Ruthless!

Some insignificant people's scorn and ridicule could be dismissed by Morito as mere farts, let go once they passed.

But when his family, friends, and especially those he acknowledged thought the same way.

Morito couldn't remain calm.

Marine Headquarters didn't give Morito much of a sense of belonging; he wasn't from this world. He knew the plot of the Pirate King and the true nature of the Marines.

The only reason Morito chose to join the Marines was purely out of gratitude to Garp.

If he hadn't met Garp, he would have died on a deserted island nine years ago.

And within Marine Headquarters, Marineford, there was only one and a half people Morito truly acknowledged and felt a sense of belonging towards.

One was naturally Garp, who had saved him.

The other half was Gion, the older sister who had protected him since he was little. Although, Gion's actions were primarily to protect those who provoked him from getting their heads smashed.

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

Gion explained earnestly. Who would think their own child was ugly?

No matter how ugly, they had to raise and protect them, right?

Morito's gaze softened. "I won't get hurt."

Even without awakening his Byakugan, Morito had never backed down, let alone now that his cheat system was fully operational!

Morito's tone was very confident, which instead made Gion hesitate slightly.

Onigumo was one of the top three in the Training Camp; his information didn't need to be deliberately sought out to be known.

His Devil Fruit was the Animal-Animal Fruit, Model: Giant Spider.

He followed the path of a swordsman.

As for Observation Haki and the Marine Six Styles, it was temporarily uncertain.

But he had likely touched the threshold of Armament Haki. During the Doriki test, Morito felt a nascent form of Armament Haki in Onigumo's Drawing Slash.

In the afternoon, the Training Camp would have its practical combat exam.

Through a draw, Morito and Onigumo were assigned the back mountain forest. Morito would play the role of a pirate holding a hostage, while Onigumo would play the role of a Marine.

The scenario was set as follows: a pirate holding an important hostage, surrounded by a Marine force, demanding a fast ship to escape, with the ship arriving in one hour.

If the Marines rescued the hostage, the Marines win.

If the pirate escaped by ship, the pirate wins.

The hostage was the key to the Marines sending the ship. The pirate's victory condition was escaping by ship, so there was no scenario where the pirate wins by killing the hostage.

Not only could he not kill the hostage, but he also had to protect their safety.

In the forest.

Morito looked at the practical combat simulation content with a blank expression, raising an eyebrow. "So, I just need to hold out for an hour without the hostage being taken?"

"And after that, I have to cross the forest to reach the coast and board the ship?"

He noticed a key point mentioned: the hostage could not die. If they died, the Marines wouldn't send a ship!

The pirate's victory condition wasn't to kill the hostage, nor to defeat the Marines, but to escape by ship.

This meant he also had to protect the hostage's safety?

Who exactly was the Marine here?

Who was the eccentric person who came up with such a ridiculous practical combat simulation exam?

In contrast, Onigumo's victory condition was very simple: he just needed to rescue the hostage. With the pirate unwilling to harm the hostage, the Marines' rescue efforts were infinitely simplified.

And he had a full hour.

This hour, which seemed to be a restriction on the Marines, was actually a restriction on the pirate, preventing him from leaving the forest for an hour!

"It feels like I'm being targeted."

Then again, Morito felt it didn't matter.

Ultimately, he and Onigumo would have to fight. If Onigumo couldn't defeat him, even the best combat conditions would be useless.

The battle ultimately came down to each individual's true skill.

The person playing the hostage was a Training Camp cadet.

Seeing Morito standing there blankly, looking at a loss, he couldn't help but sneer mockingly. "What? Only realizing it now and getting scared? What were you doing earlier?"

"I knew you'd definitely use some underhanded methods to cheat."

"The first place should belong to Big Brother Onigumo!"

Hearing this, Morito snapped out of his thoughts.

Judging by his tone, he seemed to be one of Onigumo's lackeys?

It wasn't that Morito was full of conspiracy theories, but rather that this world was inherently a conspiracy. He looked at the other person with a hesitant expression.

The venue's been set up, the identities are assigned, and even the hostages are ready?

Have some shame! Who's the one actually cheating here?

"Can't say anything now, can you? Just wait, big brother Onigumo will beat you until you're spitting teeth and reveal your true colors!"

"Guys like you who get in through connections will eventually get kicked out of the Naval Academy."

"The Naval Academy isn't a place for blind fools!"

Seeing Morito's silence, the Training Camp student unleashed a volley of insults, then looked at Morito with a smug, confident smirk.

That arrogant gaze was as if he already saw Morito being trampled under Onigumo's feet.

"Even if I can't beat Onigumo, what are you so proud of?"

Morito raised an eyebrow and mocked, "It's like I've been beaten by you three or four times. Don't forget, you're my hostage right now!"

Morito tugged the rope in his hand. The Training Camp student slipped, losing his footing and face-planting.

Thump!

The Training Camp student landed face-first, his nose making a crisp cracking sound against the ground as it made intimate contact. The sound alone made one's teeth ache.

"You blabbering..."

Morito glanced sideways at the junior student, who was missing a front tooth and had a face full of blood, tears, and mud.

Tsk, how pathetic.

He's disfigured.

A little disfigurement is still disfigurement, and so is a lot.

With that, Morito jumped up and stomped down hard, pressing the person's nose flat against his face.

"To borrow your words, if you're incompetent, keep your tail between your legs."

"Why are you jumping out and seeking attention for no reason?"

"I'm not exactly a patient person!"

Not taking you seriously doesn't mean I fear you; it just means I don't want to bother with a nameless extra.

Morito carried the unconscious hostage in one hand and casually tossed him into a pile of rotten leaves.

Every venue had an examiner to prevent accidents.

Furthermore, there were quite a few monitoring Den Den Mushi scattered throughout the forest, with their images projected onto one of the large screens in the academy plaza.

But so what?

He was playing the role of a ruthless pirate. Would a pirate treat a hostage like a grandfather?

The exam required the hostage not to die. He had merely knocked the hostage out for convenience.

It was reasonable and logical; the examiners had no right to intervene!

Top floor of the academy building.

In Zephyr's office, all the footage from each venue was transmitted to him before being projected onto the plaza screens.

Zephyr's attention was focused on only two venues.

One was the team battle led by Kazan and Doberman, and the other was Morito's one-on-one fight with Onigumo.

Zephyr frowned slightly, clearly displeased with Morito's earlier actions.

"This kid is too ruthless! Garp, how did you even educate him?"

"Morito said it well: if you're incompetent, keep your tail between your legs!"

Garp burst into hearty laughter, seemingly oblivious to Zephyr's darkening expression.

Finally, Garp added, "If it were me, I'd have beaten that guy up too!"