In the air, Whitebeard feel a little bit surprised
After the previous battle with Kuzan, Whitebeard completely overwhelmed him, so he didn't have a clear idea of Kuzan's true strength.
Whitebeard believed that Kuzan had only made some improvements in strength since the Summit War, but now it seemed that Kuzan's strength had improved more than he thought.
This was evident from the fact that Marco couldn't hold his own against the Admiral during the War.
Additionally, under Whitebeard's guidance, Marco's strength had improved significantly, and he shouldn't have been outclassed by Kuzan.
Yet, the fact that he was showed just how much Kuzan's strength had grown since the Summit war.
Another point for Whitebeard was Kuzan's fighting spirit, the will and aura he displayed in battle.
In duels between opponents of similar strength, the one with stronger fighting intent is often more likely to emerge victorious.
This was especially obvious when considering someone as strong as Kuzan. Whitebeard noticed a great increase in his fighting spirit compared to the war period, which surprised him.
However, Whitebeard could probably guess some of the reasons, such as the battle between Kuzan and Akainu for the position of Marine Admiral.
Whitebeard had heard Kuzan talk about it. They fought on an island for ten days and ten nights. Such a level of battle wouldn't be forgotten easily.
This battle also brought some mental changes to Kuzan, and his current strength is obviously stronger than before.
This is good news for Whitebeard, but it makes it difficult when compared to Marco and the others commander
"Training continues. Jozu, it's your turn,"
Whitebeard said casually, interrupting the discussion.
Hearing that, Jozu slowly walked up. Now, he no longer had the confidence he had at the beginning.
When he saw with his own eyes how Marco lost to Kuzan, Jozu was now wondering how to protect himself.
With his excellent defensive ability, Jozu planned to deal with Kuzan for a few more rounds without attacking. So, after Whitebeard announced the start of the battle, Jozu had no plans to attack.
Kuzan saw that Jozu had diamondized his body from the beginning and then confronted Kuzan. Since Jozu did not attack, Kuzan took the initiative.
The ground under his feet turned into ice, making it slippery. He skated over the ice and extended sharp weapons from his fingertips.
"Melee combat? Perfect, just my style."
Jozu felt a surge of confidence as he noticed Kuzan summoning a weapon. His forte was physical defense, and he welcomed the opportunity for close combat.
Anticipating Kuzan's attack, Jozu quickly enveloped himself in Armament Haki. Despite his confidence in his diamond defense, Jozu remained cautious.
However, Kuzan is obviously not so stupid. He also knows that Jozu's defense is strong. His ice blade gleamed with a dark aura, indicating that Kuzan, too, had coated it with Armament Haki.
However, Kuzan's target wasn't Jozu himself, but the ground beneath Jozu's feet. With a powerful strike, Kuzan created a crack in the ground that extended toward Jozu, destabilizing his footing.
At that moment, Kuzan quickly sent out five icicles, trapping Jozu firmly, effectively subduing him.
"Wow, that's incredible!"
Charles Vane exclaimed, shaking his head in amazement.
"Jozu doesn't stand a chance, and we're not much better off,"
Vista realized, finding the intensity of their training by Whitebeard a bit extreme. How could someone as like him endure fifty rounds against Kuzan?
Marco and Jozu barely lasted for one or two rounds. Jinbei was lost in thought, considering that if he were in the water, he might last longer.
However, Jinbei quickly realized that Kuzan's freezing ability would restrict him, as Kuzan could freeze the seawater directly, leaving Jinbei with few options.
The next few contenders felt a bit hesitant because entering the battle when defeat was almost certain would be embarrassing.
Therefore, at this time, all people behaved more negatively, but there was one exception, and that was Tesla, who had been silent all the time.
Tesla noticed everyone's low morale and decided to encourage them: "Look at it differently. Even Marco and Commander Jozu struggled.
No matter how we perform, we won't be embarrassed Oyaji. This is all about tempering us up. Can't we handle failure?"
"Even though I said that, it was still quite shocking, and I don't want to embarrass myself."
Charles Vane said immediately.
"Don't worry too much. By the time you face him, Kuzan might be a bit worn out, giving you a chance to hold your own,"
Tesla reassures Charles Vane.
"Tesla is right. We can't give up. We have to prove ourselves"
Jinbei suddenly exclaimed.
"True, Jinbei, you're saying this because you're the last one"
Charles Vane remarked after a moment of thought. He looked a bit heavy, realizing that Jinbei would be the final Commander to face Kuzan in their lineup.
"Don't care about the details."
Jinbei said with a smile of confidence
Afterwards, Vista stepped onto the field, engaging Kuzan in a sword fight with his ice blade.
Despite Kuzan's dominance, Vista's agility and swordsmanship allowed him to hold his own for over a dozen rounds.
In the end, Vista showed a flaw, allowing Kuzan to unleash absolute coldness and freeze Vista at close range.
Although Vista didn't lose in swordsmanship, the strength difference was too big.
However, Vista lasted for more than a dozen rounds, which boosted the confidence of the next person.
"See, Vista already has some advantages. I hope you can keep building on that in the future,"
Tesla said to Charles Vane.
"Okay, leave it to me."
Charles Vane said excitedly.
"These kids will probably have a rough time."
Whitebeard sighed suddenly, because he knew that if Kuzan hadn't used swordsmanship to fight Vista, the battle wouldn't have dragged on for so long.
Although Marco and others are tough, their specialisation is too serious.
Their strength may be strong in one aspect, but the overall strength is far from enough.
Whitebeard asked Kuzan to fight them just to make them face this point and continue to progress.
These Commanders might be comparable to Admirals in certain aspects, but when compared overall, they are far worse.
So, when they truly fight, the outcome ends up like this.
.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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