"Ugh."
Phil's iron block was shattered, and he retreated, clutching his stomach, cold sweat dripping down his face. He opened his mouth, trying to say something, but no words came out.
The crowd gasped. Zephyr also looked over, noticing Phil's predicament, and said:
"Phil, you can come down now."
"Hi... Cough... Cough!"
"Sakazuki, not bad. As a Logia-type user, your hand-to-hand combat skills haven't fallen behind."
"Next, I'll personally..."
"Hahahaha, good kid, Zephyr, let me do it!"
Garp, standing nearby, became interested and, laughing heartily, leaped in front of Zephyr to test Sakazuki.
"This... Alright."
"Sakazuki, do you have any objections?"
"No objections."
Sakazuki, eager to feel the gap between himself and top-tier powerhouses, agreed and adjusted his stance, looking at Garp opposite him.
"Come on, kid."
Garp crossed his arms, a wide grin on his face as he spoke to Sakazuki.
Sakazuki unleashed his Crimson Lotus state, stomping his foot. A volcanic eruption of force burst from beneath him, even faster than before.
"Volcanic Eruption!"
He arrived before Garp and threw a punch. Garp, having anticipated this, raised his left arm and met the blow.
Two fists collided.
Boom!
An immense shockwave erupted from Sakazuki's fist. The clash with Garp caused a hurricane to rage around them, forcing the surrounding soldiers to shield their faces. Yet, Garp remained unmoving, still grinning.
"Again!"
Boom!
Boom!
Boom boom!
...
Figures flashed in the arena.
They exchanged a barrage of punches, seemingly evenly matched. However, only Sakazuki knew that Garp hadn't even used Armament Haki in their brief, intense exchange, while his own condition was deteriorating.
The Crimson Lotus state channeled the explosive nature of magma internally, temporarily boosting his strength immensely.
But it also consumed a tremendous amount of stamina. After three minutes of intense fighting, he had reached his limit; any longer and he might collapse.
His body blurred as he withdrew from the Crimson Lotus state. His right hand transformed into a molten arm, and he punched the ground.
"Devil Fruit abilities, huh?"
Garp remained unfazed as he watched Sakazuki punch the ground.
Suddenly, he sensed something.
Soru!
Bang!
A stream of magma erupted from beneath the ground, bursting outwards!
The location was precisely where Garp had been standing.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
...
In a flash, eighteen streams of magma erupted from the earth.
Is that all? Garp thought, having already moved aside.
"Magu Dog!"
Before Garp could react, a magma-formed figure appeared, its fist slamming into Garp with immense force. Instantly, magma exploded, engulfing him.
"Hiss!"
"He's that strong!"
"Sugoi!"
"This..."
The surrounding cadets gasped. The officers were filled with surprise, while Zephyr, with a look of admiration, smiled and said:
"Meticulous thinking, step-by-step planning. Excellent."
After the attack, Sakazuki withdrew from his magma state, standing in place.
He looked at the figure enveloped in magma on the ground.
Bang!
The magma shot outwards, revealing Garp within, completely unharmed.
"You've got some punch, kid! Come aboard my ship after you graduate, hahahaha!!!"
"That's enough, Garp, don't corrupt him!"
Zephyr, a vein throbbing on his forehead, quickly intervened. Such promising talent shouldn't be led astray by Garp.
"Alright, Sakazuki, rejoin the ranks."
"Yes."
The tests continued...
A week later, only two-thirds of the original number remained.
As time passed, Sakazuki's growth progressed steadily, until the impending major event shattered the tranquility of Marineford...