Chapter 65

Drake versus Rikkio Occhiali

Looking at Ricky, she saw that he was worried, but not too much.

Ricky might not have been as strong as others in their group at Vallipo, but despite how he sometimes acted, he had pride.

How could he not? He was someone she acknowledged.

"I'll repeat once more: today's combat test is a hand-to-hand fight. Cadets may only use their bodies for combat. The fight will end when one of the cadets concedes or can no longer continue."

Having said this, Zephyr signaled to Garp and the others, and they stepped aside.

The training ground was a vast space at the center of Marineford, and apparently, there was no ring for this fight.

As soon as the senior Marines moved aside, Drake began to advance, and although she wanted to do something, Sasha could only watch as Ricky handed her his swords and followed him.

They moved to a reasonable distance from the others, then stopped about twenty meters from each other.

Glancing around at the people nearby, Sasha felt disgust towards the cadets who seemed overly enthusiastic. She thought they must be eager to witness a brawl. As for the senior naval officers, they displayed no emotion. Even Garp's usually relaxed stance tightened, and he appeared completely focused.

"Begin!"

At Zephyr's command, Ricky immediately used Wave Step and began zigzagging toward Drake.

Sasha expected this. Aramaki taught them that if there's not a huge difference in strength, the first to attack usually gains the advantage.

Obviously, the sudden attack caught the cadets off guard.

"Wow!"

"How is he moving like that?"

"What kind of movement technique is this?!"

Various cadets remarked, but Sasha was focused on the fight.

Swiftly moving to the left, Ricky pretended to be aiming a left hook, but actually landed a right uppercut.

He used the Sword of Thunder Art without his swords!

This strike seemed to surprise Drake, but Ricky could only apply modest force, not inflicting much damage.

Knocked back a little, Drake attempted to counterattack using his legs.

Drake couldn't know that Ricky had been observing Rance for many years, so when Drake kicked, Ricky dodged and knocked his other leg from under him.

Normally, Ricky would follow with a quick series of strikes with his sword, but without his swords, he could only awkwardly strike with his left hand.

Hitting Drake in the middle of his torso, he pushed him back about a meter, but Drake managed to get on one knee.

As with the uppercut, apart from his pride, Drake was virtually unharmed by the blow.

Standing with his arms lowered and slightly turned to the side, Ricky watched as Drake stood up.

After being hit twice, the senior cadet wouldn't let it happen a third time, and with a hoarse sound, he moved toward Ricky.

"Razor!"

As soon as Drake appeared instantly before Ricky, he tried to grab him.

But if nothing else, Wave Step specialized in unpredictable back-and-forth movements, and as soon as Drake moved, Ricky did the same.

Drake missed by a hair, but now Ricky had to retreat.

Using Razor, Drake cornered Ricky, and despite Ricky's efforts, the senior cadet soon caught up with him.

With a nasty crunch, Drake knocked Ricky off his feet with one blow.

Watching this from the edge of the field, Sasha could barely hold herself back. She desperately wanted to grab her sword and cut off that arm.

In her heart, she believed she could do it.

At that moment, the only thing that saved the senior cadet from starting a feud with her was that he didn't continue the attack when Ricky fell.

Getting up on slightly shaky legs, Ricky subconsciously looked at her. When he did, she couldn't hold back a shout: "If you're going to attack, then attack! Stop running!!"

As other cadets looked at Sasha, surely thinking she had gone mad, some senior naval officers raised their heads.

Nodding, Ricky didn't wait for Drake to move and, using Wave Step at full power, launched a flurry of punches and uppercuts.

But regardless, Ricky wasn't trained to fight barehanded, and Drake was at the top among the cadets for a reason.

Despite blows coming from all sides, the senior cadet only defended until he saw his chance.

When he attacked this time, he delivered a powerful kick to Ricky's head, causing him to collapse instantly.

This time, Drake didn't let Ricky get up. From his point of view, this sixteen-year-old newcomer had embarrassed him enough already.

Drake moved quickly, trying to land another blow on the fallen boy, but Sasha acted instantly as soon as she saw the first hit connect.

What she lacked in technique, she made up for with pure physical strength.

Covering about fifty meters in a split second, she made it just in time to grab Drake by the shoulders and forcefully throw him to the ground.

Raising a cloud of dust from the impact, Drake groaned before sitting up and seeing Sasha between him and his opponent.

He had been in this program for three years, and no one had interfered in a combat test before, so he just looked at the girl in surprise.

Then, without thinking, Sasha drew her sword and loudly declared, "Are you confused?! Stay on the ground! Or do I need to help you understand what that means?!

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