Chapter 29

The whistle of air made Loya's scalp tingle. Damn, that was close!

"Talk about fighting dirty!" he thought, grudgingly impressed by the twins' skill.

It was too late to block with ice, but Loya wasn't about to just stand there and take it.

CLANG!

The Jerome brothers' eyes went wide. Their swords were stuck, a hair's breadth from Loya's neck. They hadn't cut anything - Loya had stopped their blades with sheer muscle power.

All that from just tilting his head and shrugging? The twins couldn't believe it.

Loya glanced at the swords, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Hey, I heard swordsmen never let go of their blades unless they're dead. That true?"

Frost started creeping along the metal, spreading from where Loya's shoulders met the blades.

The brothers looked at each other, panic in their eyes. They tried to yank their swords free, but they might as well have been trying to move a mountain.

"Je-ro..." one started to say, but Loya cut him off.

"Too late for that, boys. You wanted to dance? Let's dance."

The temperature around them plummeted as Loya's grin grew even wider. The Jerome brothers realized they might have bitten off more than they could chew this time.

Loya cracked his neck, then strolled up to the frozen Jerome brothers. He gave each ice sculpture a pat. "Good on ya, boys. A real swordsman never lets go of his blade. You'd make your sensei proud!"

Then he wound up and let loose with a supercharged Ice Dragon's Iron Fist.

Simon, helping a dazed Tony to his feet, saw it all go down. He burst into tears. "We're screwed! How are we supposed to fight him now?"

Their heavy hitters were out of commission in minutes. Aludo was crawling back like a busted Zergling, and the Jerome twins were human popsicles.

Sure, they still had numbers on their side, but Loya hadn't even busted out any area-of-effect attacks yet.

Up in the stands, Garp couldn't resist needling Zephyr. "These are your elite camp's best and brightest? More like dull and dim if you ask me! Hey Zephyr, you training recruits or punching bags?"

Zephyr's face went dark as a thundercloud. He took a deep breath, trying not to lose it.

"At least my trainees show up for lessons, Garp," he growled. "Unlike a certain someone's grandson..."

Garp's grin faltered for a second, but he bounced back quickly. "Ah, kids these days. No respect for their elders, am I right?"

Sengoku just shook his head, wondering how these two hadn't killed each other yet.

Laurent Minnie struggled to her feet, her right leg still twitching. "It's not over yet!" she shouted, her voice cracking.

Her words lit a fire under the remaining recruits. Tony pushed Simon's helping hand away, his eyes blazing.

"Damn straight it's not over! I've got a secret move that'll take out Loya in one hit!" He paused for dramatic effect. "It's the same move I used to behead that 54 million Berry pirate who attacked the town!"

Tony's eyes swept the crowd. "Minnie, Simon, everyone! Even if we lose, let's leave Loya with something to remember us by!"

Simon and Minnie locked eyes, nodding grimly. "You heard him!" they yelled. "Let's show Loya what we're made of!"

The remaining recruits roared, charging forward like a wave.

Loya raised an eyebrow. "Gotta hand it to 'em, their spirit's impressive. But..."

He slammed his hands on the ground, cold air surging outward. "Sorry kids, time for a reality check. Ice Make: Icefields!"

CRACK!

In an instant, most of the recruits were frozen in place. The lucky few who jumped clear slipped and slid on the ice like cartoon characters.

"Well, that takes care of the small fry," Loya muttered. "Now for the real challenge."

The top ten recruits had managed to avoid the ice, proving they weren't total pushovers. They regrouped, eyeing Loya warily.

Up in the stands, Garp let out a low whistle. "Not bad, not bad. But let's see how the kid handles some actual resistance."

Zephyr just grunted, his eyes fixed on the battlefield. This was where things got interesting.

Unless it's really too close to react in time.

For example, Laurent Minnie, she found in despair that her feet could not be lifted.

This is not the ice field skill of Roja a month ago. Whether it is the freezing speed and the hardness of the ice, it is not comparable to the original.

"Watch out Minnie!"

Suddenly, Simon shouted, picked up a machete on the ground, and threw it out.

call out!

The long sword cut through the air, with a piercing, high-pitched whine. The target was Loya, who was preparing to deal with Minnie with one fist.

The speed of the machete's lasing was like lightning and flint, which made Loya's expression solemn: "Devil Fruit, it really doesn't make sense. Guys with more than physical fitness in the boot camp can throw such a speed."

If the iron sand thrown by Simon was just an ordinary bullet, now this machete is the laser of the Kiabou, and the speed is simply unreasonable!

When the speed is fast to a certain extent, the standard machete made of Fantie will not be much duller than the supreme knife.

Moreover, Simon had obviously calculated before the throw, which just blocked Loya's forward pace, and even a slight deviation would reveal flaws and let Loya succeed.

In just an instant, he had already reached Loya.

"It's... a brilliant sniper skill." With a sigh, Roja had to give up the attack in desperation.

At the same time, he turned around and fired numerous ice spears, knocking over the recruits who were approaching for a sneak attack.

While Loya was dealing with the trash fish, Simon came to Minnie's feet, his raised fist was black.

"Armed and domineering!"

Minnie said in surprise, then quickly covered her mouth.But those eyes were full of curiosity, and a pair of beautiful eyes looked at Simon, as if he could speak.

Simon shook his head: "No, this... Now is not the time to say this! They can't delay for a minute, let's go!"

BOOM!

The sound of shattering ice made Loya whip around. Through the smoke, he saw a shoe flying at his face.

"A shoe? Simon's out of ammo... Wait, Minnie?!"

Before he could finish the thought, Minnie burst through the smoke cloud.

"How the hell did she-" Loya started to say, raising his hands to block.

But that's exactly what Minnie was counting on. With one foot caught, she used her core strength to twist in midair, her free foot erupting in flames.

"Mountain Forest... BLAST!"

KABOOM!

The explosion rocked the training ground, engulfing Loya in smoke and debris.

"Did she get him?" The recruits held their breath, staring at the cloud of dust. In that moment, Minnie was their avenging angel, wreathed in golden light.

Then they saw Minnie's face change.

"AHHH!" she screamed, collapsing and clutching her cramping leg.

Loya's voice drifted from the smoke: "Kick my handsome face again, and I'll do more than just pinch a pressure point."

"What?!" Minnie's eyes went wide with disbelief. That was her strongest attack!

An massive ice wing swept out of the smoke, clearing the air with one powerful beat. There stood Loya, looking... completely fine.

Well, almost. A few ice shards fell from his right cheek where Minnie's kick had actually cracked his armor.

Loya grinned, touching the spot. "Not bad, kid. First one to break through all day."

Up in the stands, even Garp looked impressed. "Heh, the girl's got some fire in her. Literally."

Zephyr allowed himself a small smile. "Told you this batch had potential."

Sengoku just sighed. "Let's hope they survive long enough to show it."

Sengoku nodded approvingly at Minnie's crumpled form. "Not bad at all. Zephyr, looks like you were underselling this batch!"

He knew exactly how tough Loya's ice armor was. Hell, even he needed to go all out to crack it. And now Loya was even stronger? Sengoku almost felt bad for the recruits.

But this Minnie kid had actually broken through with a single kick. That was something.

Zephyr, though, wasn't celebrating. "You realize Minnie's 31, right? She's hitting her peak now. In a few years..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

Garp, munching on rice crackers, shrugged. "So we'll find her a Devil Fruit. Problem solved! Sure, this year's top recruits are weaker than usual, but most of 'em don't have powers yet. Plenty of room to grow!"

He didn't notice Zephyr's face getting darker with each word.

"That's not the point, you old-" Zephyr started, but caught himself. He took a deep breath. "We can't rely on Devil Fruits as a crutch. We need to build a stronger foundation."

Sengoku raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you've got some ideas, Zephyr. Care to share?"

Down on the training ground, Loya was helping Minnie to her feet. "That was one hell of a kick," he said, genuinely impressed. "Where'd you learn that?"

Minnie winced, still favoring her leg. "Long story. Maybe I'll tell you someday... if you buy me a drink."

Loya grinned. "Deal. But first, we've got a fight to finish."

The remaining recruits tensed up, ready for round two. This wasn't over yet.