Zephyr's expression changed drastically.
The close proximity made him feel as if he were being locked down by an invisible force.
That strange opening stance—
It didn't feel like he was facing a man, but rather, a black hole devouring all in its path.
"Flowing Rock-Smashing Fist!"
Boom!
Luo Yu's right foot stomped down with thunderous weight. His entire body surged forward like a primordial beast crashing across the earth.
His fists unfurled into a stance—and in the next instant, they roared out like a torrential meteor storm.
In a blink, countless fist shadows erupted like a surging flood, crashing forward with apocalyptic force.
Fist after fist, bursting with explosive power, poured down on Zephyr without mercy.
The thunderclaps of impact pounded the air like a god striking a war drum. The shockwaves from the frenzied assault shattered the earth in a radius of dozens of meters.
Ten punches!
A hundred!
A thousand!
In just a few heartbeats, Zephyr had been forced back again and again beneath the weight of the assault.
His arms crossed before his chest, barely fending off the overwhelming downpour of blows.
And still—he felt suffocated, as though drowning in a tempestuous sea.
The Steel formed from compressed spiritual energy—his greatest defensive technique—was nearing its breaking point.
"Armament Haki!"
Zephyr roared.
Unable to endure any longer, he finally activated his long-famous Black Arm technique.
"You brat… I didn't want to rely on Haki, but as the Chief Instructor, I can't afford to lose face like this!"
His bellow echoed as Armament Haki spread over his arms, finally steadying his body.
Just then—the storm of fists came to an abrupt halt.
Zephyr barely had a chance to react before his pupils shrank.
Luo Yu's arms had swollen with raw power, like stone pillars. A terrifying energy curled around them like a cyclone.
In that moment, there were no frills, no flair—just a single, devastating punch.
BOOM!!
The fist landed, and a gale of raw force erupted like a hurricane.
The sturdy platform beneath Zephyr's feet gave way first, completely annihilated by the impact.
His entire body was swallowed by the sky-piercing tornado of power.
A moment later—
CRASH!
He slammed into the Navy HQ building, over a kilometer away.
A massive detonation followed. The impact wave shredded the surrounding air like a raging storm.
The outer wall of the headquarters—a symbol of Marineford—fractured and collapsed instantly.
A crater had been punched through the wall where Zephyr had struck, its cracks radiating outward like a spiderweb.
"What's going on?! Why is the headquarters under attack? Is it pirates?! The Revolutionary Army?! Who dares do this?!"
"Emergency protocol! Highest alert level! All personnel, mobilize immediately!"
"Find whoever attacked the base and let them feel the full wrath of the Navy! Even a Yonko wouldn't escape death for this!"
The base exploded into motion. Thousands of Marines rushed toward the site, flooding the plaza like a hornet's nest.
But the moment they saw who was embedded in that massive crater…
They froze—wide-eyed and speechless.
Were their eyes deceiving them?
Or had someone used Zephyr himself as a human missile?
If not—how else could there be a giant hole in HQ caused by none other than the Chief Instructor himself?
"This… this has to be fake. Just physical technique alone? One punch, and Zephyr-sensei got sent flying that far? Are we hallucinating?"
Binz's face had gone rigid, and he muttered in disbelief.
Beside him, Ain's delicate face had turned pale as a sheet. She too could hardly speak:"Were we actually trying to fight a monster just now?"
"He's really… just a rookie who trained for one year?"
"To reach this level using only martial arts—could it be what Zephyr-sensei called the ultimate comprehension of the Six Powers?"
A deafening dead silence fell across the plaza.
As everyone stared at Luo Yu, he slowly retracted the pressure radiating from his body.
Even he was surprised by the power of the Flowing Rock-Smashing Fist.
It seemed that this technique—originating from the world of One Punch Man, a martial arts mastery belonging to the Silver Fang Banggu—had found new life in this world.
With that final punch, Luo Yu had pierced through some unseen veil.
He had touched upon the threshold of true martial enlightenment.
If the Six Powers were a technique born from sensing the inner chi, then mastery of the Six Powers was the act of condensing and compressing that chi until it burst forth like a cannon blast.
In all of Marine HQ, even across the World Government, many knew of the Six Powers.
Even combination techniques weren't rare anymore.
But true mastery—true Six Powers Secrets—were nearly unheard of.
Otherwise, Rob Lucci of CP9 would not have been called a once-in-800-years weapon of war.
Yet Luo Yu, through physical strength alone, had sent Zephyr flying over a kilometer.
This—this surpassed even Haki. It was a feat on an entirely different level.
"Got a sudden epiphany there. Lost control for a moment and ended up blasting Zephyr-sensei away... This damage isn't going to be deducted from my salary, is it?"Luo Yu adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, took a swig from his gourd of moonshine, and sighed.
Everyone was completely dazed.
You just sent Zephyr flying—and you're worried about your paycheck?
Now of all times?
"Haha! Relax, Luo Yu. Zephyr's pension is even fatter than mine. A little property damage isn't going to break the budget."
Garp clapped Luo Yu's shoulder and laughed."But I'd better go check on him. If Sengoku comes around asking questions, I'll have to do some talking to cover for you."
As Luo Yu's sponsor, Garp stared at the smashed HQ building with a complicated expression.
He had always had confidence in Luo Yu's potential and future.
But when he'd left "Admiral-caliber" on the recommendation letter, a part of him still worried whether it would convince Zephyr.
After all, Navy promotions followed a strict hierarchy.
To rise from cadet to officer, Luo Yu would first need to attend the Naval Academy.
From there, only with Zephyr's endorsement as Chief Instructor could he rise any further.
Now, however, Luo Yu's performance had erased all doubts.
And as his sponsor, Garp naturally wouldn't miss this chance to boast.
"Well then, if there's nothing else, I'll be heading back," Luo Yu said, taking another swig from his gourd and gesturing with a money-counting hand."About that overtime pay..."
"Haha! You little rascal. Of course that's what you care about the most."Garp burst into laughter and shoved a wad of Berries into Luo Yu's hands."Here—eight hundred thousand Berries. I'll pay Zephyr's share for now."
Then he turned and walked away at a brisk pace.
On the training ground, the remaining recruits watched Luo Yu calmly count his money—
And couldn't help but feel that this stench of coin and calculation was wildly out of place…
When compared to the awe-inspiring, mythic figure they'd witnessed just moments ago.