Chapter 335: Black Arm Zephyr – The Devil Fruit's Weakness
Boom!
"Straw Hat Luffy."
In the blink of an eye, Luffy—who had just "leveled up" to a 600-million bounty—was sent flying with a single punch.
"Why did you become a pirate?"
Facing the man who had suddenly appeared and knocked him down in one hit, Luffy got back on his feet, wiped the corner of his mouth, and answered seriously:
"To become the Pirate King!"
Pirate King... And that straw hat...
Roger...
"Tornado Crusher!"
No more talking. The massive mechanical arm came crashing down!
At that moment, Luffy, refusing to back down, clenched his fist and swung it forward to counter the attack.
But in the very next second, a figure dashed in front of him, a sword coated in Armament Haki slashing upward to block the strike that had sent Luffy flying just moments before.
"Be careful! This is former Marine Admiral 'Black Arm' Zephyr!"
Roman shouted to warn the others.
"His right arm's weapon is made of Seastone—!"
"Kid, you talk too much!"
Zephyr's right hand, holding a Sea Stone weapon, was blocked by Roman, but his other hand suddenly shot out from behind the cover of his weapon. His fingers, coated with Armament Haki, instantly gripped the long sword, and with a swift turn of his right hand, he aimed the weapon straight at Roman.
"Crush—"
Oh crap!! Instructor Zephyr, you—
"Blaster!"
Boom!! A loud explosion rang out! The deck of the Sunny was blasted open with a massive hole. Roman, who was sent flying back, quickly clapped his hands, sending a flurry of paper spreading out from his body to cover and protect the ship.
Even though the Straw Hats' ship was made from the legendary "Treasure Tree" Adam, it still wasn't strong enough to withstand a battle at Admiral level! — Even if Zephyr was old and sick, making him the weakest among the Admirals.
"Luffy! Roman!"
As Sanji flew in with a kick, Zoro also drew his swords and joined the fight. Nearby, Law activated his battlefield ability:
"ROOM—"
Bang! Thud. "Ahhh—"
Before Law could even finish expanding his space, a bullet struck his shoulder. He immediately felt like all his strength had been drained and collapsed to his knees.
"You Devil Fruit users rely too much on your powers. Just a tiny Sea Stone bullet can catch you off guard and put you at a complete disadvantage!"
Zephyr's stern voice rang out as he swung his massive mechanical arm, sending Luffy flying again! At the same time, he coated his fists and legs with Armament Haki, striking with precision. Every punch and kick was honed through years of training, using the most basic yet solid combat techniques. Even against both Sanji and Zoro at once, he was holding his ground.
"This... this... is really an Admiral, huh?"
Usopp was in complete shock! Even though his body had improved a lot over the past two years, if he were to fight Sanji or Zoro head-on, he'd be knocked out in one second, no doubt about it. But this burly old man was holding off three of them at once!
Of course, part of that was because Luffy was being countered by Zephyr's weapon.
"Ahhh, this old guy is way too—"
Luffy's tongue was practically hanging out of his mouth in frustration. The opponent's right hand, holding a weapon as thick as a pillar, was entirely made of Sea Prism Stone. Not only was it as hard as diamond, but it also completely suppressed Devil Fruit users… You could tell just by looking at Luffy's punch—he started off throwing it with full power, but as soon as it got close, it turned soft and weak.
Thanks to Roman's constant training with Sea Stone wristbands, Luffy wasn't completely paralyzed, but his strength was cut down to less than 30%, forcing Zoro and Sanji to take the lead while he could only move around and provide backup. As for Roman—
Come on, Instructor Zephyr, be careful with our ship~~ The Straw Hats were trying to avoid damaging the Sunny during the fight, but Zephyr didn't care at all. Every punch and kick sent shockwaves across the deck. The incredibly tough Adam wood started showing deep, lightning-like cracks! Roman had no choice but to focus most of his energy on protecting the ship.
If this were any regular pirate ship, it would've been destroyed ten times over just from the shockwaves alone!
"If this is all you've got, you'll never become Pirate King!"
In terms of pure destruction, "Black Arm" Zephyr might be the weakest among the Admirals, but when it came to hand-to-hand combat and Haki fundamentals, he was one of the best. If it weren't for his asthma holding him back, he wouldn't have been caught off guard and injured by Whitebeard Jr., a monster with brute strength but no skill.
"Haki is the foundation of everything!"
Even though it was just a simple straight punch, it had reached a terrifying speed—four times the speed of sound—through sheer power alone!
After blasting Sanji away with his punch, Zephyr's figure flashed, appearing right in front of Luffy. His massive Seastone-coated arm stretched out:
"Smash Strike!"
Fearless defense and unyielding combat merged into one, transforming into a powerful emotion and belief! This was the unique Armament Haki of Admiral Zephyr, who followed a "no-kill" philosophy. Though his conviction had wavered ever since his enemy joined the Seven Warlords, it was still enough to overpower Luffy, who was weakened by the Seastone.
Boom!!!
As Zephyr's fist struck Luffy, the relentless impact shook the deck. The deep, echoing shockwave spread wildly, stirring the air into such chaos that even sound itself struggled to travel. To everyone else, it was just a strange, distorted crash!
"Ahhh—!"
A figure was sent flying!
Franky caught Luffy, but the sheer force still pushed both of them backward at high speed!
Just as everyone's attention was locked onto the sudden appearance of this "Admiral" and the Luffy who had been blasted away—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures using Soru flashed onto the deck, attacking at the same time—
"Flourish—Wild Growth!"
In an instant, even though Roman had reinforced the Sunny's deck with a layer of "paper armor," countless vines still sprouted out of nowhere, tightly binding most of the Straw Hats!
"Rewind!"
A shadow flickered past—Chopper and Brook were hit immediately!
Nami instinctively dodged using "Soru," but the enemy's female officer quickly caught up and swiped her arm—
Whoosh!
Nami vanished into thin air!
"Nami!"
Robin reacted instantly, sprouting extra arms on the enemy's body to lock her down. But right as she restrained her, a crisp voice came from where Nami had disappeared—
"Robin! Watch out for their ability—"
The moment Robin's hands grabbed her opponent's neck, the enemy swiftly reached out and touched one of Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit arms.
"Rewind!"
?!
Robin's body began to shrink!
The change wasn't drastic, but it was clear that she was shifting from a mature woman to a teenage girl.
"What is this…?!"
*Splat*
A straw hat fell from the air, landing gently in the palm of a massive mechanical hand.
"One Piece? The treasure of the world?"
Luffy was blown away. The crew was either restrained or—shrunk.
In an instant, the Straw Hat Pirates faced a massive crisis!
"What a ridiculous dream."
The mechanical-armed old man with purple hair and sunglasses, now the victor of this ambush, looked at the Straw Hats, who were now on high alert.
"Do you realize how much sacrifice, sorrow, and hatred that dream has caused?"
"If 'freedom' is the wave of this era, then I will be the one to stop it!"
Even if it means shattering my body into pieces!
With that, the old man turned away. He and his two subordinates used "Soru" and "Moonwalk" to leap back onto the nearby warship.
"SINK THAT PIRATE SHIP!"
"HEY!"
Luffy jumped down from Franky's arms without even wiping the blood off his face and rushed straight to the ship's railing.
"Wait! Give me back my hat!!"
"We haven't finished our fight—!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
But the only response Luffy got was a barrage of cannon fire. Even with Roman's paper shielding the Sunny, they couldn't just sit there and take those heavy blasts.
"Luffy, we need to leave first!"
"But my hat—"
"The Sunny won't hold out much longer!"
…
"We're going."
Gritting his teeth, Luffy turned around sharply.
"Old man!! Keep my hat safe for now—"
Through the roar of cannon fire, Luffy's firm voice cut through the battlefield, reaching the enemy warship loud and clear.
"I will come back for it! I swear!!"
…
"What a good kid,"
If that incident had never happened… my grandson would be about this age now, too. Garp, your grandson is out there riding the waves of the sea, and he's already gathered so many talented young people to follow him.
It really brings back memories—almost like the days when we fought side by side…
"Sensei?"
The voice of the young woman beside him snapped Zephyr out of his thoughts. The tall, battle-hardened man shook his head.
"Guess I'm getting old, getting all sentimental like this."
"You're not old at all, Sensei!"
The woman beside him, with long wavy sea-blue hair, an X-shaped scar on her right thigh, black pointed heels, and a flowing blue cape, immediately protested.
"You're the Supreme Commander of 'NEO Marine,' feared by pirates everywhere! That won't change today, tomorrow, or ever!"
Damn it!
Though she spoke confidently, Ain clenched her fists in frustration. If… if she were just a little stronger, if she could use her ability on her teacher, then maybe…
"Ain."
Zephyr glanced at his student. He knew exactly what she was thinking. But—
"People grow old, get sick, and pass on. The moon waxes and wanes. I don't care what happens to my body. It's just—"
He had fought his whole life, yet the world was still in chaos. The people were still not living in peace. That, he couldn't accept.
Straw Hat Luffy…
As the former Marine Chief Instructor, Zephyr knew that many people had their eyes on this boy. Even that fast-rising, well-respected Marine candidate for Admiral, "White Dove" Roman, had gone so far as to board his ship!
Then—
The first test was just a warm-up.
The second test was ready.
Let's see what makes you so special!
(End of Chapter)
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