He watched as Jinbei punched out with overwhelming force. Kuzan crossed his arms to block, but still got pushed back by the sheer power of the punch.
However, as the momentum faded, Jinbei realized that Kuzan was not hurt; he had just temporarily suppressed the impact.
This was within Jinbei's expectations. After all, he knew that injuring an Admiral head-on required more strength than he currently had.
However, even so, Jinbei achieved his strategic goal. By taking the initiative to attack, he prevented himself from falling into passivity and could drag the fight for a longer time.
Therefore, Jinbei didn't stop for a moment and immediately continued to attack Kuzan. Under his fierce assault, Kuzan also defended and counterattacked.
The two sides engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat. Their movements were dazzling, and every clash reverberated through the space.
Watching the battle, Whitebeard nodded slightly, impressed by Jinbei's strength as a fishman. The natural physique of fishmen was about ten times stronger than that of normal humans.
Moreover, for a strong man like Jinbei, using the fishman physique to fight Kuzan in close combat was obviously an advantage for him.
In close combat, the impact and vibration demand high physical fitness. If it were an ordinary person, fighting an Admiral at such close quarters would definitely injure them and they wouldn't be able to keep up.
But Jinbei's physique narrows the gap between them, allowing him to fight against Kuzan for a long time, without giving up.
"Come on, Jinbei, you're our hope!"
Charles Vane suddenly shouted.
"Boss Jinbei, you're the pride of us fishmen!"
Shirahoshi cheered, showing her support for Jinbei.
For a while, the cheers around were lively because Jinbei lived up to expectations and can hold Kuzan for a while. But it's not difficult to understand why.
However, Jinbei doesn't know how to use Armament Haki. He relies solely on his Fishman Karate and the strength of his race to barely contend with Kuzan's Armament Haki.
Jinbei persisted, but this kind of battle was still a struggle. After dozens of rounds, Jinbei was defeated.
Despite the defeat, Jinbei fought the most rounds among all main commanders except for Tesla, which was a testament to his endurance and skill.
Everyone stepped forward, cheering for Jinbei. At that moment, Whitebeard coughed twice, and everyone quieted down, turning their attention to him.
"I said, are you satisfied with just this achievement? This time, I want to show you the gap between you and an Admiral, so you'll train harder"
The commanders all bowed their heads in shame. Jinbei spoke first: "Oyaji, don't worry, we'll try to complete the task you gave us as quickly as possible."
"Well, that's good,"
Whitebeard nodded in satisfaction, but he was truly surprised by the battle. After all, Kuzan's intensity exceeded his expectations, creating a big challenge for them.
........
After the frustration of the battle, the crew all went to reflect on themselves. In a remote place on the ship, Benjamin was there to comfort Marco.
As the first commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, being defeated by Kuzan's in one attack was a blow to Marco. He felt so ashamed that he couldn't accept it. Although Benjamin had been comforting Marco for a long time, it had little effect.
"Marco, you've been here for a while now. Let's go back and see how the other crew are doing?"
Benjamin said to Marco.
"Don't worry about me, you go back first. You haven't been tested yet, no need to stay with me all the time,"
Marco shook his head and said.
Benjamin felt a bit embarrassed at once, and quickly said, "Hey, no need to worry. After all, I'm the last one. my turn is probably still a long time."
In truth, Benjamin didn't want to participate in this test, so he used this excuse to accompany Marco. He knew Marco was unwilling to go back at this time, so he said it deliberately.
Just then, Jozu and the other commanders found them. Charles Vane rushed over like a whirlwind and said to Benjamin, "So you're here. You're the only one left to test."
"Have you all been tested? How did it go?"
Benjamin asked with his wide-eyed open.
"Mostly, they were defeated in just two attacks. Only Vista, Jinbei, and Tesla did better. They lasted longer, especially Tesla, who almost defeated Kuzan,"
Jozu said as he walked over.
Hearing this, Marco's heart shook. "What? Almost defeated Kuzan? Is Tesla really that strong?"
"It's not that exaggerated, I'm still far from it,"
Tesla quickly explained.
"Hey, don't play innocent, we all saw it clearly,"
Charles Vane said immediately.
"Yeah, no need to be humble,"
Jinbei added.
Benjamin looked surprised, looking at Tesla with surprised eyes: "Did you really fight that well?"
"It might have been because Kuzan was tired from earlier fights, just luck. It's impossible for me to defeat Kuzan,"
Tesla said.
"Let's not downplay it. I used most of my skills dealing with you. If I was exhausted, it was after dealing with you,"
Kuzan retorted to Tesla.
"That's true,"
Jinbei nodded. When Kuzan fought him, he clearly felt that Kuzan wasn't using much of his skills, just relying on physical strength. It didn't seem too exhausting.
"It turns out you all did so well. Seems like I'm the worst,"
Marco, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, surprising everyone.
"Marco, what are you talking about? Your strength doesn't need to be proven. A defeat means nothing,"
Jozu said immediately.
"Yeah, it's nothing at all. Don't let it get to you. We all have our strengths,"
Vista added.
Benjamin didn't want to see everyone upset about Marco, so he immediately changed the subject and asked: "By the way, since I haven't been fought yet, should I go now?"
"It's not necessary anymore. Oyaji said that Kuzan is not at his best form now, so you'll have to wait until later,"
Jozu said.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
________________________
you can read COMPLETED chapters at P@treon ahead of everyone.
Link : patreon.com/MoonEater18