At the same time, her hands flashed and swung on the trajectory of her rotating side-shift, and several "Cloud Blades · Butterfly Dance," thin as cicada wings but carrying high-speed rotation and cold moisture, did not attack Garp, but accurately cut and interfered with the airflow field in front of and around Garp's fist, like countless dexterous moths, rushing towards that destructive "sun" without fear of death, trying to use their insignificant power to disturb its light and heat!
"Eh?" Garp's fist stopped in mid-air, and he made a nasal sound filled with surprise and intense interest. He could clearly feel that the "momentum" in front of his fist had been guided and dispersed in an extremely ingenious way. This girl was not resisting his power, but deconstructing his attack!
"Interesting! Very interesting!" Garp grinned, his punch momentum unchanged, but the air around his fist suddenly made a low hum, and the invisible pressure increased tenfold! He wanted to see how strong the resilience of this seemingly weak "cloud" was!
"Cloud Pivot · Thousand-Layer Ripples!"
The moment Seraphilia landed, her hands drew a perfect circle in front of her. More condensed, layered, milky-white cloud rings that continuously expanded and contracted like ripples in water instantly unfolded with her as the center! These cloud rings were not static shields, but were in a state of high-frequency, invisible, gentle vibration, as if thousands of the most precise spider webs were superimposed.
Garp's fist finally "slowly" sank into this vibrating cloud ring.
He clearly felt that his power, which was enough to level a mountain, was absorbed, transformed, deflected, and guided in all directions by these high-speed vibrating clouds, as if he had punched into a bottomless, yet infinitely elastic cotton swamp!
"Pop!"
With a sound slightly louder than a bubble bursting, the innermost cloud ring shattered, but the remaining power of Garp's fist had also dissipated.
Seraphilia floated back several meters, standing firmly. She was pale, breathing rapidly, cold sweat mixed with hot sweat constantly sliding down her forehead, but her ice-blue eyes remained as calm as an abyss.
"Wahahahahaha! Good! Good! Good!" Garp withdrew his fist, not only without the slightest anger, but burst into even louder, more hearty laughter, shaking the ceiling of the training ground with dust.
He stepped forward, and his fan-like hands patted Seraphilia's shoulders hard with "bang-bang" sounds, each one making her feel like her bones were about to fall apart.
"Not brute force, but cleverness! It's brains! Tsuru's eye for talent is damn good this time! This girl is interesting, very interesting!"
He leaned close to Seraphilia, his mouth spraying senbei crumbs as he grinned wide: "Little girl, what was your name? Seraphilia, right? If Tsuru's convoluted lessons bore you, come find me anytime! I guarantee you'll have fun stretching your muscles! If anyone dares to bully you, tell me, and I'll punch them all the way back to the West Blue! Wahahahaha!"
He patted Seraphilia hard again, then laughed, stuffing senbei into his mouth while swaying his burly body away, leaving behind Seraphilia, whose shoulders were aching and who was still lingering in fear, and the wild atmosphere that had not yet dissipated in the air.
Seraphilia rubbed her shoulders and slowly exhaled a turbid breath that carried a tremor.
The few seconds of confrontation just now consumed more energy than any life-and-death battle she had experienced. Garp's "casual punch" let her see the desperate tip of the iceberg at the peak of power, and also forced out her current absolute limit in controlling her power.
---
The news that Garp "visited" Tsuru's disciple's training ground and was skillfully "caught" by a newcomer with one punch spread faster and wider than his laughter when he arrived.
In less than a morning, the entire Marineford officer circle with any rank had heard this explosive news.
"Did you hear? Vice Admiral Garp went to test that newcomer named Seraphilia himself!"
"And the result? Was she beaten to tears?"
"Cry? What cry! It is said that the girl used Cloud Mist to 'unload' Vice Admiral Garp's punch! Without a single scratch!"
"Impossible! That's Vice Admiral Garp's fist! Do you think I'm stupid?"
"It's absolutely true! Vice Admiral Garp was still laughing loudly when he left, praising her for 'having a brain,' and even saying he would cover her!"
"My god... Where did Vice Admiral Tsuru find such a monster?"
The original "vase" label was torn to shreds, replaced by a series of heavy new labels such as "monster newcomer," "seedling for a strategist," and "someone Garp thinks highly of."
In the cafeteria, in the corridors, by the training grounds, Seraphilia's name was mentioned repeatedly.
Many people began to re-examine this taciturn silver-haired girl, the contempt and suspicion in their eyes turning into inquiry, evaluation, and even a trace of awe.
In the afternoon, when Seraphilia went to the Marineford library according to her schedule, she could clearly feel that the surrounding air had changed.
The scrutiny, whether open or secret, had now turned into complex avoidance and awe. The crowd in the corridor would subconsciously make way for her.
She looked straight ahead, entered with her access card, found the area regarding the principles of the Six Powers and basic theories of Haki, and began to read quietly, as if the stormy seas outside had nothing to do with her.
Only she knew that under her calm appearance, the shock brought by Garp's punch was still echoing in the depths of her soul. That pure power and speed, that effortless pressure, gave her a brand new, concrete understanding of "strength."
At the same time, Garp's seemingly rough but precise "test," and that domineering "I'll cover you," were also like a reassurance—at least in Marineford, she was not isolated and helpless.
She turned the page, her ice-blue eyes focused and firm. The first lesson in Marineford, taught by the marine hero himself, was profound enough to be remembered for a lifetime. The road ahead was destined not to be smooth, but she had taken the first step firmly, and, she had made a loud enough, clear enough sound of her own.
Late at night, she returned to her room. The Robin, formed by a wisp of consciousness she had separated, immediately flew over affectionately, rubbing against her cheek, conveying the calm and stable sense of existence from the other end of the distant West Blue.
She gently stroked the wooden robin in her arms that had long been warmed by her body temperature.
"Robin," she whispered silently to the void, her voice gentle, "I have stood firm here. So, you must also be well and wait for me."
Outside the window, the lights of Marineford were like an inextinguishable sea of stars, illuminating the fortress of justice, and also illuminating the path of a girl moving forward resolutely.
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