章 24: Chapter 24 Silverback Great Ape, start fighting.
At this moment, Loya could no longer hear him. Driven by hunger, he accelerated towards the gorilla sitting on the hillside, devouring fruit with such speed that even Zefa couldn't help but admire.
"Silverback Great Ape!"
In the surveillance room of the warship, several lieutenant generals stood up abruptly, their eyes fixed nervously on Loya's back displayed on the screen, and the silver-backed great ape, which had now noticed the approaching threat, raised its head.
"Is it still alive? I remember it living on the island more than ten years ago," commented a lieutenant general, recalling the time during his recruit assessment when he was nearly killed by this very gorilla.
"General Zefa, order an attack! Loya can't possibly defeat that creature!" urged Mole, anxiety evident in his voice. He had brought Loya from the island, and their bond was strong, as Loya was the first friend he made after crossing over.
Zefa, instead of responding immediately, turned his attention to Kuzan, who appeared sound asleep. Yet, Zefa had caught a faint twitch at the corners of Kuzan's mouth, a subtle sign that did not escape him.
In a serious tone, Zefa inquired, "Kuzan, this isn't training. A mistake could mean death! Be honest—can Loya handle that beast?"
Kuzan, realizing the futility of feigning sleep, replied lazily, "Sah, who knows~" He shifted in his chair, not caring to hide his indifference.
Zefa glared at Kuzan, his eyes ablaze with anger, a physical manifestation of his frustration. The navy's recruits had been lackluster in recent years, and Loya was not just any recruit; he was a disciple Zefa had acknowledged, a crucial asset for the navy's future.
Kuzan's nonchalance was infuriating, as if Loya's life was of no consequence to him.
"And you call yourself his teacher!" Zefa slammed the table in fury, his armament haki unconsciously activating, leaving a dent in the iron plate.
His gaze bore into Kuzan as he demanded, "Kuzan! Answer my question!"
"Ah la la, the teacher is angry," Kuzan remarked, sitting up straight briefly, only to lean back lazily with his chin resting on his hand. Meeting Zefa's fierce gaze, Kuzan said calmly, "Don't be so angry, teacher. Look, I'm not worried at all."
"You!..."
Zefa was about to retort when a realization struck him.
Of course! Loya was not only his disciple but also Kuzan's. Although Kuzan had never openly admitted it, after a month, he had tacitly accepted this role.
So why was Kuzan not worried?
Unless...
Understanding dawned on Zefa, and he turned back to the screen.
Seeing his expression, Kuzan knew Zefa had figured it out. Relaxing back into his chair, he pulled down his blindfold with a chuckle, "Looks like you finally got it, teacher... This kid Loya, even though he can't constantly transform like other animal-type ability users, when he does transform, his strength is on par with a vice admiral~"
Hearing Kuzan's words, everyone stared at the screen in shock.
Could that seemingly ordinary, slender young man, standing at just 175 centimeters, really possess the strength of a vice admiral? Lacking the ability to wield haki or master the six naval styles, could he truly be that formidable?
As awe spread through the room, Kuzan felt an unexpected sense of pride, more satisfying than a half-year vacation.
Eager to share more, especially before his mentor, Kuzan continued, "Animal-type phantom fruits are rarer than natural-type fruits, so their conditions are unpredictable. Loya's dragon fruit, besides causing dizziness in all vehicles, has a downside...he can't fully transform."
"The legendary dragon's power is too immense for him to control now. To harness this power, he developed a technique for partial transformation. Although it was a grueling process, he managed to create a short-term transformation move."
"But for him to reach this level in just a month is truly remarkable..."
Kuzan's voice carried a hint of admiration.
A month ago, Kuzan could easily withstand Loya's strongest attack. Now, an ice bomb casually thrown by Loya posed a lethal threat. His melee combat skills had also advanced significantly. Breaking through Kuzan's hard ice armor now required 30% of his strength.
Whether through talent, effort, or fruit development, Loya's rapid growth impressed Kuzan.
At this rate, Kuzan speculated that Loya might attain genuine admiral-level strength before turning 30.
But what frustrated Kuzan the most was discovering that his ice fruit was effectively countered by Loya's abilities!
Despite both using ice, their powers clashed with Loya having the upper hand. This meant Loya could strike Kuzan's physical form without haki!
How was the game even fair?
Conflicted, Kuzan pondered retirement.
"The teacher is aging, and his health is declining daily. Perhaps it's time to step down and focus on training new recruits at headquarters..."
After Kuzan's words, Zefa was silent.
He had underestimated Loya. Although he occasionally supervised their training, no one knew Loya's true combat potential better than Kuzan.
The title of a Navy Headquarters Vice Admiral was leagues apart from that of a branch vice admiral. If Kuzan confidently used the term "headquarters," it meant Loya indeed possessed that level of strength, even if only briefly.
Amidst this realization, Mole felt the most moved. Watching Loya leap through the air, he recalled Zefa's words when Loya first joined the navy.
"Destroying a pirate group with a bounty of 5,000,000 in one move is impressive. But he's just a child now, with a long journey ahead."
In Zefa's eyes, "children" referred to those whose strength fell below the general level. Hence, at that time, Loya's abilities were only on par with school officers.
Now, however...
"To have grown so much in a month, Loya," Mole mused, "is truly a terrifying talent."
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