A graceful parabola was traced through the air, accompanied by cursing and screams.
Our future Kizaru crashed heavily to the ground.
This scene left Zephyr, who had been watching with anticipation, froze in place.
Garp, who had been laughing heartily, was left jaw dropped.
Sakazuki's serious face cracked in shock.
Dragon, usually silent, widened his eyes.
Only Hammer and the group of trainees lowered their heads.
The entire square fell into a deathly quiet.
On the ground, Borsalino was still groaning, "Owwwwww… my everything…"
The machine displayed a number: 2650.
"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"
"How and why did he get sent flying!?"
Zephyr finally reacted, his face full of shock and disbelief.
Borsalino, alongside Sakazuki, were top-tier recruits, but how could a single test send him flying and seriously injured?
Zephyr couldn't accept it.
"Garp! Let your boy take the test!"
Zephyr turned his gaze toward Dragon.
Dragon felt uncomfortable under Zephyr's burning stare, and just as he was about to object, Garp spoke up.
"Bwahahaah! Your students are so weak, Zephyr! Bet mine won't just survive—he'll break the record! "
Zephyr shot Garp a sour look. This bastard, kicking me while I'm down, huh?
"I bet my son Dragon will break the record without a scratch."
"If I win, you give me that stash of booze you've been hiding."
"You old bastard, you're just after my liquor! And if I win?"
"Dragon's yours, you can train him however you want. I won't interfere!"
That perked Zephyr right up.
As Garp's son, Dragon's talent was something Zephyr knew well.
Such a promising seedling, of course, Zephyr wanted him. But Dragon had always trained under Garp, leaving Zephyr no chance.
Now, Garp was practically handing him over on a silver platter.
Under the command of these two big shots, Dragon had no chance to resist as Garp pushed him toward the testing machine.
His sense of unease grew even stronger.
He glanced at the other trainees, who all gave him "good luck, you're gonna need it" looks.
'Well f#ck', Dragon cursed internally.
But he had no way out now.
Dragon's aura surged, his right fist clenched.
A familiar scene unfolded again.
Another perfect parabola.
By pure bad luck, he landed right next to Borsalino.
Now the two of them were lying there groaning,"Aiya"
Once again, the square fell into silence.
All the trainees lowered their heads, terrified that the slight smirks at their lips would be seen by Zephyr or Garp.
Hammer silently looked up at the sky, only one thought in his mind: 'You should've listened'
Sakazuki's eyes were about to pop out.
He couldn't understand why he had punched out 2600 with no problem, but the two guys with higher power ended up severely injured and sent flying.
Dragon's strike had also exceeded Sakazuki's, but just barely.
2610, only 10 points higher.
Sakazuki couldn't stand being surpassed, so he stepped out of the crowd and walked up to the tester again.
Zephyr and Garp were still frozen, staring at Dragon, completely unaware of Sakazuki's move.
By the time they realized it, it was too late.
Another figure soared through the air, landing heavily beside Dragon.
The "Aiya" chorus just gained a new member.
Sakazuki's injury finally snapped Zephyr and Garp out of it.
"Something's wrong here!"
Zephyr finally turned his suspicion to the machine, eyes full of doubt.
Garp was the same, he trusted his son's strength.
How could testing combat power cause injuries? That was absurd.
The two exchanged glances, then approached the machine together.
Zephyr struck first, throwing a punch so fast the fist-shadow was almost invisible.
The strike was heavy — and the result was equally shocking.
Even with Zephyr's strength, he was blown back by an immense force.
And the stabbing pain from his right arm, with his bones creaking, told the whole story.
The tester wobbled, and a number appeared: 4000!
Everyone stared at the number in disbelief.
This was just Zephyr casually throwing a punch — 4000 combat power. If he got serious, wouldn't he smash this machine to bits?
Feeling the pain in his arm, Zephyr finally understood. His eyes turned sharply to Hammer.
The next second, a furious roar echoed through all of Marineford.
"Hammer!!! You bastard!!!"
Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office
"Zephyr, you fool! You actually....Bwahahahha... got played by a blacksmith, bwahahahaha!"
The loud laughter, the boisterous tone, it could only be the Marine hero, Garp.
At this moment, the office was filled with high-ranking officers:
Admiral Sengoku, former Admiral Zephyr, Hero Garp, and Chief of Staff Tsuru.
And, of course, the current Fleet Admiral Kong.
Oh, and one extra guest: Hammer.
Hammer looked rather miserable at the moment, his face bruised and swollen, Marine uniform in tatters, covered in injuries.
All thanks to his training instructor, Zephyr.
Zephyr, meanwhile, had a dark face, veins popping at his temples.
Sengoku, Tsuru, and Fleet Admiral Kong were all curiously examining Hammer and the combat tester behind him.
"A Devil Fruit ability, huh? You actually made a machine reflect attacks."
"This ability is pretty terrifying."
Tsuru spoke as she inspected the tester curiously.
Sengoku also threw a punch at it.
Having seen the others' examples, Sengoku only used half his strength, around 500 combat power.
But even so, the reflected force made him hiss through his teeth in pain.
"'Hammer Hammer Fruit' ability, Ensign Blacksmith of the Sabaody base, Hammer. This ability really is surprising."
"As expected, Devil Fruits defy common sense. Can you explain how you gave this machine its rebound ability?"
Fleet Admiral Kong crossed his arms, his face serious.
If they could harness this power, applying the rebound effect to warships or armor, it would be a huge boost for the Marines.