"One Family, Four Supreme Powers!" [Please Follow!]

Two days later.

The Marine Elite Training Camp was officially established.

That day, every high-ranking Marine officer without an active assignment attended.

Under the relentless urging of Kong and Sengoku, Garp had returned to Marine Headquarters yesterday and attended today's ceremony.

"Garp at his peak..."

Xia Luo fixed his gaze on Garp. If he wanted to learn advanced Conqueror's Haki techniques, he would have to start with Garp.

Looking across the Marines, only two people were openly known to possess Conqueror's Haki: Garp and Sengoku.

When it came to the use of Conqueror's Haki, Sengoku was probably no match for Garp. Therefore, Xia Luo was more inclined to learn from Garp.

Of course, if he had a chance to learn from Sengoku, that would work too.

Whoever he learned from, he was still learning. Xia Luo was not picky.

Meanwhile,

Steel Bone Kong was delivering an impassioned speech from the platform. He had been rambling for two hours, making Xia Luo drowsy enough to want to go up there and slap him across the face.

Damn it, nothing but empty nonsense. He was barking about things he could not even accomplish himself!

Xia Luo glanced aside and found Borsalino equally sleepy. However, he seemed smarter. Somehow, he had gotten hold of a pair of sunglasses and put them on. Unless one looked closely, it was impossible to tell his eyes were closed!

Sleeping while standing without even fishing? That was so like you, Borsalino!

Then he looked at Sakazuki. The man stood straight as a flagpole, his body perfectly upright as he listened with rapt attention.

At times, Sakazuki showed an expression of agreement, but at others, disdain appeared on his face, as though he did not approve of Steel Bone Kong's words.

There was no need to guess. Sakazuki definitely thought some of Steel Bone Kong's views were not radical enough and did not align with his idea of Absolute Justice.

One crouching dragon, one fledgling phoenix, and an undercover agent like me, physically in the Cao camp but loyal at heart to Han. The Marines were truly brimming with talent!

In another two years, when Kuzan, that traitorous future admiral, arrived, it would be perfect.

One family, four supreme powers.

Xia Luo could not help wanting to laugh.

After a long while,

Steel Bone Kong's nonsense was finally nearing its end.

"Everyone, you are all outstanding talents from major Marine branches. Every one of you is gifted and carries justice in your hearts. With you joining us, the Marines will only grow stronger. I believe that one day, we will wipe out every last pirate. Justice shall prevail!"

"The Marines shall prevail!"

"Justice shall prevail!!"

All the Marines present shouted excitedly. To avoid standing out, Xia Luo had no choice but to join the cheers. It also suited the persona he had deliberately crafted.

"Next, let us welcome the current Marine admiral and chief instructor of the training camp, Zephyr, to deliver a speech. Please welcome him with applause."

As soon as Steel Bone Kong finished speaking, thunderous applause and cheers erupted across the grounds.

Under everyone's watchful eyes and warm welcome, Zephyr slowly stepped onto the platform. His gaze was calm, his face expressionless, and his very presence commanded respect.

Looking at the vibrant young Marine soldiers below, Zephyr gradually buried the pain in his heart.

"Hello, everyone. I am Zephyr. From this point on, I will train you according to the strictest and cruelest standards. If any of you cannot endure it, I will eliminate you without hesitation. There is no place for trash in my elite training camp!"

"Only by enduring my trials can you graduate from this training camp. Otherwise, crawl back to wherever you came from!"

"Do you understand?"

Zephyr got straight to the point the moment he stepped up, with no pleasantries and no unnecessary nonsense. He was all about swift and decisive action.

"Understood, Instructor Zephyr!"

Xia Luo, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and the other fifty elite Marine soldiers from the Four Blues and the Grand Line shouted in unison. Their loud, resolute response echoed through the skies.

With that, the Marine Elite Training Camp's founding ceremony came to an end. Steel Bone Kong and the other high-ranking Marine officers departed one after another, leaving behind only Zephyr, the chief instructor, and several ordinary instructors.

They were called ordinary instructors, but they were anything but ordinary. All of them held ranks of colonel or above, and most were brigadier generals.

Moreover, they were each experts in something—some had mastered the Six Powers, some swordsmanship, some marksmanship, while others excelled in hand-to-hand combat.

In short, every one of them had a specialty, which was why they had been selected as instructors.

At that moment, Xia Luo and the others stood neatly in five rows, with ten people in each row.

With his hands behind his back, Zephyr walked to the front of the formation and swept his imposing gaze over the crowd. The other instructors followed closely behind him, lining up one by one with solemn, serious expressions.

After a brief silence, Zephyr slowly spoke. "I have reviewed all your files. To be honest, as the first batch of students in the elite training camp, your overall quality is barely acceptable, but still far from sufficient."

"Marine Headquarters has established this elite training camp for only one purpose: to cultivate elites. Over the next year, you will undergo evaluations every month, and we will implement a bottom-three elimination system."

"Anyone who ranks among the bottom three for two consecutive months will be eliminated!"

"Anyone who scores below sixty points that month will be eliminated!"

"Anyone who flees in battle, shrinks back in fear, disobeys orders during training, or slacks off will be eliminated!"

"In short, anyone I deem unqualified will be eliminated!"

"Like sand panned by great waves and ships racing against one another, only true elites will remain!"

Listening to Zephyr, some looked grave, some were unconcerned, some were confident of victory, and some were eager to prove themselves.

"Warm-up begins now. Everyone will carry one hundred jin and complete one hundred laps at maximum speed. You have two hours!"

"Remember, you may rely only on your physical bodies. Devil Fruit abilities are forbidden!"

Zephyr's gaze passed over Xia Luo, Borsalino, and Sakazuki, carrying a warning.

Without question, Xia Luo and the other two would be his primary targets of observation. His warning was deliberately directed at them.

Among the fifty trainees in this class, only Xia Luo, Borsalino, and Sakazuki were Devil Fruit users. Coincidentally, all three possessed Logia abilities.

There was no denying that Logia Devil Fruits were incredibly powerful, but Zephyr had never believed that one could become a top-tier powerhouse by relying solely on a Devil Fruit. To become truly strong, one first needed a body tempered through countless trials!

If one's physique was lacking, then no matter how strong the Devil Fruit ability was, how much power could it truly unleash?

Furthermore, when Zephyr looked at Xia Luo, a hint of curiosity mixed into his gaze. He was not unfamiliar with Xia Luo.

Several years ago, he had heard Whiteman mention such a genius. He had originally planned to personally travel to the West Blue and assess him. If Xia Luo proved worthy, he would take him as a disciple.

Unexpectedly, after being promoted to admiral, he became so busy that he could not spare the time, so he could only set the matter aside.

It was not until a month ago, when the Marine Elite Training Camp's establishment was confirmed, that he recommended Xia Luo to Fleet Admiral Kong and gave him one of the spots.

As an admiral, he possessed the right to recommend candidates. Furthermore, anyone he recommended could be admitted directly without evaluation.

However, at the time, he had not known that Xia Luo had unexpectedly obtained the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!

Only later did he learn it from others. God knew how spectacular his expression had been at the time.

He had thought then, if he had directly taken Xia Luo away from the West Blue back then,

would Xia Luo have missed out on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?

Looking at it this way, although it had happened through a series of coincidences, it seemed he had indeed done a good thing?!

Well, how should he put it? It was pretty absurd.

PS:

Thanks to readers "Immovable D Peak," "Pure, Thought," "447257," "Reader 20220608010243538," "Reader 20200814163824661," "Reader 20190530083917228," "Reader 20180220140308735," "Loneliness Becomes a Solitary Soul," and "Ghost Sanctuary" for their monthly votes.

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