Grand Finale

After Zephyr finished speaking, everyone moved behind Kuma. Kuma pushed forward with both hands, and the transparent paw pads in his palms slowly drifted out, floating above an open patch of ground.

Kuma glanced back at Gigue, who smiled and nodded at him.

As everyone's attention was drawn to the floating transparent paw pads, Kuma softly said,

"Ursus Shock!"

"Boom!"

The transparent paw pads suddenly exploded, releasing a blinding white light. A terrifying force then spread outward, covering more than half the training grounds.

When everything finally settled, not a single blade of grass remained in the area ravaged by the shockwave. As far as the eye could see, there was only bare ground.

The people behind Kuma stared at the sight before them in stunned disbelief. Zephyr stood with his arms folded, a trace of shock appearing on his face as well.

Paramecia Devil Fruits had always varied greatly in quality, but the Paw-Paw Fruit had once been selected by the Celestial Dragons. Zephyr had therefore held fairly high expectations for its abilities, but he had never expected it to perform this well!

Its destructive power alone proved that the Paw-Paw Fruit was a top-tier Paramecia Devil Fruit!

Zephyr's gaze flickered as he looked at Kuma's massive frame. Looks like I've found another treasure!

Among the people in the back, Kizaru's mouth had already formed an O as he exclaimed dramatically,

"How terrifying! There's a Paramecia this outrageous?"

A serious expression appeared on Akainu's face. He could not help glancing at Gigue, who remained calm beside him. He clearly remembered Kuma calling Gigue Brother. Now that Kuma had displayed such powerful abilities, what kind of power did this big brother possess?

Among the female trainees, several who had previously thought Kuma's ability was cute were still frozen in shock. Only Ginny clapped excitedly and shouted,

"Little Kuma, you're amazing!"

Zephyr also came back to his senses. He reached out and patted Kuma's waist, praising him,

"Very good! You've developed your ability to such an extent already. Train hard from here on out—I have great expectations for your future!"

Kuma bashfully scratched his head. He first bowed slightly to Zephyr, then retreated into the group amid everyone's awed gazes.

After he stepped down, Ginny volunteered to come forward. Her slender figure and pretty face immediately drew the attention of the male trainees.

Seeing the lively and lovely Ginny, a smile appeared on Zephyr's stern face. He took out a military flintlock pistol and handed it toward her, saying,

"Ginny, I've read your file. It says you excel at marksmanship, so show us what you can do."

Ginny did not take the pistol Zephyr offered. To his astonishment, she swiftly turned around and pulled a golden pistol from inside the Marine vest over her chest. She then spun back with a smile and said,

"Sorry, Teacher Zephyr, but I still prefer the gun Brother Gigue gave me!"

Looking at the golden pistol gleaming in the sunlight, then at the bargain-bin version in his own hand, Zephyr coughed awkwardly twice. Still, he seriously pointed out,

"That gun is a little too conspicuous. It could easily expose your position on the battlefield!"

Ginny glanced at Gigue and waved her hand as she said,

"Teacher Zephyr is right, but I believe Brother Gigue will protect me!"

The moment those words came out, the crowd below erupted into cheers, accompanied by the sound of certain male trainees' hearts breaking.

Gigue helplessly spread his hands. To everyone else, he looked completely like he was showing off.

Seeing the situation, Zephyr said nothing more and gestured for Ginny to begin.

Ginny's little face looked flushed, and her heart thumped wildly in her chest.

She did not know what had come over her. That sentence had slipped out as if by some strange impulse. It was practically a public confession.

But Ginny was not some overly self-conscious little girl. Since the words had already left her mouth, there was nothing to regret.

She held her breath and focused, quickly adjusting herself. Raising her hand, she fired several shots in rapid succession at the targets set up in the distance.

Zephyr had exceptionally sharp eyesight. Even from far away, he could clearly see that every target had been struck dead center in the red bullseye. Every shot was a perfect ten!

Once Ginny's results were announced, another round of applause broke out, and Zephyr gave her his approval as well.

Holding up her pistol, Ginny turned and looked expectantly toward Gigue. When she saw that he was clapping too, she happily puffed out her impressive chest before turning and returning to the group.

It had been Gigue who suggested that Ginny take up marksmanship. Although guns had less presence than swords in the Pirate World, there were still several iconic powerhouses to look to for reference, such as Beckman and Yasopp.

In the Pirate World, aside from monsters like Big Mom, most women were indeed physically inferior to men. This made it difficult for them to reach the very top in swordsmanship or Taijutsu.

If women wanted to increase their strength, then aside from Devil Fruits, marksmanship was definitely an excellent choice.

Gigue was quite pleased with Ginny's performance today. He was already thinking that he should find her a suitable Devil Fruit in the future, preferably one that could perfectly complement her marksmanship.

While he was considering what kind of fruit would suit Ginny, Kizaru nudged him with his shoulder and quietly said with a pout,

"It's your turn, Gigue. You should let me see your ability now, right?"

Gigue froze for a moment. Looking up, he realized everyone was watching him. He nodded lightly, then strode out of the group and came to Zephyr's side.

At Zephyr's signal, Gigue smiled faintly and said,

"Hello, everyone. My name is Darkseid Gigue. I'm fifteen years old, and I'm a Logia Dark-Dark Fruit Ability User."

"..."

Before Gigue could even demonstrate his ability, everyone fell silent the moment they heard the words Logia Dark-Dark Fruit. The surrounding area instantly became deathly quiet.

There was nothing they could do about their reaction. Kizaru and Akainu had simply left too deep an impression on them.

Even though Gigue wore a harmless-looking smile the entire time, they could not help categorizing him as a "monster."

Kizaru stared at Gigue standing ahead of him and muttered to himself,

"No wonder I felt a little strange when I first saw him. Darkness opposed to light?"

Seeing that no one had reacted for quite some time, Gigue turned to Zephyr and asked,

"Teacher Zephyr, do I still need to demonstrate my ability?"

Zephyr did not agree immediately. He suddenly glanced at Kizaru in the back of the group, making Kizaru shudder all over. He hurriedly lowered his head and muttered,

"Damn it, why is the old man looking at me? This can't be anything good..."

As if his thoughts had summoned it, Zephyr's voice came from the front,

"Borsalino, you are light, while Gigue is darkness. Come up and assist Gigue in demonstrating the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit!"