A Case of Campus Violence, the Navy's Future Annihilated.

In that same instant the dust scattered, Tokikake's squinted eyes snapped wide open, a sharp gleam in them, and his figure shot forward like a rabbit escape, charging straight to Ortolan's front.

At that moment, Ortolan had just released Momonga and Hoshigaki from both hands, leaving his chest wide open!

Tokikake naturally wouldn't miss such a good chance. He formed one hand into a claw and struck hard, driving it into Ortolan's lower left ribcage!

This strike, which Tokikake called 'Beef Steak Grab,' was meant to be a 'soft-rib attack'—piercing through the weakest area of Ortolan's abdomen to grab his ribs, inflicting intense pain!

But the idea was good; in reality, when Tokikake's claw landed, his Haki-reinforced fingers nearly snapped, and he only felt his own hand aching badly!

Looking again, the planned motion of hooking his claw into Ortolan's soft ribs had utterly failed. At this moment, Ortolan's abdominal muscles were taut, his flesh extremely dense, and on top of that, he had inherited Charlotte Linlin's Steel Bones and Iron Muscles—Tokikake's strike simply hadn't broken through!

"No way, Al? You really do have steel bones and iron muscles?" Tokikake couldn't help blurting out in shock.

If you had this ability, why did you dodge my sneak attack in the first place?

But Ortolan had no intention of acknowledging him. His eyes bloodshot and bulging, he moved with incredible speed. Just as Tokikake was stunned by the realization, Ortolan grabbed him by the neck, lifted him up, and then slammed his own head straight into Tokikake's nose bridge!

After being grabbed, Tokikake reacted instantly, coating his head in Armament Haki, turning it into a black can!

But Ortolan didn't use any Haki at all.

Normally, Ortolan would have taken a heavy loss, but again—he truly had steel bones and iron muscles!

With that fierce headbutt, everyone outside the arena heard the sound of skulls colliding, making their scalps tingle and their jaws ache. Tokikake fared even worse: his Armament Haki was shattered on the spot by Ortolan's iron head, his nose bridge caved in, blood sprayed out, and his eyes rolled back, his consciousness clearly fading.

Seeing Tokikake seemed to have lost the will to fight, Ortolan apparently lost interest in him. Like tossing trash, he casually threw Tokikake to the ground.

But just then, Momonga and Hoshigaki's voices came from behind Ortolan!

The two who had been planted headfirst in the ground moments ago now appeared on either side of Ortolan, their waist swords already drawn.

"As expected, without showing some real skill, we can't even scratch you. Don't blame us for drawing blades on you!" Momonga said, a serious glint in his eyes.

As his words fell, he and Hoshigaki, one left and one right, crossed their blades—two slashes cutting across Ortolan's lower back!

After all, they were elite Marine rear admirals, well-versed in Haki; they weren't so weak that they couldn't even break through Ortolan's defense when he wasn't using Haki!

But after this strike, Momonga and Hoshigaki still looked utterly incredulous. They had already overestimated Ortolan's steel bones and iron muscles as much as possible, yet the reality was that their full-powered slashes had only 'scratched the skin'!

That's right—at this moment, the black vest on Ortolan's lower back was cut open, revealing the wounds beneath... two bloody scratches that had barely broken the skin, without even cutting deep into the subcutaneous muscle.

After being sneak-attacked and 'heavily wounded,' Ortolan didn't bother with Momonga and Hoshigaki at all. Instead, he bent down, grabbed the Seastone chains wrapped around his ankles, yanked them off, and tossed them aside.

With the Seastone restraint gone, Ortolan felt his power surging back, and at the same time, silver lightning like a wandering dragon reappeared around his body.

"How are we supposed to fight this?" Momonga was dumbfounded.

He knew Ortolan was strong—otherwise, Garp wouldn't have specially recruited him and dropped him straight into the Marine Officer Training Camp—but honestly, he'd never actually fought Ortolan before!

Now, this guy was not only incredibly strong—they'd faced strong opponents before and could win with some technique—but the key issue was that even he and Hoshigaki working together couldn't effectively break through Ortolan's defense. What did that mean? It meant they had almost no chance of defeating him!

If you can't deal effective damage, what dungeon are you running? What boss are you challenging?

Outside the arena, Admiral Zephyr's eyes gleamed with growing delight. He said excitedly, "Sengoku, do you see that?!"

"It seems he really did inherit that woman's talent..." Admiral Sengoku clicked his tongue in some amazement.

As a Marine admiral, Sengoku had fought Charlotte Linlin before. He knew all too well how troublesome she was. Even a monster like Whitebeard had suffered in a numbers game, taking wounds from Marine officers.

But Charlotte Linlin had never suffered that way—she was completely immune to attacks from weaklings who lacked enough power!

And now, this brat named Bane Ortolan was starting to show that same ability!

Momonga and Hoshigaki were elite among rear admirals. Sengoku could see they still had plenty of room to grow—otherwise, Zephyr wouldn't have brought them into this Officer Training Camp to develop.

In the future, if they advanced another step, they might cause Ortolan some trouble. But for now, the average strength level below Marine Headquarters rear admiral could no longer pose any threat to Ortolan!

As Sengoku was thinking this, Zephyr excitedly slapped Stolobey on the shoulder and said, "Stainless, Kaisa, you two go too!"

The three of them looked at Zephyr in surprise. The handsome Kaisa said directly, "Teacher, if Rear Admirals Momonga and the others can't do it, we captains... honestly, I'm not confident I can break through his defense!"

"That's exactly why you must go. This isn't just a trial for Ortolan—it's training for you. Go, feel how despairing those monsters of the sea were in their youth, then remember that despair, savor it, carry it with you, and become stronger!!!" Admiral Zephyr said without hesitation.

With the words put that way, Kaisa, Stainless, and Stolobey couldn't back out. They steeled themselves, let out a roar to boost their morale, and charged straight into the arena!

Then, still not satisfied, Zephyr turned to Gion and said, "Gion, you're stronger than them. You go too!"

Gion didn't refuse. She placed her hand on the sword at her waist, Konpira, and said with slight resignation, "I'm only a little stronger than Tokikake, Teacher. Don't expect too much from me!"

In the span of less than two minutes, Captain Stainless, who had just charged in, swung his sword at Ortolan's shoulder. Predictably, it did nothing—not even a scratch!

Then, Ortolan threw a furious punch, driving it hard into Stainless's stomach. The blow doubled him over like a fully cooked red shrimp, and the back of his suit burst open from the force of the impact, as if someone had deveined him.

Stainless spat a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back, he lost consciousness, and his legs gave out, collapsing to the ground.

The next second, Captain Kaisa leaped high from behind Ortolan, his elbow coated in dense Armament Haki, and slammed it down hard on Ortolan's temple!

If blades couldn't break through, could blunt force trauma hurt him?

As it turned out, no. Kaisa's elbow strike landed, and Ortolan didn't even try to dodge. He just let it hit his temple, and then... nothing happened.

At most, Ortolan's neck tilted slightly from the force, but he felt no other sensation—not even pain, just like someone bumping into him on the street.

Then, Ortolan threw an uppercut that caught Captain Kaisa square on the chin. Kaisa shot up like a crow taking flight, rising dozens of meters into the air before crashing hard onto the ground far away, not moving again.

"Moon Rabbit · Eagle Kick!" A sharp cry came from nearby.

The voice arrived with the person—it was Gion, no doubt!

As Ortolan turned toward the sound, Gion had already appeared before him with the swiftness of a rabbit escape, the famed blade in her hand carrying a sharp edge as it struck Ortolan across the chest.

Perhaps it was because Gion's strength naturally surpassed Momonga and Hoshigaki, or because she specialized in swordsmanship with considerable skill, or maybe it was her superior equipment—the renowned 'Konpira,' an absolute masterpiece of a blade.

In any case, this strike truly broke through his defense!

A bloody gash ran from Ortolan's left shoulder to his right abdomen, skin split open, muscles slightly everted, but it didn't reach the bone. And this was the most severe injury he had suffered in this campus bullying incident.

Gion's blade found its mark; she slid her foot, moving like a hare evading a hawk's strike, gliding gracefully past Ortolan's side. Then, she swung her sword in a backhand motion, aiming to cut across his back once more.

But just as her blade began its arc, a flash of lightning flickered across Ortolan's body, and he vanished entirely. Naturally, Gion's strike met only empty air!

Her Observation Haki was active, so she immediately sensed the danger coming from behind—it was Ortolan, no mistake!

Gion spun and slid backward, swinging Konpira in an arc to send a slash through the air... but it was useless. Lightning reflected in Gion's pupils as Ortolan caught up to her, throwing a punch straight at her heart!

The massive evil at Gion's left chest nearly burst from the blow; the Justice Cloak at her back was torn open by a force that pierced straight through, her delicate face twisted in a mask of pain as she spat out a mouthful of blood. Her body shot back like a cannonball, crashing dozens of meters away into the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

"Ah la la, teacher, what are your thoughts on the future of the Marines being wiped out by a campus bullying incident, with only Ortolan likely able to attend class tomorrow?" Kuzan stood off to the side, grinning as he asked Zephyr.

Zephyr shot Kuzan a glare, then said, "What are you laughing at? You're up too!"

"Huh?" Kuzan stared at Zephyr with a dumbfounded expression.