The Helpless Shiryu of the Rain

Squelch!

Just as Giant Bear Sano was caught in astonishment, the blade had already descended, piercing through her guard at a cunning angle to bypass the bear claws she held before her, leaving a deep gash across her shoulder blade.

Blood sprayed out; Sano snapped back to reality, let out an angry roar, and swung her claws in retaliation.

"Soru!"

Noah did not hesitate, pulling his sword back to retreat as his figure flickered, reappearing out of thin air on a rooftop a dozen meters away.

Once Sano's strike hit nothing but air, smashing a small house in front of her into powder, he slammed his foot against a nearby chimney, using the momentum to strike again from the rear at the Giant Bear's exposed back.

After these few exchanges, he had completely figured out the most suitable way to battle Sano.

Possessing an absolute advantage in speed, he held total control over the battlefield; even if he couldn't match the brute force of the Giant Bear's transformed state in a head-on collision, he could rely on his immense stamina to wear the opponent down!

Stamina did not just refer to physical energy.

It also included damage resistance, self-healing capabilities, and the depth of one's "health bar." Therefore, as long as the struggle between him and Sano turned into a protracted war of attrition, he would surely remain invincible!

Rumble!

After several more strikes missed, Giant Bear Sano became increasingly irritable and violent, falling into a state of blind rage. Every time her bear claws slammed down, she used almost all of her strength, and the destructive power was significantly higher than before.

Surrounding buildings collapsed and sank one after another, smoke and dust filled the air everywhere, and the area of the ground cracking due to the aftermath of the battle grew wider and wider.

The massive commotion spread through almost the entire town, naturally drawing the attention of many.

Numerous figures began to appear in the surrounding streets and alleys, observing the situation from afar.

Among them were both the pirate lackeys of the West Blue Underground Alliance and the Elite Training Camp marines who had persisted until now and had not yet withdrawn from the assessment.

Separated by the thick fog and dust, they didn't know what was happening at first, and could only speculate with uncertainty.

However, as the clash between the two grew more intense and the battlefield gradually shifted away from the original area of destruction, the details of the fight finally became faintly visible to everyone.

The first thing to catch their attention was naturally the black giant bear, standing over a dozen meters tall. Even from a hundred meters away, one could feel the terrifying power of the bear, who had fallen into a manic state.

"The destruction around here was basically caused by this guy, right... Is that Sano, the strongest captain among those pirates, with a bounty of 52 million Beli?"

Some Elite Training Camp members, after hours of night-time pursuit, had managed to extract quite a bit of intelligence from the pirates they defeated, just like Shiryu.

Thus, at this moment, they easily recognized the identity of the giant bear.

"She really is outrageously strong. Among the pirates still in the West Blue who haven't entered the Grand Line, this one is probably among the strongest."

Some wore solemn expressions, secretly feeling lucky that they hadn't encountered a monster of this caliber among the pirates they had faced earlier.

"And who is fighting her? How can they tangle with Giant Bear Sano for so long?"

"Is it Shiryu? No, even he, who has consistently ranked first in the assessment, probably couldn't beat a monster like this alone, right?"

Boom!

Just then.

Behind a building shattered by the giant bear's sudden strike, a slender figure lunged out from the dust, wielding dual swords to strike at the top of the giant bear's head.

This allowed everyone watching to clearly see his face.

"Wait, wait, wait, is that actually Noah?"

Many fellow recruits familiar with Noah had their jaws drop, their eyes widening in shock.

"Wasn't he left behind on Gulu Island? How did he catch up to this assessment? Is Gion-junsho taking the test for him?"

"No, he's using dual-blade style; it really is Noah himself..."

"Damn, he really lives up to the name of a training maniac. When did he secretly become this strong!"

Under the gaze of countless incredulous and astonished eyes, the giant bear, who was roaring and destroying everything in sight to vent her rage, suddenly sensed the movement above her. Without hesitation, she let out a roar, and both bear claws swiped upward simultaneously.

Thud!

Noah dodged one claw but was struck squarely by the other. His figure, appearing incredibly small before the massive black bear, was sent flying, crashing into the ground and creating a crater several meters deep.

"Oh no!"

Some recruits who were on good terms with Noah felt a jolt of alarm, worry appearing in their eyes.

To be hit by such a terrifying strike—if it were them, they would probably have been knocked unconscious on the spot. While Noah was known in the headquarters for his monstrous stamina, he couldn't be feeling good right now, could he?

However.

The next moment, Noah, who had been in the deep crater, stood up almost instantly like a carp leaping out of water. He shook the debris and dust from his hair and charged back into the battlefield as if nothing had happened.

This series of movements was incredibly practiced, as if this scene had already occurred many times during the ongoing fierce battle.

On the contrary, Giant Bear Sano, who had successfully sent Noah flying, faced the two blades slashing at her without pause. While she became even more enraged, her movements grew sluggish, and she began to show obvious signs of fatigue.

At this, not only the recruits from the headquarters Elite Training Camp but even the pirates watching the battle were left dumbfounded.

Those belonging to the West Blue Underground Alliance were far more familiar with the strength of Giant Bear Sano than the marines were, and precisely because of this, the shock and bewilderment in their hearts were even more intense.

That was a great pirate who had roamed the Grand Line for years and escaped unscathed! In terms of individual strength, even their alliance leader, that Mr. Capone from a mafia family, was no match for Giant Bear Sano.

Yet today, she was unable to do anything against a young marine who was clearly still a greenhorn, and was even beginning to fall into a disadvantage?

Time gradually passed, and the battle on the field continued.

On the other side, after a bitter struggle lasting three or four hours, Shiryu finally cut down the pirate captain Tuls, who possessed fish-man bloodline, with his sword.

After all, he was a pirate with a bounty higher than Kaku, and with the naturally formidable physique of a fish-man, defeating him completely was no easy task.

He leaned against the wall, supporting himself with his sword, head tilted back as he gasped for air, his expression utterly exhausted.

A long while later, Shiryu finally managed to recover, lit a cigarette, straightened his body, and looked toward the distance where Noah and his opponent were clashing amidst the swirling dust and smoke.

"Still not finished..."

Watching Noah get sent flying several times, only to rise again as if nothing had happened to continue the fight, even Shiryu couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.

"That guy's constitution is getting more and more monstrous, but that's fine; it looks like he has the upper hand, so there's no need for me to go over and help."

He withdrew his gaze from Noah and scanned his surroundings, but he did not see Rosinante or the Door-Door Fruit user—Big Black Hat Roan.

Shiryu pondered for a moment, guessing that because that guy's ability was troublesome and suited for escape, the two of them must have fought while moving, shifting the battlefield elsewhere without realizing it.

He felt a bit uneasy about Rosinante, but with his own stamina nearing its limit, he lacked the strength to track them down across the entire town without any leads.

Therefore, after narrowing his eyes slightly, Shiryu set his sights on the small-fry pirates hiding in the surrounding alleys, who were watching the man-versus-beast battle.

"It's almost noon; there are only five or six hours left in the assessment, so I might as well collect a few more heads to pad my kill count."

He muttered to himself, and as if thinking of something, he shook his head helplessly and sighed inwardly:

"Still, with that guy Noah's monstrous performance this time, I can only watch as the first-place spot for this assessment flies right out of my hands..."

To everyone clicking on this chapter, it might still be the Year of the Rat, but by the time you finish reading, it will already be the Year of the Ox!

On this New Year's Eve, the author is spending the holiday alone away from home, and with nothing else to do, I can only write; I wish everyone a Happy New Year and much happiness!