yet, Mist God Style: Annihilation!"
"Petty tricks!" Zephyr roared, his fists becoming blurs as each strike precisely shattered the spears.
But the shattered blood mist didn't disperse. Instead, it coiled around Zephyr's arm, emitting a sizzling sound of corrosion.
Zephyr's expression changed slightly. He erupted with Armament Haki, dispersing the blood mist, only to find several holes burned into the sleeve of his right arm. Where his Armament Haki was slightly thinner, the skin that had come into contact with the blood mist was tingling with numbness.
"Poison?"
"Just a little something to spice things up," Rhett's voice echoed from all directions, suddenly solidifying behind Zephyr. Black Tide swung down with a whistling arc!
Zephyr narrowly dodged sideways, the blade grazing past his nose. He became alert—his Observation Haki was gradually failing, and Rhett's figure was beginning to vanish completely, becoming impossible to track.
Zephyr raised his fist to block, but the sword passed through his arm—
It was an illusion!
Black Tide twisted mid-swing, changing from a vertical slash to a horizontal sweep. The dark blade slammed heavily into Zephyr's chest, sending him flying.
"Teacher Zephyr!" the recruits cried out.
"Stay back!" Zephyr adjusted his stance mid-air, kicking off the mast and rocketing back like a cannonball. This time, his fist was coiled with spiraling Armament Haki, causing the air to explode as he moved.
"Crusher: Spiral Impact!"
Rhett didn't dodge or evade, the blood mist forming layer upon layer of barriers in front of him. But the punch pierced through all defenses, landing squarely on Rhett's crossed arms.
"Boom—!"
The entire warship tilted violently, and Rhett was sent skidding backward over ten meters, his shoes leaving scorched trails on the deck. He shook his tingling arms, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Oh? That's interesting."
Zephyr's move had consumed far more stamina than expected, but the effect was undeniable—the blood mist around Rhett had visibly thinned.
"Again!" Zephyr sensed something was off—this Rhett was too weak—but the opportunity in battle was fleeting. He had to press the advantage.
His fists rained down like a storm, each strike carrying the force to shatter boulders. The warship groaned under the assault, unable to bear the weight of such power.
Yet Rhett dodged with ease, occasionally blocking with Black Tide, sparks of metal clashing continuously between them. He even had the leisure to taunt, "Can you keep up, old man Zephyr?"
"Shut up!" Zephyr roared, delivering an uppercut that sent Rhett flying. But in the next moment, the blood mist churned, and Rhett's figure dissipated in mid-air—another illusion!
The real Rhett had somehow appeared on the warship's lookout tower, perched with his legs crossed, watching the battle. "Getting angry? I heard Admirals are supposed to stay calm?"
Zephyr suddenly calmed down, removing his sunglasses and wiping them. This action made Rhett narrow his eyes slightly—something was off.
"Kid, you rely too much on your abilities," Zephyr said, suddenly stomping the deck, his speed tripling! This time, his fist made no sound, but it made Rhett's hair stand on end.
"Crusher: Silent Strike!"
At the critical moment, Rhett's playful expression vanished. Conqueror's Haki erupted, hindering Zephyr's advance.
Zephyr was indeed momentarily stunned by the impact.
For Rhett, that was enough. Black Tide wrapped in black and red lightning, slashing toward the iron fist—
"Clang—!!!"
In the deafening explosion, the entire warship's deck began to collapse inward, centered around the two combatants.
The recruits clung to fixed objects, some horrified to find blood seeping from their ears. The battle of Pirate King-level combatants was simply too much for small-time marines to witness.
At the center of the battlefield, Zephyr maintained his punching stance.
Rhett's blade stopped three inches from Zephyr's throat, unable to advance further—clamped tightly between two fingers wrapped in top-tier Armament Haki!
"Got you," Zephyr grinned, his left hand suddenly shooting out to grasp Rhett's sword-wielding wrist.
Rhett's pupils contracted sharply as Zephyr's right hand splayed open, his Armament Haki concentration returning to its peak.
"Heavenly Impact!"
The point-blank shockwave sent Rhett flying, crashing through three layers of the ship's hull before embedding into the steel plating of the stern. The entire warship rocked violently from the impact, its waterline rising several inches.
"Is... is it over?" a recruit asked, trembling.
Zephyr suddenly knelt on one knee, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The earlier move had allowed Rhett's mist to seep in, but his instincts told him—
"Of course not," a laughing voice came from the wreckage.
Rhett emerged from the mist, walking forward to pat the dust off Rhett's clothes—another illusion, though this time it was a physical one.
"Almost got me," Rhett dispersed the mist Rhett. "As expected of an Admiral specialized in Armament Haki."
Zephyr struggled to his feet, his mind roiling with shock. That strike would have even been too much for Garp to take head-on, and yet this guy...
The battle continued, Zephyr's breathing heavy, but his eyes remained sharp.
"Kid, how long can your stamina last? Those illusions must be draining," Zephyr sneered, shattering an incoming blood blade with a punch.
Zephyr already knew Rhett had hacks.
Rhett grinned. "Don't worry, I've got enough to keep you entertained."
He stomped the ground, Conqueror's Haki erupting as Black Tide wrapped in black and red lightning, slashing out—
Zephyr's pupils contracted as he crossed his arms to block, but he was still sent flying by the slash, smashing through the warship's mast!
"Teacher!" the recruits screamed in panic.
Zephyr stood up from the wreckage, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his fighting spirit burning even brighter. "Again!"
The mist formed an illusion of Zephyr's students rushing forward to aid him.
Zephyr didn't even glance at it. "You think this kind of illusion can fool me? Don't underestimate me, kid."