Marineford, training ground.
Atlas and Sakazuki, both without their justice cloaks, faced each other. There were no other Marines around; only Sengoku and Tokikake stood in the stands not far away.
Previously in Sengoku's office, Sakazuki proposed testing Atlas's strength, a suggestion that was quickly agreed upon by everyone present. Sengoku was interested in gauging Atlas's progress over the past months, and Tokikake was simply eager for some excitement. After all, one was a Marine's formidable Vice Admiral, and the other was considered by Teacher Zephyr as a promising candidate to catch up with Marine three monsters.
"Are you a swordsman?" Sakazuki looked at the Sandai Kitetsu on Atlas's waist and asked in a deep voice.
"Yes." Atlas shrugged and replied.
"It just so happens that I also have some rudimentary swordsmanship, so I can compete with you."
"But..." Atlas looked at Sakazuki and found no weapons or anything like that, and frowned in confusion.
Sakazuki still had that impassive look on his face. "How can I use a inconvenient thing like a sword!"
As he spoke, smoke billowed from his hand, and hot magma dripped onto the ground of the school grounds, leaving holes. A broad sword about two meters long appeared in Sakazuki 's hand. The blade was entirely composed of hot magma. The rising temperature continued to scorch the surrounding air.
'Shit! I let him show-off!'
Atlas looked at Sakazuki , who had an indifferent face and was holding a giant magma sword, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, secretly complaining in his heart.
Clang!
Upon seeing this, Atlas also slowly pulled out the Sandai Kitetsu from his waist. The black and red haki quickly enveloped the sword, giving the demon sword an even more menacing appearance!
"Admiral Sengoku, get ready to rebuild the school grounds!" Atlas shouted to Sengoku, who was not far away. This immediately angered Sengoku, who was about to enjoy some senbei while watching the excitement.
Before Atlas could get into position, Sakazuki swiftly moved with the magma sword, slashing at Atlas!
'Damn it, Sakazuki, you don't have any martial ethics!'
bump!
Atlas hurriedly resisted, and the two swords collided. There was no crisp sound of metal clashing like with ordinary swords; instead, it gave a dull, heavy feeling.
"Not bad power!" Sakazuki commented.
The two were in a slight stalemate for a while, which ended with Atlas taking a few steps back.
"Ryūbi no Jutsu"(Dragon Tail).
Atlas stood still for a moment, withdrew his left leg, and a blood-red slash flew towards Sakazuki from the sword.
A huge gap appeared in Sakazuki's chest, bringing out the hot magma. Sakazuki's upper body suddenly turned into lava and fell to the ground.
"A very powerful slash!" Suddenly, Sakazuki's figure slowly recovered, without even a trace of a wound. In fact, Atlas was very curious about the elementalization of Logia, and he could actually elementalize it with his clothes. No wonder what happened later at the Summit War, Borsalino's clothes were just slightly dirty.
"Careful, Vice Admiral Sakazuki!"
As Atlas spoke, Sakazuki's hands transformed rapidly into enormous lava fists. A tremendous explosive force emanated from his body, and the colossal fists advanced towards Atlas relentlessly.
Dai Funka(Great Eruption).
'Damn it, didn't we agree on a sword duel?'
In a state of surprise, Atlas swiftly swung the Sandai Kitetsu through the air!
Ittoryu semi no ame to nobori!(Cicada Rain Climbing the tower)(T/N: Reference of some poet of old China).
The dense slashes collided with the two giant lava fists!
As the fists exploded under Atlas's slash, numerous volcanic bombs descended without leaving a trace. Sakazuki had shown restraint by only unleashing two lava fists. It appeared that he still considered the consequences, sparing Sengoku from the headache of repairing the training ground.
Atlas took a deep breath and sheathed the Sandai Kitetsu at his waist. The intense armament haki spread across his body, manifesting a broad expanse of black and red on his chest, shoulders, back, legs, and arms. Two black lines extended from the corners of his eyes to his neck, creating a sensation of sharpness and power in the air.
"Well done!"
Tekkai kenpō bushin ude ha!(Iron Body Boxing Technique Martial God Arm Break).
The shadows of fists filled the sky, covered by Atlas's powerful gaze, accurately intercepting every volcanic bomb!
Sakazuki's volcanic bombs are still incredibly powerful. Besides the immense force generated by the simulated volcanic eruption, there's a searing heat constantly emanating from Atlas's fist. Even with Atlas's current armament strength, he can't completely isolate the high temperature of this magma!
While Atlas was focused on dealing with the volcanic bombs in the sky, Sakazuki quickly closed the distance and approached Atlas. It's safe to say that Sakazuki is extremely formidable in terms of both strength and speed!
He has truly integrated the powers of the Magma-Magma Fruit into his physical techniques. Each punch and physical strike he executes emulates the formidable force of a volcanic eruption to a certain extent!
"Speed is weight! Have you ever experienced a light-speed kick?"(T/N: He has the Rabbit Talisman, also doesn't he feel embarrassed on stealing the most famous dialogue of Kizaru?)
Atlas made a quick decision, abandoning the remaining scattered volcanic bombs. Instead, he raised his legs to kick Sakazuki, who was charging toward him!
If you were to pinpoint the most powerful muscle in Atlas's body at this moment, it would undoubtedly be his legs. After a round of strengthening with the Ox Talisman, his body's muscle density has become incredibly formidable, not to mention the additional transformation effect on the lower limbs from the Rabbit Talisman.
His physique differs from most formidable men in the pirate world. Many strong individuals, including Garp, often exhibit immensely robust upper bodies but comparatively weaker lower limbs. However, Atlas boasts an exceptionally well-proportioned physique, and his lower limbs are notably more potent.
Boom!
Boom! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!
Several more collisions! Atlas found himself a bit overwhelmed. Even though the defense of the Armament Haki had mitigated some of the damage for him, Atlas had to admit that the strength of Sakazuki's Armament Haki was far superior to his own!
It can be said that Sakazuki (38) is currently at his peak or even on the rise! The number of years of training is far beyond what Atlas can match. After all, Atlas has only awakened his Armament Haki not long ago. It is not easy to be able to fight to this point with Sakazuki.
Tekkai kenpo Bushin ude Hyakkan uchi(Iron Body Boxing Technique Martial God Arm Hundred Penetrations!)
Suddenly, Atlas took a step back, turned sideways, twisted his hips, and punched! An inexplicable penetrating force came from his fist.
Boom!
Two fists covered in armament haki collided violently!
Sakazuki only felt that Atlas's strength actually penetrated his armament defense and went directly to his body, just like hitting steel with bare fists!
Atlas, on the other hand, stepped back continuously, leaving a series of clear footprints on the solid training ground, and the sleeves on his arms were broken and fell off.
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