One Piece My strange ability

Chapter 20: Confident Zephyr

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Who loses?

Me?

Only then did Smoker realize how wrong his posture was. He suddenly became aware of the foolish thing he had just done.

The moment Karen's sword swung down, Smoker had instinctively dropped his weapon, knelt on one knee, raised his hands, and caught the edge of Karen's blade.

What am I doing?

Why did I catch Karen's sword edge?

At this moment, Smoker was as puzzled as Dominic had been before.

He raised his head with difficulty, disbelief etched across his face. Despite struggling desperately, he found himself unable to move.

Staring at Karen's face so close to his own, Smoker asked, trembling:

"Is this... what you are capable of?"

Karen didn't answer. Instead, he put away Yuan Hong and helped Smoker, who was kneeling, to his feet.

"I told you—if I use my power, you cannot win."

Smoker stood up, swallowing hard. A look of frustration spread across his face as he admitted:

"I lost."

Karen patted him on the shoulder and said with a comforting tone:

"It's not your fault. Devil Fruit powers are hard to guard against. Physically, I'm not as strong as you. Next time, I'll fight you without using my powers."

Smoker shook his head in despair, then nodded reluctantly.

This loss was a massive blow to his pride. He thought of himself as one of the best among the elites. Yet, Karen had defeated him effortlessly without even exerting himself.

"Then what's the point of our training?" Smoker muttered, his voice tinged with bitterness. "If eating a Devil Fruit makes you this strong, no matter how hard I train, I'll never measure up."

It wasn't clear if Smoker was directing this question at Karen or lamenting to himself.

Karen paused mid-step, clenched his fist, and turned back to punch Smoker hard in the chest.

"The reason you can't beat me isn't because I ate a Devil Fruit, but because you're not strong enough," Karen said firmly.

Smoker stared at him, stunned, as Karen continued:

"Have you ever seen Mr. Zephyr or Vice Admiral Garp use Devil Fruits? Aren't they both incredibly powerful? How many Devil Fruit users can act arrogant in front of them?"

"You can't beat me because you're not strong enough—yet. You lack Haki."

Karen wasn't entirely certain whether his ability would be restrained by someone wielding Haki. But he knew for a fact that Haki was a powerful counter to Devil Fruit users.

---

"Hahaha, this kid is right!"

A deep voice suddenly boomed from a distance.

Karen turned to see Zephyr approaching them, a knowing smile on his face. It was clear he had been observing the entire exchange for some time.

"When I heard you say training was meaningless, I couldn't stay hidden any longer," Zephyr said as he approached. "This kid has his head on straight—worthy of being the top recruit this year."

---

"Teacher Zephyr!"

"Teacher Zephyr!"

Karen and Smoker greeted him in unison. Karen wasn't surprised; he had already sensed Zephyr's presence.

However, the sight of Smoker looking so dejected made Zephyr frown. Glancing around, he noticed the other recruits nearby. Many of them had been watching the duel in silence.

Their expressions mirrored Smoker's: a mixture of envy, disappointment, and a growing belief that Devil Fruits were unbeatable.

Zephyr couldn't allow such a mentality to fester.

"Gather up!" he barked, his voice commanding and sharp.

---

As the recruits assembled, Rosinante muttered under his breath, "What's going on? Isn't this supposed to be rest time?"

Karen sighed, sensing trouble brewing.

When the group was gathered, Zephyr called Karen and Smoker forward.

"Karen, Smoker, step out."

Karen walked forward slowly, already expecting what was coming.

"I'm sure all of you know by now that Karen is a Devil Fruit user. On the first day of training, he defeated Instructor Dominic using his Devil Fruit powers. Today, he defeated Smoker in the same way."

Zephyr's voice was calm but firm as he continued:

"Do you think Devil Fruits are too powerful to overcome?"

The recruits said nothing, but their expressions betrayed them.

Zephyr turned to Karen.

"And what about you? Do you think you're unbeatable because of your Devil Fruit?"

Karen shook his head immediately. "No. There are always people stronger than me, and there will always be ways to counter Devil Fruit powers."

"Exactly," Zephyr said. "Devil Fruit users have their weaknesses. For one, they're vulnerable to the sea. But we can't exactly fight with seawater, can we?"

He smiled faintly.

"That's why we have Sea Prism Stone and Haki. With Sea Prism Stone and Haki and proper training, you can defeat even the strongest Devil Fruit users."

---

Smoker's eyes lit up at the mention of Haki.

Zephyr, however, wasn't finished. He turned to Karen with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Let's show them what I mean. Karen, let's have a demonstration."

Karen froze.

"Me... fight you?"

Zephyr's smile widened.

"What's the matter? Are you afraid of losing to an old man like me?"

Karen shook his head nervously. "It's just… if I use my ability, you…"

But Zephyr cut him off, his voice filled with confidence.

"Use it. No matter how embarrassing the outcome, I'll handle it. Do you think I became a Marine Admiral by chance?"

Karen sighed inwardly.

This isn't going to end well.