One Piece: Start with Zanpakutō

"Wait."

Just as Rosen, fresh from crushing the World Destroyer, was preparing to leap straight into the second round of battle, Zephyr suddenly stepped forward and raised a hand to halt him.

"What is it, Teacher Zephyr?"

Rosen was puzzled.

Weren't you the one who told me to come to the Infinite Hell for actual combat training?

Weren't you the one who ordered me to break through this hellish abyss?

I've only just begun to dance — why stop me now?

"Domino, dispose of the World's corpse."

Zephyr did not answer directly. Instead, he instructed Domino to clean up Brynndi World's remains. Then, without another word, he turned and began walking toward the frigid depths of Level Five — the Freezing Hell.

Seeing this, Rosen asked no further questions. As the Navy's greatest instructor, Zephyr's every move must surely have deeper meaning.

Borsalino shrugged lightly, following without complaint.

Shiryu glanced once more at World's broken corpse upon the ground. His expression flickered as though lost in thought, but in the end he simply turned and left, leaving behind the prisoners of Level Six to chatter in stunned terror about World's demise and Rosen's monstrous strength.

Outside Infinite Hell, Zephyr continued forward without pause, retracing their steps until they reached an empty office Domino had prepared earlier. Once there, he ordered Shiryu and Domino to remain outside, forbidding them from following.

"Miss Domino, prepare some meat."

"At least three hundred kilograms. It must be sea king meat."

"As for you, Warden Shiryu — you're free to do as you please. But unless it is urgent, do not disturb us."

With those words, Zephyr shut the door, closing off the room.

Clearly, after what had transpired in Freezing Hell and after witnessing Shiryu's cold indifference toward comrades, Zephyr's attitude toward the chief warden had soured utterly.

Shiryu made no move to curry favor. Nor did he leave. Instead, he found a nearby wall and stood there, silently replaying every instance of Rosen's battle with Brynndi World.

The erupting More-More Fruit, so explosively magnified.

The Blut Vene and Blut Arterie that transcended the four established Armament Haki techniques.

And that ever-unassuming Arms-Arms Fruit, quietly at work throughout.

These scenes, like a whirlwind, replayed before Shiryu's eyes again and again.

With each replay, the shock within his heart deepened further.

For the first time in Shiryu's life, he felt a sensation called "fear" toward a man whose power was still, by comparison, below his own.

Yes.

Fear.

"I wasn't mistaken."

"During his battle with World, that man's Haki was continuously evolving."

"Every exchange, every fusion of technique, every combination of Haki and fruit power — all of it. He was growing at a monstrous speed beyond imagination."

Shiryu drew in a long breath.

In that moment, he realized: Rosen's terror did not lie in his current strength, but in that horrifying rate of growth that defied all reason.

If Rosen were to fight the World Destroyer again now, it would not even be a battle.

It would be a one-sided execution — a pure massacre.

On the other hand,

Inside the sealed office, Zephyr looked at Borsalino, who was already seated on the sofa, calmly brewing tea as Rosen sat nearby warming his hands at the small stove.

"If you have any questions, ask."

Zephyr's eyes glinted slightly.

Borsalino always gave off an easygoing, affable air, much like Kuzan. But in truth, he was as unfathomable as the deep sea, always shrouded in ambiguity. In the Navy Headquarters, though he did not inspire the same awe and dread as Sakazuki, no one dared provoke him.

This kind of laid-back warmth — Zephyr had only ever seen it when Borsalino sat with Sakazuki, Kuzan, Garp, or Sengoku.

Yet compared to those old friends, Borsalino seemed even more casual, even more intimate when facing Rosen.

Almost as though this was the natural bond between a true senior and a promising junior.

"Mr. Zephyr — did Brynndi World really fight you, Vice Admiral Garp, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku back in the day?"

"Be honest."

"Given his level, I doubt he could even survive a single palm strike from Sengoku."

Rosen politely tapped the table before picking up the teacup, taking a leisurely sip, and asked with a faint smile.

He had seen Sengoku's overwhelming Buddha form and the magnificent Haki that coiled about it like divine thunder.

With that kind of power, even if you tied three Worlds together, they would all be sent flying with one slap.

"Naval warfare is different from land battles. Some fruit abilities can unleash terrifying might when wielded under the right conditions."

"The environment here in Impel Down, and the fact that World had just thawed and had no weapons in hand, actually greatly limited his ability to wield the More-More Fruit."

"Picture this: you are on a warship, adrift at sea, and Brynndi World is firing at you from several kilometers away."

Zephyr paused for effect, meeting Rosen's gaze.

"A bullet enlarged and accelerated a hundredfold. Even a giant, even a sea king, would be pierced straight through."

"A cannonball magnified and sped up a hundredfold? It could flatten a mountain — no, an entire island."

"With such firepower, World can launch hundreds of rounds in succession from miles away."

"While you're busy blocking these devastating barrages, desperately trying to approach, World's ship is also moving a hundred times faster across the waves."

"What then?"

Zephyr's eyes shone with icy sharpness as they locked onto Rosen.

"Terrifying indeed."

Rosen played the scenario in his mind.

On the Grand Line, even ordinary bullets exceed the speed of sound.

If such bullets were amplified a hundredfold in size and speed, they'd be living missiles in human form.

And at sea, the ship beneath one's feet is life itself. In the perilous waters of the New World, losing the ship is synonymous with death.

Not to mention that World's pirate ship could move a hundred times faster at will, rendering pursuit a laughable dream.

"Fortunately, that man overly depended on his fruit power. His physical skills were lacking, and his mastery of Haki was even worse. Otherwise — if he had learned to Imbue Armament Haki around those hundredfold bullets and shells — it would have been unthinkable."

"If he had the Haki of an Yonko's deputy, it would have been even more nightmarish. If he went a step further and awakened his Conqueror's Haki, he would be on par with Shiki."

"Even without that, if he had awakened the More-More Fruit — imagine him using the multiplicative power on others. Just think: Kaido's speed multiplied a hundredfold, his body enlarged a hundredfold. What kind of horror would that be?"

Zephyr shook his head slowly.

In his eyes, the More-More Fruit, much like the Float-Float Fruit or Tremor-Tremor Fruit, was a top-tier Paramecia.

Unfortunately, Brynndi World had wasted its potential, dragging down the fruit's true upper limit.

Far from the likes of Whitebeard or Shiki.

"Indeed."

Rosen's eyes glimmered with realization. The true terror of the More-More Fruit surpassed his imagination.

No wonder World, though not on par with Yonko, still earned the title of World Destroyer.

No wonder the World Government went so far as to orchestrate a "filial piety betrayal" against him — a treatment reserved for only the most monstrous foes, like Whitebeard.

"As for why he could clash against me, Garp, and Sengoku…"

"That's simple. When we faced him, we were not yet the legends — not yet the Hero of the Marines, not yet the Buddha of the Marines, not yet the Black Arm Zephyr."

"At that time, we were just like you are now — young seedlings, barely sprouted."

Zephyr shook his head, his gaze softening.

"In my day, the Naval Academy didn't even teach Haki, let alone Rokushiki. We only learned after graduation, hunting pirates to gain battle experience and exchanging those merits for guidance and technique."

"It wasn't until I retired and returned as an instructor that I reformed the system from the ground up. That's why even ordinary students today can learn Haki in class."

"Look at Garp — he only became truly famous after defeating Rocks at age forty."

Hearing this, both Rosen and the usually unruffled Borsalino lowered their heads, respect surging from deep within.

It was no exaggeration to say that Zephyr had single-handedly ushered in the Navy's golden age.

"All right, enough reminiscing."

"Back to your internship."

"You must be wondering why, after your clash with the World, even though your three types of Haki had grown significantly, I still chose to stop you."

Zephyr's voice turned solemn once more.

...

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