Zephyr's Test

At noon, the trainees gathered in the cafeteria for lunch, and the spectators who had come to watch also converged there.

The Naval Academy hadn't quieted down after the morning exams ended. If anything, it had grown livelier.

Everyone was talking about the morning's exams.

Compared to the noisy cafeteria, the teaching building was quiet. A naval officer had just arrived at Zephyr's office on the top floor.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Instructor Zephyr."

"Majo? Come in."

Zephyr set down the documents in his hands and called toward the door.

A naval officer with the rank of ensign entered. Majo was the chief examiner for this afternoon's Training Camp practical exam.

"How are the arrangements for this afternoon's practical exam?"

Zephyr got straight to the point.

Since the exam focused on practical combat, its subject was a battle between the Navy and pirates, with various factors mixed in, including hostages, terrain, and even naval warfare.

The trainees could choose to fight as a team or individually.

They would draw lots to determine the location and the type of practical scenario.

To give the trainees a better chance to show what they could do, the opposing sides would be adjusted to some extent according to their abilities.

But the matchups wouldn't be perfectly balanced. The two sides simply wouldn't be too far apart in strength.

"All the locations are ready. Most of the trainees chose team battles, while only seven groups chose individual combat."

In a team battle, you could coast along with the others. An individual fight was all about your own ability.

Usually, only two people of comparable strength who refused to accept that the other was better would choose to fight one-on-one.

"I heard Onigumo and Morito have been assigned to the same group?" Zephyr asked.

"Yes."

Onigumo and Morito had agreed to face each other in a one-on-one match during the exam. Word had already spread throughout the Training Camp.

Both of them had agreed to the match and requested it, so the examiner couldn't refuse.

"What about the location? Has that been decided?"

"The location and which side attacks will be decided by drawing lots this afternoon."

Ensign Majo answered.

At that, Zephyr made the arrangements himself.

"The location will be the forest behind the mountain. Onigumo will play the Navy, and Morito will play the pirates. The objective will be to rescue hostages."

He'd arranged it this way on purpose.

This went against the rules, since uncertain factors like terrain and which side attacked could affect the final outcome of the match.

For example, Onigumo was an Ability User, while Morito wasn't. If they drew lots and ended up fighting on a small boat at sea, Morito would naturally have the geographical advantage.

That was why the location and the attacking side were supposed to be decided by drawing lots. Luck was part of victory and defeat.

"Instructor Zephyr, I'm afraid that—"

Ensign Majo hesitated. The Naval Academy was supposed to be fair, impartial, and open. How could they privately arrange a practical exam in a way that might affect the results?

Out of respect for Zephyr, Ensign Majo kept his thoughts to himself.

Zephyr knew exactly what he was thinking. He'd already thought of a solution and simply shifted the blame to Garp.

"This was Vice Admiral Garp's request. He wants to see Morito's true strength."

"Vice Admiral Garp requested it?" Ensign Majo was taken aback. He stole a glance at Garp, whose nose was bubbling as he slept.

Then he said solemnly,

"Understood."

As Ensign Majo left, Garp's snoring bubble popped with a loud smack. He came to slowly, looking dazed.

Garp reached for a biscuit on the table and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Is it lunchtime?"

Zephyr: "..."

At a beach by the sea, on the grounds of the Naval Academy.

The waves lapped against the sand, and the air was peaceful and tranquil.

There was still some time before the afternoon's practical exam, and Gion had forcibly dragged Morito to this secluded spot.

"Are you really going to fight Onigumo in this afternoon's practical exam?"

Until today, Gion had given up on the idea of Morito becoming a Marine.

She'd rather see him expelled from the Naval Academy and live quietly as an ordinary person in Marineford.

She'd rather that than see him die at the hands of pirates.

Marineford was home to Marine Headquarters. It was the safest place in the world.

With the strongest Marine Admiral stationed there, no pirate would dare show up. Even the surrounding waters were extremely safe; pirate ships had never appeared there.

But when she heard that Morito had placed first in both the written exam and the physical fitness test, she knew her hopes probably wouldn't come true.

"I know you boys are all so competitive, but before you go trying to play the hero and prove how strong you are, I want you to think about the people around you—the people who care about you."

A faint flicker crossed Gion's eyes. She wanted to reach out and ruffle Morito's hair.

Then she realized that he was no longer the little kid who hadn't even come up to her knees.

Play the hero?

Morito was a little surprised.

He had no idea where Gion got the idea that he liked playing the hero. Good-hearted fools without a protagonist's aura would have three feet of grass growing over their graves by now.

Being competitive had nothing to do with him.

Challenging Onigumo hadn't been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

After the Rocks Pirates disbanded, the sea seemed peaceful, but in truth it was only brewing an even greater storm.

Golden Lion, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Ginre, John, Ochoku.

Not one of them was easy to deal with.

Compared to the Great Pirate Era that began after Pirate King Roger's execution, when the Shichibukai, the Four Emperors, and the Navy maintained the sea's outward peace for decades, this period—after the Rocks Pirates disbanded but before a Pirate King emerged to claim the throne—was actually the most chaotic and dangerous of all.

A general's rise to greatness left countless skeletons in his wake. The birth of a king required mountains of bones.

Being born in troubled times was unfortunate.

But it was also a stroke of luck!

Morito had spent nine years nurturing his Byakugan. Whether it succeeded or not, he didn't intend to keep going like this.

He'd decided to take this year's Training Camp entrance exam.

He needed to get stronger, and to do that, he needed the Naval Academy to focus on training him.

For the Naval Academy to devote substantial resources to him, he had to show enough talent and prove he was worth developing.

No one wanted to invest in a good-for-nothing.

It was like buying stocks. Who would buy one when they knew they'd take a huge loss?

He had to show the potential to become a strong fighter!

"I know what I'm doing."

Morito spoke calmly, but there was an unmistakable seriousness in his voice.

A look of I knew it flashed through Gion's eyes.

"Fine. I respect your decision."

Gion sighed, her face full of the helplessness of a mother.

The kid had grown up and had ideas of his own.

What could she do?

"Now I'm going to tell you a few things about Onigumo. He's a Zoan-Zoan Fruit Model: Python-Spider Ability User, and he's good at swordsmanship—"

Before she could finish, Morito suddenly interrupted her.

His expression was very serious.

"Do you think I'm bound to lose, too?"