Chapter 56: Kill Instantly With One Punch! Senior Zephyr’S Hands Are Itching Unbearably

"Gion Momousagi?"

"No, she's at the same level as you. How could she possibly be your adjutant? Even if I agreed, she wouldn't."

Momousagi is highly accomplished in swordsmanship and is considered the strongest swordsman in Marine. She's fully capable of leading a fleet and guarding an entire sea area on her own.

Carlos spread his hands in frustration. "I'm a Vice Admiral and an Admiral candidate of Marine Headquarters. I can't function without a deputy, right? Wouldn't it be a disgrace for Marine to send me out alone?"

Sengoku shook his head, opened a drawer, and pulled out a stack of papers. "Here's the roster of officers from Naval Headquarters. Pick one."

Carlos took the list, gave it a quick glance, and then set it back on the desk. "Marshal Sengoku, don't compare me to the average Vice Admiral. My mission focuses on the New World, the Whitebeard Pirates, and the Big Mom Pirates. With the strength of the officers on this list, not only would they be unable to assist me, but they'd also struggle to protect themselves."

Sengoku frowned. "We're short on manpower right now. Those who are capable are either leading their own fleets or have already been assigned. If you're not satisfied, there's little I can do."

After a moment of thought, Sengoku seemed to recall something. "There might be someone who can help you."

"Who?" Carlos asked, intrigued.

"Perhaps you haven't heard of him. His name is Zephyr. He and I once served as Marine Admirals together. As he grew older, he stepped back from active duty and started training new recruits for Marine. I heard a group of his students are about to graduate. You should talk to him."

Naval Headquarters Training Ground

"Patience! Persistence! Keep your breathing steady! As soldiers, physical fitness is the most basic and essential requirement!"

"If you don't train hard now, how do you expect to catch pirates on the battlefield?"

"The third formation, pick up the pace!"

On the training ground, over a hundred sailors, weighed down with heavy loads, formed several square formations, running tirelessly. The sun was relentless, scorching the earth beneath them.

"Huff... huff..."

Heavy breaths filled the air, and the sound of uniform footsteps began to falter. Everyone was drenched in sweat, exhaustion evident on their faces, their legs feeling like lead. Yet, none dared to slow down. They gritted their teeth and pushed through.

At the edge of the playground, a burly old man with purple hair stood with his arms crossed, watching silently. Though he remained quiet, the sharp glances he occasionally cast instilled a sense of overwhelming pressure in everyone present. No one dared to show the slightest sign of slack.

On the other side of the playground, Carlos sat on a stone bench, squinting slightly as he enjoyed the sun and observed the training. Since receiving the S-class reward of Kryptonian blood, his body had been able to absorb and store energy from the sun.

Over the past few days, Carlos had felt his strength, speed, and stamina noticeably increase. It was as if he had undergone a month of rigorous training in just a few days. If this continued, his physique would reach unimaginable levels—surpassing even Kaido would not be an issue.

Under the influence of this energy, he could feel his organs strengthening, and it wouldn't be long before he unlocked a series of powerful abilities like super hearing, rapid healing, and heat vision.

While deep in thought, a pure and lovely young woman approached him. She had dark blue, wavy hair and wore a purple outfit with lace at the front that perfectly outlined her figure. Under her black shorts were long, straight, white legs, and her black, pointed high heels clicked softly against the ground as she walked.

Carlos eyed her up and down, causing the girl to frown slightly.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"My name is Ain, and I'm a student of Instructor Zephyr. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Carlos dropped his somewhat arrogant demeanor and smiled.

"I'm Carlos, Vice Admiral of Naval Headquarters and Admiral candidate. I'm currently assembling a fleet and came to speak with your instructor, Zephyr, to request a few recruits."

"Admiral candidate? You?"

Ain looked skeptical but then noticed the rank on Carlos' Justice Cloak, her expression shifting to one of surprise. Quickly regaining her composure, she snapped to attention, legs together, chest out, and offered a crisp salute.

"Vice Admiral Carlos, please follow me."

After a short walk, the two arrived at Zephyr's location. The trainees running laps around the training ground shot curious glances in their direction.

"Carlos, I've heard of you. You were sent by the World Government, correct?" Zephyr asked.

Carlos nodded.

Zephyr continued, "I'm curious about how you managed to become an Admiral candidate, but I trust that Sengoku had his reasons."

He sighed before adding, "Since you're here on Sengoku's recommendation, I'll allow you to choose some recruits."

Carlos shook his head and said seriously, "It's too troublesome to assess each one individually. Senior Zephyr, who is the strongest among these students?"

He had observed them for a while, and honestly, nothing had caught his eye. This group of young people in their twenties and teens, while certainly better than ordinary recruits, were still only at the level of sergeants at most in Carlos's view. In the New World, they would be nothing more than cannon fodder, not worth using.

Zephyr frowned, glancing at Carlos. In a deep voice, he said, "Smoker, Hina!"

"Step out of the line!"

Immediately, a man and a woman stepped out of the team. The man had short silver hair, a cigar in his mouth, and his upper body exposed. The woman had a slim figure and a dignified, beautiful face with a hint of valor and heroism.

While weight-bearing training, which others found extremely challenging, was easy and comfortable for them, neither showed any sign of fatigue, and they didn't even break a sweat.

Zephyr nodded with satisfaction. "They are the best among my students. Choose one of them!"

Although Smoker and Hina's potential was not on the same level as Akainu, Aokiji, and the others, with time, they could definitely become high-ranking officers. Among the students he had trained over the past few years, they were exceptionally outstanding. After graduating, their military rank would likely start at least as a major, and they could even take charge of some Marine divisions.

However, Carlos displayed a look of disappointment. "These two? Please forgive me, but they seem only qualified to be trainees here. I don't have the time or energy to babysit two deadweights."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire area erupted in shock. Everyone running on the playground stopped and stared at Carlos with wide eyes.

Smoker's face flushed with anger. Ignoring the difference in their ranks, he marched up to Carlos and shouted loudly, "You'd better explain yourself! What do you mean, 'only worthy of being a trainee'?"

The crowd murmured in response. "This is quite a heated exchange. With Smoker's temper, it's likely to escalate into a fight!"

"However, we're talking about a Vice Admiral and an Admiral candidate here!"

"I don't think it's that impressive. I heard this guy is a high-ranking official who got his position through connections with the World Government."

"He looks only a few years older than Smoker. How strong could he be?"

"That's right. Smoker is a Logia user like the three Admirals! Normal attacks can't hurt him!"

"This is going to be interesting."

The crowd's chatter continued, causing Zephyr to frown. It was humiliating to see his exceptional students dismissed so easily.

However, Zephyr remained calm and suppressed his dissatisfaction. He said, "Trainee? That's not necessarily the case. Both of them have Devil Fruit powers. Although they haven't graduated yet, their strength is enough to qualify them as top candidates. If you don't believe me, you can test them yourself."

Smoker's eyes lit up. "Yes, sir. Since you're an Admiral candidate, you must be quite strong. How about showing us some guidance?"

He gritted his teeth, emphasizing the word "guidance." Carlos glanced at him and sighed softly. "A fight? Forget it. With your current strength, you're not qualified to accompany me into the New World. Don't waste my time."

Carlos turned to leave. He had more important things to do and wasn't interested in sparring here.

Everyone was stunned. "Hey... wait!"

"Stop!"

Smoker yelled from behind. Carlos didn't stop; he continued walking.

Suddenly, Smoker darted in front of Carlos, holding a dark seastone in his right hand, pointing it at him. The palm holding the weapon trembled, showing his agitation. His knuckles turned white from the pressure.

"Explain yourself!" Smoker demanded. "Why do you say I'm not qualified?"

Carlos stopped, shook his head slightly, and said, "Do you really need me to spell it out? With your current level, you're probably strong enough to handle pirates with a bounty of over 100 million. In the New World, you'd only be overwhelmed..."

Logia-type Devil Fruits are indeed rare and powerful. When you first acquire one, you gain advantages that other types lack. With elementalization, you can almost become invincible in the world and the first half of the Grand Line. But that's it. Unless you focus on developing your Devil Fruit abilities or training in Haki, you're just an average fighter.

In the original plot, Smoker was nearly invincible early on. But two years later, in the New World, he faced constant defeats. Although he has a bit of a rough personality, he can be an upright Marine and a future pillar of the organization. For now, though, he's still too inexperienced.

"It looks like we're about to see some action…" someone murmured.

"You know how Smoker is—always grumpy. He probably picks fights with everyone. Even the smallest provocation could set him off."

The tension between the two grew thicker, and the crowd gathered around, ignoring the risk of Zephyr's reprimand.

"Alright, alright…" Smoker clenched his cigar tightly, veins bulging on his forehead. "Let's settle this! Fight me!"

Carlos raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

Smoker's eyes blazed with determination as he said, word by word, "Yes, I want you to take back what you said!"

With that, Smoker kicked off sharply, white mist billowing from his lower body as he rushed towards Carlos at incredible speed.

However, Carlos was even faster.

Smoker's vision blurred as a powerful gust of wind struck his face, causing pain. Smoker was horrified. "So fast!"

In an instant, Smoker felt an overwhelming force, like a massive mountain crushing him. His vision darkened, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, flying back nearly 50 meters. With a loud crash, he was embedded in the wall surrounding the playground. Debris and dust flew everywhere, and the area fell into stunned silence.

Everyone watched in disbelief as the dust cleared, revealing Smoker lying motionless in the rubble, unconscious from the blow. The crowd stared in shock, unable to process how quickly the battle had ended.

After a while, the spectators began to recover, stammering, "What just happened? How could Smoker be defeated so quickly?"

"He's a Logia user! How could he be taken down with one punch?"

"The strength difference between them is enormous…"

Hina and Ain were wide-eyed, speechless. They knew Smoker's strength and were surprised by how decisively he had been defeated. If they were in his place, the outcome might have been the same.

"What incredible Armament Haki!" Zephyr exclaimed, admiring Carlos. "Sengoku wasn't mistaken about you. With your ability, you're more than qualified to be a Vice Admiral of the Naval Headquarters."

Zephyr looked at Smoker in the distance, his gaze intense. "Carlos, would you like to challenge me next?"

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