Marine Headquarters, Marineford
During the two-day journey, Roy and his group did not rush. Instead, they took down a few small pirate crews with bounties of several tens of millions, as practice for Ace, Luffy, Zoro, Kuina, and Law, and also to let Enel see what "the daily life of the Blue Sea people" was like. Of course, Enel, who was tied up in the ship's hold, was rolling his eyes the whole time, his Mantra giving him a headache from the pirates' cries.
Upon returning to the Headquarters' port, Roy left Law to handle the tedious tasks of docking the ship and handing over the prisoners. He himself took Luffy, Ace, Zoro, Kuina, and Enel, who had been released from his Seastone chains and had a look of resignation on his face, and teleported directly to the Marine Headquarters' training ground.
"Swish—!"
The few of them teleported and appeared in an open space in the center of the Headquarters' training ground. The iconic high towers, giant ships, and training equipment of Marine Headquarters were all in view. The moment he landed, Enel subconsciously opened his "Mantra" and habitually scanned his surroundings—
"Th-This is...?!"
Lightning shot from his eyes, and then his pupils constricted, his face changing drastically. In his perception, the entire Marine Headquarters was like a giant monster's nest, with countless powerful presences as deep as the abyss and the sea. Among them, there were five presences whose pressure was no less than Roy's.
"The world under the clouds... actually has so many monsters?!" Enel was shocked to his core, cold sweat beading on his forehead. The arrogant delusion of being a "god" was completely shattered into thunderous dregs.
Just as Enel was stunned, on one side of the training ground, a burly, purple-haired old man was standing with his hands behind his back, facing dozens of new recruits, and roaring, "Sink your qi into your dantian, and root your feet to the ground! You are the Marines, not chickens raised in a port!!!"
The moment that familiar, loud voice sounded, Luffy immediately jumped up in surprise. "Instructor Zephyr!!"
Zephyr didn't turn around, but his laughing curse was like thunder. "You brat, you finally decided to come back? Well, did you have a good trip?"
Roy grinned and pushed Enel forward. "Instructor, Ace and the others all did very well."
"Look, I even brought back a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user for you. He just likes to call himself a 'god,' so he'll need some more of your guidance~"
Hearing this, Zephyr spun around, his gaze from under his purple hair as sharp as a blade, stabbing straight at Enel. "Rumble-Rumble Fruit?!"
"And he likes to call himself a 'god'?"
In that instant, Enel almost instinctively took half a step back, the pores on his body standing on end. "This old man is also a monster-level existence."
Zephyr looked him up and down, then snorted without expression. "The Rumble-Rumble Fruit... is indeed quite rare."
"But, thunder boy, that look in your eyes, it seems you haven't been beaten enough."
Enel's mouth twitched. He was about to talk back, but his Mantra's alarm bells went off. As if foreseeing that if he said that sentence, he would be subjected to a live, two-on-one beating on the training ground, he instantly shivered and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Luffy bounced over. "Instructor Zephyr! Skypiea was super interesting! We even beat up a guy who called himself a 'god'!"
Zephyr raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is it this one next to you?"
Ace shrugged. "He was pretty arrogant at first, but after being 'educated' a bit by Big Brother Roy, he resigned himself to his fate."
Zoro said in a low voice, "But his strength is indeed very strong. If Kuina and I had fought him, our chances of winning would not be high."
Kuina nodded. "Especially his speed. He can turn into lightning in an instant to dodge. It's really hard to deal with."
After hearing this, a smile of interest appeared on Zephyr's face. "Interesting. Roy, leave this kid to me. I was just in need of a 'teaching material'."
Roy smiled and nodded. "Then I'll trouble you, Instructor~"
A chill ran down Enel's back. "T-Teaching material?!"
"Don't be nervous. My classes are only slightly violent," Zephyr said, patting his shoulder, his knuckles cracking. "Your profession now is to switch from a 'god' to a trainee Marine new recruit. No problem, right?"
"No problem, no problem," Enel's mouth twitched so hard it was almost cramping as he answered in a second.
"Very good. It seems you have a lot of potential to be a Marine," Zephyr nodded in satisfaction.
Enel's heart was like dead ashes. "This place... is full of monsters."
Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office
The heavy wooden door creaked open, and Roy strode in. Inside, Sengoku was buried in a mountain of official documents, his pen moving rapidly, his expression meticulous. And on the sofa not far away, Garp had his legs crossed, holding a bag of "Sengoku-brand" private stash of rice crackers, crunching on them with a "crack, crack, crack."
"Yo, you brat, you decided to come back?" Garp grinned like a Sea King and held up the rice crackers in his hand. "Want a bite?"
"Then I won't be polite." Roy grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth, commenting as he chewed, "Mm... still the same old taste, but it tastes better when it's stolen."
Sengoku looked up, pushed up his glasses, his tone helpless yet serious. "Garp, you went through my drawers again?!"
"What do you mean 'again'? I'm just regularly helping you check the expiration date of your snacks." Garp said, completely righteous.
Sengoku rolled his eyes and his gaze returned to Roy. "I've already read the report from your Skypiea training. Well done." His tone changed, and his gaze sharpened. "But the 'extra harvest' you mentioned in your report, expand on that."
A faint curve appeared on Roy's lips. He took out a neatly organized intelligence file from his coat and placed it on Sengoku's desk with a "slap." "The Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, Enel, the former 'god' of Skypiea."
"He has Observation Haki that covers the entire Skypiea, allowing for ultra-wide-area perception and precision strikes. His fruit's development is extremely high, and his destructive power is extremely strong."
"What?!" Sengoku shot up, his chair even creaking, his glasses almost sliding off. "The Rumble-Rumble Fruit?! That's one of the top-tier abilities among Logias."
"Observation Haki that covers an entire island?" Garp's movements also paused, his eyebrows raised. "If he were in the New World, he would know the moment a pirate ship got within a hundred miles, right?"
Roy shrugged. "It's the real deal. But this guy's观念 is pretty twisted, his head is full of 'god' and 'judgment' and all that. He's been much better after I beat him up a bit. He's now with Instructor Zephyr for 'further studies'."
After hearing this, Sengoku's face became grave, his knuckles tapping lightly on the desk. "You know, Roy... a user of a fruit of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's level, if not properly controlled—the consequences would be unimaginable."
Roy nodded seriously after hearing this. "I understand. That's why I will personally supervise his reformation process until he is completely free of that god delusion. Instructor Zephyr is also very interested in him."
Hearing this, Sengoku finally sat down in relief and sighed lightly. "Alright. In that case, you will be fully responsible for this person."
"But if he makes any strange moves—"
"I will deal with him immediately," Roy's tone was crisp, without a trace of hesitation. This calmness and decisiveness made Sengoku nod without a word.
Garp, on the other hand, suddenly slapped him on the back and laughed like an old rascal. "Well done, kid! You even managed to bring back such a powerful Logia user. You've really made the Marines proud this time." He crunched on the last piece of rice cracker with a "crack" and laughed heartily. "I bet that guy Sakazuki will be very excited after reading the report. This kind of combat power will definitely be snatched up by him as a 'combat reserve'."
Sengoku rubbed his forehead helplessly and sighed with a frown. "I've already prepared for his table-slamming script tomorrow."
"It's okay, I'll block him then," Roy smiled. "I'm free these next few days anyway. I can help you eliminate some rice crackers, Fleet Admiral."
"Get lost, the two of you!" Sengoku was so angry he wanted to throw a folder at him.
At the same time, at the back hills of Marine Headquarters
At dusk, a light breeze blew, and the clouds in the sky were like fire. On the back hills, a green-haired figure stood quietly at the top of a slope, his gaze as sharp as a blade, fixed on a certain spot not far away—a Marine Admiral, who was comfortably lying on a sun lounger, dozing off.
"Admiral Kizaru," Zoro said in a low, firm voice, his arms crossed.
Kizaru's sunglasses slid down slightly, his eyelids twitching. "Please guide me in my swordsmanship," Zoro's tone was as firm as iron.
Kizaru lazily yawned, his voice scattered. "Kowai ne~ The young people nowadays are so full of energy..."
"I'm on vacation today~"
Zoro was unmoved, still standing on the spot. "Big Brother Roy once said that you have a sword of light called 'Ama no Murakumo'."
Kizaru raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You want to learn that?"
Zoro narrowed his eyes. "He said that although you are a 'slacker' professional, your sword skills are terrifyingly fast."
A corner of Kizaru's mouth twitched. "Tsk, what a blunt little brat..."
Zoro drew his two swords, the pressure of his sword energy spreading out like a wave. "I want to know how to cut light with a sword."
In that instant, the air seemed to freeze. Kizaru finally sat up, his lazy attitude gone, and he looked at the boy before him seriously. "Interesting..." He stood up from the sun lounger, and with a casual flick, his coat flew. "You're the first one to make me work overtime, you know, kid~"
"VMMM—!"
As he spoke, his figure became a dazzling golden light and vanished in an instant. "Keep up~" that lazy voice came from the distant sky.
Zoro grinned, stomped his foot, and the ground shattered as his figure shot out.
Back Hills, Sword Trial Grounds
At the top of a cliff, the sea breeze howled. Kizaru stood at the edge of the cliff, a brilliant, flowing sword of golden light slowly forming at his fingertips, as if a star had condensed, scorching and mysterious. "Ama no Murakumo," he said softly, "is an extension of light, and also my slash."
With a light flick, three giant boulders a hundred meters away were cut in two, the cuts as smooth as a mirror, without even a ripple. Seeing this, Zoro's pupils constricted. There was no swinging motion, no trajectory.
"Do you know, kid," Kizaru said as he approached, "light doesn't wait, and it doesn't regret. To cut it, you first have to be able to see it." As he spoke, his figure suddenly appeared behind Zoro, the Ama no Murakumo pressed against the back of Zoro's heart. "What is the essence of Observation Haki?" he asked lightly.
"To predict... the future," Zoro answered in a low voice, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Uh-huh~ half right," Kizaru smiled, but his tone became a little colder. "More accurately, it's to sense 'possibilities'."
A golden light exploded, and the light sword suddenly slashed down.
"BOOM!!"
Zoro, almost by instinct, suddenly turned to the side. Sandai Kitetsu blocked the incoming blade with a "clang," and his entire arm instantly went numb.
"Not bad reaction~" Kizaru's voice now came from all directions, teasing yet sharp. The next second, in mid-air—dozens of light swords appeared, like a prelude to a meteor shower, shining with the light of destruction and trial.
"Try it, kid~" Kizaru smiled lazily, his figure appearing high in the sky. "Let's see if you can survive a light-speed slash."
Zoro gripped the hilt of his sword, a rare flame in his eyes. "Three-Sword Style..." he muttered through gritted teeth. "I will not die before I get that sword!!"
Golden light and sword shadows clashed violently. And for Zoro, the path of training to "cut light" had just begun.
-------
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