Chapter 229: Black Arm Flow

Feeling Zefa's increasingly ferocious aura amidst the dust, Kizaru let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration.

Even though back then he was one of Zefa's most headache-inducing students, perhaps even the only one.

That phrase "do not rely too heavily on abilities" had long since worn calluses on his ears from hearing it.

But Zefa had never told Kizaru that he was not an excellent Marine.

This was the same for Kizaru.

Kizaru never believed that Zefa was not a powerful Admiral.

In fact, quite the opposite.

Every Marine who had lived through that era knew one thing clearly: Zefa at his absolute peak was enough to stand alongside Garp and Sengoku.

Yet they all admitted that after suffering repeated blows, Zefa, whose body had withered and whose once invincible belief was on the verge of collapse, had lost the strength to rival those two.

But all of this completely reversed after that capture experience, which should have been the lowest point of his life.

Zefa did not fall completely; instead, he rose against the odds, reshaped his concept of justice, and his conduct became as different from the past as night and day.

Only that increasingly sharp and fierce Haki told everyone that this former highest combat power of the Navy had lived out a second life!

"Scary~ne~"

Kizaru recited his catchphrase slowly and leisurely, yet his gaze fixed on the core of the battlefield in the distance dared not shift even a fraction:

"What exactly did the old man experience at Raven Port!?"

A hint of mocking smile curled at the corner of Aokiji's lips:

"Want to know?!"

"Isn't that natural? Even Sakazuki, that guy, would probably be unable to restrain his curiosity in such a situation?!"

"Go ask Master Zefa yourself."

The expression on Kizaru's face froze:

"I'm too lazy to listen to the old man nag again; the experience back then was not pleasant."

"Hahahaha—!"

Aokiji chuckled lightly, then turned his head to fix his gaze on the battlefield in the distance.

Like two giant beasts capable of completely destroying the terrain with a single move, after the initial probing, they gradually unleashed their full strength.

The commotion ignited by the battle grew louder and louder.

Bang!

After another absolutely powerful collision.

Both were sent flying backward, yet in the next instant, they crushed the sand dunes beneath their feet, charging at each other with even more extraordinary and rapid speed.

With Gao Wen's Godspeed Flash Step fully unleashed, his own speed had been driven to its limit; even merely skimming over the ground caused dust to rise like a dragon.

Moreover, pure white water vapor constantly formed around him, like a barrier.

This speed even surpassed his maximum velocity during the battle with Jin Shizi at Rapeseed Port; in terms of speed alone, Gao Wen had already become a mechanism monster among his peers.

Boom!

The intense sonic boom stimulated the eardrums of everyone nearby; a group of Marines even showed expressions of pain and quickly raised their hands to cover their ears.

"Is this a sonic boom?"

"Pushing speed to this level solely through physical ability?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"Such an existence has never appeared even in the Juan Sect records within the Navy."

"How do we fight such an opponent?!"

Someone couldn't help but start worrying about Zefa, and even Aokiji showed a trace of Solemnity.

From the fight just now, he had seen that in terms of Armament Haki alone, Zefa was undoubtedly far above Gao Wen, but Gao Wen had left him far behind in physical function and speed.

"Master Zefa..."

Aokiji frowned tightly, yet in the next instant his pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw Gao Wen seize the opportunity, driving a blade with extremely fierce momentum straight into Zefa's fist wind.

His Observation Haki, capable of foreseeing the future, had already seen the scene of him cutting off Zefa's arm!

A faint blue light flickered on the blade's edge; even merely witnessing it made Aokiji feel a stinging pain on his skin.

That was the instinctive perception of danger, carved into the depths of his soul after countless battles.

This strike...

Even Zefa's masterful Armament Haki would absolutely not be able to block it!

Kizaru, who also saw this point from the side, had already prepared to intervene and stop the fight at any moment.

Amidst the fierce offensive, Gao Wen's eyes were cold, even revealing a hint of boredom; even with breakthroughs, even advancing further, in the end...

Hm?!

Suddenly, the future Gao Wen saw before his eyes had already changed, and in the next instant, it shone into reality.

Zefa did not retreat but advanced, extending one arm precisely to intercept Gao Wen's elbow as he swung his blade.

Sss!

The silver-white blade energy passed over Zefa's shoulder, flying toward his back, extending all the way to the end of the line of sight, almost cutting the entire desert in half.

While Gao Wen was in shock, Zefa's other fist, wrapped in Haki, had already pressed down upon him.

How much greater was its momentum, its force, and its might compared to just now?

Bang!

After a dull thud, Gao Wen was sent flying backward like a cannonball.

Before he even hit the ground, Zefa's attack followed immediately, with a dense offensive that even once left Gao Wen unable to raise his head.

He had no choice but to endure several punches from Zephyr, only then barely forcing him to retreat.

……

"Hey, hey, hey~"

"Is this really not an illusion?"

Kizaru and Aokiji, standing aside and having witnessed everything that just happened, wore expressions of existential doubt.

Even as his sunglasses slid down to the bridge of his nose, Kizaru didn't notice, staring blankly at the two figures who had fallen silent in the arena.

Previously in the East Blue, although Zephyr had suffered due to faulty intelligence, even facing Gao Wen who had just stepped into the Golden tier, in terms of raw strength alone, he was no match.

But now Zephyr is able to suppress a Gao Wen far stronger than he was during the East Blue period?!

"If I recall correctly, Gao Wen's Observation Haki has already been cultivated to the point of foreseeing the future."

"Even against such an opponent, Teacher Zephyr can precisely intercept his attacks? How is that possible?!"

"Who knows?!"

Aokiji couldn't help but curl a smile at the corner of his mouth, yet the shock in his eyes remained impossible to conceal.

Along the way, he and Zephyr had fought alongside each other a few times; in terms of pure martial arts combat, trading moves, the one being suppressed was never Zephyr, but him.

Yet he never expected that the current Zephyr had recovered to this extent.

"Teacher Zephyr has recovered not just his Haki; influenced by his state of mind, his physique is also far better than before."

Kizaru said coldly:

"Now I understand why you are so confident in Teacher Zephyr."

"But to defeat that monster, this is still far from enough."

……

In the midst of the battlefield.

"Haa~"

Zephyr stabilized his stance, exhaled a puff of hot breath, and felt his entire body gradually growing hot.

"It's truly nostalgic; the last time I felt this blood boiling was a very, very long time ago."

"Those monsters who fought me were either locked away in Impel Down, or after countless battles, vanished, died, or retired."

After sighing a few times, Zephyr raised his head, fixing his gaze on Gao Wen, and curled a confident smile at the corner of his mouth:

"Observation Haki capable of foreseeing the future?! Indeed, quite an exceptional talent."

"As the type of Haki among the three that relies most on perception, it is also the type with the most derived branches, influenced by one's personal fighting style and temperament."

"Some can deduce future possibilities based on the information they perceive."

"Some can perceive all living beings within an enormous range, even sensing their goodwill or malice."

"Some can listen to the voices of all things and glimpse realms unknown to humanity."

"But there are also those who, after tempering it a thousand times, completely forget it, merging it into their physique to become an instinct; the moment danger arises, they subconsciously make the most precise judgment."

Having said that.

Zephyr looked at Gao Wen, who had also stopped in the distance, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, looking rather disheveled, and sighed:

"In such a short time, you have reached this step; I can no longer find suitable words to describe this talent."

"I only know that reviewing the Navy's history spanning hundreds of years, no one has ever grown at a speed like yours."

"Not a single one."

"Even those who became Admirals at an age comparable to yours consumed ten, twenty, or even more years to reach this step."

"The gap between you and me is not a gap in combat power, but a gap in battle experience."

"If you can only achieve this level, you are no match for me!"

The voice fell to the ground.

The scene instantly fell silent.

Only the wild wind, gradually growing noisy, swept up clouds of yellow sand and lifted the stray hairs at Gao Wen's forehead.

He did not immediately answer Zephyr's question, but instead tore open his shirt to reveal his well-proportioned upper body, and the hand gripping his sword grew tighter and tighter at that very moment:

"What kind of nonsense is that?!"

"Fighting is only interesting when facing opponents stronger than oneself!"

In the midst of his words.

Gao Wen's mouth gradually stretched wide; the fist wounds left by Zephyr still throbbed faintly.

Yet he once again felt that same excitement as when he dueled Hawk-Eyes at the Baratie restaurant on the sea back then.

How much Conqueror's Haki experience would this battle yield? Could it allow him to advance further and completely master the mysterious Conqueror's Haki coating...

These questions were no longer what Gao Wen cared about most at this moment.

He just wanted to fight Zephyr.

To fight with all his might.

Thus, a pair of dragon wings unfolded behind Gao Wen; fine crimson dragon scales grew from his skin, like a layer of close-fitting leather armor.

The winding dragon horns atop his head intertwined with each other, twisting into a shape like a crown, while a slender dragon tail behind him twitched uneasily in the air...

Crimson Dragon Fruit - Demon Form!

As Gao Wen's application of the Heavenly Man attribute became increasingly proficient.

The current Demon Form had already shed the outward ferocity and Daoist aura of the past, revealing a strange sense of harmony.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

The crowd, looking at Gao Wen whose appearance had changed drastically, was momentarily bewildered.

This form was worlds apart from the three Zoan forms they knew.

"It has the traits of a dragon, yet its size hasn't changed much. Is this the Human-Beast Form?!"

"No!"

"A normal Human-Beast Form should be stronger, more ferocious, not like him..."

A marine couldn't help but let out an exclamation:

"Damn, I can even see a hint of divinity in him!"

Murmurs began to rise.

Everyone's attention focused on Gao Wen's new form.

They didn't know what this form was, yet no one doubted the overwhelming, soul-shaking power radiating from him.

"Is this... a derivative form beyond the three forms of the Zoan type?!"

Aokiji, well-traveled and knowledgeable, saw through Gao Wen's true nature at a glance.

"That's right."

Kizaru nodded, wearing an expression of pure pain:

"Gao Wen calls this form the Demon Form. Judging from our previous clashes, this special form combines the immense physical capabilities of the Human-Beast Form without hindering his swordsmanship."

"In a sense, this is his true unleashed state, and in this state, Gao Wen's most terrifying aspect isn't his attack power."

"Then what is it?"

Aokiji paused, then instantly understood why Kizaru wore such an expression:

"Defense. Comparable to, no, superior to the innate defense of the Lunarian race."

"You've fought him?"

"Many times."

"And the result?"

"I can win, but it's frustrating. And next time, could you please stop asking such intrusive questions?"

Kizaru sighed.

Aokiji, however, already understood his meaning. He suddenly turned his head to look at Zephyr on the battlefield, the confidence in his eyes gone.

One thing he knew for certain was:

If even Kizaru's attack power found it somewhat difficult to break through Gao Wen's defense, then for Zephyr, it would be an unsolvable problem.

This battle... will be difficult!

"A Mythical Zoan?!"

Zephyr took his stance, his hands wrapped in black Armament Haki. At this moment, he nearly felt the illusion of returning to his peak.

Back then...

Back then, I was just like this, fighting Silver Axe, John, and even the Dark King Lei Li and Mountain Eater Jabra, even facing monsters like the Jin Shizi Shi Ji and Whitebeard Newgate.

The fierce battles he had experienced flashed before Zephyr's eyes one by one; some were victories, some defeats, yet none failed to stir his blood.

After twenty years, am I finally feeling this again?!

"Knight Gao Wen, the most righteous man in the East Blue, I acknowledge you!"

"Come!"

"As you wish!"

Gao Wen cracked his neck, the sound of 'crack-crack' echoing, and his figure vanished in the next instant.

Only when he appeared before Zephyr did the ground he had just stepped on explode with a boom, the rising dust almost reaching a hundred meters high.

So fast!

Zephyr's pupils shrank sharply. His Kenbunshoku Haki, tempered a thousand times and ingrained in his instincts, as if stimulated by something, frantically warned him...

Retreat!

Retreat!

Retreat!

The extreme sense of crisis was so intense it even made Zephyr's skin feel painful.

Yet Zephyr treated it as nothing, a smile curling at the corner of his lips, his tone firm as a stubborn stone:

"A crisis capable of causing death?!"

"But if justice bows to violence, how can it possibly shine upon everyone?!"

"Black Arm Style - Armament!"

Accompanied by a fierce shout.

On Zephyr's arms, streams of nearly visible Armament Haki surged like black smoke, intertwining and weaving together, completely covering his hands.

It even spread all the way to his torso; in an instant, Zephyr seemed to be dyed entirely black, those streams of visible Armament Haki constantly flowing.

Even the mere aura that escaped made everyone present feel their souls trembling.

Immediately, Zephyr thrust a punch horizontally, clashing head-on with Gao Wen's incoming slash...

Boom!

The most powerful impact of the night's battle erupted at this moment.

Visible shockwaves radiated outward from the two as the center, and the entire desert at this moment was like a sea in a storm, rolling up surging sand waves!

(End of Chapter)