Chapter 93

Dies Drake vs. Rikkio Occhiali

Looking at Ricky, she noticed he was worried but not overly so.

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

How could he not? Ricky was someone she had acknowledged.

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

After saying this, Zephyr signaled to Garp and the others, and they stepped aside.

The training field was a vast space in the center of Marineford, and it seemed there was no ring for this fight.

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

They moved a decent distance away from the others and then stopped about twenty meters apart.

Looking around at the people around her, Sasha felt disgusted by the cadets who seemed too eager. She thought they must be waiting to see a slaughter. As for the senior naval officers, they showed no emotion. Even Garp's typically carefree stance straightened, and he looked completely focused.

"Begin!"

At Zephyr's command, Ricky immediately used Wave Step, moving in a zigzag pattern towards Drake.

Sasha expected this. Aramaki taught them that if there isn't a significant difference in strength, the first to attack usually gains the advantage.

Clearly, the sudden attack caught the cadets off guard.

"Wow!"

"How is he moving like that?"

"What kind of movement technique is that?!"

The various cadets were talking, but Sasha was focused on the fight.

Suddenly moving to the left, Ricky feigned a left hook but actually landed a right uppercut.

He used the Sword of Thunder Art without his swords!

The strike seemed to catch Drake by surprise, but Ricky could only muster modest strength, and it did not inflict much damage.

Knocked back slightly, Drake tried to counterattack using his legs.

Drake couldn't know that Ricky had been watching Rance for many years, so when Drake aimed a kick, Ricky dodged and knocked his other leg out from under him.

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

Hitting Drake in the midsection, he pushed him back about a meter, but Drake managed to get onto one knee.

Just like with the uppercut, apart from his pride, Drake was almost unharmed by the hit.

Standing with his arms down 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 advanced on Ricky.

"RazorAs soon as Drake appeared in front of Ricky, he tried to grab him.

But if nothing else, the Wave Step specialized in unpredictable movements back and forth, and 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 all of Ricky's efforts, the senior cadet soon caught up to him.

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

Watching 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.

What saved the senior cadet from creating a rivalry with her at that moment was that he didn't continue the attack when Ricky fell.

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

As the other cadets looked at Sasha, surely thinking she was crazy, some of the senior naval officers raised their heads.

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

But as it was, Ricky wasn't trained to fight barehanded, and Drake held the top spot among the cadets for a reason.

Despite being hit from all sides, the senior cadet only defended until he saw his opportunity.

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 already humiliated him enough.

Drake moved quickly, trying to land another blow on the fallen boy, but Sasha acted the moment she saw the first hit was delivered.

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

Crossing about fifty meters in a split second, she arrived in time to grab Drake by the shoulders and forcefully throw him to the ground.

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

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

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