Smoker’s expression grew serious. An expert’s skill was evident right from the start. He would have been seriously injured if he had been a bit slower reacting to Mosen’s earlier strike.
It seemed he had underestimated the young man before him. Mosen’s swordsmanship at this age was monstrous.
Had he not possessed a Logia ability, things would have been dire.
The world was vast, filled with extraordinary beings. The smoker reminded himself to stay vigilant.
“I was too arrogant. From now on, I’ll go all out. Be careful!”
“Gladly!”
Mosen continued his assault, his words barely out before he lunged forward, sword in hand.
The forward thrust of his blade, Koi, was as swift as a bullet. The blade’s gleam was chilling, devoid of any warmth, as if the very sunlight reflecting off it had been consumed by its cold menace.
Rapid Thrust!
“White Out: White Blow!”
As Mosen advanced, Smoker’s arms turned into smoke, and two columns charged towards him.
“Perfect!”
Mosen’s eyes lit up. He withdrew his thrusting sword and switched to a vertical slash. This strike didn’t focus on speed but rather on creating a powerful wind pressure that cleaved through the smoke ahead, much like a speedboat cutting through water.
Rapid Slash!
The smoke behind Mosen took a moment to regroup as he closed in on Smoker, delivering a series of quick slashes.
As Mosen anticipated, they were ineffective. He aimed to force Smoker to maintain his elemental form, thereby wearing him down.
Once Smoker’s stamina waned, maintaining his elemental form would become challenging.
Smoker, half-elementalized, spoke, “Kid, did you think my fruit’s power was limited to this?”
“Got you, you vain kid! White Strike!”
All the surrounding smoke instantly transformed into tendrils that wrapped around Mosen.
However, it didn’t work as expected, and Smoker was taken aback.
“Hehehe, what a troublesome ability. Without developing my Devil Fruit powers, I wouldn’t be able to slip past this smoke. Even now, not all of it is slipping off.”
The smoker withdrew his smoke tendrils, looking at Mosen with surprise. “A Devil Fruit?”
“Yes, I ate the Slip-Slip Fruit, which has made my extraordinary looks even more handsome.”
Mosen had a smug, self-satisfied look.
“Idiot, who asked about your looks?”
The smoker was on the verge of a breakdown. What kind of opponent was this? He was deadly serious in battle, but in conversation, he was annoyingly unserious. Smoker’s increasing dislike for Mosen wasn’t out of jealousy for his looks.
“Well, well, don’t worry about the details. My additional ability is to slip past all attacks.”
Do you misunderstand the word “additional”? Shouldn’t your looks be secondary?
“Impressive ability. Again!”
“White Out: White Serpent!”
The smoke’s speed and strength increased significantly this time, much more than the previous White Blow.
Rapid Slash!
Mosen used the same move, but wasn’t as effective this time. The smoke still surged forward.
Boom… Mosen was hit by the smoke’s impact and sent flying seven or eight meters, landing with a thud and kicking up dust.
As Smoker approached to deliver another strike, Mosen stood up and smiled at him.
He charged again, and the two clashed fiercely, creating a chaotic scene as if a typhoon had passed through.
“What a strong kid. His swordsmanship has broken through the iron-cutting barrier, and he’s so young.”
“Incredible.”
“Captain Smoker and a division ensign are evenly matched.”
“Hey, Captain Smoker is clearly winning…”
Outside the arena, the Headquarters soldiers were wide-eyed, nearly sticking out their tongues in disbelief.
They hadn’t expected their powerful Captain Smoker, the most robust Logia user, to find an equal in a mere ensign.
This wasn’t just any ensign; in the Headquarters, such a rank was a dime a dozen, with nine out of ten people outranking him.
And the opponent seemed a few years younger than Captain Smoker.
What kind of monster was this? No one at this age had shown such prowess, even in the monster-filled Marine Headquarters.
It was clear that this kid, once in Headquarters, would stir up a storm.
On the contrary, Franca and the 77th Division Marines were at ease.
Indeed, Mosen was still Mosen, a monster who defied normal expectations.
…
Half an hour passed. After another clash, both stepped back, separating.
Smoker now wielded his Seastone weapon, Ten Hands, with a slight tremble in his hand.
Conversely, Mosen was equally exhausted, gripping Koi and breathing heavily. His once neat and clean Justice Cloak was now disheveled.
However, both eyes were excitedly bright, clearly benefiting greatly from the battle.
“Kid, I admit, you’re worthy of being my opponent,” Smoker said, his voice admiring. Respect for a strong adversary was paramount.
Mosen rolled his eyes. Who was he trying to impress? The smoker still needed more practice. Look at Shanks; a mere presence would make you wet yourself.
“I’m only 15. Soon, you won’t be my match.”
“I’m a Logia user with a high potential ceiling.”
“I’m 15.”
“I’m a Marine Headquarters Captain.”
“I’m 15.”
“I’m a rising star of the Marines, destined to become an Admiral!”
“I’m 15.”
“…”
Could you stop rubbing in your age? Are you selling needles because you keep poking at me like this?
Mosen felt extremely satisfied, watching Smoker’s gritted teeth and darkened face. Showing off was delightful. Although he was nearly 30, considering his past life, he was currently young.
While he couldn’t yet defeat Smoker in combat, he was miles ahead in a battle of words.
Smoker realized this kid was a master of trash talk. Despite being a pro at it in Headquarters, he had to concede to this kid’s superior skill.
“Damned brat, let’s go again. Today, I’ll teach you to respect your seniors,” Smoker said, not giving Mosen a chance to respond, attacking immediately. He wouldn’t let the kid open his mouth to spew more nonsense.
Hah, foolish guy. Wait until you’re exhausted, then you’ll see my strength.
Indeed, Smoker’s physical combat skills were average. Most Logia users had this weakness since developing their abilities yielded better returns than basic training.
Thus, the stronger the Logia users, the more they tended to neglect physical combat. Although Smoker’s abilities seemed underwhelmed, he mainly focused on his fruit’s development.
So, he couldn’t be blamed later on.
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