One piece: I,Akaino will not die easily

"Lieutenant Admiral Sakazuki!" Upon seeing the highest commander of this warship step onto the deck, the marines along the way all put down their ongoing tasks and saluted their superior officer. As usual, Sakazuki wore a navy cap. Seeing their actions, he raised a hand and lightly pressed the brim of his hat downward in acknowledgment: "Carry on with your work."

"Yes, sir!" The marines clicked the heels of their boots together in unison, producing a crisp "snap" sound.

Sakazuki maintained his pace as he walked directly toward his Rear Admiral. Even with his combat helmet pressing down on his head, Onigumo's thick, somewhat disheveled hair seemed to move like a living creature, stretching and curling in various directions before gathering into bundles.

Facing away from Sakazuki, the Rear Admiral seemed to sense his presence and suddenly turned around. A slightly hoarse voice, tinged with respect, greeted him: "Lieutenant Admiral, sir."

It was only then that Sakazuki noticed Onigumo kept his eyes shut even while speaking. In a tone of certainty, he asked: "Life Return?"

Onigumo suddenly opened his eyes, glaring fiercely at Sakazuki. If someone unfamiliar with the two saw this exchange, they might mistake them for bitter enemies.

But Sakazuki was accustomed to such expressions. What could be done when someone just naturally looked fierce? With a tone of admiration, he remarked to his Rear Admiral: "Impressive level of control. Among navy officers of the same rank, your mastery of 'Life Return' is unparalleled."

Without any additional gestures,Onigumo slowly twisted his loose shoulder-length hair into several bundles. His hoarse voice reached Sakazuki's ears: "You flatter me, Lieutenant Admiral Sakazuki. Compared to your mastery of the Six Powers, I still have much to learn."

Sakazuki waved his hand slowly: "No need to be modest, Onigumo. I can even assert that your level of mastery over Life Return surpasses many vice admirals. While all vice admirals are well-versed in the Six Powers and Haki, specialization in specific techniques is invaluable. Even I should learn from you."

The Rear Admiral looked a little flattered. "I wouldn't dare, sir. If you have any questions, I will do my utmost to assist." The highest-ranking officer on the warship nodded. He truly admired Onigumo's diligence and commitment to training.

Incorporating the Six Powers into daily life—it's in the details that true expertise is revealed. This was the foundation of Onigumo's formidable Eight-Sword Style in the future.

Although Sakazuki had long mastered the Six Powers under Teacher Zephyr's guidance, he wouldn't confidently claim superiority over this subordinate in the domain of Life Return. Marines often faced a common issue when training in the Six Powers:

whether due to talent or individual compatibility with certain techniques, most practitioners couldn't master all six techniques equally. To avoid spreading themselves too thin, the majority chose to learn all Six Powers but only fully mastered one or two of them.

For Sakazuki, his specialty was "Iron Body." This technique enhanced the strength of well-trained muscles to achieve a steel-like hardness, making the body impervious to bullets and blades.

Although Iron Body leaned more toward defense compared to techniques like Tempest Kick or Finger Pistol, CP9 in the original series also demonstrated its use for offensive purposes when applied to specific body parts during attacks. It's a relatively easy technique to learn but difficult to master.

Iron Body, as one of the Six Powers, doesn't merely rely on physical toughness to enhance defense and reduce pain perception. Instead, it mobilizes blood flow throughout the body to fortify muscle strength.

Advanced practitioners can further transform their bodily functions, achieving an exceptional physique and extraordinary resilience.

This explains why, even among those who mastered Iron Body, many rear admirals and vice admirals could still have their defenses broken by powerful pirates. It has led some to believe Armament Haki is more practical than Iron Body.

But in truth, that's not the case—martial arts, Devil Fruits, and Haki are this world's three main power systems, and fundamentally, none is superior to the others. As demonstrated in the original series, Luffy defeated Kuja Pirate officers and Rob Lucci—who had vice admiral-level strength evaluations—without knowing Haki, relying solely on martial arts and his Devil Fruit.

(Manga scenes show Doberman and Onigumo expressing confidence in Lucci's strength during the Enies Lobby conflict, only to be shocked upon hearing of his defeat. Comparatively, Supernova X Drake, who also held a rear admiral rank, fell short of Lucci's level, implying that even before mastering Haki, Lucci was roughly at a vice admiral's combat power.)

In the movie One Piece Film: Z, Zephyr—a renowned high-level Haki user—knocks out a rear admiral using Iron Body in one punch, which further supports the belief that Haki outshines Iron Body in defensive applications.

Yet, as far as Sakazuki was concerned, comparing a seasoned admiral-level fighter to a rear admiral who got floored by Luffy during the Marineford War was meaningless. The gap in power levels was too vast to draw any meaningful conclusions.

Sakazuki speculated that his "Red Dog" persona's ability to withstand Whitebeard's full-strength punch and continue relentlessly pursuing Luffy afterward was due to a combination of Iron Body-enhanced physical toughness and high-level Armament Haki.

Though Sakazuki had already decided to focus most of his energy on Devil Fruit development in this age of information explosion and theoretical innovation, that didn't mean he would neglect his progress in martial arts and Haki.

Martial arts, Haki, and Devil Fruits interact and influence each other. To reach the pinnacle of strength, none of these aspects could be left undeveloped.

Sakazuki shifted the topic. "Onigumo, what do you think of the combat capability of the soldiers aboard this warship?"

The Rear Admiral's face revealed a hint of disdain as he replied dismissively: "Trash."

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