This guy...
This was 100%, Science has officially left the building.
Everyone watching was completely dumbfounded as Kisame once again stood there, totally unscathed.
Even Zephyr found himself thrown off. He stared at Kisame, who had just reappeared in front of him like nothing happened, and couldn't help but frown.
How had this guy dodged his punch?
And in a way so bizarre and unheard of, it made absolutely no damn sense!
Still, after a moment of silence, Zephyr's lips curved into a grin.
"Kid, I gotta admit—you're pretty good!"
Then, without even pretending to play it cool like a seasoned veteran…
He punched again.
SPLASH!
The moment his fist connected, Kisame once again turned into a puddle of water, vanishing into the lake's surface like he'd never been there.
"This guy…"
The same scene played out again—and again, Zephyr found himself baffled. But this time, frustration started to rise in his chest.
The same trick, over and over.
And he still couldn't crack it.
It was like he was being toyed with.
And it was infuriating.
But to be fair, Zephyr wasn't the only one losing it.
Everyone watching had the same exact expression...
Total, utter disbelief.
People were practically shouting for their moms through the nearest mental exit door.
Confusion had officially set up camp.
This guy—what even was he?
His fighting style was bizarre as hell, he carried enough water in his body to irrigate an entire country.
Even Poseidon might've called it quits and bowed down in respect.
"You bastard," Zephyr growled, clearly reaching his limit.
"Are you even a man?! You planning to keep stalling like this forever?"
"You do realize, right? That little trick of yours can't actually hurt me."
Maybe it was the taunt.
Maybe it was something else.
But whatever the reason
Kisame reappeared again, calmly standing atop the lake.
"This time—is it the real you?"
Zephyr didn't move. Just narrowed his eyes and asked instinctively.
Kisame blinked.
Wait, was that a serious question?...Sure, why not.
So he opened his mouth, grinning with shark-like teeth and said:
"Take a guess."
"You bastard." Zephyr muttered under his breath.
It was only now, after all his years of battle, that he truly understood
Fighting isn't always fun.
Put yourself in the right place… and meet the wrong opponent?
Yeah. That was a recipe for total, soul-crushing frustration.
Case in point—this shark-faced freak.
He couldn't even tell if the guy standing in front of him was real or fake anymore!
If it's a fake? Punching it feels hollow—like smashing a puddle. No satisfaction. Just pure irritation.
If it's the real one? Well you still can't lay a damn finger on him!
———
Outside the arena, the crowd of cadets and Navy officers watched Kisame reappear like some kind of haunted water spirit, again.
Their expressions? All varying degrees of "What the actual hell?"
"This guy's a real pain in the ass," one muttered.
"Pain in the ass? He's just straight-up disgusting," said another.
"Seriously. Spits everywhere, and every time he shows up it's like he coughs up a new lake."
"Where did this guy even come from?"
At that moment, Akainu, face like a storm cloud, stepped up beside Sengoku.
His voice was low. Grim.
He wasn't afraid of Kisame, not even a little. But this slippery, pop-up-everywhere combat style? It sucked all the fun out of a fight.
He could practically feel what Zephyr was going through.
The strength to win was there—no question. But when the target keeps turning into water and disappearing?
Where the hell do you even start swinging?
"New recruit," Sengoku answered casually, the sharp glint in his eye betraying just how closely he was watching.
Then he threw a sidelong glance at Akainu's sour face and added, almost too casually:
"I'm planning to make him an admiral."
"WHAT?!"
That soft little line from Sengoku hit the crowd like a cannonball into calm water.
Ripples? Try tsunami.
And it wasn't like Sengoku had even said it quietly.
Everyone around—officers, cadets, eavesdroppers froze.
Mouths open. Eyes wide. Brains fried.
Even the idea…
A fourth admiral?!
The cadets looked around at each other in disbelief, while some of the Vice Admirals—those already tagged as potential future admirals—stood there looking like they'd just swallowed a lemon whole.
After all—That was supposed to be their promotion.
And now?
Some sharky, spit-happy, lake-barfing weirdo had just crashed the party.
And from the sound of it?
He wasn't leaving.
Even though a lot of them were clearly irritated, after glancing toward the man in the arena again, they all silently swallowed their complaints.
That guy… wasn't someone you messed with lightly.
Forget just the spitting water—he popped in and out of existence like a ghost with plumbing issues.
"You bastard! Can't you fight like a man for once? Face me head-on!"
Zephyr was beyond furious now, practically steaming from the ears. His patience had been boiled dry.
But Kisame?
He just stared at Zephyr with a tilted head and a slightly confused look, Why was he so angry all of a sudden?
After thinking for a moment, Kisame looked up toward the spectators and casually asked:
"Marshal Sengoku, if this place gets wrecked… do I have to pay for it?"
Huh??
What kind of question was that?
Everyone around blinked, taken aback, and instinctively glanced around the area.
This elite training ground wasn't exactly a full-on battle arena, but it was spacious enough. Besides the office building behind them, there wasn't that much that could be destroyed.
And seriously—you think the Navy brass are just gonna stand there and let you wreck the place?
This guy didn't just have chakra to spare…
His ego was enormous too.
"Heh," Sengoku chuckled from the sidelines, eyes narrowed.
"Tell you what—if you can actually manage to wreck it, then we'll talk."
But before he could say more, Zephyr clearly done with all the nonsense snapped out:
"You don't have to ask him. If you flatten this place, I'll take full responsibility!"
Kisame's little shark eyes gleamed.
"You sure about that?"
"This is my training camp. I make the rules!"
"Perfect," Kisame grinned, finally getting serious.
"That's exactly what I needed to hear."
He stepped forward, muscles tensing, voice rising.
"Come on then! Let's do this properly!"
"Hit me with your fiercest move—don't hold back!"
"You better watch closely!" Kisame roared, his voice booming across the field like thunder.
He tucked Samehada under his arm like it was a rolled-up towel, then his fingers started flying through hand seals at lightning speed.
"I am the tailed beast with no tail!"
And just as he was finishing, that same unsettling, greasy laugh bubbled up from his throat—
"Hehehehe… son of a—Water Style: Who's Gonna Rebuild the Dam Jutsu?!"
It was that same damn pose. That same ridiculous buildup.
And every single person watching felt a shiver crawl down their spine.
"He's doing it again?!"
Before anyone had time to fully process what was happening, as if to confirm their worst suspicions—That guy actually spit it out. Again.
What the hell?!
Does this guy have a whole ocean in his stomach?!
But the next second, no one had time to keep wondering because now they were all too busy running for their lives.
This time, it wasn't just about making a cute little artificial lake…
No, this madman was trying to spit out an entirely new sea!
Towering waves surged skyward, crashing down in every direction like a giant watery explosion. Waves several meters high rolled outward, sweeping the area like a flooding tsunami.
"WHAT THE—?!"
Even Sengoku, who had just moments ago been watching with an amused smirk, suddenly froze—his face twisting in horror at the sheer volume of water erupting into the training camp.
Was that lunatic trying to turn the entire Navy training ground into a water park?!
And worst of all?
The one person who could've stopped this watery apocalypse—Aokiji—wasn't even there!
With no other options, everyone leapt into the air and scrambled onto the rooftop of the office building, watching helplessly as the floodwaters surged below them.
"You—! YOU—!!"
Zephyr stared down at his drowned training camp, his face as dark as burnt charcoal.
This wasn't just a problem anymore—This was a disaster on par with Armament Haki… only wetter.
And now, regret came crashing in right behind the water.
He'd promised, in front of everyone, to personally cover all damages if things got out of hand.
Well, congratulations.
Things had very much gotten out of hand.
At this rate, even if he worked for the Navy until the end of time, he'd still never pay off this debt.
And just when he thought it couldn't get worse—
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Kisame wasn't even giving him a moment to breathe.
The instant the artificial sea was in place, he launched his next attack.
The surface of the water roared and spiraled upward, taking shape into a monstrous water dragon, thicker than a warship, coiling with terrifying speed.
In mere moments, it transformed into a cyclone of surging water, spinning like a liquid tornado straight toward Zephyr.
All around, the onlookers stared in wide-eyed panic.
"Wh-What the hell is that?!"
"What even is this guy?! He's not just some ordinary Fishman!"
"How the hell can anyone control water on this scale?!"
On top of the office building, even Sengoku, Akainu, and Kizaru couldn't help but break into a cold sweat at the sight of the monstrous attack.
Especially the three of them—they were all Devil Fruit users, unlike Zephyr, who was still standing in the middle of all that water.
And in the face of a technique like this, none of them could think of a single viable counter.
The terrifying whirlpool began growing more violent, morphing into what looked like a massive water pillar stretching from the earth all the way to the heavens.
Then, in the very next instant...something even more terrifying happened.
Before their eyes, that roaring column of water started to swell, bulging unnaturally as if something was struggling to break out from within.
They didn't have to wait long.
With a thunderous splash, a monstrous blue shark burst forth, dozens of meters long, entirely formed from water, and horrifyingly lifelike.
Rows of razor-sharp water teeth glinted with terrifying precision, every detail so vivid it made people shudder just to look at it.
More than a few began wondering:
If I were the one down there… would I even stand a chance against that thing?
Even Zephyr was momentarily stunned, staring up at the descending leviathan.
A shark. A massive, shaped construct made from flowing water.
Just how was this guy pulling this off?
Controlling ocean currents was already fantastical enough—but shaping them into living sea beasts?
Good thing he wasn't a Devil Fruit user.
Because if he were… facing this kind of attack would leave him with only two options: surrender, or run like hell.
But Zephyr didn't flinch.
He didn't move an inch.
His eyes narrowed with iron focus, and he roared out a single word:
"Tekkai!!" (Iron Body)
His body hardened, dark as obsidian, muscles tensing like forged steel.
BOOOOM!!!
The impact thundered through the training grounds.
The massive blue shark opened its jaws wide and chomped down on Zephyr, swallowing half his body in one massive bite.
(End of Chapter)