Behind the training camp,In the middle of an open field, Kisame stood still, calm on the surface, but his mind was already calculating.
Should he make the first move? If he waited too long, he might end up on the back foot.
But before he could decide, the opponent across from him—Zephry—suddenly spoke up.
"Let's begin!"
No warning. No countdown.
With that one shout, Zephry leapt into the air like a living mountain and came crashing down.
Kisame's eyes widened.
Oh, crap.
He barely managed to flash-step out of the way.
BOOM!!!
The impact sounded like thunder, as if a meteor had just slammed into the earth.
Dust exploded into the air like a geyser.
Just as Kisame landed, the wind behind him shifted violently—then he was gone.
Vanished right in front of everyone's eyes.
The instructors who had rushed over to spectate were stunned.
"Where'd he go?!"
"Over there!"
Someone suddenly shouted, pointing. Everyone turned in unison.
Out of nowhere, a short figure had appeared right beside Zephry.
Sword in hand—a sword that looked more like a door panel than a blade—he swung it brutally toward Zephry's midsection.
It was Kisame, of course.
Kisame with his trusty Samehada, going in hard.
It was a vicious blow. Brutal. And yet… the smile on Zephry's face didn't budge.
Kisame suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Good speed," Zephry said mildly, not even acknowledging the sword.
"But if you think that's enough to beat me... keep dreaming."
CLANG!
Samehada, wrapped in white cloth, smashed into Zephry's skin—black as obsidian—and bounced off with a shriek of metal on metal.
It was a grating sound. Enough to make your teeth ache.
"Is… is that Haki?" Kisame muttered, alarmed.
But before he could think further, every hair on his body stood on end. Wind shrieked past his ear.
"Yes," came Zephry's voice behind the gust, deep and calm.
"That's Haki…"
Then—"You're too slow."
No chance to dodge.
No chance to react.
The fist came down like iron thunder, following his words without pause.
It hit Kisame square in the chest, the raw power of it smashing through him and into the ground beneath—cracking the earth in a web of destruction.
As the dust cleared from that single earth-shattering punch, the other cadets finally arrived.
They took one look at the scene—and froze. That kind of power…
A chill ran down their spines.
Someone muttered, half-joking, half-horrified
"…Did he just turn that fishman into fish paste?"
"Zephry really doesn't hold back, huh…"
But before anyone could reply, a cold, serious voice cut through the crowd.
Everyone snapped to attention, turning toward the source—and immediately stiffened.
"Fleet-F-Fleet Admiral Sengoku?!"
That alone would've been enough to shock them.
But following behind him, even more figures emerged—each one sending shivers down the crowd's spine.
Vice Admirals: Dalmatian, Burning Mountain…
And more.
"I-Is that... Admiral Akainu!!?"
Among the crowd of high-ranking Marines, the cadets suddenly caught sight of a stern-faced man in a peaked cap—and immediately gasped in alarm.
It wasn't that they particularly admired Akainu…
It was more that the man had a terrifying rep.
With that personality? Half the time, he couldn't even tell pirates and Marines apart—he just melted first, asked questions never.
"Oi oi oi…"
"Can't believe it… Kisame's only been here for two days… and already got targeted by Professor Zephry."
"What horrible luck!"
And right then, a golden shimmer lit up next to Sengoku, accompanied by a lazy drawl.
"No way… Admiral Kizaru's here too?!"
The cadets' jaws collectively dropped.
They scanned the group—it was almost a full set of the Marine top brass. One more admiral and they'd have enough for a card game.
This was serious.
Just as the awe began to settle in
BOOM!!!
Another deafening crash thundered through the air. Everyone instinctively turned their heads. The dust cloud was thick—too thick to see through.
Someone gulped audibly.
He's gotta be fish paste by now… right?
Maybe even the bones were gone.
As the gale died down and the breeze gently scattered the dust… the scene gradually came into view. A crater—more than two meters wide—yawned open in the cracked ground.
At the center stood Zephry.
Alone.
No sign of Kisame.
"...It's over. Not even fish balls left. That guy's been flattened out of existence."
A horrified voice spoke up from the crowd.
Gasps and murmurs followed.
No one could believe it.
The fishman had been completely erased.
One punch. Gone.
Zephry-sensei was terrifying—he didn't just beat you.
He deleted you.
Even Zephry looked a little surprised, staring at the droplets of water on his knuckles, lost in thought. Then, without warning—a shadow snapped into existence.
That same cold face.
A low, grim chuckle.
"Hehe… guess if I don't start fighting seriously, I am gonna get smashed to death."
As he spoke, the crowd watched in stunned silence as he took the sword in his hands—the one the size of a door—and threw it into the air.
Up—way up.
…What kind of move was that?!
Kisame, who'd just yeeted his weapon to the heavens, looked dead serious.
The man before him—this muscle mountain, was no joke.
That black iron armor thing, what they called Haki?
His sword had hit it like a sledgehammer hitting solid steel.
And the guy… he broke the ground with just his fists.
Like a Minotaur on steroids. A nightmare beast in human form.
Kisame realized—he needed to shape the battlefield to his advantage.
As Samehada soared, Kisame's hands flew through hand seals, fast as lightning.
Then he doubled over. Like he was—
"…Wait. What's he doing?"
"Is… is he about to puke?"
As Kisame bent forward, the surrounding cadets began to whisper.
"…What's he doing?"
"Is this some kind of weird taijutsu move?"
Even Sengoku and the other high-ranking officers were staring blankly, utterly confused.
"…Is he gonna sneeze?"
"Hmph. Flashy nonsense," Akainu muttered darkly. "A clown like that isn't fit to wear the Marine uniform."
"Oi oi… Kisame-bro's not actually gonna hurl, right?"
While the crowd buzzed in confusion, Kisame's hands suddenly stopped mid-sign.
Then came that cold, raspy voice:
"Water Style: Here Comes the Damn Dam."
WOOOAAHH! SPLAAAAAAAAASH!!
"WHAT THE—HE'S ACTUALLY PUKING!!?"
A massive torrent of seawater came gushing from Kisame's mouth—no exaggeration, like someone had opened the floodgates of a damn dam.
Everyone froze.
This… this was not a jutsu.
This was a nightmare.
Water, so much water, erupted in waves, lifting Kisame upward like a king ascending his watery throne.
BOOOOOM!!
The flood surged outward, wave after wave, crashing toward the crowd like a living tsunami.
"RUN! HIS DROOL'S COMING FOR US!!"
"Noooooo—!!"
"This is so damn gross!!"
The cadets' faces turned green as the wave approached.
Because that water?
They had just watched it come straight out of a fishman's mouth.
Never mind the power—the sheer disgust was enough to traumatize a man.
And it didn't stop.
The water roared on, rushing down the slope of the back courtyard—which, unfortunately, was already on low ground.
In seconds, under the horrified gaze of the crowd…the training ground turned into a lake. A freaking lake.
"Is… is that really his ability?" someone whispered.
Unlike the cadets, the high-ranking Marines didn't look disgusted. They looked rattled. Because while the projection footage from earlier hadn't seemed like much…
Seeing it in person?
This was a weapon. But now, seeing it in person
That visual impact?
Absolutely insane.
Especially the fact that…This guy could casually open his mouth and reshape the terrain.
If this guy ever went to Alabasta…he could probably turn the whole desert into a damn tropical resort.
A one-man irrigation system!
And also, How the hell does one person have that much water in their stomach?!
Was this guy… some kind of future Fishman King?
A Water God, maybe?
At this point, none of the Marine bigwigs were even curious about Kisame's strength anymore.
They were all thinking the same thing:
"What the hell is up with this guy's stomach?!"
Meanwhile, Akainu—who had just returned to HQ and walked into this nonsense—stood frozen, staring at the man who had puked a lake into existence.
His face went stiff.
Great.
Fantastic.
This guy was basically his elemental nemesis.
"Oi oi… not a bad idea to toss a few fish in there, make a little koi pond,"
came Kizaru's signature slow, trolling drawl.
The high-ranking officers gave him a synchronized eye-roll.
SMACK!
Amidst the crashing waves, Kisame caught his massive sword—Samehada—midair.
A wicked grin spread across his face as he stood atop the swelling tide, now towering over Zephyr.
"Hehehe… Welcome to my home turf."
"Now it's my turn!"
The water rippled beneath him like an extension of his will.
Down below, half-submerged in waist-deep floodwater, Zephyr's face darkened.
He looked up at Kisame standing high above the waves
And truth be told?
He felt a little sick.
Standing knee-deep in another man's mouth water…having to look up at that man while doing it?
Yeah.
Not a great vibe.
(End of Chapter)
—————————
If you're enjoying the story and want to binge-read ahead, feel free to join my Patreon— beast0x1, you'll get access to 40+ chapters in advance, your support really helps me keep going.