Major General Kassel had been waiting at the port for a long time. Beside him stood Rono and Ivan, both at attention.
As soon as the ship docked, a middle-aged man in a suit and sunglasses was the first to disembark.
Kassel frowned at the sight. Wasn't Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan supposed to be coming? This man... looked like trouble.
Sure enough, the Sunglasses Man merely glanced at Kassel before looking over Rono and Ivan.
"Which of you is Rono?"
"May I ask who you are?"
Kassel was somewhat displeased, but still asked politely.
"The World Government."
The man's tone was cold. He pulled out a small ID booklet and flashed it, then ignored Kassel. Huo Shaoshan came down from the ship at that moment, his expression grim. When he met Kassel's gaze, he nodded.
So the World Government had come to poach someone again...
"I'm Rono. What do you want, old man?" Rono raised his hand.
"..."
The Sunglasses Man fell silent. Then, pushing off with his legs, he suddenly lunged at Rono.
"Hey! I don't even know you! Is calling you 'old man' really worth this?"
Rono's hair stood on end. With no time to retreat, he crossed his arms in front of his chest to block the Sunglasses Man's heavy punch. His feet carved two black streaks, each three meters long, into the ground.
"What are you doing!" Kassel and Huo Shaoshan both roared. The attack had come without warning, and neither had time to stop it. Now they squared up, ready to fight the Sunglasses Man.
But the Sunglasses Man stopped.
"Your reflexes and strength are decent. You pass."
Still ignoring the two of them, he pulled a transfer order from inside his suit.
"Wolf Rono has been transferred to CP9. The order took effect yesterday. Any objections?"
Buddha Sengoku's name was written on it as well.
"What! How could the Fleet Admiral..." Kassel exclaimed in disbelief, but Huo Shaoshan raised a hand to stop him.
"I understand," Huo Shaoshan said evenly. If not for his livid expression, Kassel would have thought the two of them had planned this together.
"Hey, old man, I never said I agreed!"
A white figure charged forward. The Sunglasses Man raised his right hand. "Iron Body!" Bang! The recoil made Rono's arm ache. Iron Body? Rono thought.
The Sunglasses Man didn't care what Rono was thinking. He unleashed Shigan, piercing straight through Rono's heart.
"Argh!" Rono screamed. Berserker activated. He grabbed the Sunglasses Man's arm with his right hand as a massive bone spike thrust from his forehead. Then he slammed his head into the Sunglasses Man's forehead. "Haki!" The impact felt like smashing into a diamond, even sending sparks flying!
"Hey! Stop! That's enough!" Kassel coated his right hand in Armament Haki and swung at the Sunglasses Man's raised right knee, but he was a step too late.
Rono felt as if he'd been hit by a train going 200 kilometers per hour. He shot backward too fast for an ordinary person's eyes to follow, crashing through two buildings before finally coming to a stop.
Ivan had been stunned into silence, standing there like a log.
Kassel had already engaged the Sunglasses Man. Their powerful martial arts reduced the surrounding buildings to rubble.
Huo Shaoshan, however, didn't move. He remained standing there, lost in thought.
Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye. The sound of the fighting drew every Marine at the base. Thinking pirates had launched an attack, they rushed over fully armed, only to be stopped by Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan.
"Haah... haah..." Kassel panted, bracing himself with one hand as sweat ran down his cheeks. The Sunglasses Man, on the other hand, was only breathing a little heavily. Both men's clothes hung from them in tatters, though the Sunglasses Man's glasses had fallen to the ground during the fight. The difference in strength was plain to see.
"Do you still want to fight?" the Sunglasses Man asked coldly.
If Kassel kept fighting, he wouldn't hold back.
"Damn it!" Kassel was about to launch another attack when Huo Shaoshan spoke up.
"That's enough! The kid isn't dead yet. Do you want the World Government to put you on its wanted list?"
The Sunglasses Man took off his torn clothes and tossed them aside, revealing a muscular torso covered in scars. He walked toward Rono, paying no heed to Kassel's furious glare.
He brushed away the rubble, grabbed Rono by the hair, and lifted him up. Somewhat surprised, he remarked, "This kid's got a pretty strong healing ability!"
Rono was unconscious, but his Self-Healing Factor was diligently repairing his wounds. If not for his beggar-like clothes, you'd never guess how badly injured he'd just been.
The Sunglasses Man seemed even more satisfied. He carried Rono over his shoulder, boarded the warship, and stood on deck.
"I expect an explanation from you for what just happened, Vice Admiral."
The adjutant who had come with the Sunglasses Man had prepared a change of clothes and was waiting nearby.
"Take him somewhere to rest."
After saying this, the Sunglasses Man dropped Rono onto the deck, picked up the clothes, and went to his cabin to rest.
The adjutant hoisted one of Rono's arms over his shoulder, found a cabin, and laid him down.
Kassel sat on the ground, utterly dejected and silent. Huo Shaoshan sat down beside him.
"I'll ask the Fleet Admiral about this when I get back. You should also prepare to be demoted. Soldiers must obey orders, even when they're wrong."
"..." Major General Kassel remained silent, his thoughts unreadable.
Huo Shaoshan patted him on the shoulder, stood, and boarded the warship.
"New recruit over there, aren't you coming?"
Ivan paused, then realized Huo Shaoshan was calling him. He glanced back at Kassel, who still said nothing. Kassel's adjutant stepped forward and waved for him to follow Huo Shaoshan. Ivan bowed to Kassel, then boarded the warship.
"Lari, did I do the wrong thing?" Kassel asked his adjutant after the warship had departed.
Looking at the confusion in Kassel's eyes, Lari straightened up.
"No, you weren't wrong. I would've done the same in your place." Lari answered earnestly. "You're a good superior and an excellent Marine!"
"Is that so..."
Night had fallen, but Rono couldn't sleep. Being beaten so badly was awful, humiliating.
"Host, there's no need to feel discouraged. Your opponent was far stronger than you—probably at Admiral level. Based on my analysis, he was likely from CP0."
"CP0..." Rono fell silent for a moment. "System, I want to get stronger! No matter what!"
"Damn bastard. One day, I'll hang you up and beat you senseless."
"Host can enter Simulation Training. The system will simulate all sorts of opponents for you to fight."
"What are we waiting for? Start!" Rono said, then flopped onto the bed without moving. His consciousness had already entered the simulation space.
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