"Yeah, Super Steel. It just sounds cooler in English," Tetsutetsu nodded with a smile.
"Um…" Kaminari thought for a moment and then asked softly, "Did your Quirk evolve?"
He knew Quirk evolution was a real phenomenon, but the odds of it happening were extremely low, because the conditions required were almost impossibly harsh.
How harsh? It was pretty much like how the Sharingan evolved in Naruto—Quirks needed to undergo intense training, followed by extreme mental stimulation, in order to evolve.
And even then, it was only a possibility.
So far, based on known data, evolution was something only those who had gone through life-or-death experiences were lucky enough to trigger.
Evolution meant that new and more powerful abilities would emerge from the original Quirk.
And considering Tetsutetsu had nearly died on I-Island, Kaminari instinctively assumed this so-called "Super Steel" was a Quirk evolution.
"Uh, it probably isn't Quirk evolution," Tetsutetsu deactivated his Quirk, returning his body to normal, and shook his head in denial.
"Why not?" Kaminari asked, curious about why he was so sure.
"After I got back, I looked up information on Quirk evolution online, and after learning more about it, I'm sure this isn't evolution.
"Because this 'Super Steel' isn't a new ability derived from my Quirk, it's the result of enhancing my Quirk through a combination with martial arts training." Tetsutetsu's expression was unusually serious, a far cry from his usual demeanor.
"Martial arts… what do you mean?" Kaminari was totally confused now.
Tetsutetsu continued, "You remember the 'Six Styles' you told me about, right?"
"Yeah, I remember." Kaminari nodded. At the time, he had only mentioned it casually out of interest. He hadn't expected Tetsutetsu to actually master it.
"Out of Iron Body, Finger Pistol, Shave, Tempest Kick, Paper Arts, and Moonwalk, I've mastered Shave really well. And now…" As he spoke, Tetsutetsu suddenly tightened his body and stood firm in place, then said, "Hit me. Try it."
"Uh?!"
Kaminari's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't stupid—he could tell what Tetsutetsu was trying to say.
"Alright."
Without hesitating further, he activated his Quirk and entered high-speed movement mode, then slammed a punch into Tetsutetsu's chest, his fist wrapped in electric arcs.
Bang!!
The impact echoed through the room, and the space instantly fell silent. There weren't any flashy lightning effects—after all, high-speed movement wasn't the same as a high-voltage electric shock.
But in truth, Kaminari's punch had the power to send an average adult flying three or four meters. Combined with recent muscle training and his increased physique, the hit should've packed a serious punch.
Yet this blow felt like hitting a steel plate. His knuckles actually stung and this was before Tetsutetsu had even activated his Quirk!
Kaminari withdrew his fist and muttered in disbelief, "Iron Body… No way…"
Honestly, this shocked him more than when Tetsutetsu first mastered Shave. Shave, at least, was a physical skill that built upon his steel Quirk.
You could say that in the One Piece world, Tetsutetsu had an advantage, because his Quirk made him a perfect match for the Six Styles. In reality, Kaminari himself didn't meet the requirements to train in them.
But this Iron Body was a whole different story—this wasn't some trick or Quirk gimmick!
"This is all thanks to my master. He accepted me as his personal disciple and taught me a secret technique to speed up blood circulation and enhance muscle response.
"I didn't understand it at first, but when I was about to be killed by those ice spikes, I subconsciously activated it…" Tetsutetsu's pupils dilated as he fell into the memory.
"I see." Kaminari quickly understood what he meant. He had learned a breathing technique from the Paper Hero: Washi, though he preferred calling it "meditation."
"So this so-called 'Super Steel' is what happens when you enter the Iron Body state and then activate your steel Quirk on top of that."
"Exactly. I'm not entirely sure what its full effects are yet. All I know is that it's harder than my original steel form—and that's the reason I survived," Tetsutetsu said with a sigh.
Kaminari nodded. "So you want to test your 'Super Steel' with me."
"Right."
"But why didn't you contact Mr. Aizawa? Even if it's summer vacation, this is the kind of thing the school should be handling seriously," Kaminari asked, puzzled.
"Uh…" Tetsutetsu froze for a second. Then he scratched his head awkwardly and said with a sheepish grin, "I honestly didn't think of that. It's summer vacation, so I just figured I'd try it out with you first, and then report it to the teacher when school starts."
Kaminari let out a helpless sigh. "Well, everyone's here anyway, so we might as well get a feel for it. As for official tests and evaluations, the school should definitely handle those."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too."
"Then…" Kaminari touched his chin in thought before continuing, "As far as hardness goes, I'll leave that to the school. I could test it with the railgun, but that's way too dangerous."
"But I really think Super Steel can withstand your Super Railgun!" Tetsutetsu said with confidence.
Kaminari shook his head and declined. It was too risky. The railgun's penetration power was massive, and even one miscalculation could leave Tetsutetsu seriously injured. He wasn't willing to gamble on that.
"Then what should we do?" Tetsutetsu asked, disappointed. Honestly, he'd come to Kaminari hoping to take a hit from the railgun—or maybe even Raikiri.
"Got it!"
Suddenly, Kaminari said, "I'll hit you with high-voltage current instead. We'll see how much electricity and heat you can handle. I remember last time, when you got hit with a million volts, your body turned red and overheated."
He added, "Of course, for safety, I'll gradually raise the voltage. Just let me know when it gets to be too much."
"Alright!"
Tetsutetsu nodded eagerly, then tightened his body again and entered the Super Steel state. But Kaminari paused, staring at him curiously.
"By the way, can you even move in that state?"
He remembered that in One Piece, only those who had trained in Iron Body Boxing could move while in Iron Body mode.
"Yeah, I can. But after entering Super Steel, I can't use Shave anymore," Tetsutetsu replied with a sigh.
"I don't have enough energy to maintain Quirk activation, Iron Body, and Shave all at once."
"That makes sense…" Kaminari agreed. After all, maintaining a Quirk required constant concentration. This wasn't a video game where you could just toggle skills on and off.
"But that's probably because you're not proficient enough yet. Once you can maintain Super Steel naturally, you should be able to use Shave again."
"And since Super Steel increases your body's hardness, your Shave speed might go up too."
Tetsutetsu nodded. "Got it!"
"Alright, then let's begin." Kaminari reached out and placed a hand on Tetsutetsu's shoulder, his golden eyes suddenly sharp.
"You ready?"
"Yeah!"
"Starting with 500,000 volts."
Crack!!!
A dazzling burst of golden electricity erupted, and the violent current instantly engulfed both of them.
(To be continued.)
***
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