Chapter 497: Rising to Fame in a Single Battle
Seeing Kuina again, Ian couldn't help but brighten up.
Kuina's hairstyle had changed recently. The ear-length bob she used to keep was now completely cut into a fluffy, short style with bangs, making her look even more spirited.
Now, even though Kuina still resembled Tashigi, they could be distinguished at a glance just by their hairstyles.
Ian silently praised Kuina in his heart, then spoke up: "Yo, isn't that Kuina? Did you come with Smoker too?"
It was impossible for Ian and Kuina to pretend they didn't know each other now. After all, she was under Smoker's command and had met Ian several times. Not acknowledging each other at all would only raise suspicion.
Kuina understood this too. She nodded expressionlessly and said, "Yes!"
She had only just noticed the commotion on the training ground. When she realized Ian was in the middle of accepting continuous challenges from the Marine officers present, she immediately understood that Ian might be looking for her!
Otherwise, she couldn't imagine why Ian would make such a big show of setting up a challenge platform at Marine Headquarters...
Whether or not that was the case, Kuina decided to step forward and spar with Ian. If her senior brother Ian really had something to discuss with her, he would surely say it during their match.
So she went along with the crowd and stepped forward.
However, the Marines who had challenged Ian before were at least at the rank of Captain. Now, suddenly, a Lieutenant Commander stepped forward, and a woman at that, leaving the gathered Marine officers utterly astonished.
When they got a clear look at Kuina's appearance, they were even more stunned. They felt that this girl had an indescribable charm about her!
For a moment, some Marine officers were captivated by Kuina, whispering to their colleagues to inquire about her.
When they learned that this Lieutenant Commander Kuina had recently been recruited into the Staff Department by Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marines became even more excited. Everyone knew that Vice Admiral Tsuru's female Staff squad was famous for combining strength and beauty.
Thus, some of the younger Marine officers couldn't help but cheer loudly for Kuina!
Still, they didn't think Kuina could defeat Ian, a Warlord of the Sea. But regardless, seeing such a spirited female Marine Lieutenant Commander fight was already worth the trip.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ian and Kuina couldn't say much. After a brief greeting, Kuina drew the Wado Ichimonji from her waist and charged at Ian, using her most familiar technique: Great Upper Slash!
Ian crossed his blade to block Kuina's strike. He knew Kuina's strength was formidable, so he was prepared. But when the immense power surged through his sword, Ian still had to use both hands.
Even so, Ian barely managed to withstand Kuina's slash. He was almost overwhelmed, and his supporting feet sank heavily into the ground, channeling the force downward.
Boom! A loud crash rang out, stifling the cheers of the surrounding Marine officers.
They watched in shock as the ground beneath Ian's feet, at the moment of their clash, cracked like a spiderweb as if struck by a heavy blow!
And this was a hard concrete surface!
Even Aokiji, upon seeing this, couldn't help but slap his forehead!
This... who exactly is this girl?
No one had expected that Ian, who had defeated even Rear Admirals, would now be overpowered in strength by a female Marine Lieutenant Commander! At that moment, countless onlooking Marine officers nearly popped their eyes out.
After channeling Kuina's strength into the ground, Ian quickly shifted his footing to find new leverage. He swung his Thousand Cherry Blossoms upward in an arc, deflecting Kuina's blade.
Swift Sword: New Moon!
Ian knew that in a contest of strength, he couldn't match Kuina's Asura Fruit. Fighting her meant relying on his speed advantage!
Swish! Ian's Thousand Cherry Blossoms turned into a flash of gleaming light as he sidestepped past Kuina, slashing horizontally at her waist.
Kuina blocked his strike by shifting her blade to the right, but Ian didn't stop. He changed direction at lightning speed, launching consecutive slashes at Kuina.
Kuina managed to block a few strikes at first, but gradually, she couldn't keep up with Ian's speed. When Ian began attacking her blind spots, she was overwhelmed.
Her turning speed couldn't match his...
When Ian attacked from behind again, Kuina had no choice but to use her Devil Fruit power.
Unable to turn around, Kuina's body suddenly transformed into three heads and six arms, like the legendary Asura of myth. In that instant, she even held two identical copies of the Wado Ichimonji!
This was a unique ability of the Asura Fruit: replicating weapons. Now, Kuina wielded three Wado Ichimonjis! The two replicated swords were solid, but they would disappear once they left her hands.
This three-headed, six-armed war-god form was something Kuina had used against Zoro before, but Ian was seeing it for the first time, and he was stunned!
His slashing blade was blocked by the sword in Kuina's back-facing hand! And this time, she even knocked Ian back with a single strike!
Her strength increased!?
Ian planted his sword into the ground to stop himself, staring at the awe-inspiring Kuina, at a loss for words.
The Asura Fruit was something he had found for Kuina years ago, but he never imagined it would have such abilities!
Ian wasn't the only one shocked. The surrounding Marine officers and even Admiral Aokiji were equally stunned.
"A... Ancient Zoan!?"
Aokiji knew about Fleet Admiral Sengoku's Devil Fruit ability. He had always believed that Sengoku's Buddha Fruit was the only mythical figure fruit in the world, surpassing even the Whitebeard Pirates' Phoenix Marco, because the Buddha Fruit was practically divine.
But now, another Devil Fruit user with a mythical figure ability had suddenly appeared!
The legendary war god Asura! Aokiji wondered what expression Fleet Admiral Sengoku would have when he learned of this... Vice Admiral Tsuru probably didn't even know about this when she recruited the girl into her unit!
Kuina's transformation caused a huge uproar at Marine Headquarters. Word spread like wildfire, and soon, more Marine officers flocked to the training ground.
Seeing this, Ian knew he had inadvertently achieved his goal of helping Kuina. This match had made her famous overnight!
A mythical Zoan, or rather, a legendary figure fruit, rarer than Logia, would make Kuina even more valued at Marine Headquarters. Barring any accidents, she might be groomed as a future Marine Admiral!
Now, Ian just needed to fight Kuina with enough strength to highlight her power, letting Kuina rise higher as a new Marine star under the gaze of countless soldiers.
With that thought, Ian laughed loudly. The Black Dragon Wave flew from his hand into the sky, then fell back onto him. In the next moment, Ian's body erupted with blazing black flames.
Black flame wings spread from his shoulders, and a phantom evil eye glowed on his forehead.
Ian's current form was equally imposing. The Marine officers finally realized that Ian hadn't been using his full strength when fighting them earlier.
"Go! Lieutenant Commander Kuina! Defeat him!"
The Marine officers cheered Kuina on, placing all their hopes on her.
From that moment on, the entire Marine Headquarters remembered Kuina's name!
And Kuina didn't disappoint them. In her Asura form, she thrust the Wado Ichimonji into the ground, knelt on one knee leaning on the blade, and chanted: "Asura Field!"
The next second, an intangible, strange sensation swept over everyone present! Including Ian, everyone felt as if something had passed through their bodies and spread outward.
Before anyone could react, they saw countless flames suddenly erupt from the ground beneath their feet!
The Marine officers were startled and tried to dodge, but they soon realized the flames on the ground seemed to be some kind of illusion!
After confirming the flames couldn't hurt anyone, Ian quickly understood: Kuina had just opened a special space!
This shocked Ian even more. He never expected the Asura Fruit to have spatial abilities similar to Trafalgar Law's Surgery Fruit!
Trafalgar Law's space was the "Operating Table," a space he could freely control. What kind of ability was Kuina's space?
Ian guessed correctly. This was a new ability Kuina had developed with the Asura Fruit. The flames on the ground, though harmless, made the entire area look like a blazing battlefield. In this battlefield-like space, Kuina's fighting spirit would peak, and her Asura Fruit abilities would be amplified!
In this space, the Asura Fruit truly lived up to its name as the War God Fruit!
Although Ian didn't know the exact effect of Kuina's Asura Field, he didn't dare take it lightly. He decided to face Kuina with his strongest form.
He held his Thousand Cherry Blossoms upright and gently released the blade.
As the sword fell, it vanished as if into an unknown space.
"Final Release: Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
Countless cherry blossom petals suddenly emerged, gathering around Ian's body to form a second pair of wings alongside his black flame wings!
Pink wings!
"Final Form: White Emperor Sword!"
A longsword radiating a cherry-colored glow appeared in Ian's hand...
Ian and Kuina locked eyes, both revealing a look of eager anticipation for battle.
"N-Not good! Everyone, leave immediately!" Aokiji snapped back to reality and shouted at the Marine officers.
But by the time they reacted, it was too late. Ian and Kuina vanished from their spots simultaneously, reappearing right in front of each other!
They made the same move: raising their swords high, then bringing them down!
As their swords clashed, a deafening roar erupted, accompanied by a violent release of power!
Boom!!!
It was as if a fuel-air bomb had exploded on the spot. The hurricane from the collision swept across the entire training ground. Hundreds of watching Marine officers were blown away, tumbling hundreds of meters before finally stopping.
Even Aokiji had to use his Ice-Ice Fruit power to erect a massive ice wall in front of him to block the gale.
Because of this, Aokiji didn't see that, at the moment of their clash, Ian mouthed the words "Akainu" to Kuina, who was right in front of him.
Kuina understood Ian's lip movements and immediately nodded to show she understood!
Their silent communication was completed in that single instant...