Tereina's "Battle"

Noki returned to the Marine base just as Tashigi's battle against the other Marines was drawing to a close.

On the training ground, only Sergeant Carter remained standing.

Sergeant Carter had plenty of combat experience, but his abilities were lacking in every respect. On top of that, he was getting old, and his stamina was nowhere near what it had once been. He panted heavily.

Tashigi was young and full of vigor. Her extra sword practice over the past few days had not only improved her swordsmanship, but also greatly increased her strength and endurance.

"Hah!"

Tashigi gripped the hilt with both hands and swung her blade, unleashing a barrage of slashes like a raging storm.

Sergeant Carter was nearly risking his life to defend himself. He knew he was no match for Tashigi, but he simply could not let go of his pride.

He valued his dignity immensely.

To him, losing to a young girl who had only just joined the Marines was unbearably humiliating.

Although the outcome of this battle had essentially been decided, he still had to fight to the end and defend the dignity of an old Marine!

Noki watched it all. Not everyone could calmly accept being surpassed by those younger than them, and he himself was one of those people.

The difference between him and Carter was that Noki encouraged his juniors to surpass him, while working hard to ensure that no one actually did.

Before absolute strength, persistence was often hardly worth mentioning.

Tashigi was kind-hearted and usually liked to consider things from other people's perspectives, but that did not mean she would show kindness to others on the battlefield.

She understood one thing deeply: mercy toward an enemy was cruelty toward oneself. Moreover, holding back in battle was also an insult to one's opponent.

So when Tashigi discovered that Carter's movements were full of openings, she attacked without hesitation!

Her wooden sword struck Sergeant Carter hard in the chest.

Just as Carter was about to defend himself, Tashigi curved her sword through the air and hit his wrist instead.

"Crack!"

With a crisp snap, the wooden sword fell to the ground.

Carter had lost!

"Sergeant..."

The Marines were deeply dejected. It was bad enough that so many of them had fought one person, yet they had still lost in the end. How were they supposed to face anyone afterward?

Carter let out a long breath. Though his heart ached, the burden on his shoulders also felt much lighter. "Congratulations, Tashigi... Sergeant. You won."

"Sergeant, I..."

"No need to say anything. A loss is a loss. From now on, I'll hand all my duties over to you. I hope you can make the Marines of Loguetown better and better."

After saying that, Carter took a cigarette from his pocket and walked away with a lonely silhouette.

Noki did not say anything when he saw this.

The other Marines endured the pain throughout their bodies as they gradually climbed to their feet. They followed Carter out of the training ground in frustration. They needed time to process this.

Watching her comrades' disappointed and dispirited expressions, Tashigi felt somewhat troubled. "Vice Admiral, did I do something wrong?"

"You did very well. This is reality. Sooner or later, they have to accept it."

Dezaya grinned as she wrapped an arm around Tashigi's shoulders. "You were incredible! Watching from the side got my blood pumping. As expected of the woman who defeated me!"

"I'm not that amazing." Tashigi lowered her head shyly.

Noki's expression turned stern. "Tashigi, heed my order."

"Present!"

Tashigi snapped into a military stance.

"In my capacity as commander of the Loguetown base and a rear admiral of Marine Headquarters, I hereby promote you to Marine sergeant. Any objections?"

"No!"

Tashigi answered with all her strength, her voice ringing loud and clear.

"Very good. Starting tomorrow, you will lead all the Marines in Loguetown in training. As for your other duties, I'll have Sergeant Carter teach you gradually."

"Yes, Rear Admiral!"

After accepting the order, Tashigi hugged her wooden sword and stared fixedly at Noki. "Rear Admiral, can you keep teaching me swordsmanship?"

Noki smiled. "Of course. You're my disciple, after all. Are you prepared to face even more brutal training?"

Tashigi nodded vigorously. "I'm ready!"

Upon hearing that, Dezaya pounced on Noki, hugged his arm, and said with a grin, "Master, don't forget about me!"

"Pass my test first, then we can talk about anything else."

"Hmph! I'll start training tomorrow. It's just some physical conditioning. I'm not afraid of that." Dezaya was brimming with confidence.

"Let's hope so."

It was nearing dusk.

Dadi came to exchange Noki's bounty. According to their agreement, Noki received a full 5.4 million Beli.

To put it bluntly, he had rarely seen that much money in all his years.

After all, a Marine's salary was usually almost entirely spent on daily living expenses, leaving little to save.

That evening.

As usual, Noki called Ain.

Ain told him that she had something very important to do for the foreseeable future and probably would not be able to contact him every day.

Noki thought that was perfectly normal. He told Ain to take care of herself and remember to maintain moderation no matter how busy she was.

Ain sweetly agreed.

Life in Loguetown was fulfilling yet simple.

Since being promoted to sergeant, Tashigi had repeatedly earned the praise of the Marines through her diligent work. Their previous dissatisfaction had completely vanished.

Sergeant Carter had not been entirely relieved of his duties. Noki still had him manage some affairs within the base.

Tashigi and Carter were like Noki's right and left hands, one handling military matters and the other administrative work.

Tashigi was in charge of military affairs, while Carter handled clerical duties.

Dezaya trained desperately hard.

To be honest, Noki had not expected much from her.

But Dezaya's ability to endure hardship, along with her willingness to risk her life to become stronger, made Noki see her in a new light.

He began seriously considering how to improve Dezaya's strength more quickly and effectively.

Although he had a Zoan Devil Fruit in his possession, he had always felt that such an ordinary ability did not suit one of his people.

Since he could use the Dark Hunt ability, he should give his disciples and subordinates the best and most suitable powers.

Therefore, until he found an appropriate ability, Noki would not have his subordinates eat any Devil Fruits.

Additionally, Noki set aside time every day to guide Tashigi in swordsmanship.

In his understanding and experience, whether it was hand-to-hand combat or swordsmanship, rather than giving lengthy lectures on theory, it was better to go straight to the training ground and gain practical experience through actual combat.

That was his teaching method: practice first!

Noki deliberately suppressed his strength when sparring with Tashigi, ensuring that he was only slightly stronger than her each time, allowing her to gradually accumulate experience through battle and defeat.

At the same time, her sword-swinging practice could not be neglected. The count increased from 3,000 to 5,000 swings, since the fundamentals could not be abandoned.

In the blink of an eye, another week passed.

Noki had already spent half a month in Loguetown.

One afternoon.

A Marine brought lunch to the base commander as usual.

Noki was surprised to find that today's meal was vastly different in style from those of the past few days. It did not seem to have been made by Tereina.

Had that little girl finally changed her mind?

Noki specifically sought out the head chef to ask about Tereina. He learned that Loguetown's new cooking competition was about to begin.

In order to defeat her old rival Carmen, Tereina had been practicing day and night.

As for his lunch, it had actually been made by Tereina. It was simply one of the new dishes she was testing.

Noki had always wanted to repay Tereina for cooking for him.

He could not accept her pursuit, and eating and drinking for free went against his principles. Now, the opportunity had finally arrived.

The cooking competition was Tereina's battle.

Noki decided to help her claim victory and shed the insulting title of "eternal runner-up."