Another Bout

Randall sighed helplessly and decided to let the matter rest for now.

For one thing, he could tell that the other man truly meant no harm, and his injuries barely even counted as scratches.

For another...

The other man was far too strong. For now, Randall really couldn't beat him...

He shrugged and said:

"All right, then. My name is Randall. I look forward to getting along with you!"

Once I get stronger, I'm definitely going to give you a beating!

"Randall! So you specialize in body arts, right? What a coincidence! So do I!

We should exchange pointers more often!"

Aequus spoke enthusiastically to Randall, smiling as he talked.

Though on his fearsome face, that smile looked rather menacing.

Randall had figured him out. The man looked a little frightening, but he didn't seem like a bad person.

And he was a battle maniac.

Heh, what a coincidence!

So am I!

The corners of Randall's mouth lifted as he said:

"Sure, sure!"

As for the other, icy fellow...

Randall glanced at Milers and found that he had already seated himself on his bed, his eyes closed.

He had no idea whether Milers had even heard his name.

These icy types really are hard to deal with...

Noticing Randall's gaze, Aequus said:

"Don't worry about him. It's nothing against you. That's just how he is!

Oh, and get to bed early tonight! Training at the Elite Camp is tough!"

At seven sharp the next morning, on the Elite Camp's dedicated training grounds.

Fifty-one people stood there in orderly formation.

Of them, fifty kept glancing, deliberately or otherwise, at the conspicuous "fifty-first person" standing outside their ranks.

They were clearly curious about where this unexpected newcomer had come from.

Had their instructor, a Marine officer, not been standing in front of them, they would already have been whispering among themselves.

Naturally, that extra person was Randall.

He stood quietly, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

In reality, he was secretly gauging their strength.

Even a cursory assessment revealed more than a dozen presences stronger than his own.

Among them, three stood out most strongly to him.

Those included Aequus and Milers, whom he had met yesterday.

Although the others had stronger presences than his, he felt confident he could hold his own against them for a while.

But those three alone gave him a sense that he couldn't possibly match them, simply from sensing their presences.

Milers was incredibly sharp. He was a swordsman.

Aequus was blazing and weighty. He specialized in body arts and physical conditioning.

The third person felt somewhat strange to him, almost as though he wasn't a person at all, but a humanoid mass of cotton.

Randall knew that this man had to be a Devil Fruit user.

Those three were the only ones Randall wasn't confident he could handle.

He felt confident enough to take on any of the rest.

Before long, Zephyr arrived.

He walked calmly to the front of the group, swept his weighty gaze over everyone, then let it rest unobtrusively on Randall for a second before looking away.

Then he said:

"First, an announcement!

Starting today, Randall is officially joining the Elite Camp."

As he spoke, Zephyr pointed to Randall, indicating him to the others.

Everyone was surprised by the announcement.

This...

This was the first time in history that someone had joined the Elite Camp midway through!

Although they had already suspected as much, hearing Zephyr confirm it still made it hard to accept.

They had poured so much effort into getting into the Elite Camp themselves.

What gives him the right?

For a moment, resentful gazes stabbed at Randall from every direction.

Sensing their emotions, Zephyr chuckled inwardly.

These recruits seemed to have lost their enthusiasm for training.

And now, conveniently, Randall had arrived.

Zephyr took the opportunity to give them a little motivation.

After a moment's thought, he said:

"Hmm, Randall has only just arrived, so you probably don't know much about him.

Why don't we have someone fight him?

There's nothing a fight can't reveal.

Well? Any volunteers?"

Randall raised an eyebrow. Zephyr hadn't mentioned this beforehand.

Still...

This suited him quite nicely.

He loved nothing more than a fight.

Everyone's eyes lit up at Zephyr's words.

The kid didn't look particularly strong. Perhaps some special talent had earned him exceptional admission to the Elite Camp.

So quite a few of them were itching to try.

Then Zephyr remembered something and suddenly added:

"Oh, right. I forgot to mention something.

This kid has already fought Pietro.

Pietro lost.

Know your limits!"

Yesterday's fight between Randall and Pietro hadn't actually concluded before Pietro passed out from anger.

But in Zephyr's eyes, losing because his strength fell short would have been entirely understandable.

After all, even Zephyr couldn't claim he would never lose.

Pietro, however, had defeated himself through his own poor temperament.

That had sent Zephyr's opinion of him plummeting.

Simply put, this was unforgivable for a Marine.

At those words, everyone was shocked.

They knew Pietro well!

He ranked tenth among them in combat strength!

His blindingly fast Shave had put the others through no end of misery.

Someone like that had actually lost to this newcomer?

Recalling their own miserable struggles to hold out against Pietro, those who had been eager to volunteer quietly abandoned the idea.

At the same time, the gazes that had been stabbing at Randall all swung toward Pietro.

By now, Pietro's face was flushed red.

He bowed his head deeply, like an ostrich.

His peers' incredulous stares were a burden he couldn't bear.

Humiliation, embarrassment, shame, anger...

The tangle of emotions made him want to pass out.

He didn't dare resent Zephyr.

So at that moment, he hated Randall with every fiber of his being.

Before, everyone had looked at him with admiration and envy!

But now?

He simply couldn't stand it!

What made it even more unbearable was that he didn't believe he was weaker than Randall.

Yesterday was just a fluke!

If we fought again, Randall would definitely be the one to lose!

Yes, one more time!

I'll crush him!

I'll prove myself to everyone!

With that thought, Pietro suddenly raised his head, startling those around him.

Ignoring the others, Pietro looked at Randall, raised his hand, and said:

"Sir! I'll do it!"

Those around him froze for a moment, then adopted the eager expressions of spectators anticipating a good show.

This was the perfect chance to see whether the newcomer had any real ability.

Zephyr also gave Pietro a surprised glance.

But he said nothing, merely nodding casually.

He didn't fancy Pietro's chances, because he could sense that Randall had grown a little stronger since yesterday...