The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

"Bleeding? That means you're still alive! As long as you're alive, you can keep fighting!"

On the 9500th punch, the entire armor plate began to deform.

"Roger was much more stable than you were when he took that punch!"

The 20000th punch......

Boom! Gern's final punch pierced through and bombarded the entire ship!

Looking at Gren who had taken the lead, Kuzan's eyes also flashed with a hint of surprise, even though he had trained with Garp for much longer.

As Gern panted and withdrew his fist, Karp walked over, examined it, and nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, it's finally starting to look decent."

"Remember, the real 'Iron Fist' is not about brute force, but a combination of dominance and willpower."

Looking at his scarred yet rejuvenated hands, Gern suddenly understood something.

"Tomorrow," Garp said as he turned to leave, "we'll try a real sparring match."

Gern's smile froze on his face.

........

A biting wind howled, the training ground was covered with a thick layer of frost, and the air was filled with a chilling fog.

Gern stood in the center of the field, wearing only a thin black vest training suit, his breath condensing into frost in front of him.

Across from him, Kuzan stood lazily with his hands in his pockets, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"So... this is the 'Natural Defense Training'?" Gern chuckled. "Or... am I just supposed to enjoy it?!"

"Oh, don't be nervous, Gern." Kuzan waved his hand. "It's just for you to experience it."

Zephyr stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, and said in a deep voice:

"The rules are simple: Kuzan will use his freezing abilities to control you."

You must use Armament Haki to defend against everything, even to negate his abilities.

"Using Armament Haki to counteract Kuzan's abilities?" Gern's eyes widened.

"Can't do it?" Zeffa raised an eyebrow. "Then when you encounter opponents like Kuzan or Sakazuki in the future, you won't even have a chance to struggle."

“I understand, Professor Zephyr.” Gern took a deep breath, his eyes gradually hardening.

"It begins, Gern." Kuzan raised his hand, a crystalline ice crystal forming at his fingertip, which he flicked lightly.

"Whoosh!" The ice crystals exploded in mid-air, turning into countless tiny ice needles that rained down on Gern!

With a low shout, a dark, domineering aura instantly enveloped his entire body. The ice needles struck his skin, making a crisp "clinking" sound, but they could not penetrate.

Kuzan smiled slightly: "Not bad, but this is just the beginning."

He clasped his hands together, and a chill spread wildly, causing the ice beneath Gern's feet to rise rapidly, attempting to freeze him.

"Don't stop!" Gern gritted his teeth, continuing to unleash his domineering aura to resist the corrosive effects of the extreme cold.

But soon, he discovered a problem: the rate at which Armament Haki was consumed when defending against Logia-type abilities far exceeded his expectations!

“Armament Haki isn’t just about covering the skin,” Zephyr’s voice came from outside the arena. “It’s about letting Haki flow within the body, forming a ‘defense cycle’.”

Gern tried to adjust his breathing so that the domineering aura would no longer rigidly cover his body, but would flow through his muscles and bones like blood.

Kuzan's eyes flickered slightly upon seeing this.

"Oh? You're learning pretty fast." He chuckled, then suddenly raised his hand.

"puck!"

"Boom!" Countless hail-like freezing air bombs slammed into Gern, each carrying an extremely cold corrosive force!

"Ugh!" Gern groaned, his domineering aura slightly shaken by the impact, and the cold air began to seep into his skin.

"Don't let the cold air get in!" Zefa shouted.

Gern gritted his teeth, unleashing his Armament Haki once more. His black computer flashed, shattering the ice on his body!

Time passed second by second, and Gern's breathing became heavier and heavier. The exertion of his domineering aura made his whole body feverish, but the extreme cold outside made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Kuzan's attacks did not stop; ice spikes, freezing air, and cold currents took turns striking, forcing Guern to constantly adjust the flow of his Haki.

15 minutes... 20 minutes... 25 minutes...

Gern's arms began to tremble, and a subtle fluctuation appeared in his domineering aura.

"Not quite ready to hold on any longer?" Kuzan tilted his head. "Are you going to give up?"

"Heh..." Gern forced a smile and growled.

"Keep going! You frozen bastard who loves to steal food!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his domineering aura erupted once again, and the pitch-black Armament Haki faintly shimmered with a dark red glow!

"Oh ho?" Kuzan's eyes narrowed as he observed the situation. "Interesting. You've already grasped the basic form of 'Ryuo' so quickly?"

(If we don't know what the Navy calls "Ryuo," let's just call it this for now!)

Outside the training field, Zephyr smiled slightly: "Finally, you've gotten the hang of it...?"

"30 seconds left!" Zephyr shouted.

Hearing Zephyr's countdown, Kuzan no longer held back, pressing his hands to the ground, "Ice Age!"

"Crack!" A terrifying chill instantly swept across the entire area, and a thick layer of ice condensed beneath Gern's feet, attempting to freeze him completely!

"Aaaaah!" Gern roared, his domineering aura surging wildly, repeatedly freezing, shattering, freezing, shattering.

"Time's up!" With Zephyr's command, Kuzan stopped, and the frost slowly receded.

Gern was radiating heat, his domineering aura slowly fading, and he collapsed to his knees, panting heavily, as if all his strength had left him.

Zefa stepped forward and nodded in satisfaction: "Pass."

"Kuzan, you absolutely took revenge for personal reasons!" Gern slumped to the ground, grinning.

"You little brat, don't give me the chance..."

Otherwise, I will definitely retaliate.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Kuzan sat down on the ground with a thud upon hearing this, waving his hand with a smile: "Then I'll wait."

Chapter 35 Dinner at the Zephyr's House

As training concluded this evening, the setting sun cast its warm golden glow on the streets of Marineford, bathing the Naval Headquarters in a gentle golden light.

Gern followed Zefa through several quiet alleys before finally stopping in front of a simple two-story building.

"We've arrived." Zefa pushed open the door, and an enticing aroma wafted into the room.

The aroma of food immediately triggered a loud protest from Gern's stomach, prompting Zepha to turn and glance at him: "So hungry?"

"Hehe, training is too physically demanding," Gern said, scratching his head a little embarrassed.

"Come in." Zephyr stepped aside to let Gern enter first.

Inside the house, a short-haired woman was carrying a steaming stew out of the kitchen.

When she saw Gern, her eyes lit up and a gentle smile appeared on her face: "You must be Gern? Zepharma often mentions you."

"Hello!" Gern quickly stood up straight and gave a standard military salute. "Excuse me!"

"Don't be so reserved." The woman placed the stew on the table and wiped her hands.

"My name is Lina, Zephyr's fiancée. You can just call me Sister Lina. Please sit down and eat."

In an instant, Gern's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the sumptuous dishes on the table.

Stewed beef, grilled fish, vegetable salad, steaming bread... his stomach growled again.

“Sit down, kid.” Zephyr patted Gern on the shoulder, his tone unusually gentle.

The three sat around the dining table. Just as Gern picked up his fork, Lina stopped him: "Wash your hands first."

"Oh!" Only then did Gern notice that his hands were still covered in dust and blood from training, and he quickly ran to the bathroom.

When he returned, Lina had already served him a large bowl of stew.

"Thank you!" Gern said, then immediately began to wolf down his food.

"Eat slowly, don't choke." Lina smiled and handed him a glass of water. "There's plenty more."

Zephyr frowned as he watched Gern devour the food.

"Are you a reincarnated starving ghost? Lina worked hard all afternoon, and you just eat without a care in the world."

And how come you eat the same amount as Garp?!

With his mouth full of food, Guern mumbled, "It's so delicious!"

Seeing Zephyr's serious tone, Lina patted his shoulder and playfully scolded him.

"Don't say that. He's only 16 years old, which is the age when he's growing."

“Growing taller…” Zephyr glanced at Gern’s nearly 1.9-meter height and his lips twitched. “16 years old? Is this really 16?”

"Haha." Lina covered her mouth and chuckled, "Although you've taught so many students part-time at the naval academy..."

But Guern was the first person you brought home for dinner.

"Heh!" Zefa snorted and didn't say anything more, but a hint of gentleness flashed in his eyes.

Gern remained silent, focusing solely on his food, and soon devoured all the food on the table.

Seeing this, Lina got up and went to the kitchen to bring out a plate of fruit and dessert: "Here, try my apple pie."

"Thank you!" Gern's eyes lit up as he took the plate and continued to eat heartily.

Zefa shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

At the dinner table, Gern suddenly remembered something, looked up and asked, "Professor Zephyr, aren't you and Lina married yet?"

Upon hearing this, Lina blushed slightly and gave Zephyr a tender look.

"He said we would get married after he became a general."

"Ahem..." Zephyr coughed lightly, turning his head away somewhat uncomfortably. "That's right."

"Is that so?!" Gern smiled and asked curiously, "Then how did you two meet?"

A look of reminiscence appeared in Lina's eyes, and she smiled.

"Zefa protected me when I was very young."

I was just a child then, and I was tricked by other kids. He saved me!

"Oh?" Gern became interested. "So, what was Professor Zephyr like when he was a child?"

“When he was little…” Lina pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, “Yes, just like now, he was a righteous hero!”

As she spoke, Lina suddenly stood up, mimicking the actions she remembered, hands on her hips, chest out, and shouted loudly.

"I am the hero of justice—Z!!"

Zephyr, who always had a serious expression in front of all the marines, suddenly turned bright red and stood up abruptly: "Lina!"

Gern was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"I never imagined that Professor Zeff was so passionate when he was a kid! A righteous hero Z!"

“And, and…” Lina laughed so hard she almost fell over, “He’s a complete blockhead.”

I followed him all the way from his hometown to Naval Headquarters, and he still didn't realize I liked him. It was me who was the one who...

"Gern, you can't be like Zephyr in this respect! A fool who makes girls take the initiative!"

Zefa looked at the two of them and finally sighed helplessly, but the tenderness in his eyes could not be hidden.

Dinner ended amidst laughter and cheerful conversation.

Gern offered to help clear the dishes, but Lina waved her hand repeatedly, saying, "No need, you should go and rest. You must be tired after a day of training."

“It’s alright, I can handle this little thing,” Gern insisted.

“Let him wash it! He’s eaten so much.” Zepha stood aside, watching Gern’s clumsy but earnest movements, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

As night deepened, when Gern said goodbye, Lina specially packed some snacks for him to take with him: "Come again next time, Gern!"