Doriki Only Needs 999!

The Doriki test involves using one's best and most powerful attack to leave damage on a steel plate. The damage is then displayed as numerical data by an instrument connected to the plate.

Weapons may be used, or one may attack bare-handed.

"Ulysses, Doriki 77, pass."

"Maren, Doriki 72, pass."

"Bill, Doriki 83, pass."

"..."

As the examiner's loud announcements rang out, the line for the Doriki test moved forward rapidly.

The students of the Training Camp did not disappoint.

Dozens of people had gone through, and all of them had passed successfully.

However, the Doriki of the students was basically all under one hundred. Occasionally, one or two would exceed one hundred, but not by much.

This did not dampen the crowd's excitement, as the three most anticipated individuals had yet to appear.

Suddenly, Morito's name was called.

That name still sat at the top of the physical fitness test's electronic leaderboard. As soon as the crowd heard the name Morito, they immediately became agitated.

Onlookers who do not know the truth are often easily swayed.

But once they see the "truth" with their own eyes, they immediately change their perspective; this is a very common and normal psychology.

"That's the Otsutsuki Morito who got all S's on the physical fitness test? He doesn't look like much!"

"He's quite good-looking, but I wonder about his strength."

"I heard he was brought back by Vice Admiral Garp, so he shouldn't be bad."

On the sea, strength is what matters; a face is fine as long as it's passable. When choosing between handsome and strong, one should naturally choose the latter.

However, this time, the students of the Training Camp did not mock Morito.

That row of S's on the electronic board had nearly blinded them, and even now, they still hadn't fully recovered from the shock!

Under the focus of countless gazes, Morito walked calmly into the center of the field.

"Just use your most proficient and powerful attack to strike this steel plate. You may choose to use a weapon, or you may attack bare-handed."

The examiner gave a brief explanation.

The weapons available were cold weapons like swords, spears, and staves. If everyone were to push a cannon over to blast the steel plate, it would be meaningless.

Morito reached out and gently pressed his hand against the steel plate.

He tilted his head and asked the examiner, "What is the maximum Doriki this steel plate can withstand?"

Doriki could reflect a person's approximate combat power, but it could not entirely determine one's full strength.

To put it more vividly, Doriki reflected a person's maximum offensive power!

The examiner in charge of recording was stunned; he didn't understand why Morito would ask such a thing.

Could it be that you think you can smash this steel plate?

Don't let the thickness of this steel plate fool you; it can withstand a frontal attack of one thousand Doriki!

"Just hit it, don't worry, this steel plate is plenty sturdy!" the examiner urged impatiently. There were hundreds of people waiting behind him!

In the end, he still answered Morito's question.

"One thousand Doriki. This steel plate can withstand a maximum of one thousand Doriki."

"Understood."

Morito replied indifferently. Chakra surged within his body, immediately condensing in the palm of his hand.

Bang!

He struck with his palm, and a muffled sound rang out.

The steel plate emitted a harsh, buzzing vibration, causing the testing instrument behind it to shake violently as well.

The examiner felt the ground beneath his feet sway and quickly hunched over, adjusting his posture to maintain his balance.

Before he could even steady himself, he heard a chorus of gasps.

Hiss!

"999? It was just one Doriki shy of breaking a thousand? Am I seeing things?"

"Could the testing instrument be malfunctioning?"

999 Doriki was neither particularly high nor particularly low.

Among the exceptionally talented youths graduating from the Naval Academy, many could reach several hundred Doriki, and it was not uncommon for them to exceed a thousand.

Especially for the monsters in the Elite Class, having less than a thousand Doriki would be an embarrassment.

But this was the Training Camp final examination!

The oldest examinee was no more than eighteen, and the Byakugan youth in the center of the arena was only fifteen!

The onlookers were shocked, but it was merely surprise.

After all, they were just there to watch the spectacle. To them, the difference between 99 Doriki and 999 Doriki was just an extra digit; they didn't have a real concept of what it meant.

The students of the Training Camp, however, could not remain calm.

The amount of effort required to increase one's Doriki by even a single point was something outsiders could never truly understand!

"How is this possible! 999? I must be dreaming!" Many rubbed their eyes vigorously, unable to believe the number displayed on the device.

"Isn't he the one who always hits rock bottom in the annual exams?"

"You call this hitting rock bottom?"

The students were unwilling to believe it, but the Doriki test, like the physical fitness test before it, was conducted publicly.

The device was used by everyone. Morito was neither the first nor the last to use it; it was impossible for him to have cheated.

For a moment, everyone pursed their lips, rendered speechless.

The person they once looked down upon was now standing at the very pinnacle—a peak so distant they could only look up at him, their gazes only able to reach his retreating back.

Not everyone could handle such a massive disparity.

Their hearts churned like a turbulent river, unable to settle for a long time.

"Impossible, he must have cheated!"

"That's right, that blind guy definitely cheated! No one in the history of the Training Camp exams has ever reached 999!"

A few hot-headed students who spoke without thinking suddenly burst into angry shouts.

The person in charge of the Doriki test was a Navy Ensign.

He snapped out of his shock and specifically checked the device. Although he also found it incredible, the inspection confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the equipment.

Morito's Doriki was indeed 999!

Hearing the commotion from below, the Ensign's expression darkened. Cheating? Cheating right in front of him? Cheating in front of so many people?

Were they insulting him, or were they insulting the Naval Academy?

"Quiet!"

The Ensign let out a low shout, rebuking the noisy students.

He repeated the test results from earlier and delivered the final verdict: "Morito, 999 Doriki, pass."

As the saying goes, the layman watches the spectacle, while the expert watches the technique.

Only the truly strong could see just how difficult the technique required for Morito's strike was.

On the top floor of the school building, inside Zephyr's office.

When the results of Morito's Doriki test appeared, Zephyr stood up abruptly.

A student who gets full marks on every exam is a top student.

But a student who gets exactly sixty points on every exam is a monster!

Only by understanding the intent behind every question can one master the examiner's grading criteria—knowing how they deduct points and exactly how many!

To achieve this and guarantee the same score every single time, to be able to strictly control one's score to exactly sixty points—that person is the true monster!

Setting aside the coincidence that Morito's Doriki limit was truly just 999.

For a fifteen-year-old boy to perfectly control his strength and precisely strike a Doriki of 999, this could not be achieved by effort or talent alone.

Both talent and hard work were indispensable!

"Garp, who exactly is this guy?"

Zephyr was not like the crowd of onlookers down in the plaza.

His eye for talent was sharp; in terms of teaching, even Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru could not compare to him.

He could see that Morito hadn't hit 999 Doriki by coincidence, but had controlled his strength to strike it with precision.

This was simply incredible!

It wasn't that no one else could do this; a Vice Admiral, or even a Rear Admiral, could do it.

The issue was that the person before him was not a Rear Admiral, let alone a Vice Admiral!

He was just a fifteen-year-old boy!

"That didn't look like Armament Haki just now, did it?"

Garp stuck his pinky into his nostril, his face showing not a hint of surprise. He was merely curious that Morito seemed to have mastered an ability he didn't recognize.

After a long moment, Garp finally reacted.

Had someone called him just now?

Garp flicked a black glob from his pinky, which landed right on a cookie in front of Zephyr.

"Were you calling me?"