On the desolate Gobi Desert.
The ground, covered with various gravels, trembled with the booming sounds from the sky. The intense impact caused countless gravels to beat down on the ground, startling the creatures hiding in the corners and beneath the surface. They leaped out in fear and fled.
"Boom… Boom… Boom…"
On the visible ground, two figures loomed and flickered. Every collision between them produced violent roars and powerful impacts, causing cracks to spread across the ground like a spider web.
In the sky, with the strong wind blowing, Zephyr's figure appeared, his Marine coat fluttering behind him.
Gnar's figure also emerged from the sky, with scorching steam escaping from his body. The two figures flickered in the air, colliding once more.
In an instant, their fists, charged with powerful force, collided. The explosive force and heat from the impact heated the surrounding air, creating a fierce wind that erupted in all directions.
Neither of them paused; they continued to exchange blows with pure strength, as if they were telepathically connected. At this moment, neither made any attempt to dodge. They were engaged in a pure competition of physical power.
After their aerial battle, the two landed simultaneously on the ground and charged at each other, their movements swift and fierce.
"Bang bang bang…"
"Boom boom boom…"
Neither took a step back, and both had satisfied, wild smiles on their faces.
"Bang!"
As they clenched their fists, wrestling for strength, Zephyr finally broke free, his face lit with a heroic smile.
"Nice, kid. To be honest, I'm starting to admire you."
Gnar's face was equally excited.
"Me too. The feeling of fighting without holding back is incredible!"
"Oh!"
Zephyr's eyes were filled with growing appreciation, but the strength in his hands did not waver; it became even heavier. As Gnar's muscles swelled, his strength also increased.
The already fragile ground beneath them began to crack and collapse like a spider web.
"Boom… Boom… Boom…"
One meter, two meters, three meters…
The ground beneath their feet collapsed for more than 20 meters, with the cracks spreading a thousand meters away. Yet, their wrestling continued, showing no sign of a clear winner.
"It's a pity. If it weren't for this situation, you'd make a great disciple. It's unfortunate…"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zephyr tightened his grip on Gnar's arm to prevent him from escaping. Then, he shook his head and struck Gnar with a headbutt.
"What!"
Gnar hadn't expected that Zephyr, a Marine Admiral, would use such a basic move, and he was hit directly without any preparation.
"Boom…"
The headbutt caused a momentary dizziness in Gnar, and Zephyr seized the opportunity to throw him around, slamming him against the ground repeatedly.
"Boom… Boom… Boom…"
After five or six impacts, the ground beneath them had formed deep ravines.
Just as Zephyr was about to continue, Gnar managed to grab Zephyr's arm, half-kneeling on the ground to regain his footing.
Although Zephyr had stopped throwing him around, the size difference between them still gave Gnar a disadvantage. Zephyr was three meters tall, while Gnar was only two meters tall.
Under the pressure of Zephyr's immense strength, Gnar could only remain half-kneeling.
Seeing this, Zephyr boldly asked:
"So, kid, what are you going to do now?"
Gnar responded by tightening his grip on Zephyr's arm.
"Hmm!?"
Then, using his strength, Gnar stopped resisting and pushed Zephyr down. He jumped up, raised his foot, and kicked Zephyr in the chest.
"Nice reaction! Unfortunately, it's useless!"
Zephyr released one arm and leaned slightly to avoid Gnar's kick.
At the same time, Gnar's body brushed past Zephyr's.
"Snap!"
Gnar grabbed Zephyr's raised arm.
"Now it's my turn!"
Taking advantage of their close proximity, Gnar raised his head and delivered a powerful headbutt to Zephyr.
As an experienced user of Observation Haki, Zephyr sensed the incoming blow. However, due to his arms being restrained and the close distance, he couldn't avoid it.
"Boom…"
Thunder exploded again on the ground.
When their foreheads collided, the impact and heat visibly spread in all directions.
Time seemed to stand still. Both men involuntarily released each other and staggered back a few steps.
"Click… Click…"
In just a few steps, Zephyr regained his balance, rubbed his uninjured head, and said appreciatively:
"I really didn't expect to be hit by someone else's move."
He then looked at Gnar, who was also standing firm with no visible injuries on his forehead, and added with some surprise:
"What a hard head. Hey, kid, what's your connection to Charlotte Linlin?"
Gnar rubbed his head to ease the dizziness.
"Unfortunately, I have no connection to her at all."
"Yeah!"
Zephyr stood upright again, reflecting on the steel-like impact and the powerful force from Gnar. He said incredulously:
"It's incredible. This blow reminds me of the Steel Balloon.
You can actually fight against me with just your physical strength.
Your body is already strong enough to withstand average Armament Haki.
If you were in the Marines, with my current physical strength alone, becoming a Rear Admiral would be a piece of cake."
Gnar didn't feel like he had a chance of winning despite Zephyr's praise.
"It's just that you, Admiral Zephyr, are showing mercy!"
Zephyr didn't deny it.
"You're right. Now that the warm-up is over, it's time for me to get serious."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zephyr grabbed his arm, removed the Marine Admiral's coat, and tossed it aside.
Visible to the naked eye, Zephyr's muscles began to bulge, stretching his suit. Veins appeared on his fists, but he still hadn't used Haki. Noticing Gnar's curious look, Zephyr grinned.
"Kid, you're just not qualified to make me take you seriously right now. Didn't you say you just learned the Six Styles? Let me tell you, the Marine Six Styles are not that simple…"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
Patreon have 40+ advanced chapters for you guys
Your help will be greatly appreciated.