I'm the One Who Gets to Look Down on You!

Conrad was excited. He could feel his blood racing. This was the first time he'd ever seen such a huge creature. It looked to be over ten meters long and wide.

He vaguely remembered his first elementary-school field trip, when they'd gone to the zoo. He was born in the Year of the Tiger and was a Leo, so the moment he saw the tigers, he'd been entranced. Without hesitation, he'd stuck his head into their cage to say hello.

The tiger had eagerly run over to greet him, too. Unfortunately, the orphanage teacher was a coward and insisted on dragging him away in a panic.

He'd missed his chance to touch a tiger, and when they got to the lions, the teacher kept an eye on him and wouldn't let him get close.

"That's so advanced!" Conrad said, itching to give it a try. "Is that a turtle that ate the Projection Fruit?"

Bling Bling shook his head. He'd come from the countryside in the East Blue and had never seen anything like this. Even he was a little excited.

"Close enough," a young woman replied to Conrad. She had long, wavy sea-blue hair and rose-red eyes. Her features were soft, but her voice was cool.

The girl stepped out from behind the formation. It seemed she'd arrived late—or perhaps just in time. She didn't stop with the formation, instead heading toward the western side of the training grounds.

That was where the Devil Fruit Users were. They needed to be tested with Seastone equipment.

Conrad kept looking into her eyes. He thought they were beautiful, like two red rubies, clear and free of joy or sorrow.

"It's a Projection Den Den Mushi that ate the Turtle-Turtle Fruit," the girl said as she walked away, her blue curls swaying behind her.

Conrad couldn't remember who she was. She was so young, after all, and she might look different when she grew up. Or perhaps she wasn't very famous. So he called after her, "Thanks! What's your name?"

The girl didn't stop. She looked back at him, her figure set off by a pale-purple dress with a lace collar. She hesitated for a few seconds before answering, "Ain."

Conrad noticed now that her eyes were black. Perhaps they only looked rose-red when the light hit them.

"I'm Conrad!"

Ain didn't reply. She was already far away, turning to join the line of Devil Fruit Users until the others blocked her from view.

The Doriki Value test had begun. Tokikake stood in front of the Hand-Match Turtle in the middle of the training grounds, calling names from a list.

The Hand-Match Turtle crouched with its front legs folded in, all ten claw tips pressed together. It held the Six Powers technique "Hand-Match" pose, its two enormous red eyes fixed on the backdrop.

Bang!

A brass knuckle slammed into its shell.

"Fullbody, 100 Doriki," Tokikake announced.

Fullbody raised both fists and blew kisses to the crowd. After the bitter lesson he'd learned from getting beaten up that day, he'd reflected on his mistakes and worked hard. At last, he'd broken the hundred-Doriki mark and reached the level of a lieutenant!

One after another, the recruits took their turns. Most scored between fifty and eighty, mainly the veteran Marines. Few broke a hundred. That was probably the limit of an ordinary person's strength after years of training.

"Next, Prince Grus."

Prince Grus's eyes burned with fury. He'd been holding it in for a long time, replaying every humiliating thing Conrad had said over and over in his mind, unable to let any of it go.

He raised a hand and pinched the half-meter-long brim of his cap. When he was a kid, he'd liked to look cool by walking with his head down. After he'd walked straight into some pirates and gotten beaten up, his mother had had the cap specially made to keep him from bumping into people.

But these days, he rarely bumped into anyone—not because he'd stopped walking with his head down, but because he was tall! He had to look down just to see all those shorties!

"Ah!" Prince Grus shouted as he stood before the Hand-Match Turtle. He wanted everyone looking at him, their attention fixed on him.

He stepped back with his right leg, drew his arm back, and flexed. His biceps strained against his sleeve. Then, with another shrill yell, he slammed his fist forward.

Clang—

A lingering echo reverberated from the turtle's shell.

A green number, brighter than the others, appeared on the screen: 360!

"Not bad. Very impressive," Tokikake praised, recording the result and marking it with a star.

Two hundred Doriki was the threshold for becoming a captain.

At that level, an officer was strong enough to lead a squad on their own and take down ordinary pirate crews.

The Marines who'd signed up looked at Prince Grus with a mixture of shock and awe. No matter how arrogant he was, they couldn't dismiss his strength.

More importantly, Prince Grus was only seventeen. His future was limitless.

"Next—"

"Wait, sir! I haven't... finished testing!" Prince Grus interrupted. He lowered his fist, took off his cap, and pulled out a Devil Fruit covered in crisscrossing ocher patterns.

His wealthy family had paid a fortune to buy it for him, all so he could stand out and make a name for himself!

He took a big bite, nearly turning half his face purple from the disgusting taste. Still, he forced himself to take another bite and swallow without chewing.

"I'm a Devil Fruit User now," Prince Grus said, clutching his churning stomach. "I need to take the test again!"

"Young people these days are so impatient." Tokikake sighed and kicked the Hand-Match Turtle. "Turn over."

The Hand-Match Turtle was clearly annoyed, but it pushed off the ground and rolled over, exposing its blue-black belly, which was covered in Seastone.

Though Seastone restricted Devil Fruit powers, eating a Devil Fruit—especially a Zoan or Paramecia—also granted a certain degree of physical enhancement.

Prince Grus took a deep breath. He'd eaten the Paramecia Clay-Clay Fruit. His body felt as if it had lost its shape and could expand without limit.

He suddenly turned to Conrad. "Kid! I'll show you now—I'm the one who gets to look down on you!"

He spun around and punched. His arm suddenly swelled into a one-meter clay fist.

It slammed into the turtle's belly. The clay dissolved, its power nullified.

But the number projected from the Hand-Match Turtle's eyes onto the screen began to roll. The first digit spun past 4 while the rest kept climbing, until the display finally stopped at 444.

The three identical digits were downright ironic.

By instinct, Prince Grus raised his thumb and dragged it across his throat, making an arrogant throat-slitting gesture like a boxer taunting his opponent before a match.

Conrad smiled, genuinely happy. The taunt didn't make him panic or lose his temper.

He loved a life full of challenges. He loved it when people challenged him, because then he could beat them with his strength and prove he was the real top-tier powerhouse!

Everyone there could feel the heat of their stare, as if a fuse were burning, waiting to set off a violent explosion.

"Next, Bling Bling."

"Here!" Bling Bling jogged out of the formation, passing through the clash of their gazes. In broad daylight, he could even feel the heat beating down on him—though he wasn't sure if it was all in his head.

He went up to the Hand-Match Turtle, which had already rolled back onto its belly. He did ten squats, twisted his waist to loosen up, and warmed his joints to avoid losing power and performing poorly.

He picked up his weapon of choice: a standard Marine straight-bladed long sword.

He was allowed three strikes, with the highest score counting. But almost everyone got their best result on the first strike and didn't bother trying again, so he had to give it everything he had from the start.

He drew his sword, held it up diagonally to the right, and inhaled.

"Hiyah!" Bling Bling cried as he exhaled and put his whole body into the swing. Conrad had taught him this. He couldn't feel his Doriki, but the shout gave him spirit!

Clang!

The turtle's shell quivered slightly.

The projected result appeared on the wall: Doriki Value—81.

Bling Bling's eyes sparkled. Blood rushed to his face, and he jumped up with a cheer. Half the recruits were eliminated in the Doriki preliminaries, and he was definitely in the top half!

Back in the East Blue, his best score in the wooden-post test had only been enough to split a post rated at 60 Doriki!

He turned and lightly jogged back to the formation, then lifted Conrad in his arms. His body twisted like a flexible noodle. "Thanks for teaching me that sword technique!"

Conrad didn't say anything. From where he stood, Bling Bling had done everything wrong, from the way he breathed to the way he moved. He'd relied entirely on brute strength in his arms.

"When you get back to the East Blue, try switching out those posts. They might be a little hard."

"Yeah, haha! They're all old posts that've been used for over ten years. We've patched the iron sheets a few times." Bling Bling's eyes brimmed with hope.