"A perfect monster, huh..."
Wang Zhi looked up at the sky, gazing at Ares' towering figure, his explosive muscles radiating raw power.
Then he smiled faintly. "Yeah... a monster with no weaknesses really is the scariest kind of monster."
He couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation in his heart.
If Ares really grew into a flawless, unstoppable monster, what kind of storm would he bring to this sea?
Right now, Ares was fully immersed in his training.
With each repeated attempt and adjustment, his mastery of Moonwalk grew sharper. His control over distance, speed, and power was becoming more and more precise.
Ares was learning the Navy's Moonwalk at a pace no one could have imagined.
The sea breeze blew gently.
Silver waves playfully chased each other across the ocean's surface, reflecting the twinkling stars and the pale, round moon hanging high in the sky like a jade plate.
On the deck of the Navy battleship.
Garp picked his nose with his pinky, lazily asking Zephyr, "Zephyr, is that kid really that strong?"
"You're telling me you couldn't take Ares down?"
Garp knew exactly how powerful Zephyr was. Among all the Navy's ranks, Zephyr was easily one of their strongest.
But now, even after several hours of battle, Zephyr still couldn't capture the 'Bloodhand' Ares, who only had a 40 million bounty?
And that same Ares just a month ago was a little pirate Garp had easily beaten to the ground?
This absolutely shocked Garp. It was completely outside his expectations.
"Ares is very strong. His physical power, his insane recovery, his stamina, his battle instincts and techniques… none of it feels like a rookie who just joined the Rocks Pirates." Zephyr's face was grave.
In fact, Ares was the most terrifying pirate rookie he had ever seen he was even more frightening than Rocks back in his meteoric rise.
As a Vice Admiral candidate, Zephyr was extremely confident in his own strength.
Yet now, a mere rookie pirate had managed to frustrate him and escape.
Zephyr stared out over the moonlit sea, his mood heavy. "The Fleet Admiral was right. We really do need to treat Ares as a much bigger threat."
"Garp…"
"Do you know just how much of a monster that guy is?"
Hearing Zephyr's question, Garp looked over with confusion, blinking blankly. "What do you mean?"
Zephyr, still shaken, continued, "While I was fighting him, Ares' combat experience and techniques were improving at a terrifying speed. I could see your shadow in his punches."
"Maybe during your last fight with him, he picked up some of your techniques."
Right now, Zephyr's mind was completely consumed by the image of Ares.
After battling Ares for hours today, the impression that kid left was too strong so strong it rattled even Zephyr's unshakeable will.
What terrified him most was the possibility that Ares could master all his techniques.
What terrified him was that this monster might grow even faster.
To become a pirate no less dangerous than Rocks himself maybe even one that would surpass him.
"My shadow?"
Garp's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're saying... that kid picked up my techniques?"
"All I did was punch him a few times, and he already learned my fighting style?"
That bald, dumb-looking, block-headed kid… could he really be that smart?!
Garp's worldview was shaken to its core.
He had always thought Ares was the same as him a battle junkie with iron will, brute strength, and sheer talent.
But now…
"It's true. He must've picked up some of your techniques. His learning ability is terrifying. He can absorb combat skills from his opponents while fighting," Zephyr said, his eyes filled with deep caution.
And with the Rocks Pirates' other officers Wang Zhi and Silver Axe still on that ship, Zephyr hadn't dared to unleash his full strength.
His gaze flickered, heavy with worry.
"Bloodhand Ares… this sea is about to enter a time of great upheaval…"
The moonlight was beautiful, casting its silvery glow across the rolling waves, making the ocean shimmer like liquid silver.
Zephyr knew.
With Rocks' ambition and personality, a world-shaking war was inevitable.
But Garp didn't overthink it. He also stared at the sea and muttered, "That moon's so big and round… it looks just like a donut."
"If there was a donut as big as that moon, I think it'd last me a lifetime."
"…."
Zephyr's face went dark. All his serious thoughts were instantly destroyed by Garp's stupid comment.
As the moon set and the sun rose, a new day began.
Trailing the pirate ship from afar, the Navy was still pursuing them like a pack of watchdogs chasing sheep.
On the second day, the battle resumed on schedule.
"Damn Navy. They're really like a pack of rabid dogs!" Shiki grumbled, his face sour as he glared at Zephyr and Garp flying overhead.
Without hesitation, he drew his dual swords and soared into the sky.
Of course, Ares wasn't going to miss out. His thirst for battle hadn't lessened in the slightest.
Yesterday, he'd just learned Moonwalk from Zephyr.
He hadn't even had time to try out other techniques like Finger Pistol and Iron Body yet!
Now was the perfect chance to keep learning from Zephyr skills he could refine later through practice.
"Zephyr! Let's finish the battle we didn't complete yesterday!!" Ares shouted with excitement.
His whole body erupted with a terrifying aura, like a raging storm pressing down on everything.
The burst of power sent Ares flying like a cannonball straight toward Zephyr, his sharply defined arm muscles tensing.
His punch roared forward!
In that instant, fierce winds exploded, and the air around him seemed to vanish.
Zephyr's face hardened, his pupils trembling. "This kid… he's already mastered Moonwalk overnight?!"
His heart pounded.
That familiar Six Powers technique he recognized it immediately.
There was no time to think.
Ares' fierce, domineering punch surged toward him, the air shaking violently around it.
In the blink of an eye, Ares was already in front of Zephyr.
"Great Ape King Fist!!"
"Armament, Impact Fist!!"
BOOM!!!
The deafening thunderclap tore through the sky, sending violent shockwaves blasting in all directions.
Their eyes locked.
Once again, Zephyr saw that astonishing battle lust burning in Ares' gaze.
The fight erupted in full force.
On the pirate ship.
Wang Zhi's face darkened. "This isn't good. The Navy really wants to wipe us out at sea this time…"
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