chapter-40 Warring States

Stepping into the second rank, the process of upgrading was far different from that of the first rank. Just as Loya completed his upgrade, an inexplicable momentum surged into the air, creating a heavy atmosphere that could be felt even from a distance.

In the headquarters of the Navy, within the main fortress, Zefa and Sengoku were still processing the materials left over from the assessment. This evaluation would essentially determine whether the recruits would remain after graduation, especially the top 100. The two leaders needed to deliberate carefully.

"Then... let's arrange for this Hugh Piedman to stay at headquarters," Sengoku said as he reviewed the list.

Zefa pulled up the information from the table, looked it over, and nodded. "Well, that's possible. Although his test score is out of 20, his swordsmanship is still commendable."

Seeing that Zefa had no objections, Sengoku took out a red pen and marked the name. "Start him as a second-class soldier, and we can consider promoting him based on his merits in battle."

At that moment, a familiar pressure suddenly enveloped them; the air felt as if it were thickening, and both men froze mid-motion.

The sensation was mysterious and indescribable, evoking the same nervousness one feels when prey is confronted by a predator.

Initially, Sengoku thought someone had awakened their Conqueror's Haki, but after checking, he found that no one had fainted.

Feeling the oppression as if his heart were being constricted, Sengoku took a deep breath, calmed his restlessness, and then said to Zefa with a wry smile, "I heard this kid Loya killed the only Silverback Great Ape on the island?"

Zefa continued to read the information in his hand without looking up. "That's right. I first used a large-scale attack to weaken the opponent, but as you know, the vitality of a Silverback Great Ape is remarkable. Even after its heart was crushed, it could still go wild for five minutes. In the face of the rampaging Silverback, Loya used the technique he had been developing to kill it on the spot with just a punch and a kick."

"Oh?" Sengoku murmured lightly. "Didn't you say he was weak in close combat? Yet he managed to kill the Silverback Great Ape?"

At this, Zefa raised his head, recalling the scene from a few days ago. He shook his head and pulled out a stack of photos from his pocket, handing them to Sengoku.

"The witnesses were given a password by me. These materials were initially meant to be sorted out in detail tomorrow and then presented to you, but since you mentioned it, you can take a look now."

Seeing Zefa's serious demeanor, Sengoku felt a bit puzzled. He murmured to himself as he took the photos from Zefa. "What kind of force makes you so nervous? After all, he is still... this, right?"

Sengoku's pupils shrank as he slapped the table and stood up, staring at the photo in his hand.

"That could be... Dragon Power!"

Zefa supported his chin with his hand and sighed. "Fortunately, there's no such terrifying thing in reality. Sometimes I really doubt whether Loya is a Devil Fruit user... that kind of power is just terrifying."

Sengoku remained silent, carefully observing each photo.

In the images, Loya was shown fighting the Silverback Great Ape after his dragon scales had emerged. His fierce claws and bone spurs exuded a strong killing intent, and his cold, golden vertical pupils remained indifferent, revealing no emotion even during such a brutal assault, as if an aloof spirit was quietly watching the mortal world.

However, what shocked Sengoku the most was something else entirely.

On the edge of one photo, a floating stone was outlined in red ink. The accompanying notes marked various details on the battlefield where Loya faced the beast.

When he compared this photo to the next, Sengoku noticed that the objects remained completely still. He knew that in the previous photo, Loya had been knocked back right beside the stone. In such an intense battle, even without a direct impact, the wind pressure alone could have blown a person away, let alone a small pebble.

The situation became even more astonishing. No matter how fierce the struggle between the two had been, the marked objects appeared to be rooted in place, showing no signs of movement until the battle concluded.

Sengoku placed the photos heavily on the table, his expression more serious than ever.

"Zefa, what is your guess?"

"Ah, maybe it has something to do with time or space-related abilities," Zefa replied, his gaze drifting through the window toward the recruits' dormitory in the distance, where Loya was exuding his coercive presence unabashedly. "Kuzan told me that Loya's freezing ability is different from his. He advised me to pay more attention to the freezing feature. This might be why he was restrained by Loya's attributes. So I guess... the pinnacle of the Ice Dragon Fruit might be the ability to freeze time and space."