Selected for the Marine Academy; Tina Hates You

Hina gave a light snort when she saw that Wude had no objections at all. She could not be bothered to deal with this guy anymore.

She turned around and quietly waited for the results to be announced.

Quite a few people had been talking at first, but as time passed, the atmosphere gradually grew stifling.

Everyone waited in silence, their breathing becoming tense and hurried.

The doors at the exit opened, and a field-grade officer walked in, followed by a group of lower-ranking Marines.

The doors closed, the curtains were drawn, and the Marines took out Projection Den Den Mushi one after another.

Then they opened a large crate and placed each list of successful candidates before one eye of the Den Den Mushi. Its other eye projected the lists onto the walls of the dim room.

When they saw that the freshly released lists were out, the crowd stirred again. The Marine colonel standing before a row of Marines barked, "Quiet! I am Headquarters Colonel Ansel. The lists projected by the Den Den Mushi contain the trainees who passed the assessment and may enter the Marine Academy. Anyone whose name is not on the list, leave in an orderly manner!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone began searching the lists for their names.

Some cheered with joy, some left in disappointment, and some unwillingly searched again and again before finally departing helplessly.

There were simply too many people: elites from Marine branches across the Four Blues, along with countless clean-background young newcomers.

The names on the list were densely packed. Wude had only scanned it twice and had not yet found his own name when the Marine colonel glanced at him, then at a special list in his hand.

"No need to look. You could be called the strongest person of this class. If even you failed, they would all have to go home and farm." Ansel spoke with absolutely no regard for anyone else's feelings.

"Uh..." Wude was speechless. Senior, aren't you setting me up to be hated by saying that?

This guy had quite the strange temper.

"Where's mine? Where's mine..." Hina's beautiful eyes kept sweeping across the list as she anxiously stamped her feet in tiny steps.

Her previous confidence was long gone. She was actually two years younger than both Wude and Smoker. Although she was already quite formidable as an ability user, comparing herself to a monster like Wude made her uneasy.

"Isn't that you?" Wude pointed at a name. He had not found his own yet, but Hina's was the first one he found.

"Great!" Hina cheered inwardly, then looked at him with a proud, haughty expression.

Come to think of it, Hina was rather cute as a young girl.

Wude glanced at the pretty girl.

"Why are you looking at me? Hina doesn't like talking to you." Hina looked at this guy who was full of nonsense with distaste.

"Fine, fine. Take your time looking." After saying that, Wude looked toward Smoker.

With four cigars clenched between his teeth, Smoker walked over from afar and gave Wude a high-five.

"When this is over, you have to treat me to a meal, you big tycoon!" Smoker laughed as he endured Wude pushing at his head.

"You were definitely chased over here by the people over there!" Wude said, seeing that Smoker had added another cigar to his mouth.

"Hahaha, you got it right~" Smoker could not help laughing at himself, but when he thought of how Wude was merely pushing him around playfully rather than truly disliking him for being such a heavy smoker, he felt deeply satisfied.

He might complain with his mouth, but he still accepted him in his heart. That was what friends were like~

"You big chimney, I'm going to drink you under the table tonight~"

"Hahaha, don't even think about cheating me~"

"I drank it all anyway. Does sobering up count as cheating?"

"Idiot, the way you sober up is way too terrifying!"

"None of your business, you big chimney!"

"You drunk who can't get drunk!"

"Not convinced? Let's fight!"

"Bring it on! You think I'm scared of you?"

Hina watched the two of them fooling around with disgust.

After everyone who had not been selected left, all the candidates began lining up in an orderly fashion under the Marine colonel's shouted command, filing out through the exit.

No one would joke around with their own future, because they would be called again once they reached the plaza where the teams were gathering.

If some fool truly dared to sneak in by impersonating someone, not only would he be permanently barred from the assessment, he would also become the laughingstock of the entire Marine Academy.

From countless people around the world, a full ten thousand trainees had ultimately been selected.

It was impossible for Zephyr to teach all of them personally.

So during the initial stage, several vice admirals would lead them in separate groups, while the colonels under those vice admirals would serve as the main instructors.

After these batches competed a year later, a group of outstanding elites would be selected and handed over to Zephyr for specialized instruction.

Wude stood among the ranks, with Smoker on his left and little Hina on his right. Being two years younger than him made her little.

Using Observation Haki, he sensed several powerful presences in a room some distance away.

"What are you looking over there for?" Hina asked curiously in a whisper.

"Why are you talking to me again?" Wude whispered back with a mischievous grin.

"Hmph~" Hina turned her head away, then secretly looked at him again.

He's so strange. What is he looking at?

Inside a meeting room.

That bastard Kuzan had directly made himself a bed on the floor and fallen asleep, leaving Sakazuki with a dark expression. Meanwhile, Borsalino sat in a chair, studying the list with a comical look on his face.

"The young people in this class are so terrifying~" Borsalino's gaze settled on the name at the top of the list.

Sakazuki also picked up the list and looked at the same name, his stern gaze fixed tightly on the name "Wude."

"Before registering for the Marine Academy, he had already gone to the New World once. He eliminated several pirate supernovas and exchanged them for bounty money."

"He is suspected of having developed Observation Haki and possesses an offensive ability similar to clones. No one has ever seen his clones."

"Furthermore, he has recommendations from several East Blue Marine base commanders, as well as a recommendation from Chaton."

Sakazuki carefully read through the intelligence line by line. He had become somewhat interested in this new trainee participating in the training.

The door opened, and Zephyr entered, draped in a cape with purple hair.

He took the seat at the head of the table. Sakazuki and Borsalino could not help the corners of their mouths twitching—Kuzan had somehow tidied himself up without anyone noticing and was sitting upright among them, though he was still yawning sleepily.

Several other Marines were also seated there.

Zephyr looked over them. He had long since finished reading the information on the finest trainees of this class.

"Besides the two vice admirals already assigned, who else is willing to lead this group of trainees?" he asked.

Sakazuki was the first to accept.

In truth, Instructor Zephyr had already made his choices. He was merely asking them to voice their willingness.

"The trainees this year truly are terrifying young people. I'll go take a look." Borsalino said with a smile.

If Borsalino merely acted lazy, then Kuzan genuinely could not be bothered.

"Ha~ I'll pass." Kuzan yawned.

Thinking of that incident in the West Blue, his mood sank. He was still in a period of confusion and only wanted to ride his bicycle around, while secretly checking on that girl's growth.

The officers below the vice admirals had long been decided upon, and Zephyr led the vice admirals toward the plaza where the trainees were gathered.

Hina followed Wude's gaze. She stared at those figures in surprise, then looked at Wude in surprise as well.

"How did you know they were there?"

"Oh, you're talking to me again?"

"Y-you... Hina hates you."

Hina angrily turned her head away. This awful guy was driving her mad!