Aftermath

Whether it was the former CP9 squad members, the two CP9 examiners, or even the officials from other Cipher Pol divisions in the distance, all of them noticed what was happening and hurried over.

At that moment, they could only stare wide-eyed at the unbelievable scene.

Beiyuan Heng stood atop the tower, beside the fallen Rob Lucci.

His white suit was so conspicuous that it almost seemed dazzling.

There was not even a single tear in his clothes!

The strongest in eight hundred years had been defeated?!

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And so effortlessly at that?!

Defeated by someone from another training base?

Whether it was the instructors' standards, the intensity of training, or even the criteria for selecting orphans, Crown Hao Island, which specialized in training CP9 agents, was among the very best.

Lucci, who had risen above the rest and dominated his entire class here, was a monster among monsters.

How had he done it?

What no one knew was that Beiyuan Heng had his own cheat.

Those traits were constantly enhancing his physical abilities.

[Tenacity], [Strength], [Swiftness]... every trait elevated Beiyuan Heng's already formidable physique to another level.

The values of these traits were not fixed. The stronger Beiyuan Heng's physical abilities became, the greater the bonuses they granted him.

With the enhancements from these traits, learning the Six Powers had become second nature to Beiyuan Heng.

Combined with the constant improvement brought by [Diligence], he had ultimately made tremendous progress in the Six Powers and obtained [Six Powers Mastery].

And just now...

As Beiyuan Heng and Lucci continuously competed in Six Powers techniques, the skills Beiyuan Heng displayed had steadily brought him a constant stream of attention and recognition.

[Six Powers at the Pinnacle (Blue)]: Your comprehension of the Six Powers has reached the pinnacle. All manner of Six Powers techniques come naturally to you. You will find it easier to learn every technique of the Six Powers and make the correct response in battle.

[Six Powers Mastery] had transformed into [Six Powers at the Pinnacle].

In an instant, Beiyuan Heng understood several points that had previously baffled him, ultimately comprehending the profound essence of the Six Powers.

As for Rob Lucci, he truly was a genius.

But what Beiyuan Heng possessed was an unparalleled physique for his age, built through trait bonuses and years of training, as well as an exceptional comprehension of the Six Powers.

The silence around them was gradually broken. Whether they were examiners or personnel from other Cipher Pol divisions, everyone began discussing the matter heatedly.

The title of strongest genius in eight hundred years was probably about to change hands.

At that moment, Rob Lucci, who lay on the ground, moved slightly as his consciousness gradually returned.

He looked at Beiyuan Heng standing beside him. His lips moved, and he actually forced out a faint smile.

"Still, you were better. I lost."

"But next time, I'll definitely win it back!"

Beiyuan Heng looked at Rob Lucci and nodded. "Admirable, Lucci. I probably won't forget you for the rest of my life."

With Rob Lucci personally acknowledging his defeat, the curtain finally fell on this battle.

"No way, Lucci really lost?!"

Jabra rubbed his eyes, finding it unbelievable.

He had cheered for Beiyuan Heng earlier only because he did not get along with Lucci and Kaku. He had never expected Lucci to actually lose.

He had originally thought he would be delighted to see Lucci fail, but now that Lucci had truly lost, he felt somewhat conflicted instead.

Kalifa, however, looked at Beiyuan Heng with a hint of admiration in her eyes.

Ever since arriving on this island, the strongest person she had seen was Lucci, and she had firmly believed that Lucci was the strongest.

Now that title had been transferred to Beiyuan Heng. Thinking of her previous opinion of him and the way she had treated him, Kalifa could not help feeling a trace of shame.

The officials from the other Cipher Pol divisions kept questioning Laskey about what had happened.

"It's an internal CP9 matter. You'd best stop asking."

After brushing them off, Laskey looked at Beiyuan Heng and the Rob Lucci he had helped to his feet.

"Then, Beiyuan Heng, you are first. When carrying out missions, you will be the commander."

After saying that, he looked at Lucci. "Lucci, you will be second and assist the commander."

"Yes, sir."

The following battles were between the remaining candidates.

Their rankings were basically tied to their Doriki Values.

There were quite a few highlights in those fights as well, but compared to the great battle between Beiyuan Heng and Lucci, they inevitably seemed rather bland.

After the sparring officially ended, the eight new CP9 agents boarded a Marine warship leaving Crown Hao Island for Enies Lobby.

However, the aftereffects of that battle were far from over.

On the contrary, like a massive stone cast into a lake, the ripples it stirred would continue spreading for a long time.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford, the Fleet Admiral's office.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku was reviewing document after document.

A seagull suddenly flew in through the window, entered the Fleet Admiral's office, and landed on the desk.

Sengoku calmly reached for the note tied to the seagull's leg.

When he opened it, he found the list of this class's CP9 agents.

The Marines and Cipher Pol were parallel departments and normally did not interfere with one another.

However, some intelligence had to be kept track of.

Sengoku raised an eyebrow as he looked at the names on the list.

Beiyuan Heng? Why had he never heard of him...

He stood up and rummaged through the mountain of documents beside him, finally finding one file.

It recorded the orphans taken in by Crown Hao Island during each period.

Among the latest batch of names were Rob Lucci, Kaku, Jabra, and the other CP9 members.

Even Kalifa's name was there, specifically noting that she was Laskey's daughter.

"Strange. Where did this Beiyuan Heng come from?"

However, Sengoku quickly dismissed the question. He was merely a new CP9 agent; there was nothing worth paying attention to.

He had more important matters to handle.

Still, the name Beiyuan Heng left a faint impression in his mind.

The Holy Land, the "City of Gods," Mary Geoise, Room of Authority.

A confidential report from CP9 had already been placed on the Five Elders' desk.

Nominally, matters related to Cipher Pol were managed by Topman Warcury, the "War God of Justice."

He was a burly old man in a black suit and white shirt, bald, with two figure-eight-shaped mustaches and a birthmark on his forehead.

Naturally, he was the first to read the confidential report.

"Rob Lucci was defeated by a brat from the North Blue?"

"This Beiyuan Heng actually came from the North Blue? He should be an even more useful tool than Lucci."

Topman Warcury raised his head and looked at Spandine, who was kneeling at the doorway and trembling involuntarily.

"You did well with the matter at Ohara."

"These people are all useful tools. Make good use of them."

The current chief of CP9, Spandam, was overjoyed upon hearing the Five Elder's words and hurriedly replied.

"Thank you, Saint Warcury! I definitely won't disappoint you!!"

Being able to meet one of the Five Elders even once would make my life worthwhile, Spandine thought. This was even his second meeting, and snot and tears streamed down his face.

"Since that is the case, there happens to be a mission here. I'll leave it to you..."

Warcury tossed a document to Spandam and dismissed him with a few words.

Traveling by sea had always been time-consuming.

Even for the World Government, traveling from Crown Hao Island to Enies Lobby would take quite some time.

During that period, the effects of Beiyuan Heng's defeat of Rob Lucci gradually spread.

Although it had not entered the public eye, the name "Beiyuan Heng" had already reached the upper ranks and left behind the impression that he was talented.

The most obvious result was that Beiyuan Heng had gained several more traits.

[Outstanding Talent (Green)] had transformed into [Genius (Blue)].

[Genius (Blue)]: Your talent makes you an exceptional genius even across the endless seas. Your potential in learning, combat, training, and other areas has increased greatly.

He had also gained a trait he had never seen before.

[Strongest Genius of CP9 (Limited)]: You are the acknowledged strongest genius of CP9. As long as you retain this title, your comprehension and learning efficiency in all fields, including martial arts training, Six Powers comprehension, combat instincts, and assassination techniques, will continuously improve as the title becomes more firmly established, with no upper limit.]

"This is what I wanted!"

Looking at the newly born trait on the panel, Beiyuan Heng slowly opened his mouth. His low laughter gradually grew louder until he could no longer contain it, and his laughter echoed through the entire warship.

All his efforts over the years had not been in vain!!