When news of the CP0 incident spread to Marine Headquarters, all the Marines who learned what had happened praised Ages for doing a great job, saying it was so satisfying.
Therefore, after five years, the name of Ages once again resounded throughout the entire Marine Headquarters.
A few days later...
In Zephyr's office.
Zephyr, Garp, and Ages were enjoying senbei (rice crackers) and tea, chatting leisurely.
Garp took a bite of the senbei and said as he ate.
" Zephyr, you probably don't have anything more to teach Ages now, right? When are you planning to let Ages graduate?"
When Garp said those words, Ages paused slightly and listened intently.
Upon hearing this, Zephyr took a sip of tea, slowly put down his teacup, and said softly.
"Heh, Garp, you're right. Ages has already mastered both the Six Powers and Haki. There's nothing more I can teach him. That's why I called Ages here today to have him take the graduation test."
"Professor Zephyr! What position will I have after graduation?" Ages asked excitedly upon hearing that graduation was approaching.
Zephyr smiled slightly, poured another cup of tea for Garp and Ages, and said slowly.
" Ages, what position you get after graduation depends on your graduation exam this time."
"Graduation test? Professor Zephyr, what are the test contents? What are the evaluation criteria?" Ages, looking puzzled.
"Graduation test scores are ranked from highest to lowest as Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and so on up to Level 6. The corresponding positions for these scores are, in descending order, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, Captain, First Lieutenant, and Second Lieutenant."
Listening to Ages's questions, Zephyr patiently answered them for Ages.
"Professor Zephyr, don't you have any achievements like graduating as Commodore?"
Upon hearing this, Zephyr nodded and said, "Hehe, yes, there are, but those are too difficult. Since the establishment of the Ferocious Beast Training Camp, no one has ever completed them."
"That's legendary level. After graduation, you directly become Commodore! But let alone legendary level, even level one is extremely difficult. Only a handful of students graduate at level one each year. For example, in the last year, only Smoker and Hina reached level one."
Upon hearing Zephyr's account, a glint flashed in Ages' eyes. He stroked his chin and said...
"Hehe, interesting, Professor Zephyr, I've decided to challenge the Legendary class!"
Looking at Ages's confident words, Garp laughed heartily and said.
"Hahaha, Ages, well done! That's what a real man should do—dare to take on challenges. I support you, hahahaha!"
Zephyr listened to Garp's words of support for Ages, a helpless smile appeared on his lips, and he shook his head.
"Hey Garp, stop messing around. You know how difficult the Legendary difficulty is. You're still there supporting him. What if Ages doesn't get it and people laugh at him? How will you handle that then?"
Upon hearing this, Garp clenched his fist and said with Haki confidence.
"When the time comes, if anyone dares to laugh at me, I'll blast them away with one punch! Besides, I believe Ages can do it, don't you think, Ages?"
Upon hearing Garp's answer to his question, Ages smiled confidently, nodded, and said with a self-assured air.
"Hehe, I'm confident I can do it, Professor Zephyr. Tell me about the graduation test content!"
Seeing that Ages was determined to do so, Zephyr couldn't say anything.
In fact, Zephyr also wanted Ages to choose the legendary one, after all, Zephyr had great confidence in Ages's strength and talent.
Zephyr's reason for advising Ages was simply to show Ages how difficult the legendary rank was, so that he would have an understanding. As for whether Ages ultimately wanted to choose, that was up to Ages.
Zephyr took another sip of tea, cleared his throat, and said.
"Ahem... ahem... Let me explain the test content for level two and above. After all, Ages's strength is at least level two. The content is as follows..."
"Within twelve days, capture pirates. If the bounty is around 50 million, you'll be promoted to Level Two; if you capture a pirate with a bounty of 80 million within ten days, you'll be promoted to Colonel."
"As for legendary status, heh heh, that's capturing a pirate with a 90 million bounty within eight days."
(Here I need to explain why I set the bounty so low; there's a reason for it.)
Because the 15-year-old Ages is currently living in an era that began not long after the Great Pirate Era Exploration, around 1504 in the Sea Circle Calendar.
The value of bounties in this era is different from that of Luffy in 1522, when he was known as Worst Generation and bounties easily exceeded 100 million. If we convert it, an 80 million bounty in this era is basically equivalent to a bounty of over 100 million at the very least.
Upon hearing this, Ages raised an eyebrow, rubbed his chin, and pondered.
This graduation test seems simple; you just need to capture pirates with the highest bounties. However, it's not that simple. The key to the difficulty of this test lies in the time limit, because there is a time limit for capturing pirates. You must capture pirates with bounties that meet the standard within the specified time.
This timeframe is very demanding, testing not only the tester's abilities but also their capacity for adaptability and problem-solving.
Keep in mind that the testing period begins from the moment you agree to take the graduation test, and this is Marineford, the Marine Headquarters. How could there possibly be pirates in the waters near Marine Headquarters?
By the time you sail out of the waters near Marine Headquarters, time is running out. At this point, you'll be tested on your wisdom to find or lure out the pirates, capture them, and finally bring them back to Marine Headquarters. You can imagine how much time this will take, including finding the pirates.
As the difficulty increases, not only does the time limit decrease, but the pirate bounty also increases. This kind of test can fully test the test taker's strength and wisdom.
While Ages was thinking, Zephyr joked.
"How was it? This test was difficult enough, wasn't it? Legendary level is really hard, isn't it? Hehe."
Upon hearing this, Ages looked up at Zephyr, a resolute glint in his eyes, and said.
"It's really difficult, but that's what makes it interesting. I accept this test, Professor Zephyr. I'm off now, hehe, see you in a few days!"
After saying that, Ages grabbed a handful of rice crackers from the table, ate them, and walked out...
After Ages left, Garp crossed his legs and said leisurely.
" Zephyr, what do you think? Can Ages pass the legendary-level test?"
When faced with Garp's culture, Zephyr didn't answer, but instead asked a question in return.
"Heh, what do you think? Didn't you think Ages could pass? So what do you think my thoughts are on this?"