Daddy Loves You All!

As a Marine Admiral, Zephyr's combat strength was beyond question. The pirate targets of the Training Camp's live-combat internships, even when they were close to the New World, were still always in Paradise. It was not easy to encounter one with a bounty exceeding 100 million.

A pirate crew worth tens of millions was something Zephyr could wipe out in groups all by himself!

But as a Training Camp instructor, Zephyr could not do that. Otherwise, what would be the point of the internship? Zephyr's presence was merely the final safeguard; he could only step in when a major incident threatened the lives of most of the trainees.

Experiencing the boundary between life and death was the meaning of the Training Camp's live-combat internships. And as Zephyr had said, even with a Marine Admiral holding the line, team battles would inevitably result in severe injuries or disabilities that left people unable to serve in combat roles.

Now, Wright's presence had directly eliminated that possibility.

Not long after the Trainee Warship put to sea, it encountered a pirate crew—the Butcher Pirates. Their captain, "Great Blade Butcher" Hobert Fergus, had a bounty as high as 58 million! A bounty of 58 million at this time was comparable to nearly 100 million a decade or so later!

Hobert Fergus was a pirate from North Blue who had once been a butcher. He wielded a massive double-bladed axe and was cruel and bloodthirsty, killing people as easily as slaughtering dogs. Most of his subordinates were similarly wicked, taking pleasure in murdering and torturing the weak. Because of their extreme brutality, Fergus's immense strength, and the considerable combat prowess of several of his officers, they had built quite a notorious reputation after roaming the Grand Line for over a year.

Zephyr had kept a low profile at Marine Headquarters for years and had gradually become unknown to outsiders over the past few decades, much less to a group of pirates who had only arrived on the Grand Line a little over a year ago. The only Admiral-level fighters at Marine Headquarters widely known to everyone were three: Fleet Admiral Kong, Marine Admiral Buddha Sengoku, and Vice Admiral Hero Garp.

The warship assigned to the live-combat internship was only of ordinary specifications. In the pirates' eyes, it could have at most a Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Commander aboard, so they could take them head-on!

And so, the pirates suffered miserably.

There were over fifty Training Camp trainees, each with combat strength averaging that of a Marine Headquarters Lieutenant; nine elite trainees, each of whom had mastered varying numbers of the Six Powers' physical techniques; and even two ability users.

Even though the Butcher Pirates had over two hundred men, they were still doomed to destruction against such a lineup.

Their captain, "Great Blade Butcher" Hobert Fergus, was held back by Smoker. Fergus had not mastered Haki, so facing a Logia ability user was simply hopeless. Smoker suppressed him completely. Fergus was only able to endure because of his thick skin and tough flesh; his defeat was merely a matter of time.

Rosinante once again demonstrated the team-fight techniques he had shown during the Elite Test—using his ability to disrupt the enemy's senses and improve his side's efficiency at killing enemies. He was a qualified support.

Zephyr and Gumir observed the trainees' battle conditions. With Wright as an extra layer of insurance, they did not even need to move from where they stood; Observation Haki was enough.

"Ah!" A Training Camp trainee was besieged by two pirates and accidentally had his leg slashed, falling to the ground. Seeing the pirates pounce on him, he could not make his leg exert any strength to stand up. My life is over!

Whoosh—

A streak of golden light flashed past. His powerless leg was suddenly filled with strength again, and at the crucial moment, he forced himself aside to evade the pirates' pincer attack. While they were still stunned, he swung around and punched one of them flying. Only then did he discover that he could not even find the wound on his leg. If not for his slashed trouser leg, it would have seemed as though he had never been cut at all!

Another Training Camp trainee had fought desperately and killed five pirates, but he himself was gravely injured. Blood poured from his abdomen, and he could barely stand. Seeing more pirates rush toward him, he could only close his eyes and await death. Yet he suddenly felt a wave of warmth. When he opened his eyes, the wound on his abdomen had stopped bleeding, and even the scar was gone... Not only that, his utterly depleted stamina was recovering as well. Without time to think further, he immediately raised his blade to meet the enemy...

Wright remained in the rear, his powerful Observation Haki monitoring the entire battlefield. Whenever he saw someone approaching the danger of certain death or severe injury, he directly cast a Holy Light Spell to avert the crisis.

A true top-tier support!

Ah, this feels like that familiar game of whack-a-mole again!

Wright thought idly. He wanted to yawn, but he was too embarrassed to ruin the intense atmosphere of the battle, so he held it in, leaving his expression rather strange.

With Wright's support, the trainees dealt with the Butcher Pirates' crew with almost zero casualties. Several pirate officers were taken down by the trainees once they had freed up their hands. Of the entire Butcher Pirates, only their captain—"Great Blade Butcher" Hobert Fergus—remained, still clashing with Smoker.

"The Smoke-Smoke Fruit is indeed a bit too weak before its user learns Haki. That jitte also has limited killing power against a target with such thick skin and tough flesh." Wright watched the other trainees gather around Smoker and Fergus's battlefield. He frowned slightly but said nothing.

Very soon, the scene Wright had anticipated unfolded. Fergus had no Haki, so his giant axe could not touch Smoker's true body at all, while he himself was constantly struck by Smoker. Already near his limit, he noticed the trainees around the battlefield—his pirate crew was finished!

By the time Fergus came back to his senses and realized this, he knew he had run into an immovable wall today. This group was not made up of ordinary Marines at all!

Instantly enraged, and determined to take someone down with him even if he died, Fergus abruptly cast aside the Logia ability user entangling him. He swung his massive axe viciously and launched an attack at the "spectators"!

The elite trainees, who had all mastered Soru, naturally evaded with ease. But among the ordinary trainees, there were several unlucky ones. Perhaps believing that victory was assured, they had relaxed their guard. With one sweep of the giant axe, some had their abdomens cut open, some had arms severed, and some were sent flying and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise...

"They really do lack actual combat experience. They can make such a basic mistake? Haven't they ever heard that spectators can die too..." Wright could not help muttering inwardly.

When he turned and saw Zephyr's questioning look, Wright nodded and slowly walked forward. He first cast a Holy Light Spell on the trainees who had collapsed and the one whose abdomen had been cut open and was already near death. Then he called to the others, "Don't just stand there. Carry the injured over here, and bring the severed arms from the ground too."

Over there, Smoker felt that the damned pirate had thoroughly slapped him in the face and immediately flew into a rage. With several full-power blows, he knocked Fergus unconscious. Meanwhile, the two trainees Wright had healed with Holy Light Spells had already recovered. They were practically ready to kneel and worship him...

The other trainees had already had their suspicions, and now they naturally confirmed how the injuries that had seemed never to happen during the battle had healed. They had initially thought he was just there to observe—when Instructor Zephyr had boarded the ship, he had said Wright would not personally kill enemies. They had almost forgotten that he possessed such an incredible skill—what a golden thigh!

"Secure the arm in its original position..." Wright directed the others to fix the severed arm of the trainee in place. Then, with one Holy Light Spell followed by Eternal Fire, the arm was restored to normal in mere moments.

Even Zephyr, who knew about Wright's ability, was astonished, let alone the other trainees—

If not for Wright, in today's battle, at least half of these severely inexperienced trainees would have been injured. Even with Zephyr's rescue, at least several would have sustained grievous injuries from which they could never recover!

He truly deserved to call himself a "top-tier support"!