Cudius and Zephyr chatted casually as they made their way deeper into Naval Headquarters. There wasn't a grand weling ittee or any big names showing up to greet them, given that Cudius wao keep his identity under s. After all, if a Celestial Dragon suddenly appeared for "internal discussions" with the CP agency, it would be odd not to have the admirals or even the higher-ups like Sengoku and Kong in attendahat would raise too many questions.

  Though they didn't show up, the likes of Sengoku and Kong were certainly aware of the situation. They knew a Celestial Dragon had arrived at Marineford, likely here to test his strength against their Marines.

  Cudius followed Stussy closely, keeping a low profile and pying his role as a subordio CP-0. He didn't draw much attention this way, which was just how he wa.

  Laughing and chatting along the way, the group arrived at the officer training camp. This camp had only been iion for a few years and wasn't yet fully developed. Before Zephyr officially retired and took over as the primary instructor, the training structure hadn't solidified. For now, different high-ranking officers would drop by to teach whehey were free. Even the legendary Garp would show up occasionally to train the new recruits.

  Today, it was Rear Admiral Kuzan's turn to instruct. He stood oraining field, watg roup of Marine recruits as they practiced military bat teiques in unison. The sound of synized movements echoed across the field.

  As Zephyr and his group approached, Kuzan turned his head and immediately reized Cudius. His eyes lit up in reition, but Zephyr quickly gave him a subtle look, signaling to keep quiet. Kuzan uood instantly and pretended not to know anything.

  With a casual smile, Kuzan called out, "Mr. Zephyr, who do we have here?"

  Zephyr grinned and replied, "The CP agency has e to engage in some internal discussions with us. This here is Croromising talent from CP-0. Why don't you find a few good men to spar with him and see if our Marines hold their own against the CP agency?"

  Kuzan wasn't slow to cat. He immediately realized what was going on. Saint Cudius wao spar with the Marines uhe guise of a ber.

  "Sure thing," Kuzan replied smoothly. He gnced over the recruits on the field before raising his hand and calling out, "Momonga, e here!"

  Cudius's ears perked up at the name. Momonga? He reized the name immediately. Iure, this man would bee a Vice Admiral in the Navy. While not particurly exceptional among the top ranks, he was solid definitely no slouch.

  At this point in time, Momonga was still young, probably not evey yet. His body was lean but muscur, the kind of build that marked him as a highly capable fighter. It was no wonder Naval Headquarters had high hopes for him, especially given that he had Zephyr's bag as one of his protégés.

  Momonga quickly jogged over to Kuzan, a crisp salute. "Sir!"

  Kuzan smiled approvingly. "Today we've got some bers here to spar with our Marines. I want you to step up and show them what we've got. Don't embarrass us."

  Momonga looked a bit surprised but quickly posed himself. He nodded firmly. "Uood, sir. Everything for the sake of justice!"

  Zephyr chuckled from the side. "Of course, this is just a friendly exge. Don't go too hard we don't want ating hurt."

  Although Cudius had insisted there shouldn't be aris, Zephyr couldn't help but feel cautious. After all, this was no ordinary sparring match. If somethi wrong and Cudius got seriously injured well, even as an Admiral, Zephyr wouldn't be able to escape the sequences.

  There was no dey in starting. The training ground was cleared, and soon, Cudius and Momonga were standing face to face.

  Cudius leased with the matchup. Momonga seemed like a solid first oppo someone who could help him gauge the limits of his current strength.

  Momonga, oher hand, was a bit skeptical. Cudius looked very young, barely older than fifteen or sixteen by his estimation. Is this really a serious oppo? he wondered.

  The reality was that Cudius had developed rapidly over the past few months, thanks to his disciplined regimen of good food, exercise, and training. But in truth, Cudius was only just about to turn eleven.

  "Naval Headquarters, Momonga," the young Marine greeted, introdug himself with a salute.

  Cudius nodded in response. "CP-0, Crowe. Let's have a good match."

  With the formalities out of the way, the atmosphere between them grew tense. Momonga wasn't oo hesitate. As soon as Kuzan gave the signal, he shot forward with a burst of speed, aiming to take the initiative. In an instant, he closed the distaween them and delivered a sharp kick toward Cudius's chest.

  Cudius didn't back down. He didn't use his Devil Fruit abilities to dodge, instead opting to meet the kick head-on with one of his own. Their legs collided with a loud thud, and both men were forced back a step.

  Momonga blinked in surprise. He hadn't held back, yet this seemingly younger fighter had mao match him blow for blow. "This kid's no joke," he thought.

  Cudius, too, was impressed. The foromonga's kick had sent a jolt of pain through his leg. It was clear that, in terms of raw physical strength, Momonga had the upper hand. But not by much, Cudius noted. Given that Momonga had been training with the Marines for two years while Cudius had only been at it for half a year, the gap in their abilities didn't seem that rge.

  I keep up, Cudius thought fidently.

  Their thoughts only sted a split sed. The moment both fighters regaiheir footing, Momonga unched atack. This time, he disappeared from Cudius's sight in an instant.

  Shave! Cudius reized the move immediately. Sure enough, Momonga appeared behind him in the moment, his cwed hand reag for Cudius's shoulder to pin him down.

  But Cudius was ready. He, too, had mastered the basics of the Marine Six Styles. With a burst of speed, Cudius vanished from Momonga's grasp, appearing a short distance away.

  Momonga smiled to himself. "You've got the Six Styles too, huh?"

  He wasn't surprised, though. Despite being known as "Marine Six Styles," the teiques were also taught within the CP anization. Marines and CP agents often exged skills and teiques in training.

  What Momonga didn't know was that Cudius hadn't learned his Six Styles from the CP agency but from Zephyr himself. To Zephyr, the Six Styles were more than just bat teiques they were a powerful foundation for physical mastery. Through rigorous training, one could develop superhuman strength and speed, ying the groundwork for mastering Haki and even f one's unique bat path. Zephyr himself, as well as Garp, had followed that path.

  So when Cudius asked for something to help him in his training, Zephyr had been more than willing to teach him the Six Styles, along with all the insights he had gained over the years. And judging by Cudius's current performance, he hadn't squahat opportunity.

  Cudius dodged Momonga's attack with a sidestep, but he wasn't do. "Finger Pistol!" he called out, throwing a sharp kistead of a punch. While it was called "Finger Pistol," Cudius had adapted the move, eling the force through his heel.

  Momonga reacted quickly, taking a defeance. "Iron Body!" he decred, hardening his muscles like steel.

  A metallig echoed through the training ground as Cudius's kick struck Flying Squirrel's chest. Though the bloowerful, Momonga held firm, barely moving an inch.

  His Iron Body is strong, Cudius thought, pulling back.

  Momonga, now taking the fight seriously, reached for his sword. Drawing his bde in one swift motion, he shouted, "One Sword Style: Flying Squirrel Ssh!" With a quick ssh, he sent a powerful arc of energy toward Cudius, a bination of his swordsmanship and the Tempest Kick teique.

  Cudius's eyes widened. A flying ssh? Though it wasn't a true swordsman's ssh, it was still impressive for someone so young. The energy was ing fast, and Cudius didn't have time to dodge.

  Realizing this, Cudius decided to stop holding back. A thin, mist-like vapor appeared around his body, and the ssh passed right through him without causing any harm. Momonga, now charging toward Cudius to finish him off, gasped in shock.

  "Logia?" he muttered under his breath, realizing the kind of oppo he was dealing with.

  Logia Devil Fruits were rare and incredibly powerful, often sidered the stro of the three Devil Fruit types. While he had some skill with Haki, it wasn't enough to deal with a Logia user of Cudius's caliber.

  With no time to adjust his attack, Momonga barreled straight into Cudius, who stood his ground. Without missing a beat, Cudius raised his hand and grabbed him by the neck. Just as the Momonga was about to summon his Haki to fight back, he suddenly found himself gasping for air.

  It wasn't the chokehold cutting off his breath, but something far more terrifying. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't inhale. His lungs screamed for oxygen, but the air around him had bee uhable.

  "Death Choke," Cudius murmured softly, his grip steady.

  Unbeknownst to Momonga, Cudius had released his Devil Fruit ability, saturating the air around the him with nitrogen. With no oxygeo breathe, Momonga's body began to falter, his strength rapidly draining as his face turned red.

  Just as it seemed like the end was near, Cudius let go, withdrawing his ability and taking a step back. The suffog atmosphere vanished, and Momonga colpsed to the ground, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath.

  Cudius smiled. "Though it might seem unfair…"

  Before Cudius could finish his sentence, Momonga raised a hand, still gasping for air but managing to speak. "No… it's fine. I lost fair and square. I didn't anticipate you'd be a Logia user. In a real battle, I'd already be dead. o give me an easy out."

  ****

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