Beligood had no time to use the [Bean Bean Fruit]'s ability to escape. When Ain saw them again, she found Beligood lying on the ground, coughing up blood, while Leiyin stood beside him with an indifferent look on his face.
W-What happened?
Leiyin combined the speed of Flying Thunder God Slash with the Lion Dance of Martial Arts, unleashing an attack so fast that they could not see the sequence of movements at all.
Ain stood there with an utterly bewildered look on her face. Wasn't I supposed to protect you? And you secretly turned the tables on him?
Beligood, who had already been knocked to the ground, was even more unwilling to accept defeat. He struggled to his feet, activated the [Bean Bean Fruit]'s ability, and detached a sphere from his body before hurling it at Leiyin.
"Everyone, stop!"
Suddenly, a figure flew over from not far away and blocked the two of them. Beligood returned to his original state, bringing the duel to an end.
The owner of this figure wore a light-purple pinstriped suit and a dark-blue shirt, along with a tie. He had a pompadour and a beard. A fine-quality samurai sword hung at his waist.
Could it be—
Mōzu?!
Mōzu was a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral at the time, one of the veteran figures among the Marines' upper echelon. He was also a disciple of former admiral [Black Arm] Zephyr and currently served as the swordsmanship instructor at the Training Camp. (The sword at his waist was suspected to be the Fifty Good Grade Sword [Blood Hunter].) He was not only skilled in swordsmanship but also an expert proficient in the [Six Powers]. He was one of the five vice admirals who carried out the Buster Call on Enies Lobby, and had once captured alive Ponze Fly, a Giant Tribe pirate with a bounty of 320 million. He would also perform quite well in the Summit War in the future. His true strength was unfathomable.
Mōzu wore a "Justice" cloak and gripped the samurai sword at his waist as he reprimanded them. "The two of you—private fights within the Marines are strictly forbidden. What's more, you're both members of the Training Camp, the future hope of the Marines. Guards!"
"Yes, sir!" two Marine first-class privates replied.
"Put both of them in confinement for two days and have them reflect on their actions!"
"Yes, sir!"
And so, Leiyin and Beligood were taken away.
The next day.
Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral's office.
Garp had told Fleet Admiral Sengoku alone that he had sent Leiyin to the Training Camp. Sengoku and Garp were old comrades, so he naturally agreed. Aside from Sengoku, even the Three Admirals knew nothing about Garp's relationship with Leiyin.
The person Garp valued had naturally drawn Sengoku's attention as well. News of Leiyin's confinement reached the Fleet Admiral's ears almost immediately.
At that moment, Sengoku sat upright behind his desk, while Garp sat on the sofa beside him, drinking tea and eating senbei.
"Garp, is this the kid you took a liking to? He got into a fight with another trainee on his very first afternoon here." There was a hint of reproach in Sengoku's tone.
Garp continued eating senbei without a care. "Haha, Sengoku, you're worrying too much. They're young and full of vigor, so conflicts are inevitable. This only proves that the brat is brave and combative. He'll definitely become a powerful Marine soldier in the future."
Fleet Admiral Sengoku said, "What kind of logic is that? Can someone become a good Marine soldier by ignoring military discipline and regulations? This brat is just like you—always causing trouble."
Garp laughed heartily. "Haha, that's just perfect. He's right up my alley."
Seeing this, Sengoku could only sigh helplessly. "But speaking of which, was that top executive of the Donquixote Family, Diamante, really captured alive by this kid?"
Garp took a sip of tea. "Of course. Do you think Lieutenant T Bone would have that kind of strength?"
Sengoku thought for a moment. "In that case, this kid's strength really is unfathomable. If he can exercise some restraint, he might become a promising talent."
Garp laughed even more heartily at that. "I told you. I'm going to train him into the Marines' foremost combat officer."
Sengoku continued, "However, now that we've captured Diamante alive, Doflamingo certainly won't let this go. It seems a battle between us and the Donquixote Family is inevitable."
Garp's expression turned serious. "To be honest, I plan to let Leiyin train at the Training Camp for a while. Once his strength reaches a certain level, I'll give him an official appointment and send him after Doflamingo. With this kid's strength, taking down Mingo may not be impossible."
Sengoku looked at Garp. "Take down Mingo? That's not something you can accomplish just by talking about it. With Mingo's influence and personal strength, he has few rivals on the seas. Are you really confident entrusting him to a rookie kid?"
Garp looked at Sengoku with an equally solemn expression. "I believe in him."
Sengoku sighed when he heard that. "All right, then handle it as you see fit. In any case, we still have to deal with the [Four Emperors] and the great pirate crews that dominate their own territories. If Leiyin really is as you say, he'll save us some trouble."
"By the way, what did you do with Diamante?"
Sengoku let out a soft sigh. "I've already sent people to secretly escort him to Impel Down."
On the second day of Leiyin's confinement, Ain came to see him with some pastries.
Ain took out a small pink box filled with delicate, delicious pastries and handed it to Leiyin. "Here, I made these myself. I figured the food here probably isn't very good. Give them a try."
Seeing this, Leiyin was covered in speechless black lines. "Come on, I'm only in confinement, not prison. I'm getting out tomorrow. You're making this seem kind of strange."
At that, Ain's face flushed bright red. "S-Sorry. (Kumenasai.)"
Still, despite what he had said, Leiyin picked up a pastry and began eating. "You made these yourself? They really do taste great."
Ain's face reddened even further. "Really? Thank you for the compliment. (Ariado.)"
Beligood was being held in the confinement room next door. Seeing the scene, he was deeply annoyed. "Hey, Ain, why did you only bring him pastries? I'm confined too, you know!"
Hearing that, Ain scratched her head awkwardly. "Oh, sorry. I forgot."
Leiyin swallowed the last bite in his mouth, then handed the pastry box to him. "Here, I'll be generous. You can have these."
"Tch, who wants anything you hand over?" Beligood rolled his eyes at Leiyin, but still took the food box.
When Beligood accepted the box and opened it, he immediately flew into a rage. His head grew larger and his teeth sharpened. "Hey, you! What do you mean, 'these'? You ate them all!"
Seeing that he had successfully played a trick on Beligood, Leiyin burst out laughing.
Outside the confinement room, Ain also covered her mouth and laughed sweetly.
Before you continue