"Ahem…"
Zephyr lightly cleared his throat, his expression turning solemn.
"The Rokushiki are combat arts born for real battle.
They cannot be understood through words alone.
To grasp their essence, you must feel them with your own bodies."
"So—
you three, follow me to the training grounds."
Longinus froze momentarily, a spark of excitement bursting in his chest.
A direct demonstration during live combat…?
Gion and Kake were equally thrilled—
to cross hands with a Marine Admiral…
that kind of experience was priceless.
Soon, the three followed Zephyr into a vast open plaza—
the advanced training field Brigadier General Morgan had previously mentioned.
With Zephyr's destructive power,
even a casual strike could level half the plaza.
Spectating without enough strength was… a high-risk activity.
Zephyr stepped forward and smiled.
"When you're ready, attack me with everything you've got.
I will let you experience the power of the Rokushiki firsthand."
"But don't just think about fighting—
what matters most is using your bodies to see how I use the techniques."
"Longinus, what do we do now?"
Perhaps her previous defeat had left too deep an impression—
Gion instinctively sought his opinion at moments of uncertainty.
Kake also looked over involuntarily.
After their previous fight, he had formed a natural sense of awe toward Longinus.
Longinus said steadily,
"We've never trained together.
If we force a three-way cooperation, it'll only disrupt our rhythm.
Instead—
don't think about teamwork.
Fight as if you're alone.
Give everything."
Gion nodded thoughtfully.
"I understand.
To Zephyr-sensei, half-baked teamwork is just a weakness."
"Then let's go together!"
Kake instantly transformed into his hybrid beast form.
Not because he still disliked his powers—
but because against a will as indomitable as Zephyr's,
his dream-eater nightmare technique would have basically zero effect.
The hybrid form was simply more practical.
The moment words fell—
Longinus stomped heavily and launched forth like a fired arrow.
At the same time,
Gion's sword flashed as she leapt into the air for a downward cut,
while Kake lowered his head and charged like a wild boar.
Zephyr didn't dodge.
He simply smiled broadly.
"Accelerate blood flow.
Increase muscle activity.
Let the body become hard as forged steel—
this is Tekkai!"
Longinus withdrew his fist, feeling a faint soreness in his knuckles.
Zephyr hadn't used Armament Haki—
only pure Tekkai.
Yet it blocked the combined attack of all three of them
without budging an inch.
So if Tekkai is enhanced by Armament…
how terrifying would the result be?
Just as the thought flashed through Longinus's mind—
Zephyr's figure suddenly filled his pupils.
"In an instant, stomp the ground dozens of times.
Use the explosive rebound force to accelerate—
this is Soru!"
That speed…
far beyond my own Soru.
If I stomp the ground dozens of times…
he does it hundreds—thousands!
The next instant—
Zephyr struck.
"Concentrate the body's force into a single fingertip—
release it within a flash of lightning.
Combined with Soru, it can pierce steel—
Shigan!"
Longinus's sharp mind instantly produced countless countermeasures…
but his body couldn't keep up.
He was blown away hundreds of meters,
the stabbing pain drilling through his bones.
How long has it been…
since I took damage like this?
If Longinus could barely respond,
Gion and Kake fared far worse—
sent flying without even understanding what happened.
"—Hah!"
Longinus stepped out of the dust cloud,
wiping the blood from his lips,
forcing his breath into rhythm,
letting the blood in his veins begin to boil.
Zephyr blinked, mildly surprised.
He hadn't expected Longinus to rejoin the fight
without even a second of recovery.
"He treats every spar like a real battle…
Good kid.
Brutal on himself—
but that only makes it more interesting!"
Longinus burst forward, Soru exploding beneath his feet.
He appeared before Zephyr and threw a punch.
Zephyr slipped away effortlessly.
"Release bodily rigidity.
Sense the air currents around your opponent.
Control your body lightly—as if it were paper—
this is Kami-e!"
He dodged every attack perfectly—
just enough, and no more.
"In a way, Kami-e is the prototype for Observation Haki
and Life Return.
For you, it should be quite easy."
"Sensei refers to this, right?
Kami-e: Martial Form!"
Longinus infused his entire body with conscious control—
shrinking his frame,
tightening every muscle,
making his large body suddenly compact and nimble.
With the smaller frame and Soru together—
his speed matched Zephyr's earlier burst.
He vanished and reappeared before Zephyr.
Zephyr's eyes widened—
He had actually spaced out for a moment.
Longinus seized the opening
and struck him squarely.
Zephyr was blown into the air.
"My god—
am I dreaming!?
Zephyr-sensei… was knocked away!!"
Gion, who had barely recovered from Shigan's impact,
stared in disbelief.
"Longinus…
he mastered Kami-e and Soru that fast!?"
Kake was equally shaken—
for the first time questioning his own intelligence.
Zephyr landed lightly and roared with laughter.
"Hahaha!
You learn even faster than I imagined!
You even created a new form from Kami-e—well done!
Seems I'll have to get serious."
Gion and Kake, unwilling to fall too far behind,
charged into the fray again.
Zephyr responded by—
Walking upward into the air.
Yes.
Leisurely stepping into the sky as if climbing stairs.
"Geppo is derived from Soru—
but instead of stomping the ground,
you stomp the air.
To achieve this, you must first feel the flow of the air."
"So before learning Geppo,
learn Kami-e."
Longinus inhaled deeply,
his gaze sharp as he used Observation Haki
to track every point Zephyr stepped on.
But Geppo was far more difficult than Kami-e.
Even though he had simulated it countless times in his mind over the last two years,
learning it instantly was impossible.
If even someone like Sanji in the future
had to suffer two years in hell to learn it…
the difficulty needed no explanation.
"Next—
contract and expand the leg muscles at extreme speed,
generate kinetic force,
and produce slicing wind—
Rankyaku!
Pay attention!"
Zephyr attacked from midair,
his body still in motion as the blade of compressed air shot forth.
Longinus's expression hardened.
His body reflexively retreated.
The vacuum blade hit the ground—
And the explosion blasted all three trainees away.
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