Hi Zephyr’s pyful yet battle-hungry gaze, feeling a chill down her spine.

  Her experience of gettieedly had taught her ohing: the more she backed away, the more relentless Zephyr became.

  g her teeth, she steeled herself, putting on an expression of grim determination.

  “Please guide me, Zephyr-sensei!”

  Zephyr nodded approvingly. “Good spirit!”

  Without further ado, he charged straight at her.

  Hina quickly released a cloud of white smoke, enveloping the eraining ground in a dense fog to obscure Zephyr’s vision. She used Moonwalk to leap into the air, creating distaween them.

  But tricks like this were useless against Zephyr’s Observation Haki.

  “Clever, but not clever enough,” he said, vanishing from sight.

  In Hina’s perception, Zephyr’s bzing aura—like the sun itself—disappeared entirely.

  Before she could react, he reappeared directly in front of her.

  “Rex, little one. I won’t use Armament Haki this time...”

  With those words, his fist hurtled toward her like a meteor, radiating overwhelming force.

  Hina’s eyes widened in panic.

  To anyone else, the punch seemed ordinary, devoid of Haki, but to her, it felt like the earth splitting open, leaving no room to dodge.

  She tried to transform her body into smoke, but her limbs felt paralyzed, refusing to respond.

  At the critical moment, Smoker intervened.

  “Dark Water!”

  A massive gravitational force erupted, pulling both Zephyr and Hina toward him.

  Hina was dragged helplessly into Smoker’s arms, while Zephyr, momentarily unsteady, exerted his strength to escape the pull a back.

  “Well done, Smoker. This time, your timing ot-on,” Zephyr said, sounding pleased.

  Smently set Hina down. “Ah… excuse me for taking advantage, sensei.”

  In earlier matches, Zephyr had quickly discovered that Smravity couldn’t pee physical obstacles. By overturning a deck or the ground, he could break free within a sed. That sed was all Zephyr needed.

  But here, surrounded by iructible steel, he couldn’t rely on such tricks and had to use his raw power instead.

  Hina clutched Smoker’s arm, visibly tense. “Smoker, be careful! Zephyr-sensei isn’t holding baymore. This isn’t like before!”

  Smoker patted her reassuringly. “Don’t worry. This time, we’re not focused on attag. Just surviving will do.”

  He raised his voice. “Everyone, gather around me!”

  The cadets hesitated, exging gnces. Zephyr didn’t interfere, only watg them calmly. Eventually, they regrouped near Smoker.

  As a former strategist with knowledge of Zephyr’s methods, Smoker khere was no way this group could win. If Zephyr were truly serious, even surrendering wouldn’t save most of them.

  Since Zephyr was clearly holding back, Smoker saw no harm in openly strategizing.

  Zephyr observed their huddle, a faint smile on his lips. Clever boy. He’s quick to adapt.

  After some rapid discussion, the cadets spread out, carefully moving the io safety.

  This time, they positiohemselves deliberately—some in tight groups, others solo at strategic points.

  Zephyr cracked his knuckles, the sound eg like metal strikial.

  “Finished pnning? Good! I’ve been waiting!”

  “Let’s begin Round Two!”

  He charged toward a Bear Zoa the front.

  Suddenly, a female cadet in the rear activated her Devil Fruit ability. Pale yellow light shot from her hands, snaking through the group like s, linking everyoogether.

  A faint glow surrounded each cadet.

  Zephyr’s fist struck the bear’s stomach with immense force. Blood spurted from the cadet’s mouth, but he stayed scious and even mao grab Zephyr’s wrist ialiation.

  To Zephyr’s surprise, another cadet nearby staggered, their face pale as they absorbed part of the impact. The girl who had cast the yellow light nearly colpsed, clearly struggling to maintain her ability.

  Ah, so this is the -Link Fruit user, Zephyr mused. Distributing damage across the group. An excellent ability—but her body is far too weak. She’ll need a lot more training.

  “White Tempest Kick!”

  Hina appeared mid-air, releasing a flurry of white wind bdes.

  Zephyr stood his ground, letting the bdes tear through his cloak without fling. His body remained pletely unharmed.

  The bear cadet shouted, “Gasparade, Lace, Tekdile—attack together!”

  “Don’t tell us what to do!” they yelled, charging forward.

  Gasparade lunged forward, ing himself tightly around Zephyr. His entire body transformed into a sticky dy-like substance, binding Zephyr's limbs like a getinous prison.

  Behind him, Lace, the Whip-Whip Fruit user, unfurled thorny whips and shed them out, binding Zephyr even tighter.

  Then Tekdile, wielding the Cloth-Cloth Fruit, extended rolls of fabri his back, quickly ing Zephyr up like a mummy.

  “Attaow!”

  Smoker shouted, unleashing several bck bdes from his powers.

  Hina followed suit, releasing smoke bombs resembling a bear’s explosive charge, while the others unleashed their own unique abilities—spiked fists, glowing energy bdes, and razor-sharp cws all targeted Zephyr.

  “Boom! Boom! Boom!”

  tless attacks rained down, engulfing Zephyr in explosions and debris. The training ground was shrouded in smoke and dust, obsg their view of the oute.

  Everyoheir breath, their expressions tense as they stared into the cloud of dust.

  Hina muttered under her breath, “Did it work…?”

  Lace swallowed nervously. “If that didn’t stop him, then… he’s just too much!”

  The bear Zoan user, clutg his stomach, staggered forward. “He’s still just flesh and blood…”

  Smoker, however, stayed silent, his sharp gaze locked on the fading dust.

  Against someone like Big Mom or Kaido, an attack like this would feel like nothing more than a scratch, he thought. Even though Zephyr’s not at their level, this group really breach his defenses?

  While their bined abilities were numerous, none of them had the raw, overwhelming power of an admiral’s destructive force. Other than his own bck bdes, Smoker doubted their attacks could pee Zephyr’s defenses.

  Suddenly, an overwhelming burst of energy erupted from the dust cloud, blowing it away entirely.

  Zephyr emerged, his upper body bare, revealing a physique as solid as steel. His chest bore a few faint scars, with traces of bck gradually fading from the edges.

  “Impressive… you actually mao wound me,” Zephyr admitted, his tone carrying a note of approval.

  His gaze fell on Smoker, full nition. He had sensed something unusual about Smoker’s attad had immediately covered himself with Armament Haki. Even so, he had been just a fra too slow, and his chest had taken a hit.

  “Well done. gratutions—everyone has passed the assessment!”

  The cadets let out collective sighs of relief. A few of the younger, more excitable ones even jumped for joy.

  “But…”

  Zephyr grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye.

  “I’d still like to see just how far you go! Let’s tiil one of us ’t stand anymore!”

  “What?!” The cadets’ eyes widened in disbelief.

  This old man is out to kill us!

  “Let’s go!”

  Zephyr charged into the fray like a lion leaping into a den of rabbits. Chaos erupted as cries of arm and pain filled the air.

  Ten mier.

  The training ground was littered with cadets sprawled across the flroaning in exhaustion. Even Smoker and Hina y ft on their backs, gasping for breath.

  “He’s ridiculously strong…” Hina muttered.

  Smrunted. “Yeah… but he’s a former admiral, after all.”

  Smoker had been pummeled so thhly that he had lost all sense of dire during the fight. Even wheried to use his abilities, he couldn’t figure out where Zephyr was attag from.

  At one point, they had set up a trap, using Hina as bait to lure Zephyr into Smravitational pull. But that had only made things worse.

  Once Zephyr was dragged close, he unleashed a relentless barrage of cle attacks. Smoker swore he could feel his ans shifting from the beating.

  Meanwhile, Zephyr had barely a scratch. Even the wounds on his chest were already scabbing over.

  “Ha! That was fun!” Zephyr ughed heartily, standing tall amid the chaos.

  “This is your first lesson: no matter owers you possess, remember that physical strength is the foundation of everything!”

  He then motioned for Smoker to stand in front of the group.

  “Now, about this ‘chief’ title you’ve been calling him—it’s iing!” Zephyr smirked.

  “So, from today onward, I’m officially introdug the role of Chief Cadet.”

  He paused, letting his words sink in before tinuing.

  “The stro individual in the camp will hold this position and enjoy authority equal to the instructors. Smoker, you’re the first to earn this title!”

  “Do you all accept this?” Zephyr asked, his gaze sweeping across the group.

  “Yes, t!” they all shouted in unison, their exhaustion overridden by respect.

  Even Gasparade could only bow his head iant aowledgment.

  Zephyr cpped Smoker on the shoulder with a grin.

  “Smoker, do your best. From now on, you’re officially the Chief!”

  Void996