<h4>Chapter 18: The Future Vice Admiral</h4>


    udius and Zephyr chatted casually as they made their way deeper into Naval Headquarters. There wasn''t a grand weingmittee or any big names showing up to greet them, given that udius wanted to keep his identity under wraps. 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 attendance. That 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.


    udius followed Stussy closely, keeping a low profile and ying his role as a subordinate to CP-0. He didn''t draw much attention this way, which was just how he wanted it.


    Laughing and chatting along the way, the group arrived at the officer training camp. This camp had only been in operation 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 whenever they were free. Even the legendary Garp would show up asionally to train the new recruits.


    Today, it was Rear Admiral Kuzan''s turn to instruct. He stood on the training field, watching over a group of Marine recruits as they practiced militarybat techniques in unison. The sound of synchronized movements echoed across the field.


    As Zephyr and his group approached, Kuzan turned his head and immediately recognized udius. His eyes lit up in recognition, but Zephyr quickly gave him a subtle look, signaling to keep quiet. Kuzan understood 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 hase to engage in some internal discussions with us. This here is Crowe, a promising talent from CP-0. Why don''t you find a few good men to spar with him and see if our Marines can hold their own against the CP agency?"


    Kuzan wasn''t slow to catch on. He immediately realized what was going on. Saint udius wanted to spar with the Marines under the guise of a CP-0 member.


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


    udius''s ears perked up at the name. Momonga? He recognized the name immediately. In the future, this man would be a Vice Admiral in the Navy. While not particrly exceptional among the top ranks, he was solid definitely no slouch.


    At this point in time, Momonga was still young, probably not even twenty yet. His body was lean but muscr, 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 backing as one of his protégés.


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


    Kuzan smiled approvingly. "Today we''ve got some CP-0 members 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 quicklyposed himself. He nodded firmly. "Understood, sir. Everything for the sake of justice!"


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


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


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


    udius was pleased with the matchup. Momonga seemed like a solid first opponent someone who could help him gauge the limits of his current strength.


    Momonga, on the other hand, was a bit skeptical. udius looked very young, barely older than fifteen or sixteen by his estimation. Is this really a serious opponent? he wondered.


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


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


    udius 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 one to 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 distance between them and delivered a sharp kick toward udius''s chest.


    udius 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 managed to match him blow for blow. "This kid''s no joke," he thought.


    udius, too, was impressed. The force of Momonga''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, udius noted. Given that Momonga had been training with the Marines for two years while udius had only been at it for half a year, the gap in their abilities didn''t seem thatrge.


    I can keep up, udius thought confidently.


    Their thoughts onlysted a split second. The moment both fighters regained their footing, Momongaunched another attack. This time, he disappeared from udius''s sight in an instant.


    Shave! udius recognized the move immediately. Sure enough, Momonga appeared behind him in the next moment, his wed hand reaching for udius''s shoulder to pin him down.


    But udius was ready. He, too, had mastered the basics of the Marine Six Styles. With a burst of speed, udius 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 techniques were also taught within the CP organization. Marines and CP agents often exchanged skills and techniques in training.


    What Momonga didn''t know was that udius hadn''t learned his Six Styles from the CP agency but from Zephyr himself. To Zephyr, the Six Styles were more than justbat techniques 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 forging one''s uniquebat path. Zephyr himself, as well as Garp, had followed that path.


    So when udius 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 udius''s current performance, he hadn''t squandered that opportunity.


    udius dodged Momonga''s next attack with a sidestep, but he wasn''t done yet. "Finger Pistol!" he called out, throwing a sharp kick instead of a punch. While it was called "Finger Pistol," udius had adapted the move, channeling the force through his heel.


    Momonga reacted quickly, taking a defensive stance. "Iron Body!" he dered, hardening his muscles like steel.


    A metallic ng echoed through the training ground as udius''s kick struck Momonga''s chest. Though the blow was powerful, Momonga held firm, barely moving an inch.


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


    Momonga, now taking the fight seriously, reached for his sword. Drawing his de in one swift motion, he shouted, "One Sword Style: Flying Squirrel sh!" With a quick sh, he sent a powerful arc of energy toward udius, abination of his swordsmanship and the Tempest Kick technique.


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


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


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


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


    With no time to adjust his attack, Momonga barreled straight into udius, who stood his ground. Without missing a beat, udius 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 be unbreathable.


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


    Unbeknownst to Momonga, udius had released his Devil Fruit ability, saturating the air around the him with nitrogen. With no oxygen left to 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, udius let go, withdrawing his ability and taking a step back. The suffocating atmosphere vanished, and Momonga copsed to the ground, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath.


    udius smiled. "Though it might seem unfair..."


    Before udius 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. No need to give me an easy out."