In the forest, countless streaks of white Sword Qi rippled through the air.
The earth, tree trunks, rocks—anything touched by those wispy, threadlike strands of white Sword Qi was sliced in two.
In an instant, the entire forest was torn apart, riddled with destruction.
Morito grabbed the Training Camp student playing the hostage and swiftly darted out of Onigumo's range.
His expression changed—not because Onigumo's attack was too powerful.
It was because Onigumo's attack had swept over the unconscious hostage!
"What are you doing? You're trying to kill him too?"
Morito stared at Onigumo, who was wreathed in black mist, and demanded coldly.
He'd left the hostage in the most conspicuous place. He didn't believe Onigumo hadn't seen him—unless Onigumo was blind.
"To sacrifice himself for justice is his honor!" Onigumo replied indifferently.
Morito's eyes darkened. For a moment, he was so dumbfounded he didn't know how to fire back.
Never mind that this was only a practical exam. Even in a real battle against pirates, they shouldn't casually abandon a soldier—or a hostage!
"Did you know he looks up to you? He volunteered to play the hostage because of you."
"He believes you can win and save him!"
Morito had already guessed that nothing decent would come out of Onigumo's mouth, but he still wanted to tell him.
Sure enough, Onigumo froze at first.
Then he looked at Morito with disdain. "Only the weak look up to others. If he were strong enough, maybe I'd be the one playing the hostage right now."
The strong preyed on the weak. The victor ruled.
Those two principles alone perfectly summed up this world.
"Hoo..."
At Onigumo's answer, Morito slowly exhaled.
There wasn't a hint of surprise on his face.
This was Onigumo.
Everyone had their own beliefs. It was precisely because people believed in different things that endless conflict arose.
Only the strong had the right to speak.
"I don't want to comment on your sense of justice, and I have no right to deny it."
After a long silence, Morito finally spoke softly.
His mind gradually settled. He stared at Onigumo without expression and calmly stated what was about to happen.
"Next, I'm going to beat you so badly your own mother won't recognize you."
His voice was flat and calm.
He sounded as if he were merely stating a fact.
Those words struck Onigumo's simmering anger like a spark landing on oil. His fury shot straight to his head.
What the hell was with that arrogance?!
Onigumo roared in a rage, the eight black greatswords behind him whirling wildly. "Don't think you're so great just because you have some connection to Mr. Garp!"
He stood atop the shattered earth like a monster driven mad.
Morito raised one finger and gently wagged it.
"Wrong! I'm not great because I'm connected to Garp."
"I'm great simply because I am..."
"Ōtsutsuki Morito!"
Boom!
The earth beneath Morito's feet suddenly sank. The whole ground caved in several inches, and then his body vanished, charging toward Onigumo like a gale.
For a fleeting moment, Onigumo felt a powerful rush of wind bearing down on him.
He instinctively raised all eight greatswords.
But no matter how intently Onigumo focused, he couldn't catch even a glimpse of Morito.
Morito appeared behind Onigumo, Chakra gathering at his fingertips.
He struck as fast as lightning!
"Life Gate Acupoint!"
The Governing Vessel. A strike with Gentle Fist followed by a Chakra injection.
It jolted the spine and disrupted the flow of energy, easily causing paralysis.
In the next instant,
Morito withdrew his right hand. His left, already charged with Chakra, shot out and struck three inches beside the spinous process of Onigumo's second lumbar vertebra.
"Will Chamber Acupoint!"
The Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian. A strike with Gentle Fist followed by a Chakra injection, jolting the lumbar nerves, veins, and arteries.
It shook the kidneys and damaged the body's inner energy.
Before Onigumo could react, Morito struck again at lightning speed.
The final point.
"Sea of Qi Acupoint!"
The Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian. A strike with Gentle Fist followed by a Chakra injection.
It jolted the kidneys, disrupting the blood and energy.
The strikes seemed slow, but all three landed in a single instant.
Onigumo felt only one blow to his back!
All three vital points were along the lower back and sacrum, near the third lumbar vertebra. A light strike could leave someone paralyzed and helpless; a heavy one could kill.
Morito had carefully controlled his force. With the Byakugan's help, he'd controlled the Chakra he injected with absolute precision.
Each strike alone could have crippled Onigumo. But considering the medical resources at Marine Headquarters, Morito had struck three times in succession.
Chakra ravaged and destroyed the three vital points.
Morito didn't know whether the Op-Op Fruit could heal him, but he was certain the medical technology at Marine Headquarters wasn't advanced enough to do so!
Killing Onigumo would've caused a lot of trouble.
But no one could find fault with crippling him.
If nobody got hurt in a practical exam, what would make it practical?
Besides, Onigumo's sword attacks had been so dangerous. It was only understandable that Morito had been "startled" and "hit too hard."
"Congratulations. You're weak now."
Morito glanced at Onigumo, who lay twitching on the ground like a heap of mud. There wasn't a trace of sympathy in his eyes.
Since sacrificing yourself for justice was an honor, then that honor was all yours!
"Oh, and your new name is Old Spider!"
"A spider who'll die of old age in a hospital bed."
The examiner rushed into the battlefield and separated Morito and Onigumo.
Morito had no intention of continuing the fight.
He had complete confidence in his abilities. Unless Onigumo stumbled upon an enormous stroke of luck, he'd never stand again for the rest of his life.
At the plaza, in front of the enormous screen,
countless eyes fixed on the boy's figure in the forest.
The same word flashed through everyone's minds.
Prodigy!
The best response to doubt wasn't to rage and shout back. It was to prove the doubters wrong and leave them with nothing to say.
Yesterday's stunning debut had just been repeated.
After defeating Onigumo in a single move, Morito was once again the undisputed champion of the practical exam.
No need for another word.
Everyone's attention would be drawn to him. The exams at the other venues seemed insignificant by comparison.
Morito stood there quietly, like the moon surrounded by stars.
Dazzling. Brilliant.
Radiant.
At that moment, nobody voiced another doubt. Their hearts and minds, and even their bodies, had all honestly acknowledged Morito.
On the top floor of the teaching building,
"You little brat—you were hiding this much?" Garp folded his arms and stared at the screen with an "affectionate" look.
Since Morito had done so much to make him proud, he couldn't be stingy in return.
He'd let Morito properly experience his fist, filled with love!
A gift from an elder couldn't be refused.
Garp's reward was a Fist of Love!
Zephyr heard Garp slam the door as he left, and only then recovered from his shock. "Garp, where are you going?"
Judging from what they'd just seen, Morito hadn't even used his full strength when he defeated Onigumo.
Who was Onigumo?
One of the top three in the Training Camp, a monster on par with Doberman and Kazan, and a genius already slated for the Elite Class!
And he'd just been beaten like a punching bag for three straight episodes?
If Onigumo had been defeated so easily, didn't that mean Doberman and Kazan wouldn't stand a chance against Morito either?
The so-called top three of the Training Camp. The geniuses already slated for the Elite Class.
That was it?
Zephyr had a whole bellyful of questions for Garp, but Garp had already slammed the door and gone out.
"Garp, wait for me!"
Before you continue