Chapter 85: Exam

In the following days, Dragon, known as "Garp's son" and a "naturalist," had become almost invisible at the academy.

During the day, he trained alone. At night, he returned to the dormitory, listening to Aokiji and Aramaki's daily quarrels while silently turning his head to the wall.

Only two people at the academy still paid attention to him—Zephyr and Carl.

Zephyr's concern was obvious; Dragon was the son of his old friend Garp, and he was truly talented. He couldn't just leave him to struggle alone.

Carl, on the other hand, was observing Dragon's behavior, waiting for the right moment to act.

However, since that day, Dragon had been on his best behavior. He trained seriously every day, focusing on improving his Haki.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, another year had gone by. Carl's time at the academy was coming to an end.

The high-ranking officers of the Marines had always placed great importance on their cadets, especially the standouts like Carl and his group. But before making final decisions about their assignments, they had to conduct a graduation exam to assess their true strength.

The exam was divided into two parts: a written test and a practical combat test.

The written portion was just a formality, accounting for only a small percentage of the final score. As long as a student had a basic grasp of theory, it wouldn't affect their overall performance much.

The real test—the practical exam—was where the true evaluation took place.

It was a combat tournament, with students drawing lots to determine their opponents. Their performance would directly impact their rank and assignment after graduation. Those who performed exceptionally well could even be promoted directly to Rear Admiral!

This tempting reward fired up most of the students. But when they thought about facing Carl and the others, their enthusiasm quickly turned to despair.

Especially Carl—no one could say for sure how much stronger he had become over the past year.

To them, Kizaru, Akainu, and Kuma were already invincible, yet in training, even two of them combined could barely hold their own against Carl.

Although they were all part of the same class, the gap in strength had only grown wider over the years, turning into an insurmountable chasm.

When the graduation exam was announced, panic spread throughout the academy.

"What if I get matched against Carl or the others?!"

Their fear wasn't unwarranted—the difference in strength was simply too overwhelming.

However, their worries were quickly eased when Zephyr made an important announcement.

Carl, Kizaru, and Akainu would not be included in the lottery. The Marine Headquarters had other plans for the three of them.

This news sent a wave of relief through the students.

Even though there were still strong competitors like Kuma, Lucia, and others, they at least seemed *beatable*.

And for the male students, fighting Lucia wasn't the worst thing in the world—if nothing else, they could enjoy the view.

With the exam date set, the cadets trained relentlessly in the days leading up to it.

Carl, however, remained completely unbothered. He practiced as usual, sticking to his daily routine. It reminded him of his college days on Earth, watching his roommates cram for final exams while he breezed through them effortlessly.

Finally, the day of the exam arrived. Under Zephyr's leadership, all the Marine Academy cadets were taken to the examination grounds.

Carl was surprised to see that the test would be held at the *same battlefield* used during the legendary Battle of Marineford.

At the high platform—where the three Admirals once sat—Fleet Admiral Kong took the central seat, flanked by Garp, Tsuru, and other high-ranking Marine officers.

After explaining the rules, a Marine soldier stepped forward, saluted, and said,

"Instructor Zephyr, please proceed to the spectator seats."

Zephyr nodded, then turned to Carl, Akainu, and Kizaru.

"You three are already Rear Admirals. While the others take their exam, you'll come with me to the viewing area."

The announcement sent a ripple through the students.

While they had always known Carl, Akainu, and Kizaru were in a league of their own, *hearing* that they had already reached Rear Admiral status made the reality sink in.

For the first time, the other cadets truly understood the vast difference in rank and strength.

With mixed emotions, they watched as the three followed Zephyr to the high-ranking officers' seating area.

Their chairs were positioned similarly to the Admiral seats from the war, with Carl seated in the center, flanked by Akainu and Kizaru.

Coincidentally, all three of them crossed one leg over the other in sync, further cementing their commanding presence.

Down below, the students couldn't help but feel a strange sense of security, as if the presence of these three alone was enough to protect them.

Among the senior officers, one of them leaned toward Sengoku and asked,

"Sengoku, who do you think will be the first to become an Admiral among the three?"

Sengoku smiled.

"Why do you make it sound like it's already a done deal?"

The officer chuckled. "Because it *is*."

Sengoku nodded. "If I had to guess… it would be Carl."

"Same here."

As they spoke, Carl casually glanced in their direction, locking eyes with Sengoku for a brief moment.

Just then, the referee stepped onto the field and announced through a loudspeaker-enhanced Den Den Mushi,

"The exam begins!"