"Giant Bear" Sano

What is going on...

Whether it was Shiryu and Rosinante, or the several pirate captains, they were all stunned, unable to believe the scene unfolding before their eyes.

How long had they been fighting? Less than ten minutes, right?

Kaku, a swordsman with a bounty of 36 million Beli, had been completely overwhelmed and beaten into such a state?

On the other side.

Kaku, who was fleeing in a pathetic state, was filled with shock while simultaneously unable to stop himself from cursing out loud.

What on earth is wrong with this brat? Why is he so strong!

Clearly, when they first clashed, he had sensed that the opponent had only just touched the threshold of being a swordsman and that his swordsmanship was inferior to his own, leading him to believe it was a guaranteed win.

But after a few exchanges, once Noah got serious, Kaku realized with a jolt that he was facing a terrifying monster, one completely at odds with his handsome appearance.

Whether it was strength, speed, or footwork, the opponent was far superior to him in every way.

A casual swing of the opponent's sword would leave the webbing between his thumb and forefinger numb, while his own strikes were always dodged with ease, as if the opponent had predicted them in advance.

Under these circumstances, even if his level of swordsmanship was indeed higher, how could he possibly win?

Run, he had to run!

Having spent years struggling in the sea, for Kaku, the so-called honor and dignity of a swordsman in a battle like this were complete bullshit; only his life was the only thing that mattered.

"Damn it, that guy Roan is also tied up and can't get away..."

His adrenaline surged, and he poured all his strength into his legs, sprinting desperately along the street. "Otherwise, with that guy's devil fruit ability, I wouldn't have such a hard time trying to escape..."

Since his two allies couldn't help him, he had no choice but to find Sano!

That monster was not in the same league as the three of them, and he wasn't far away, just in the next block.

As long as he kept running and held out until Sano noticed the commotion and came to support him, the hateful brat chasing him would have no choice but to die!

But just then, his vision blurred, and Noah's figure appeared directly in front of him, blocking his path of escape.

"We haven't been fighting long, yet the moment things look bad, you lose your will to fight and only think about running away. You really don't live up to your title of 'Sword Demon', old man."

Noah looked at the terrified Kaku and sighed with some disappointment. "Don't be a pirate in your next life. Die early and be reborn sooner; go reincarnate now, and maybe you'll be born in Shimotsuki Village and learn from them what true Three-Sword Style is."

Babbling nonsense, what kind of crazy talk is this guy spouting?

Kaku didn't understand a word of the latter half, but he could clearly see Noah clenching his swords with both hands.

Oh no!

Kaku's face turned pale with panic, and he instinctively turned to flee, but under the blade Noah swung down, he was ultimately a step too late.

Amidst a shrill scream, his short, fat body swayed on the spot before finally collapsing stiffly to the ground.

Meanwhile.

On the mountaintop with a wide view, Aokiji, who had witnessed the scene with his own eyes, raised an eyebrow, a look of astonishment appearing in his eyes.

"Oh my, that was truly unexpected..."

Aokiji scratched his head, finding his hair damp and greasy from the sea breeze for two days, sticking together, so he quickly put his hand down in disgust and muttered, "It seems the first place for this practical assessment has already been decided ahead of schedule..."

"Who, that Shiryu?"

A familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Yo, why did you come up here?"

Aokiji turned his head, looking in surprise at Momousagi, who had appeared before him. "Didn't you say you hated the wind on the mountain and planned to stay on the warship until the assessment ended?"

"I got a bit bored."

Momousagi stretched and said with a smile: "I've been idle on the ship for too long and couldn't sit still, so I decided to come and watch the fun."

"Isn't that what I told you yesterday..."

Aokiji was a bit puzzled, but Momousagi had already walked to the rock as if nothing had happened and casually changed the subject:

"What exactly did you see just now? It's rare to see you looking so surprised."

"Uh... you might not believe it, but that young man Noah just easily defeated a pirate captain with a bounty of over 30 million."

Aokiji turned his gaze back to the town and gestured toward a certain direction with his chin. "There, just over there. I reckon he's already heading back... hmm?"

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his brow furrowed slightly.

Momousagi couldn't help but narrow her eyes: "What is it now?"

"He ran into it a bit earlier than I expected."

Aokiji stared at the street corner below with interest and smacked his lips. "Looks like this kid's luck isn't very good. He's really run into a major problem this time..."

At the street corner.

Noah finished looting Kaku's corpse and stood up, satisfied.

Although the quality of this guy's three swords was quite decent, with one of them even being a Skillful Grade sword, Noah didn't need them now that he had the dual blades of Yone. Still, bringing them back to hand over to headquarters should count as a significant military contribution, adding another entry to his file.

These accumulated military contributions would directly influence the rank he would be awarded during his graduation ceremony.

"I need to go back and see how the battle is going."

He turned his head to look in the direction he had come from, silently calculating in his mind, "It would be safer to help Shiryu and Rossi finish off those two guys first, then go find that Giant Bear Sano..."

Kaku wasn't actually weak, but once he fell into a disadvantage, his fighting spirit eroded too quickly. This battle hadn't been satisfying at all; it was truly a bit of a letdown.

Noah felt that perhaps in this practical assessment, only Sano—a guy even his own companions viewed as a monster—could allow him to enjoy the thrill of a hearty duel.

Thump, thump, thump.

He hadn't turned and walked very far before dull, thunderous footsteps suddenly rang out, approaching from the distance.

Like the omen before a volcanic eruption, the ground of the small street began to tremble slightly at this moment.

Noah stopped in his tracks. Having realized what was happening, he took a deep breath, turned his head, and looked toward the street corner where Kaku had fled just moments ago.

A woman standing six or seven meters tall, as robust as a giant bear from the forest and sporting a short buzz cut, appeared before him.

The woman wore only a robe, her entire body covered in muscles that radiated explosive power.

Her features were actually quite delicate, but two intersecting scars near her jaw and eye socket completely ruined this faint sense of beauty, making her entire face appear quite fierce and terrifying.

She glanced at the fat corpse on the ground, curled her lips in mockery, and then raised her head, her bloodshot eyes locking onto Noah's face in the distance:

"Kid... was it you who killed Kaku?"