Watching Zephyr shatter the illusionary students without hesitation.
Rhett faded back into the mist, murmuring softly, Gotta mix in something else.
Zephyr's eyes darkened as Armament Haki instantly wrapped around his arms, the inky metallic sheen glinting under sunlight: "Brat, don't get too cocky!"
"Hahaha, now we're talking!" Rhett laughed wildly. In the next instant, he flashed before Zephyr, the Black Tide greatsword wreathed in crimson mist as it came crashing down—
"Mist God Style: Blood Cleave!"
Zephyr didn't dodge. His right fist met the strike head-on—
"Crushing Heavy Fist!"
"BOOM—!!!"
The shockwave of colliding Haki detonated, instantly splintering the warship's deck into flying wood shards. The recruits were sent stumbling back, watching the battle—far beyond their comprehension—with terror.
Rhett flipped backward from the impact, landing lightly, battlelust burning in his eyes: "As expected of 'Black Arm'! But—"
Zephyr snorted coldly, explosive force erupting beneath his feet as the deck shattered. He shot toward Rhett like a cannonball: "Pirate, how much longer will you toy with me? Face judgment!"
"Crushing Storm!"
"Zephyr, your fists are slower than that old geezer Garp's!" Rhett taunted while dodging, his tone deliberately provoking.
"Don't compare me to that bastard!" Zephyr roared, his attacks growing even more frenzied as another fist aimed straight for Rhett's face.
Rhett's eyes narrowed.
Damn old man, you got a thing for my handsome face or what?
Crimson mist abruptly condensed into a shield—
"BAM!"
Rhett, ever the stubborn mule, refused to yield—the blood shield shattered again, but he'd already used the momentum to retreat while sweeping Black Tide horizontally—
"Mist God Style: Phantom Strike!"
A pitch-black slash tore through the air. Zephyr crossed his arms, hardening them with Armament Haki to block, but the force still sent him skidding back, plowing two deep grooves into the deck.
"Tch, close-combat specialists are such a pain..." Rhett shook his wrist, grin undiminished. "But that's what makes it fun!"
Wasn't it you who was coughing blood and collapsing earlier?
After a brief pause to catch his breath, Zephyr charged again. The two clashed at high speed across the deck, each collision triggering violent tremors. The warship rocked violently under the battle's intensity, forcing recruits to cling desperately to the railings to avoid being thrown overboard.
As the fight raged on,
Rhett suddenly grinned. "Zephyr, your students can't take much more."
Zephyr's peripheral vision caught the recruits—already knocked askew by the shockwaves, some even unconscious.
Well, the Marine cram school graduates only needed to know a couple Rokushiki techniques.
Fresh out of the tutorial zone, running into an endgame boss—guess they hit the jackpot.
But the battle wouldn't stop just because they couldn't handle it.
Dawn on the fourth day brought no sunlight, only a dark crimson sky woven with blood mist.
Zephyr's arms remained sheathed in thick Armament Haki,
But his breaths came ragged as a broken bellows, each inhale laced with the iron tang of blood.
The recruits clutched their weapons, watching the duel—but their expressions wavered.
Their resolve crumbled as they stared in despair at their revered teacher—the once-feared "Black Arm" of the seas—now barely standing on trembling legs.
"Cough... cough..." Zephyr spat out blood flecked with organ fragments, his shattered sunglasses revealing bloodshot eyes.
The sea mist suddenly churned.
Rhett emerged leisurely from the crimson haze.
Black Tide rested on his shoulder, his expression relaxed—this monster who'd fought for four days straight didn't even breathe heavily.
I've got hacks!!!
If I wasn't testing new techniques, how could he last this long? Not that they're finished yet.
"Admiral Zephyr." Rhett tilted his head. "How's the experience...?"
"Bastard." Zephyr suddenly blasted Rhett away with a surprise punch, sending him sprawling.
Zephyr was fuming—his Observation Haki was completely jammed, and the glimpses he caught might be fake.
It's real. He's just fast.
CRACK!
The instant the illusion shattered, Rhett materialized before Zephyr. His pupils contracted violently—had this guy been toying with him all along?!
Rhett clicked his tongue. "Gotta extend the duration. Few minutes isn't enough. Needs more tweaking."
Black Tide arced in a simple horizontal slash—no flashy name, no excess Haki flare, just pure cutting efficiency.
"Im...possible..." Zephyr watched the scenery blur past as blood fountained from his chest. His prideful Armament Haki hadn't answered this time.
CLANG!
Zephyr slammed into the warship's wall before sliding down, kneeling on the shattered deck, breathing heavily.
His arms trembled slightly, residual Armament flickering across his skin, but his stamina neared its limit.
"Teacher Zephyr!" The recruits cried out in disbelief—they'd never seen their legendary instructor so battered.
Rhett stood atop the blood mist, Black Tide angled toward the sea, that infuriating smirk still in place: "Zephyr, you're pretty loved, huh."
Zephyr gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright: "Shut up... pirate!"
But as he prepared to re-engage, a figure suddenly lunged past him—
"Don't you dare hurt Teacher Zephyr!!!"
A young marine, Armament-clad fists raised, charged at Rhett with a roar.
Then a second, a third... every recruit still standing formed a wall before Zephyr. The fear in their eyes had vanished, replaced by steel resolve.
"We... won't let you take another step!"
Rhett blinked, then chuckled: "Hey now, what're you rookies gonna do?"
"Even if we die... we'll protect our teacher!" The lead marine ground out.
Zephyr's heart clenched: "Idiots! Fall back! You're no match for him!"
But they held their ground.
Rhett observed them quietly, something unreadable flickering in his crimson eyes.
"Heh... interesting." He murmured before raising a hand—
A tsunami of scarlet Haki engulfed the warship. The recruits collapsed unconscious before they could react.
Zephyr's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets: "You bastard—!!!"
Why do I look like the villain here?
Rhett merely smiled faintly: "Relax, they're just napping." Sheathing Black Tide, he rose on a blood mist updraft. "Zephyr... your students aren't half bad."
Zephyr froze, his fists slowly unclenching.
He looked down at the fallen recruits, emotions surging—rage, frustration, yet also... pride?
"Rhett..." He looked up, voice gravelly. "What's your game?"
Rhett's back was already turned, his voice carried away by the mist-laden wind: "Just thinking... if the Marines were all fools like these, the future seas would be boring as hell."
As his words faded, golden steps materialized beneath Rhett's feet, carrying him leisurely back to the Bluma Jackson.
Silence engulfed the warship, broken only by waves lapping against the hull.
Zephyr knelt slowly, checking each recruit. Confirming they were merely unconscious, he exhaled deeply—an involuntary wry smile tugging at his lips.
"These... idiots."