There was some pain, a dull ache in his organs… but overall, the damage wasn't too bad.
Klein pressed a hand against the wall and peeled himself off it.
The wall behind him collapsed with a thunderous crash. Rubble clattered to the ground, kicking up a dense cloud of dust.
Smoke, but no real injury.
Klein had no room to counterattack. In his field of vision, Kong had already launched another barrage, forcing him to defend again.
And again… he was sent flying!
Iron fists were no match. Basic attacks couldn't land. This was so damn frustrating.
Should he pull out some circus-style trick?
That would be suicide!
Right now, he had nothing left.
'I block! I block! I block!'
'I hit! I hit! I hit!'
Kong unleashed a storm-like barrage, a ferocious onslaught that gave Klein not even a sliver of breathing room.
With refined combat experience, immense strength, and top-grade Armament Haki, Kong knocked Klein back again and again.
But every time Klein got blown away, he came crawling back up like nothing happened. Kong's scalp tingled in disbelief.
"This guy's body… he's a damn monster!"
"Even iron men aren't this ridiculous!!"
Kong felt his fists going completely numb, yet Klein's stubborn, raging vitality was downright terrifying.
He was beyond pissed.
'Shit! Getting tossed around like a ragdoll… What the hell is this?!'
The wounds weren't serious, but he looked pathetic. It was humiliating.
His head was spinning.
'Come on!? I'm the greatest Marine prodigy in history. Don't I even get to save face!?'
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Klein was boiling with rage.
'I'm a goddamn whale-tier pay-to-win player! I've poured almost a billion Berries into this! And now I'm just a punching bag!?'
'What the hell is this!?'
'A high-spender getting treated like a wet dog in battle… I didn't spend that kind of money just to get wrecked !'
A blazing inferno surged inside his heart, growing hotter and wilder by the second!
He couldn't hold it in anymore.
"So many people are watching this fight… My reputation is worth more than the whole damn Marine name!"
A horrifying thought slammed into him. His scalp went numb. His heart raced. Blood pressure spiked.
'No way—this can't go on! If I lose …'
'I'll be flat broke and in debt for life!!!'
The mere thought of that happening was more terrifying than the sky collapsing.
Worse than the end of the world!
In his mind flashed countless images of him hustling to earn money, and that face—
He no longer cared about dignity.
Day after day teaching swordsmanship and Rokushiki to cadets, using Okama Kenpo in front of Tsuru, giving massages, getting roped into Garp's brutal training sessions...
All to make more money. Every single Berry was sweat, blood, and tears!
The fire in Klein's heart erupted, overtaking him. His black eyes turned into blazing infernos.
His body flushed red-hot. Steam poured off him as he roared:
"No one gets in the way of my (money-making) path!!"
"Whoever dares—KNEEL!"
To block someone's path to wealth… was no different from killing their parents!
His flame-wreathed eyes flashed crimson, and then—
His pupils were engulfed in chaotic, flickering black-and-red lightning!
At the same time, his body released that same chaotic energy. Black-and-red bolts of lightning crackled outward.
The air was filled with the seething static of these erratic arcs. Just watching made the scalp crawl.
Wherever the lightning passed, cadets and spectators alike rolled their eyes back and dropped unconscious like dead fish.
Zephyr went down first, one last thought crossing his mind:
'Again...? Last time I just dropped too.'
Nearby, Sengoku and Garp's pupils trembled violently before they too collapsed side by side. One's foot flopped onto the other's back, the other's arm draped over his face.
Only a handful of people were still conscious. The rest were stunned senseless.
All wore the same expression: pure shock.
Black-and-red lightning surged around Klein's left fist. Though he couldn't use Ryou-level Armament Haki, it still made his punch terrifying.
Kong felt a sudden chill in his spine. "Steel Secret Art: Flame King Fist!!"
Their fists collided, arcs of black-red lightning crackling through the air.
His left fist was blocked. Klein's right hand came down like a guillotine—finally counterattacking!
"What the hell?!" Kong could feel the monstrous force behind Klein's left punch. He was shaken to the core.
"Conqueror's Haki—this guy has the qualities of a king!!"
Immediately afterward came a fierce slash. Kong had no choice but to defend.
He raised his arms to block, but the slash still launched him, feet digging into the ground as he slid back, leaving deep gouges.
Klein looked downright unhinged. Trading blows with Kong again and again ignited something wild in him.
Even if he wasn't a "shonen protagonist," after that much fighting and that many bone-rattling collisions, his blood couldn't help but boil!
The rage and burning desire for victory… he completely lost control.
It was like he had stepped straight into a battle shonen anime. His brain was no longer in charge—his body was.
The effect of SSS-Rank Talent: Flashback Trigger had kicked in!
"Fistbone: Galactic Impact!"
Klein forcefully drew upon every ounce of his strength. His Diamond Skeleton and Indestructible Body talents gave him the durability to handle it.
A monstrous shockwave gathered around his fist. With Kong off balance, he struck!
"Steel Secret Art: Flame Demon Fist!"
Even as his fist went numb and blood roared in his veins, Klein's crimson eyes remained locked—burning with fanaticism.
"Fistbone: Diamond Impact!"
'Basic attack!' Content orıginally comes from 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱
"Shigan: Great Wilderness Prison Finger!"
"Demonic Flame Kick!"
True flesh-on-flesh brutality!
The pain overwhelmed all rationality. Their minds were no longer in control—just pure instinct and fighting spirit remained.
The training grounds exploded repeatedly. Thick stone walls were punched into rubble and carved open by wild slashes.
Every spectator—cadets, civilians—had long fled behind the Fleet Admiral, Admirals, and instructors.
The sheer wind pressure stung like blades on skin. Many couldn't even open their eyes.
Oharden, with his aged face, smiled with deep emotion.
"Our era… is finally ending."
Rampaging Bear laughed. "Wahahahaha—Give it a few more years, and Klein will be the strongest Marine of the new era…"
"It'll definitely be him!"
"Ha…haha—" Carter laughed like he was crying. "Unleashing this monster onto the seas... Those pirates are gonna have migraines for years!"