Not being envied by others means you are mediocre!

"Are you jealous of me?"

There was a hint of confusion in Morito's tone. He didn't know why, but deep down, that was exactly how he felt.

Onigumo's anger came from jealousy of him.

"The Naval Academy's Training Camp is the most sacred and supreme place. A scumbag like you doesn't deserve to stay here."

Onigumo's eyes narrowed as he spoke coldly.

"You are jealous of me."

This time, Morito's tone held no doubt. He stated it with certainty.

"I heard you were brought back by Mr. Garp at the age of six. You're always late, you leave early every single day, and you skip the annual exams outright."

"What face do you even have left to stay here?"

Onigumo gritted his teeth and growled.

Nine years of training since enrollment—even a pig could learn to kick a few times by now!

But Ōtsutsuki Morito? Useless at both academics and combat.

He always turned in blank papers for written exams and skipped every physical test outright.

No talent, no effort.

Aside from growing taller, his strength hadn't improved one bit. Yet he still did whatever he wanted, ignoring the Naval Academy's rules!

What right did a waste like him have to stay in the Naval Academy?

It wasn't just Onigumo. Many others, perhaps without even realizing it, felt more than disgust and contempt for Morito—there was a sliver of jealousy festering deep inside.

How could a waste like this earn Vice Admiral Garp's favor? How could he be personally brought back by Vice Admiral Garp?

What exactly did Vice Admiral Garp see in Ōtsutsuki Morito?

Was he blind?

"You're jealous that I'm better-looking than you?"

Morito squinted. He could sense the emotional shift inside Onigumo.

Rage. Burning fury.

"Do you have no shame at all? You're not just disgracing yourself—you're disgracing Mr. Garp! You're tarnishing the Naval Academy!"

"You really are jealous that I'm better-looking!"

At those words, Onigumo's face cracked like a shattered mirror. He could no longer maintain that haughty, aloof expression.

Was this about being good-looking or not?

What use was being handsome?

Could you eat it for a meal?

Before Onigumo could lash out, Morito looked at him with pity in his eyes.

"Come to think of it, you're pretty pitiful. People who know you think you aged before your time. People who don't think you're some creepy old man wearing a Training Camp uniform to pretend you're young!"

"Just like it's not my fault I'm handsome, I can understand you."

"It's not your fault you look old either."

Morito reached out his greasy hand and patted Onigumo's belly. He'd meant to pat his shoulder, but the hardware didn't allow it.

Crack!

Onigumo's fist clenched tight, knuckles popping audibly.

What was wrong with looking old?

Did he eat your family's rice?

There was someone even older-looking out there!

"Bastard!"

The fury in Onigumo's heart erupted like a volcano. He rolled up his sleeves and lunged at Morito in one swift stride.

A powerful punch whistled through the air.

Morito raised an eyebrow and fell straight backward.

Onigumo's punch hit nothing. He was a hundred percent sure he hadn't landed a blow—yet Morito was already lying on the ground, refusing to get up!

A setup?

Fighting was forbidden in the Naval Academy. Severe cases could even result in forced expulsion!

Onigumo's face darkened as he growled, "Get the hell up!"

Morito finished off the last skewer of grilled meat in three bites. "I'm injured."

The implication was clear: Onigumo should brace himself for punishment.

Onigumo's face was full of black lines. "Get up and settle this with me!"

Morito lay flat on his back with his hands folded over his stomach, playing dead. "I'm injured."

Onigumo's brow twitched. "If you're a man, stand up!"

Morito simply closed his eyes. "I'm injured."

Onigumo: "..."

Just as Onigumo was about to force Morito up with another strike, a tall, slender figure approached from not far away.

Long legs, high heels, a blue-and-white uniform!

Sensual, beautiful!

The newcomer was Gion from the Elite Class of the Naval Academy—a very beautiful older sister.

If the Training Camp was like the "middle school division," then the Elite Class was the top S-class in the "university division," personally taught by former Marine Admiral Zephyr.

Gion was a senior who had graduated from the Training Camp, a blend of strength and beauty.

She was the goal everyone chased, the goddess in everyone's hearts!

Morito had been brought back by Garp; Gion had been brought back by Tsuru. Because of Garp and Tsuru's relationship, Morito had known Gion since he was very young.

"What are you doing?"

Gion glanced at Morito lying on the ground and furrowed her delicate brows slightly.

Onigumo's face stiffened, a flicker of wariness in his eyes. The woman before him was a true genius of the Naval Academy!

Never let Gion's beauty fool you—everyone who made it into the Elite Class was a monster!

"Nothing. We were just sparring."

Onigumo explained stiffly.

"Don't you know private fights aren't allowed in the Naval Academy? Especially for Training Camp cadets!" Gion stared at Onigumo, her voice cold.

"That's all you're good for—a coward hiding behind a woman!"

Not wanting to tangle with Gion any longer, Onigumo snorted coldly and turned to leave.

But then Morito's voice rang out.

"Stop!"

Morito hadn't planned to bother with Onigumo.

Worthless, trash, blind, nepotistic, if it weren't for Mr. Garp this or that...

Hadn't he heard enough of that over the past nine years?

How could those words affect his state of mind in the slightest?

Those who aren't envied are mediocrities. Bickering with nameless extras was nothing but asking for trouble.

But at this moment, Morito changed his mind.

The sea was beginning to show its fangs. Soon, Roger would rise to become the Pirate King, then usher in the Great Pirate Era. Golden Lion would attack Marine Headquarters. That madman Kaido might lose his mind at any moment and come to Marine Headquarters to die.

Was Marine Headquarters truly safe?

How much longer could peace last?

Before this, the Rocks Pirates had disbanded, plunging the sea into its darkest, most chaotic era. Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru had emerged as the new stars of the Marines.

But how many Marine soldiers had died at the hands of pirates?

Without strength, you couldn't survive.

Morito felt he couldn't go on like this.

He needed to show potential worth investing in—to catch the Naval Academy's attention, to catch Zephyr's attention.

The three strongest in the Training Camp were Onigumo, Doberman, and Kazan. All three were the most qualified to enter the Elite Class and become Zephyr's students.

Any one of them could serve as Morito's target.

Since Onigumo had walked right into his crosshairs...

Why not go with the flow?

Hearing Morito's shout, Onigumo paused mid-step, turning his head to glance at Morito with only the corner of his eye, full of contempt.

"What?"

"Take back what you just said."

Morito put on an "angry young man" act, his face cold as he growled low.

Like an enraged little lion.

If Onigumo didn't back down, he would pounce!

"You want me to take it back? Then beat me!" A sharp glint flashed in Onigumo's eyes. So he didn't want to admit to hiding behind a woman, huh?

Getting angry made things easier!

Anger drives people mad!

"You really want to fight me?"

Morito asked with a restrained expression.

Gion's eyelid twitched sharply beside him, as if she sensed what he was planning. She quickly urged, "Don't do anything reckless. You're no match for him!"

Private fights and duels were two different things.

A private fight was a one-sided forced battle, where the other party had no choice but to engage.

A duel was a fair contest agreed upon by both sides.

One would result in punishment, even expulsion from the Naval Academy. The other was encouraged—conflict made the cadets stronger.

"You dare?"

Onigumo sneered with contempt.

Morito stepped around Gion and stood face-to-face with Onigumo.

"Why put it off? Let's settle it in the qualifying exam. If you lose, take back what you said, and I'll give you a new name!"

The air fell dead silent. The cadets in the square stared blankly at the boy in the center.

His features were clear and delicate, his pure-colored pupils clean and bright. At fifteen, he was like a flower just beginning to bloom.

In a few years, he would surely be a graceful young man.

Not only did the girls feel their hearts thumping wildly, even the male creatures were stunned by the sight.

Too bad.

His eyesight was terrible, and his brain was messed up too.

Onigumo was ranked in the top three of the Training Camp's combat strength.

He was a hundred percent certain to pass the qualifying exam and become a Reserve Navy member, with a very good chance of entering the Elite Class as Zephyr's student!

And Ōtsutsuki Morito?

If he still couldn't pass the Training Camp's qualifying exam this time and become a Reserve Navy member, even with Garp's connections, he'd be kicked out of the Naval Academy.

"As you wish!"

Onigumo said coldly, his eyes icy.

He didn't care at all about the terms Morito had proposed. He wouldn't lose. He planned to beat Morito into a real blind man during the practical exam!

The Naval Academy couldn't possibly keep a real blind man, could it?

Once Onigumo turned and left, Morito, who had looked like an indignant hothead, instantly calmed down, his expression light and carefree as if nothing had happened.

The speed of his face change left Gion beside him completely dumbfounded.

"You—"

"I'm fine."