Showing Off in Public! (Continued)

Not that she had ever thought Naito would lose.

"All right,"

Zephyr said loudly, "don't waste too much time, and don't go too far. Begin."

Among the spectators, Rear Admiral Gavin spoke in a low voice. "Who do you think will win?"

Rear Admiral Marcus said mildly, "Doll is no weakling."

"Yeah, that kid is still too young, after all."

A commodore nodded in agreement.

"What do you think, Borsalino?"

Vice Admiral Simon asked his old classmate.

"Hard to say,"

Kizaru said with a smile. "But Teacher Zephyr isn't one to joke around."

The admirals all froze.

As they whispered among themselves, the fight officially began.

"Don't worry, junior,"

Commodore Doll clasped her hands and cracked her knuckles. "I won't take up too much of your time."

"Oh?"

Naito's drooping eyelids rose slightly in surprise.

Are you about to break the wind with your iron fists?

"Soru!"

The tall woman vanished from where she stood in an instant.

"Sound Soul Impact!"

Her iron fist, wreathed in pitch-black Haki, was already inches from Naito's handsome face. Even the wind couldn't keep up with its speed, and the sound was left far behind.

"Razor."

Doll's vision blurred, and her punch smashed the boy in front of her to pieces.

No!

She hadn't felt her fist connect at all. It was an afterimage!

Her punch hit nothing, and Doll stumbled.

She looked back in disbelief. Naito stood a short distance behind her.

"This is-"

The watching admirals were all stunned.

"What a fast Soru!"

Rear Admiral Marcus's eyes widened, full of astonishment.

Even he couldn't match that speed!

The corners of Simon's mouth rose into an excited smile. "Looks like we really have been frogs at the bottom of a well, haven't we?"

"You've got to be kidding!"

Doll instantly twisted around and sprang forward again. "Tempest Kick!"

Her long right leg sent out a dazzling vacuum wave.

Naito raised his left hand, coating it in Armament Haki.

Clang!

A shock wave howled out amid the deafening impact.

The violent current sent both their Justice Coats billowing high.

As for why they weren't blown away despite merely being draped over their shoulders, well, if justice could be blown away so easily, could it still be called justice?

Doll gritted her teeth and brought her leg down on Naito's arm, but it felt as though she had struck some kind of superalloy. She couldn't budge him at all.

"Amazing!"

Simon couldn't help being moved. "Armament Haki on this level! Mine is only this good!"

As for the two rear admirals and four commodores, they could only stare with their jaws hanging open.

His Haki was far stronger than any of theirs!

You're telling me he's a rookie who just graduated?

Binz, standing behind Zephyr, immediately looked proud.

So, what do you think? Isn't my brother amazing?

"Sound Soul Explosion!"

The instant she landed, Doll shot forward, closing the distance to Naito's face and raining down her fists like a storm.

The name sounds pretty cool, but isn't she just flailing her fists around?

Naito's body turned to mud at that moment, twisting and deforming constantly. Every twist and bend let him evade Doll's iron fists by the narrowest margin.

"Kami-e on this level-"

Rear Admiral Gavin swallowed. "Don't tell me he's mastered Life Return too?"

"Isn't his Observation Haki what's truly astonishing?"

Vice Admiral Simon couldn't help shaking his head. "He perfectly predicted every one of Doll's attacks. Their Observation Haki isn't even on the same level!"

No wonder Teacher Zephyr thinks so highly of this boy.

The Marines haven't had a rookie this stunning in many years. Even Gion and Tokikake fall far short. Only Sakazuki and the others can compare to him, I suppose?

Doll's relentless barrage finally began to slow.

Smack.

Naito returned from his mudlike state and caught Doll's fist with his left hand.

Doll tried to pull free, but she couldn't budge him at all.

He's so much stronger than me, too-

The commodore sighed, somewhat dejected. "I lost."

Even Vice Admiral Simon would probably have a hard time beating this boy.

"Oi, you didn't think admitting defeat would end it, did you?"

Naito tilted his head and raised his right fist as he spoke.

"What?"

Doll looked at Naito in confusion.

On the sidelines, Ain covered her eyes, unable to watch.

Here it comes again.

"This is how you throw a punch."

Naito threw a punch.

It was a powerful right hook.

Doll heard the wind howl past her ears, but before she could even turn her head, the pitch-black fist slammed into the side of her face.

"Pfft-"

The gallant commodore spun into the air like a deflating balloon, then crashed heavily onto the floor in the distance, face-first.

"Phew—that feels better."

Naito let out a long breath.

On the sidelines, the admirals who had been singing his praises froze.

"Oh, nice right hook."

Only Kizaru applauded leisurely. "Hitting a girl in the face without a moment's hesitation-Major Naito, you really are decisive."

Naito heard him, turned around, and said seriously, "I believe in equality between men and women."

"Hahaha!"

Kizaru burst out laughing. "What an interesting junior. If Teacher Zephyr weren't going to hold on to you, I'd love to have you join me."

"Ahem."

A somewhat embarrassed Zephyr coughed twice, interrupting Kizaru. "The match is over. You all acknowledge Naito's strength now, don't you?"

"Simply breathtaking."

Simon did his best not to look at Doll lying facedown in the distance and said with feigned calm, "Forget an adjutant-even if you had him replace me as deputy commander right now, Teacher Zephyr, I'd have no objection."

"Don't be silly. What management experience does Naito have?"

Zephyr shook his head. "Besides, he has no time to waste on such things."

Hey, Teacher Zephyr, what do you mean, waste?

Isn't my time being wasted, then?

Simon's mouth twitched.

I see it now. Major Naito is probably the disciple Teacher Zephyr has chosen as his true successor.

"Well then, time waits for no one. Have the troops assemble,"

Zephyr said seriously. "Today, we'll announce the official formation of the Marine Guerrilla Unit!"

"Ahem, Teacher Zephyr,"

Simon coughed and reminded him, "what about Doll?"

Only then did Zephyr remember that Doll was still lying on the floor. "Ain, hurry and take your senior to the infirmary!"

"Yes!"

A little later.

On the spacious plaza of G-1 Base.

Quite a few of G-1 Base's Marines watched from a distance. A large number of soldiers had assembled in formation in the plaza, and every one of them was staring intently at the people on the platform.

Standing behind Zephyr, Naito stood up straight for once. After all, Teacher Zephyr had said that if he kept slouching around on such a solemn occasion, he couldn't blame him for what came next.

Zephyr sat in the center of the platform, with the senior officers of the Marine Guerrilla Unit arranged on either side of him. Everyone looked serious, except for Commodore Doll, whose face was wrapped in bandages.