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Byakuya's powerful strike cleanly buried the arena underground, signaling the official start of the highly anticipated battle.
Cook said, "Byakuya, won't you choose a suitable weapon? We are all equipped with weapons. Fighting us without one will put you at a disadvantage."
Byakuya declined Cook's offer. "No need. Even if I take one, I won't use it well. I'll rely on my fists and feet."
"Be careful; weapons can be dangerous," Cook warned before lunging at Byakuya with his long sword, unleashing a sharp crescent-shaped slash at Byakuya.
Byakuya did not dodge or flinch, landing a powerful punch that shattered the crescent slash.
Byakuya inspected his fist, which now bore a faint white mark, a sign of the strength he had just unleashed.
The next moment, two blasts of force were aimed at Byakuya's flanks; in response, Byakuya shifted his body as thin as paper, evading the combined attack of two instructors.
He then grabbed their arms and threw them, sending them hurtling through the crowd with a series of loud crashes and cries of pain.
"What's holding you back?" Byakuya taunted.
"Do you want a recruit like me to defeat all six hundred of you?" His words urged the remaining instructors and recruits to action, yet they hesitated.
Byakuya's tone turned mocking, "If you can't act now, how will you fight when faced with pirates?"
He didn't wait for their response and instead charged into the crowd. His punches and kicks sent people flying in all directions.
Given the abilities of the recruits, only a short time could withstand him.
Byakuya was careful to control his strength to avoid causing serious injuries, as he had promised Zephyr.
He treated the battle as an exercise in mastering the precision of his power.
As Byakuya rampaged through the crowd, the high-ranking officers in the stands watched in astonishment.
They had already anticipated Byakuya to be strong, given his bold claim of challenging six hundred people, but none had expected such a one-sided battle.
Byakuya seemed unstoppable, as though he could take on another six hundred with ease.
A few vice-admirals sensed something unusual about the fight but couldn't pinpoint the cause.
Meanwhile, on the highest viewing platform, the four senior officers exchanged concerned glances.
Garp furrowed his brow and asked, "Zephyr, are you sure this kid learned the Marine's Six Style?"
Byakuya, now deep within the fray, didn't use the Six Style techniques like Finger Pistol or Tempest Kick in his attacks, nor Moon Walk or Shave in his movements.
Instead, he relied on Paper Art to evade strikes, and if he couldn't avoid them, he braced himself with Iron Body.
Though this approach made for an intense, visceral fight, it was not a strategically sound approach.
Zephyr knew that Byakuya had mastered all the Marine's Six Styles and understood how dedicated Byakuya was to mastering Shave and Moon Walk.
After observing Byakuya's relentless training over the past month, Zephyr concluded that Byakuya's command of Shave and Moon Walk rivaled his own.
Yet, during this fight, Byakuya seemed to focus solely on Iron Body and Paper Art, ignoring the other four techniques.
When Zephyr saw Byakuya's determined expression, he was struck by a bold thought—perhaps Byakuya was deliberately challenging himself.
Zephyr couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Garp, just watch! My student will win and become a Marine admiral in no time!"
He had full faith in Byakuya's potential. Garp merely snorted in response, withholding further comment.
Both Sengoku and Aokiji also sensed something unusual, but they didn't think Byakuya had truly abandoned the other four techniques during his month of training.
They believed Byakuya must have a specific goal in mind for this fight.
Within a short time, Byakuya had already defeated over three hundred people and four instructors.
Since Byakuya had held back and avoided serious injury, most of those he defeated would only need a brief rest before they could fight again.
One downside to using the training grounds as the arena was that the fight wouldn't end until the opponents either conceded or were incapacitated.
Byakuya soon found himself in a cleared area, as the instructors had directed the fallen participants to the sidelines to prevent a stampede.
Taking advantage of the momentary respite, Byakuya took a deep breath to steady himself.
He checked his system interface, focusing on his Paper Art and Iron Body skills.
[Paper Art lv5 (10%+), Iron Body lv5 (6%+)]
The progress in these two skills demonstrated how much Byakuya had endured in his training, dodging attacks and enduring blows.
As Zephyr suspected, Byakuya was using this challenge to advance his skills in Paper Art and Iron Body more quickly.
While Byakuya could use world source points to achieve his goals, they were a limited resource, so he preferred to be frugal and use the people in the training camp to help him polish his skills.
"Almost there. Just a few more to go, and it should be enough," Byakuya thought to himself.
By now, the fallen participants had been removed, and the fight was about to resume.
Perhaps the previous combat had taught them a lesson, as the participants now gathered under the guidance of a single instructor rather than fighting separately and chaotically.
Among the remaining fighters, the strongest were Quake and Fergus, who had held out until now, surprising Byakuya.
Although Byakuya hadn't targeted anyone specifically, focusing on the nearest opponents instead, he remembered punching Quake twice and striking Fergus once.
Unlike other participants, who were usually rendered unconscious or needed to rest after taking a punch from Byakuya, these two had managed to stay in the fight, proving their remarkable resilience.
The first to attack Byakuya, Cook, also managed to hold on and took command of the battle.
Under Cook's direction, the fight became more organized.
The attacks were no longer erratic; each wave of attack was coordinated to prevent friendly fire.
Now, every fighter followed Cook's commands, attacking in turns.
If one attack missed, they would immediately retreat to make way for the next wave.
Even if someone got hit by Byakuya, they would quickly be dragged away for treatment.
For Byakuya, this posed a considerable challenge. The attacks came like waves with no chance to breathe, but he found this challenge exciting.
He had intentionally been holding back his full strength and had yet to use the other four techniques.
If he fought with his full power, perhaps only a few instructors would still be standing.
Furthermore, he always had the system as a backup. Losing wasn't an option for Byakuya.
As time passed, the situation grew increasingly intense. Cook called Fergus and Quake to his side.
"Fergus, we need you and Quake to work together. The other instructors and I will create an opening for you. Make sure you take advantage of it."
"We might not win this fight, but we should at least give him a tough time. If we lose without landing a hit, we won't be able to show our faces in the Marine base again."
Quake and Fergus nodded in agreement; they had come to respect Byakuya's strength.
Neither of them had ever seen anyone as tough as Byakuya—able to withstand numerous punches yet still fight on with full energy.
It was enough to make anyone feel defeated. Byakuya would occasionally check his skill progress and was delighted to see the proficiency levels soar.
[Paper Art lv5 (95%+), Iron Body lv5(95%+)]
Both skills were leveling up simultaneously. Byakuya's strategy of switching between avoiding and taking hits worked wonders for his proficiency levels.
Opportunities like this were rare—no danger of death, while simultaneously boosting his reputation.
It was a win-win situation for Byakuya, and the consistent cycle of participants joining the fight kept his progress steady.
Cook and the remaining instructors charged forward, with Fergus by their side. They looked ready to launch a coordinated attack.
Byakuya noticed this and shouted, "Cook, I've been waiting to land a punch on you!"
"Don't worry; it won't kill you with one hit. You might just have to rest in bed for a couple of weeks."
Byakuya wasn't one to hold grudges, but he certainly wasn't overly magnanimous either.
Previously, Cook had been leaping around trying to rally everyone against Byakuya, persuading all the instructors to join in and even attempting to get Zephyr on board.
How could Byakuya not properly "thank" Cook for his care and consideration?
As Cook and the others approached Byakuya, ready to attack, Cook suddenly shouted, "Close your eyes!"
Beside him, Fergus shone like a human sun, emitting an intense light that turned the training grounds into a sea of brightness.
The marine officers watching from the sidelines squinted their eyes in pain, shielding them with their hands and barely able to make out what was happening due to the blinding light.
Such intense brightness even made seasoned fighters like Garp uncomfortable.
Their eyes' self-defense mechanism kicked in, causing their eyes to cry.
Garp turned to ask Zephyr what was going on, but what he saw made him speechless.
Aokiji had used his Devil Fruit powers to create thin sheets of ice, reflecting the light away from his eyes.
Sengoku's eyes were encased in a layer of golden light, completely unhindered.
Seeing Garp's discomfort, Sengoku laughed, "Being in Buddha form gives me as much shine as Fergus' fruit."
Garp was speechless. "Fine, you Devil Fruit users have the upper hand. I'll go talk to Zephyr then."
Zephyr didn't have a Devil Fruit, so he should be struggling like Garp.
However, when Garp turned to look at him, Zephyr had already put on a pair of sunglasses and remained calm and collected. Garp was stunned.
"You... you shameless old man!"
Zephyr smirked, "What's the problem? I knew Fergus had the Light-Light Fruit, so I brought some sunglasses to watch the match. Oh, is our Marine hero about to cry?"
Garp's veins bulged in anger, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face. "Give me a pair of sunglasses!"
"I only brought one pair," Zephyr replied nonchalantly.
Garp snapped, "I don't care. If you don't give me one, I'll snatch your glasses, and we'll each wear one eye!"
Realizing Garp was serious, Zephyr begrudgingly took out another pair of sunglasses and tossed them to Garp.
"So much for a Marine hero... More like a Marine bandit!"
Garp took the sunglasses happily and put them on, immediately feeling relieved from the brightness.
He paid no attention to Zephyr's insult; what was wrong with being a bandit?
As he watched Byakuya battle, Garp even considered stealing him away as his student.
If it weren't for the fear of causing Zephyr's heart to explode, Garp might have done it already.
Byakuya struggled to adapt to the unexpected burst of intense light.
Others suffered from the reflected light, but Byakuya was at the very center, experiencing not only the brightness but also the heat, as the intense light produced substantial warmth.
His eyes burned and stung, preventing him from opening them. He wasn't sure what was happening around him.
Instinctively, he thought to use Soru to leave his position, but then he hesitated. Wasn't this the exact battle environment he had been hoping for?
The bright light made it impossible to see, forcing him to rely solely on his instincts to dodge, and if he couldn't dodge, he would have to endure the blows with his body.
This perfectly aligned with his training objectives. So, Byakuya decided not to move.
Instead, he remained in place, focusing on sensing everything around him—the air currents brushing against his body, the scents in the air, all of which could serve as his eyes.
Byakuya couldn't see, and neither could Cook and his team.
However, after watching Byakuya for a while, Cook was willing to bet that Byakuya wouldn't use Moon Walk or Shave to create distance; instead, they only needed to aim their attacks at Byakuya's presumed location based on memory.
He was right; Byakuya indeed did not dodge. The four attackers struck together.
Although Byakuya couldn't see, his other senses seemed to become sharper, allowing him to sense the subtle movements in the air.
"It seems like two on the left, one on the right, and one below." Byakuya's body moved according to his thoughts, evading the attacks.
His left side suddenly thinned, avoiding two Finger Pistol strikes. Next, his right side twisted to the left, dodging a punch and taking on an 'S' shape.
Cook, relying on Observation Haki, lunged a sword toward Byakuya's abdomen.
Instead of dodging, Byakuya intercepted the sword as it approached, catching the blade with his left hand.
Byakuya felt a force beneath his skin trying to emerge, continuously striving but unable to break through the skin's limit.
Byakuya recognized this sensation as Armament Haki—it was apparent to him now.
As Cook's sword was caught, he shouted, "Quake!" Suddenly, a thunderous bear roar erupted from behind Byakuya.
Quake transformed into a giant black bear, radiating a wild aura.
Standing nearly five meters tall, its limbs were as thick as three people's combined embrace.
With massive paws akin to rooftops, the bear slapped down at Byakuya's head, casting a shadow over the area and causing cracks to appear in the ground.
This was Cook's final plan—after Byakuya had evaded their attacks, he would surely fail to dodge Quake's strike.
Even if Byakuya tried to use Moon Walk to escape, Cook and the others would keep him trapped to prevent his escape.
In other words, as long as Byakuya hadn't initially used Moon Walk to create distance, Quake's attack was likely to hit its mark.
Their hopes for victory rested on this one strike from Quake. Quake understood the significance of this attack, giving it his all and summoning his utmost strength.
Byakuya recognized their plan and marveled at its cleverness, but he also noted that his plan had been successful as well.
Byakuya's faint smile showed his confidence.
[Paper Art lv5 (max), Iron Block lv5 (max)]
[Congratulations to the host for maxing out the skills. Triggering extension skills, Paper Art will evolve to Observation Haki, and Iron Block will evolve to Armament Haki.]
[Would you like to proceed with the changes?]
Of course, Byakuya thought. That was the whole point of this battle.
[Changes complete: Observation Haki lv1 (+), Armament Haki lv1 (+)]
Finally, the battle could come to an end. Byakuya faced the bear's paw, which carried terrifying momentum.
He extended his right index finger, which was coated in Armament Haki and turned black—the best he could manage.
His seemingly weak finger struck the center of the falling bear paw. The paw, akin to a falling meteor, suddenly came to a halt, blocked by just one finger.
Sengoku and the others watched closely, then slammed their hands on the table and exclaimed, "That's Armament Haki!"
Zephyr was both shocked and delighted. "He truly learn Haki! He truly is my disciple!"
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