As a Vice Admiral candidate of the Navy, Zephyr had always upheld his unwavering sense of justice.
Though a late bloomer, his will was ironclad.
But now, facing the monstrous prodigy known as Ares, even Zephyr couldn't suppress the fear welling up inside him.
"If this monster continues to grow… he'll become the Navy's greatest threat!"
Even Zephyr, famed for his "no-kill" principle, found a murderous impulse rising in his heart.
"We must capture Bloodhand Ares. If he matures, he'll become the perfect executioner for Rocks' ambitions…"
"No one will be able to stop him!!!"
Once the thought took root, Zephyr's fists clenched even tighter. The muscles on his arms bulged like thick iron cables, bursting with terrifying strength.
His forearms darkened like forged steel.
This was the infamous "Black Arm Zephyr," known for his mastery of Armament Haki.
With a blast of force, his fist swung forward.
The air trembled violently from the impact.
Ares's body swelled with muscle, veins snaking like dragons across his dark golden flesh, polished like steel.
"Iron Body!"
CLANG!
Zephyr's vicious punch slammed into Ares's chest, echoing like a hammer on a war drum.
Ares felt the crushing force surge through him power strong enough to shatter stone. His insides churned, his muscles quivering from the shock.
He was blasted backward like a cannonball.
"What an absurdly tough body!" Zephyr growled.
After days of clashing, he knew just how monstrous Ares's physique was. But now that Ares had mastered Iron Body, his control over his body's strength had taken another leap.
After all, the Six Powers were created to push the limits of the human body transforming men into superhumans.
With Iron Body, Ares's defense became truly fearsome. Even Zephyr's Armament Haki-powered punch had only stirred his blood for a moment.
Thanks to his terrifying recovery rate, the turbulent energy inside him settled almost instantly.
A glint of excitement lit up Ares's tiger-like eyes as he grinned.
"Still not enough. I want to forge my body so strong it surpasses even Supreme Grade blades, without needing Iron Body!"
The impact of that punch, the way it rocked his muscles to their core…
It felt amazing!
Invigorating!
Far more satisfying than any massage or muscle gun.
Ares cracked his neck, letting out bone-chilling clicks, radiating an aura of raw, primal violence like a demon in human form.
He bellowed excitedly toward Zephyr:
"Zephyr!! Let's go all out today!"
With a sudden surge of power, he activated his Dragon-Human Form. His clawed feet stomped down with explosive force.
BOOM!
The air rippled visibly.
Ares charged like a berserk dragon, his arms coated in blue scales swinging with feral aggression.
His blood pumped like a raging river, flooding his body with unimaginable power.
He roared into a flurry of savage punches.
"Lightning, Five-Strike Combo!!"
His fists moved like lightning, filling Zephyr's vision with afterimages.
The air itself shattered beneath his blows.
"Armament, Double Force!"
Zephyr's arms suddenly doubled in size, bulging like elephant trunks.
The surge in size brought with it a dramatic increase in strength.
His aura rose sharply, and the Justice cloak on his back whipped wildly in the wind.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Fist met fist in midair with earth-shaking collisions.
The shockwaves sent towering waves crashing across the ocean.
With his amplified power, Zephyr began to overwhelm Ares. His jet-black fists hammered Ares back again and again in midair.
"Was he holding back this whole time?!"
Ares's expression sharpened as he felt Zephyr's strikes growing heavier, sending ripples through his body with every hit.
He realized.
Zephyr had kicked things into high gear. Ares had wanted to study Zephyr's transformed arm more carefully, but now he could only focus on defending.
"Armament, Black Arm: Triple Force!!!"
This time, Zephyr's Armament Haki ignited in black-purple flames, wrapping around his monstrous fists.
The sheer pressure behind them spiked again.
Ares felt it immediately. The punches were stronger. Brutally so.
But instead of fear, excitement flashed in Ares's golden slit pupils.
Like clock hands ticking forward, they gleamed with battle-thirst.
"Yes!! This is the power I've been waiting for!"
"Let it forge me! Sharpen me!!"
Like a battle-crazed dragon, his muscles erupted like writhing pythons.
A savage beast in human form?
No.
Right now, Ares was a dragon.
His arms flushed red, and even his blue scales turned crimson as if soaked in blood.
"Crimson Armament, Lightning Twenty-Strike Barrage!!"
Faced with Zephyr's hurricane-like barrage, Ares unleashed everything he had.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Fist after fist connected raw, vicious, and unrelenting.
Both took hits. Both dealt blows.
The battle was utterly savage.
A single punch from either one could level a ship. Yet neither cared.
They just kept fighting. Trading blow for blow.
A spectacle of pure, bloody power.
Everyone watching was stunned.
"Come on, Boss Ares… hold on!!"
Kaido clenched his fists so hard they dripped sweat. He was so tense he could barely breathe.
If he had already mastered Moonwalk, he'd have jumped in to fight beside Ares without hesitation.
Seeing Ares on the back foot filled him with dread.
And he wasn't the only one worried.
Wang Zhi frowned deeply. "Zephyr's getting serious. Even if today wasn't meant to be our final showdown…"
"…it will be in a few days."
He suspected Zephyr had figured out they were running low on supplies.
This kind of full-on assault was a clear sign.
"We're only a few hours from the Kingdom of Prodence. Has the Navy already contacted their king to help trap us?"
Silver Axe's face darkened.
If that were true.
Then everyone on this ship is facing one hell of a crisis.
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