Everyone in the Elite Class silently watched the two people interacting in the corner. Anyone who entered the Naval Academy knew about the three legendary monsters of the Elite Class.
Everyone thought Morito would honestly admit defeat and slink away, giving up his seat.
Then they could take the opportunity to mock him.
If they could provoke Morito into making the first move, wouldn't they be able to openly teach him a lesson?
No one had expected Morito to actually dare mock that monster, Borsalino!
Confronting Borsalino head-on?
Impressive!
"Perfect timing. I quite like sitting here too!"
Morito's words were like a depth charge sinking into the water.
The classroom suddenly fell silent.
The scene seemed to freeze as the room descended into silence. One astonished gaze after another naturally focused on Morito.
The slender young man wore a calm expression. That very calmness was what made him most glaring.
It was also what earned him the most respect.
That was one of the three monsters of the Elite Class!
Borsalino had yet to graduate not because he was incapable of graduating, but because he didn't want to. His goal wasn't to become a colonel, nor was it to become a Rear Admiral.
It was to become a Vice Admiral!
He wouldn't graduate until he became a Vice Admiral!
The three monsters of the Elite Class were evenly matched in strength, and it was difficult to determine a winner whenever they fought.
There was no first place in literature, and no second place in martial arts.
Sakazuki, Dragon, and Borsalino were secretly competing with one another, using their own tacitly accepted method to determine who was the strongest.
Whoever accumulated enough military merit to become a Vice Admiral first—
would be the number one.
Now, all three of them had already accumulated enough military merit to become Rear Admirals!
In other words, as long as Borsalino was willing, he could leave the Elite Class of the Naval Academy and join Marine Headquarters as a Navy Rear Admiral!
As for Morito, he was merely a rookie who had just stepped into the world!
He hadn't even participated in a single naval battle!
Where had he found the courage?
The silence was only temporary. After a bomb fell into the water, it was bound to send waves surging into the sky.
Morito's reply surprised Borsalino somewhat, but it was difficult to tell from his expression alone whether he was pleased or angry.
Borsalino put on a frightened face. "What a terrifying look in your eyes!"
In truth, his gaze was relaxed, and his tone carried a teasing edge.
One "how scary" after another, one Supernovas kicked away after another?
Morito secretly grew wary.
He remained impassive on the surface, while the fingertips hidden beneath the table quietly began to gather Chakra.
Borsalino would become Marine Admiral Kizaru in the future. His strength was beyond question.
He was an Ability User of the Glint-Glint Fruit!
He was the fastest man in the pirate world!
He and trash like Onigumo belonged to completely different worlds.
It was no exaggeration to say that if Onigumo faced Borsalino, he would only be thoroughly beaten—and in every possible style!
Even Morito didn't dare be careless in the slightest when facing Borsalino.
Just as everyone in the classroom, Morito included, thought Borsalino was about to attack,
a scene that left everyone stunned unfolded!
"People these days really can't be provoked, can they? They really can't!~" Borsalino plopped down in the seat beside Morito as though no one else was there.
Then—
He pulled a nail clipper from his pocket, crossed one leg over the other, and began leisurely trimming his nails with a carefree expression!
Everyone froze. "???"
What happened to the legendary showdown?
What happened to the fight?
Why had Borsalino backed down first?
"Little brother, could you not point such a dangerous finger at me? I'm feeling a little nervous here!"
Borsalino spoke with pursed lips as he trimmed his nails.
His tone was as lecherous as ever.
But when the voice reached Morito's ears, it left him utterly shocked.
He had made his Chakra-gathering movement extremely discreet, hiding it in the blind spot beneath the table. Borsalino couldn't possibly have seen it!
Moreover, Morito's control over Chakra was extremely precise.
Only when the Chakra concentrated at his fingertip and transformed into a hair-thin needle would there be a brief fluctuation in Chakra.
He hadn't expected his opponent to notice that extremely faint fluctuation in that brief instant.
Observation Haki?!
Just like when Zephyr had grabbed his wrist back then, it must have been Observation Haki that detected the Chakra at his fingertip.
Chakra was a combination of spiritual energy and physical energy, invisible to the naked eye.
Yet powerful Observation Haki could detect it.
The future Kizaru, besides developing the Glint-Glint Fruit to its utmost limits, would also become a master of Observation Haki, Armament Haki, kicking techniques, and swordsmanship.
After steadying himself, Morito calmed down.
Borsalino was too lazy to move—not because he was scared, but because he disdained to do so. He was also someone who hated trouble.
Perhaps if the person sitting there today hadn't been Morito but someone else, Borsalino wouldn't have cared either.
In Borsalino's eyes, Morito and all the so-called geniuses in the Elite Class were nothing more than small fry.
"You're strong. I look forward to fighting you."
"Borsalino."
Morito stood up decisively and gave up the "sea-view seat" by the window, which had the best view.
A strong person's throne had to be won through their own strength.
It wasn't something others could hand over to them!
Borsalino blinked and watched Morito's departing back pensively. Then he slid his butt over to the seat by the window.
Then—
He lowered his head and continued trimming his fingernails.
A man with a fifty-year-old face, delicately holding his fingers as he trimmed his nails.
Morito's eye twitched. That sight was simply too beautiful!
Borsalino hadn't paid Morito much attention. He was extremely confident in his own strength and abilities.
But Morito's tone, which sounded almost like a declaration of challenge, left everyone else in the classroom stunned.
"Could that kid be provoking Borsalino?"
"Does beating that trash Onigumo make him think he's strong? He's too arrogant, too presumptuous!"
"If it were Sakazuki, he would've been sent flying with one punch already."
The crowd came back to their senses, unable to suppress their shock and anger.
A rookie who had just stepped into the world had actually provoked Borsalino, one of the three monsters of the Elite Class?
It was impossible to say for certain whether Borsalino was the strongest among the three monsters.
But when facing either Sakazuki or Dragon, he could remain undefeated.
He might not be able to say he would definitely win, but he could be certain he wouldn't lose!
Overwhelming speed meant absolute control over the initiative on the battlefield. Whether to fight or make peace would be up to Borsalino!
That was the confidence granted by the Glint-Glint Fruit!
The commotion didn't last long before a steady, heavy set of footsteps sounded in the corridor.
Clatter!
The classroom's front door was pushed open, and Zephyr strode onto the podium with the gait of a tiger and the bearing of a dragon.
His tiger-like eyes flashed sharply as they swept across the room. Everyone immediately sat properly, as obedient as quails.
"I'm introducing three new students: Morito, Doberman, and Kazan."
The three called out by Zephyr stood one after another.
Morito's expression was calm. The various gazes directed at him didn't cause the slightest emotional change.
Doberman wore a cold expression, as though everyone owed him money.
Kazan greeted everyone with a smiling nod.
Suddenly, Zephyr's brows furrowed.
"Hm? It seems a few people are missing?"
Before you continue