Chapter 11: Serious

"The entire audience erupted into a frenzy, their attention fully focused as Vell faced the devastating strike of a high-level Swordsman. Despite the intensity of the moment, Vell remained expressionless as he gently lifted his longsword. Suddenly, his entire demeanor changed."

Boom!

The deadly blades clashed as the two of them collided, causing a terrifying shockwave to ripple out and forcing Vell to involuntarily step back. "Come at me again!" Griffin laughed, impressed by Vell's strength as he was able to withstand Griffin's strongest attack with just a half-step backward. "As expected, the Marine Headquarters Commander's strength is formidable," Vell also laughed. Although there wasn't much difference between him and Griffin in terms of swordsmanship, Vell knew that he was inferior to Griffin in both stamina and speed. He understood that even if one's strength surpassed Griffin's, it would not be enough to defeat him.

Unable to instantly defeat Griffin, Vell fell into deep thought. "As expected, I'm still too weak," he concluded. While Griffin's strength wasn't particularly prominent within the Marine Headquarters, as a Commander, he was definitely not a pushover in terms of strength outside the organization. With his swordsman-level strength, Griffin was undoubtedly worthy of his position as a Commander in the Headquarters.

Winning with an absolute advantage was not an easy feat, but Vell overlooked one important detail: Griffin was thirty years old, while Vell was merely fifteen. Griffin had reached his current level of strength only after years and decades of practice, whereas Vell had been in the One Piece world for just over two months. As Vell calculated everything in his mind, he realized that the two of them couldn't even be compared in terms of skill level.

Garp couldn't help but exclaim from nearby, "This kid's swordsmanship has gotten even stronger!" Vice Admiral Crane looked on with a serious expression and asked, "Is your grandson really only fifteen years old?" Sengoku and Zephyr joined in the conversation and couldn't help but express their amazement. "Everyone in your family is a monster," they joked.

Despite the praise, the strength of a fifteen-year-old child left them feeling inferior. When compared to Vell at the same age, it was like comparing heaven and earth, making any comparison impossible.

Boom!

Griffin collided with Vell several more times, but this time he was the one who retreated. Vell didn't take a single step back but rather retreated four steps, leaving Griffin in awe. "How terrifying, a child with such formidable fighting abilities!" Griffin said to himself. 'At the beginning, I was able to slightly gain the upper hand. But in just a moment, I was being suppressed. However, this level of strength still isn't enough to instantly defeat me!' he thought to himself.

"Vell, you're very strong, but if you want to defeat me, you'll have to pay a high price," Griffin said, determined to give his best. "As a Marine Commander, I know more than just swordsmanship. I haven't used the Rokushiki yet."

"Originally, I was afraid of hurting you, Vell, but now it seems I have no choice but to go all out," Griffin exclaimed. "Really? Let's take action to determine the outcome," Vell replied with a smile as he suddenly put down his longsword. Griffin was a little surprised by Vell's move. Wasn't his strongest swordsmanship enough? Was he going to use a technique similar to Vice-Admiral Karp's iron-fist fighting style?

"Is he starting now?" Kap raised his eyebrows and speculated in his heart. "Did he give up?" Zephyr and Sengoku were a bit disappointed, but they knew better than to underestimate Vell's abilities. He had already reached a level that even Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji couldn't reach.

"We thought Vell could defeat Griffin," they said.

"Even if he loses, he won't really lose. The possibility of a tie is high," Vice Admiral Crane added, also surprised by Vell's unexpected move.

.

For a moment, everyone present couldn't understand Vell's behavior.

"Vell, you have actually done well with this step," Griffin thought Vell was going to concede and couldn't help but speak up. However, Vell seemed not to have heard him. His eyes were cold as he stared at Griffin, and his aura kept rising. Suddenly, an instinctive ability swept out from him.

The auras of Zephyr, Sengoku, Vice Admiral Crane, and others were all shrouded in it.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Above the square, hundreds of naval recruits rolled their eyes and fell to the ground, unable to get up. More than 20 senior trainees, including Koby, also fell to the ground one after another.

"How is this possible!" Griffin exclaimed, standing in the center of the square. He had fainted before, but in the face of Vell, a sense of fear also swept over his body.

"What kind of trick is this?" Soon, Griffin couldn't hold on and fell to the ground. He had been defeated in seconds. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't resist the terrifying aura that pervaded all around, oppressing his mind.

Silent! Absolute silence! HIn the huge fortress square, there was no sound.

Sengoku was stunned! Zephyr was stunned! Vice Admiral Crane was also stunned! Everyone was stunned, except Garp, who remained calm. Their expressions were unprecedented. They all looked at Vell in disbelief.

"Wha... Is this the Conqueror's Haki?!"

For a long time, Zephyr couldn't help but swallow his saliva.