One piece: Dark Smoker

Hina met Zephyr's playful yet battle-hungry gaze, feeling a chill down her spine.

Her experience of getting beaten repeatedly had taught her one thing: the more she backed away, the more relentless Zephyr became.

Clenching 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 entire training ground in a dense fog to obscure Zephyr's vision. She used Moonwalk to leap into the air, creating distance between 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 blazing aura—like the sun itself—disappeared entirely.

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

"Relax, 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 and leapt back.

"Well done, Smoker. This time, your timing was spot-on," Zephyr said, sounding pleased.

Smoker gently set Hina down. "Ah… excuse me for taking advantage, sensei."

In earlier matches, Zephyr had quickly discovered that Smoker's gravity couldn't penetrate physical obstacles. By overturning a deck or the ground, he could break free within a second. That second was all Zephyr needed.

But here, surrounded by indestructible 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 back anymore. This isn't like before!"

Smoker patted her reassuringly. "Don't worry. This time, we're not focused on attacking. Just surviving will do."

He raised his voice. "Everyone, gather around me!"

The cadets hesitated, exchanging glances. Zephyr didn't interfere, only watching them calmly. Eventually, they regrouped near Smoker.

As a former strategist with knowledge of Zephyr's methods, Smoker knew there 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 injured to safety.

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

Zephyr cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing like metal striking metal.

"Finished planning? Good! I've been waiting!"

"Let's begin Round Two!"

He charged toward a Bear Zoan user at 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 chains, linking everyone together.

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 conscious and even managed to grab Zephyr's wrist in retaliation.

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 collapsed, clearly struggling to maintain her ability.

Ah, so this is the Chain-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 blades.

Zephyr stood his ground, letting the blades tear through his cloak without flinching. His body remained completely unharmed.

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

"Don't tell us what to do!" they yelled, charging forward.

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

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

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

"Attack now!"

Smoker shouted, unleashing several black blades 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 blades, and razor-sharp claws all targeted Zephyr.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Countless attacks rained down, engulfing Zephyr in explosions and debris. The training ground was shrouded in smoke and dust, obscuring their view of the outcome.

Everyone held their 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, clutching 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, can this group really breach his defenses?

While their combined abilities were numerous, none of them had the raw, overwhelming power of an admiral's destructive force. Other than his own black blades, Smoker doubted their attacks could penetrate 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 black gradually fading from the edges.

"Impressive… you actually managed to wound me," Zephyr admitted, his tone carrying a note of approval.

His gaze fell on Smoker, full of recognition. He had sensed something unusual about Smoker's attack and had immediately covered himself with Armament Haki. Even so, he had been just a fraction too slow, and his chest had taken a hit.

"Well done. Congratulations—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 can go! Let's continue until one of us can'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 alarm and pain filled the air.

Ten minutes later.

The training ground was littered with cadets sprawled across the floor, groaning in exhaustion. Even Smoker and Hina lay flat on their backs, gasping for breath.

"He's ridiculously strong…" Hina muttered.

Smoker grunted. "Yeah… but he's a former admiral, after all."

Smoker had been pummeled so thoroughly that he had lost all sense of direction during the fight. Even when he tried to use his abilities, he couldn't figure out where Zephyr was attacking from.

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

Once Zephyr was dragged close, he unleashed a relentless barrage of close-range attacks. Smoker swore he could feel his organs 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 laughed heartily, standing tall amid the chaos.

"This is your first lesson: no matter what powers 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 interesting!" Zephyr smirked.

"So, from today onward, I'm officially introducing the role of Chief Cadet."

He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing.

"The strongest 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, we accept!" they all shouted in unison, their exhaustion overridden by respect.

Even Gasparade could only bow his head in reluctant acknowledgment.

Zephyr clapped Smoker on the shoulder with a grin.

"Smoker, do your best. From now on, you're officially the Chief!"

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