Class Assignment Test (1)

As Zephyr's voice fell, the atmosphere across the entire training ground instantly grew restless.

Instructor Iron Jaw stepped forward, his booming voice ringing through the field. "Now, the first round of testing begins—Doriki Value! When your name is called, come forward in order! Anyone below 80 Doriki will be assigned directly to the Reserve Class!"

The testing line quickly formed.

"Hank!"

A burly recruit who looked like he was an ace even within his branch was the first to step forward. He took a deep breath and threw a punch with all his strength.

"125 Doriki! Passed!"

The recruit let out a breath of relief, but there was little joy on his face. This result was clearly nothing outstanding.

The next few passed without incident, with most values hovering between 100 and 150.

Soon, a rather skinny-looking fellow put every ounce of strength he had into it, but ultimately only scored "79." Amid regretful looks from the crowd, he was mercilessly taken toward the Reserve Class area.

Just as the mood gradually became dull, a resounding name was called.

"T Bone!"

A tall, thin young man with an upright gaze, straight as a ruler, stepped forward.

Rayne looked at his excessively gaunt face. Why does this guy look a little familiar? he muttered inwardly. He seems like someone with a name in the original manga, but I can't remember. Damn it, it's because you're a man. If it were Hina, I'd remember her clearly.

While Rayne was inwardly complaining, T Bone had already meticulously assumed the most standard Navy combat stance. With a loud shout, he threw a fierce punch!

"420 Doriki! Excellent!"

The moment that number appeared, the entire field erupted! It was the highest score so far, nearly three times the average! T Bone ignored the astonished reactions around him, merely gave a silent salute, and returned to the line.

"Next, Rosinante!"

The blond youth clumsily ran forward and nearly tripped over his own left foot, drawing a burst of laughter. His face turned bright red with nervousness. He shut his eyes, swung wildly as though throwing caution to the wind, and punched.

"221 Doriki! Passed!"

Hearing that unexpectedly high number, Rosinante was startled himself. He hurriedly bowed, then retreated in a fluster.

"Hina!"

Though still young, Hina already carried the air of a mature beauty. She walked forward elegantly and removed her coat. Rather than using her fist, she spun and drove the heel of her high-heeled shoe precisely into the center of the testing machine's target with a swift, powerful kick!

"310 Doriki! Excellent!"

The crowd cried out again, looking at the strong and dashing woman with awe.

However, the real shock was only beginning.

"Smoker!"

When the instructor called his name, Smoker spat out the cigar in his mouth and slowly stepped forward. He did not look at anyone. The carefree expression on his face vanished the moment he came up, replaced by an intensely focused chill.

Rayne's incomprehensible punch last night had beaten him into questioning his entire life. He desperately needed an overwhelming display of strength to reaffirm his position as the strongest—and, more importantly, to quietly show his "true" strength to that monster lurking in the corner.

He walked up to the machine and assumed a standard opening stance for Navy combat.

"Oh? That troublemaker is actually getting serious?" The instructors were all somewhat surprised.

Smoker took a deep breath, drove power through his waist, twisted all the strength in his body into a single force, and smashed his fist forward without holding anything back!

Boom—!

The testing machine let out a violent roar as if it could no longer bear the strain. The numbers shot upward wildly at an unprecedented speed before finally freezing on a number that made everyone suck in a cold breath!

"602 Doriki! What a monster!"

Even several instructors wore stunned expressions. The recruits present broke into a flurry of discussion.

"You've got to be kidding me! Can a recruit really produce that kind of power?"

"T Bone's record was broken that quickly?"

"I heard he's a Logia Devil Fruit user. The physical enhancement from a Devil Fruit really is terrifying!"

Indeed, for teenagers, their bodies were still far from reaching their limits. For a top-tier Devil Fruit user like Smoker, the Fruit's power passively strengthened his body year after year, giving his physique a starting point far beyond that of his peers.

Amid the thunderous amazement of the crowd, Smoker showed not the slightest hint of pride. He slowly withdrew his fist, then suddenly turned around. His hawk-like eyes pierced through the ranks of hundreds, fixing on Rayne with undisguised provocation.

As if saying: See that? This is my real power! Last night, you were just lucky!

While Smoker basked in the looks of awe and envy from the crowd, several more nameless recruits went by before the final name was finally called.

"Rayne!"

After Smoker had set the entire field ablaze, the following few Navy recruits all seemed utterly unremarkable.

So Rayne's appearance drew little attention. Only Smoker stared at him without blinking.

Rayne calmly stepped forward. Like every ordinary recruit before him, he took a deep breath, then used all his "strength," shouted loudly, and threw his punch.

The numbers on the testing machine flickered upward at an unhurried pace before finally stopping precisely on a number that plunged the entire field into silence.

"101 Doriki."

After a brief silence, a few suppressed snickers broke out from the line.

"What was that? I thought the last one up would be some hidden expert."

"Well, he was a last-minute addition after all. It's good enough that he can keep up."

Yet while listening to the surrounding comments, Smoker's expression became even uglier than it had been in the detention room last night.

He stared fixedly at the "101" displayed on the machine, his eyes wide as saucers, as though he would not stop until he somehow found another zero in it.

"101? What kind of joke is this?!" Smoker felt as though his entire worldview had been overturned.

That punch he landed on my stomach last night... there's no fucking way it was only 101! Even if that punch wasn't 1001, it wouldn't have been far off! This guy... this guy is absolutely putting on an act?!

He abruptly turned his head and stared at the figure calmly walking down from the testing platform with the gaze one reserved for a monster.

"How is that possible... How can someone control their strength to that extent?! What is he trying to do?!"

Hina, standing not far from Smoker, keenly noticed his abnormal reaction. With interest, she glanced at the transfer student who had scored only 101, then at Smoker's ghost-struck expression. A playful curve touched her lips, and the suspicion in her eyes deepened.

Perfect. Rayne felt no ripple in his heart; he even wanted to laugh. Pulling back 99% of my power at the instant before impact is much harder than blowing up this lousy machine. All right, I definitely won't be sent to the Reserve Class. Step one, complete.