West Blue was commonly considered the strongest of the world's four seas. Its powers were deeply entrenched and it produced many strong fighters. The rulers of its underworld were the five great Mafia families.
The marines' fervor quickly ebbed as they heard the enemy's name and felt the temperature plunge.
Aokiji's words were like saying that passing the elimination round meant risking your life to fight alongside them against a pack of vicious thugs dealing in gambling, drugs, and violence.
That was right. The Mafia killed people.
In this world, most pirates chose to flee when they encountered marines, or fought back only long enough to escape.
The five families kept large numbers of assassins on their payroll. They killed without leaving a trace—or took their own lives afterward—making law enforcers wary of crossing them.
In the eyes of the world, they were a shadowy force that coexisted with society, much as the World Government allowed the underworld to operate.
The frost on Prince melted away. A flicker of fear appeared in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, gritting his teeth and steeling himself.
He came from West Blue, from a wealthy merchant family. It was impossible to avoid dealing with the five families, and the Mafia had left a deep impression on him. He had long since accepted their existence as a fact of life.
For Prince, it was like suddenly hearing the authorities announce that they were going to punish a group of untouchables from his hometown—people he'd heard about since childhood, whose stories were passed from mouth to mouth, and who were beyond the reach of the law even if they were dragged into court.
How shocking was that?
Aokiji undid two buttons on his white vest, straightened his tie, and breathed out a cloud of icy mist.
"You can still back out. After all, being a marine is just a job. People only talk about justice for the sake of it. How many of you really joined the Navy for that?"
"I'm sure plenty of you are like me: you're here to get a job, earn promotions, and make Beli. You don't need to risk your lives."
As an examiner, Aokiji was undeniably unfit to say such a thing. But with his usual languid air, he clearly struck a chord with many of the marines.
After all, most people wanted to live better lives, not die for justice in some battle.
Aokiji pulled the sleep mask back down over his forehead. "I'll sleep for ten minutes. Anyone who wants to leave can go. I won't remember who you are anyway. When this is over, I'll just report who failed the test."
A few scattered footsteps shuffled away.
Then a clear voice rang out, carrying distinctly through the icy grounds.
"That's why we need the power to do our jobs without risking our lives."
"That's why justice must gather and wield the power to easily trample evil."
"Because danger exists, we must be absolutely strong. Otherwise, how can we put the world at ease? How can we make all nations come to pay their respects?"
Aokiji raised his sleep mask. His expression was somber as his dead-fish eyes swept across the scattered figures on the icy training grounds and settled on Conrad, standing ramrod straight.
He said nothing. He could express his own lazy brand of justice, but he couldn't deny anyone else's.
Not many left, but those who did had their reasons, just as those who stayed had theirs. It wasn't his business to interfere. His job was to begin the test.
"Are you finished?"
Conrad raised a hand and pointed at the sky. "Sooner or later, I'll make every snake, scoundrel, and rat crawl into the sewers, hide their filthy thoughts, and fear showing their faces in the daylight—or in front of me!"
Just then, the wind swept past a stretch of white clouds, and their shadows raced across the ground. A blazing sun was reflected at the center of the shining ice. Conrad stood at the sun's center, one hand pointed skyward.
Dazzling, impossible to look at, impossible to ignore, impossible to hide. All you could do was turn your gaze away.
Kujaku stood to Conrad's left. Her eyes narrowed at the corners as she stared straight at the boy beside her, who was about her height. They were less than five meters apart, yet she couldn't make out his features, so she just kept looking.
Drake smiled honestly, remembering the winter on Minion Island, and the clear, dark eyes he had seen beyond the threshold amid the snow and wind.
Prince's four-ringed golden hand gripped the thick gold chain around his neck. He turned his head toward the sky. "Why isn't it shining on me? Why am I not the one standing in the spotlight?"
If it shone on him, he'd surely glitter even more.
On the platform, Aokiji pulled his sleep mask back over his eyes. "What a glare. The test begins."
He raised both hands, and ice crystals surged into the air. In the blink of an eye, ten ice peaks thrust up from the training grounds, each with a smooth, mirror-like summit.
"There are two hundred places on the Elite Intern Ship this year, so only twenty people can stand on each summit."
"Fight however you like, use whatever methods you want. I'll keep lowering the temperature until only two hundred people remain on the peaks."
Aokiji pressed both palms to the ground, giving the marines no time to respond or plan a strategy.
The moment his words fell, frost spread rapidly across the entire training ground. The temperature plunged to ten degrees below zero and kept falling.
The more than a thousand marines on the grounds were caught completely off guard. In previous elimination rounds, they had advanced through arena matches, but this test had been decided on the spot by the examiner.
The race to eliminate the competition had begun at once, and every comrade around them had become an enemy.
"Headquarters boys!" Fullbody called out to his companions, bringing a few underlings along. He pointed at the three ice peaks on the right. "Let's charge those!"
Most of them had known each other since childhood, growing up playing and roughhousing together. They quickly formed a group and surrounded the three peaks on the right.
They settled on a plan but didn't rush to climb.
The first ones up would inevitably face challenges from those who came after them. It was better to conserve their strength below, then charge up in one final push.
Bam!
Prince punched two marines to the ground, an excited grin spreading across his face. These rules suited him perfectly.
Clay sprayed from both his arms, and five Clay Giants, each seven or eight meters tall, formed a ring around him. They charged straight at an ice peak, wildly smashing everything around them.
Drake and Bling Bling quickly ran behind Conrad, and the three dormmates formed a triangle.
"I won't hold you back! If I can't keep up with you, just leave me behind." Bling Bling gripped his sword. He knew his strength only barely placed him above the weakest here.
Drake shook his head.
"We stick together." Conrad punched toward the first ice peak on the left.
Smack!
"Conrad!" Kujaku cracked her Combat Whip against the ground, her face flushed with excitement. "You adorable little brat! It's finally time for me to teach you a lesson!"
Without a thought for their past friendship, she spun twice to build momentum, then lashed straight at Conrad's face.
"Damn it, you crazy woman! Can't you tell when to take things seriously?" Conrad kicked off and sprang backward, dodging the whip.
"Come on~ Just let me whip you a couple of times. I can still help you pass after I've taught you a lesson~"
Kujaku's whip struck the ice. It cracked apart, then rose and shifted as if alive, forming a wall of ice across their path.
"What do we do?" Drake looked a little lost.
"What do you mean, what do we do? Fight! She wants to whip me, and I want to whip her!" Conrad rolled up his sleeves, spread his fingers, and charged without hesitation.
Drake roared, transforming into a half-dragon, half-human form. He charged forward and overtook Conrad within seconds, leaping at Kujaku with a claw swipe.
Smack!
A nimble whip lashed out from long range, its tip striking the X-shaped scar on the Allosaurus's chin.
Kujaku put a hand on her hip and pointed. "Go! Grab him for me!"
"Roar~" Drake dug in his feet to stop, then turned and charged at Conrad.
"You damn—!" Conrad stared at him in disbelief.
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