In the entire Marine force, you'd be hard-pressed to find a second person besides Klein who had mastered Conqueror's Infusion.
After all, Marines born with the Will of the King were rarer than endangered species.
It was only in this generation that a sudden surge had occurred—
With the emergence of Klein, Sengoku, and Garp, three Marines bearing the Will of the King.
Kong's pupils contracted sharply as he exclaimed, "That's Conqueror's Infusion?! He already knew it three years ago!!"
Memories assaulted his mind—he recalled that slash released from a scroll.
It had burst forth with overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
So that was...
That was Infusion!?
"What!?" Oharden was dumbfounded, his eyes bulging like a frog struck by lightning. He stared hard at Kong. "Are you sure Klein had mastered Infusion three years ago!?"
Kong was startled by the intensity of his reaction and replied seriously, "Absolutely... I'm confident in my judgment!!"
Hearing that, Oharden froze on the spot. His brain was a mess. "Wait… three years ago…"
"That little punk Klein fooled all of us. Has his acting reached divine levels?!"
"Or is he just so ruthless he even lies to himself?"
Three years ago…
He'd seen Klein and Kong fight back and forth, perfectly evenly matched.
But if Klein had already mastered Infusion back then…
Beating Kong would've been child's play.
Yet the two of them had slugged it out evenly for ages before the winner was finally decided.
Seriously—
Klein, how deep were you hiding?
So young, and already this devious and scheming—who the hell taught you!?
Who told you to pull this kind of stunt!?
Oharden turned to look at Carter, just about to ask if it was him—only to find Carter just as stunned, wearing a dazed expression of complete shock.
As if his soul had been yanked out by the Soul-Soul Fruit, leaving behind only a shell.
"I'm broken—" Instructor Carter wailed, "That little brat conned me too! He... he kept us all completely in the dark, he…"
"Rising sun my ass!!"
Duped by one of his own students, Carter was utterly bewildered. "I had no idea! If I had, I—I would've handed him my position as Marine instructor right on the spot!!"
Seeing Carter's reaction, Oharden was now certain—Carter was just another "victim."
"You tell me, why can't Klein just show his full strength openly and honestly!?"
"Why does he have to be such a little shit about it!?" Oharden fumed, bristling with rage.
If Klein had become an Admiral three years ago, he himself would probably be partying with bikini babes by now.
Keep the music going! Keep dancing!
What a sin!
Kong, snapping back to his senses, asked curiously, "So what exactly is Conqueror's Infusion? I thought it was just plain old Conqueror's Haki."
Fleet Admiral Oharden explained, "It's similar to Armament Infusion—only instead of wrapping Armament Haki, you're wrapping Conqueror's Haki around your weapon or body."
"But the latter is far more difficult. Just being born with the Will of the King already disqualifies 99.9% of people. And to infuse with Conqueror's Haki..."
"It's extremely hard. You also need overwhelmingly strong Conqueror's Haki to pull it off!"
"There are plenty of people on this sea who possess Conqueror's Haki, but those who can actually use Infusion? Only a handful. And every single one of them stands at the top of the world!"
Instructor Carter added, "Infusing Conqueror's Haki increases attack power!"
"I see." Kong was struck by sudden realization, and even more shocked internally. "Klein mastered that kind of technique three years ago… so wait, was that spar we had back then… an act!?"
No way!
Kong felt numb, like touching a live wire and getting shocked.
Getting duped like that—being kept in the dark—really didn't feel great.
His eyes now looked both clear and stupid as he stared at Klein in the middle of the battlefield. "Just how strong is Klein, really…?"
He was giving off that vibe… the stronger his opponent, the stronger he became. His true power? Completely unknown.
Oharden stroked his white beard, not entirely confident, and could only guess, "Strongest fighting force in the Marines!?"
"He's still young, only 22. If he really becomes the youngest Admiral in Marine history…"
He remembered he and Lincoln didn't become Admirals until they were around 40.
Damn!
That's way too young!
Back then, they were considered Marine prodigies… but compared to Klein, they felt like total losers.
Oharden accidentally yanked out a tuft of his own beard, wincing in pain.
If Klein had heard this, he probably would've scoffed.
Twenty-two?
Small-minded fools!!
In the world of transmigrators, people start hacking reality from the womb.
Punching Admirals, kicking Yonko? Child's play.
There were even those who punched holes in the fabric of reality!
Of course, meanwhile, the Forbidden City was so packed with "eunuchs," it was standing room only.
On the island.
The light faded.
Rampaging Bear now had multiple wounds across his body, blood seeping from his skin. Against his shiny dark complexion, it looked especially stark.
"Whew—"
Rampaging Bear exhaled deeply. "What insane Haki… My Six Powers ultimate form's shockwave actually lost to you, kid…"
He was astonished. After all, how long had the kid been training? He himself had spent decades perfecting Rokushiki.
"That's just a scratch. Looks like your muscles aren't as brittle as they look," Klein said with a shrug.
Though injured, the top-tier illusion had done its job. Combined with an Admiral's physique…
They were monsters.
Unless—
It was an Oda-style plot twist or a main character cheat. Otherwise, when it came to Admiral or Yonko-level battles, the side stories always turned into endurance slogs.
The next moment—
Rampaging Bear's wounds healed rapidly. Muscles squirmed and sealed the bleeding.
He grinned. "Young punk, time to teach you a lesson…"
"Fights of this caliber aren't won by who hits hardest at the start—it's about who still stands after every ounce of stamina is spent!"
He wasn't obsessed with muscle training just for fun or strength.
"Huh—" Klein blinked. "That's some crazy regeneration."
"Wahahahaha—!"
Rampaging Bear laughed loudly, then lunged like a starving tiger toward Klein. His fists roared through the air, stirring up fierce wind. "This is a high-level application of Life Return, one of the Six Powers!!"
A fist the size of a sandbag flew at him—Klein met it with one of his own.
"Not bad for an Admiral, you're still sharp. But you want to lecture me!?" Klein's expression turned cold. "You're not afraid I'll commit 'student rebellion'!?"
Boom!
Fists clashed—lightning burst in all directions.
Klein had "apprenticed" under who knows how many masters in games. In the future...
Who knows how many would be betrayed by his "student rebellion."
It was fate.
Rampaging Bear's breathing caught. He shouted, "Carter's still watching from the sidelines—bet his face has gone completely black!"
His fists rained down like a monsoon. His bulging leg muscles, more monstrous than a toad's, fired off shockwaves with every kick.
Klein didn't dodge or retreat. He responded with equally precise physical techniques, meeting every single blow head-on.
Bang bang bang—
Bang bang bang—
Their bodies twisted and vanished, then reappeared.
Fist against fist.
Kick against kick!
The longer the fight went on, the more fired up Rampaging Bear became. His battle spirit burned. "Hey, Klein—where's your swordplay? Why aren't you using it!?"
"Because…" Klein's eyes flashed red as he taunted, "You're not putting enough pressure on me!!"