Chapter 13

Time passed, and excitement began to stir among the recruits.

"Look, it's the admirals! And Marshal Sengoku! Have they all come to see us?"

"Psh! The vice admirals are here too! This is nothing like what Mr. Zephyr said it would be! How can I not be nervous?"

Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru, the top fighting force of the Fleet, are all here!

The vice admirals also arrived one by one, taking their designated seats and discussing the quality of this group of recruits.

The admirals can choose the strongest ones and don't need to compete with the vice admirals, nor can they compete with them, so the vice admirals only have each other to compete with.

Arguments over recruits with outstanding abilities are common.

"Oh, I didn't expect Kuzan to come too! What about you, is there any recruit you fancy?"

Aokiji scratched his fluffy curly hair and lazily replied:

"I don't care. But you, it seems you're quite interested in one of the recruits?"

"That's right! I'm very interested in a recruit named Karl. Don't you dare compete with me for him!"

Aokiji shrugged helplessly and said indifferently:

— Whatever you say. Oh, what a pleasant sunshine today...

After that, Aokiji lowered his headband over his eyes and, under the pretense of restoring his strength and preparing for the next mission, openly began to sleep.

Akainu, who was nearby, was clearly displeased with Aokiji's attitude. He snorted and said coldly:

— Don't worry, Borsalino, I naturally won't compete with you for people.

In fact, Akainu didn't have high hopes. He came every year but returned disappointed each time. The Marines's talents are fading!

Therefore, when Kizaru suggested not competing with him for people, he agreed without hesitation. In his opinion, nothing would change this year, and there would once again be only average recruits.

— My goodness! All the famous Marine officers are here!

Looking at the row of high-ranking Marine officers seated, Karl couldn't help but be impressed. He didn't know many of them, but he was most familiar with the three admirals. The vice admirals were Taotu, Gion, and Kake.

— Hey! Smoker and Hina are here too! What are they doing here? They came to have some fun?

Smoker appeared in his usual way that Karl found familiar, with three cigars in his mouth. Next to him stood Hina, dressed in a dark red suit and sunglasses. Together, they looked quite charming.

Smoker blew a ring of smoke and complained to Hina:

— Why did Mr. Zefa summon us here? Do we have a chance to select a few subordinates?

— Hina doesn't know, but if you hadn't argued with your boss two months ago, you would have had that chance.

Smoker snorted disdainfully, about to reply, but then thought better of it and said nothing.

At eight o'clock, Zephyr took the stage and grabbed the microphone to officially announce the start of the test.

— First match, Mallory versus Joyce!

The two named by Zephyr were excited, with a fighting spirit burning in their eyes. As soon as they got on stage, they charged at each other with a roar at Zephyr's command.

Since this is a test, the goal is naturally not to determine a winner. Otherwise, if fighters of equal strength meet, they might fight to the death, and the ground would be trampled.

Therefore, the fight is limited to 15 minutes. Within these 15 minutes, regardless of whether a winner is determined or not, the match automatically ends, and the next pair takes the stage.

After all, it's not good to watch rookies fight for too long. Just show your full strength during these 15 minutes and demonstrate it to the officers present.

— This Mallory is good. Although his physical strength isn't high, he's very skilled in the six styles. Promising talent!

— Hmm, you're right, but Joyce isn't bad either. He's very clever in battle!

Among the vice admirals, discussion was lively. In contrast, the three admirals communicated little. Aokiji was sleeping, Akainu was frowning, and Kizaru was slowly trimming his nails with clippers.

Soon the first match concluded. Both contestants were out of breath and looked at each other. Although there was no winner, judging by the expressions on the officers' faces, they happily left the stage.

— Second match, Ain versus Binz!

Karl, sipping his rich tea, was taken aback. Ain against Binz? Then who will he have to face? Could it be a real mismatch in strength?

He glanced doubtfully at Zephyr . Zephyr was also looking at him, seemingly expecting Karl's surprise. He gave a slight nod, indicating for him to be patient.

Joking aside, Zephyr had personally trained Karl. No one knows Karl's strength better than he does. Even if Ain and Binz were to join forces, they might not be able to defeat Karl.

In terms of physical skills alone, Karl can already compete with Tashigi and Smoker, who graduated long ago. It's a pity that Karl hasn't awakened the dual Haki yet. He can only help him come up with a solution during the "practice" period after the test.

When Ain and Binz stepped onto the stage, the discussion among the vice admirals suddenly became lively.

"Hey, both of these guys are Devil Fruit users !"

"Yes, I've heard about it for a while. Both are Devil fruit users , one possessing the power of the Flip Fruit and the other the Prosperity Fruit."

"The match begins!"

Binz watched Ain cautiously. No one knew Ain's reversal power better than him. As soon as he touches that reversal power, he will surely lose.

"Prosperity~ Prosperity~"

Binz quickly scattered a handful of plant seeds and then started dancing. In sync with his dance, the seeds rapidly sprouted, causing dozens of thick vines to appear on the ground, which then began to sweep around under Binz's control.

"Move!"

Ain vanished from the spot, dodging the vine strike, and then struck back at the vines.

The massive green vines rapidly shrank back into seeds, one by one, leaving behind a field of seeds.

Binz had long expected this situation and wasn't worried at all. The seeds he brought today numbered several hundred.

Then, you can see the following scene: Binz summons plants, Ain returns them to their original form, and this cycle repeats.

Karl was taken aback. Were these two just exchanging powers with each other?

In the end, Zephyr could no longer hold back and coughed. They abandoned the power contest and began competing in physical skills, but the result was still a draw.

What else is there to do? Next pair!

There were 63 recruits in the training camp. The matches lasted from 8 AM to 4 PM. More and more people came to watch, but Karl was the last on the list. Apart from the lunch break, Karl successfully relaxed for 6 hours, observing the competitions.

Karl once believed that his name would never appear on Zephyr's battle list.

— Kizaru, the game is almost over. Has that recruit you were interested in not fought yet?

Kizaru indifferently said:

— It doesn't matter. Anyway, Karl is my future adjutant.

Aokiji removed the band from his eyes, looked sleepily at the sky, and murmured that he had fallen asleep again.

— The last match! Karl versus Major Smoker.

— Hmm?

Akainu uncrossed his legs and leaned slightly forward, showing his seriousness.

If he wasn't mistaken, the recruit Kizaru recently admired had suddenly become much stronger after using his ability.

Could this be why Kizaru had confidence in him? Akainu involuntarily glanced at Kizaru with skepticism.

— Sakazuki, you said you wouldn't compete with me. You're the great Admiral, you don't break your promise, do you?

— Hmph! I always keep my word, but you must tell me the truth about what ability this guy named Karl has!

Kizaru smiled and glanced at Sengoku, who was nearby, and seeing that Sengoku wasn't saying anything, he smiled even wider.

— Oh~ Sakazuki, don't underestimate the young people of today! The Devil Fruit that Karl consumed is called the Fruit of the Sacred Light.

— The Fruit of the Sacred Light? A Paramecia type? Aokiji suddenly interrupted.

— Correct, you all saw the sacred light he emitted just now. This power has the effect of strengthening and healing the body, and it can be used on other people.

Sakazuki stood up and looked at Kizaru in disbelief:

— What! It can be used on other people!

A spark flickered in Aokiji's eyes, who was in a half-asleep state. Saying nothing, he removed the band from his eyes and, resting his chin on his fist, began to closely observe Karl and Smoker's duel.

"Why do you think I'm confident in him?" Kizaru felt a tinge of regret, looking at the excited Akainu and suddenly serious Aokiji.

It seems a bit early to boast! What if these two end up regretting this?

Then Kizaru stopped speaking and watched as Smoker and Karl battled each other. He just wanted the fight to end quickly so he could talk to Karl about the matter before anything unexpected happened!

The scene shifted back to Smoker and Karl.

Smoker was slightly out of breath, while Karl was barely breathing heavily, as he not only had his Holy Power to sustain himself but also the magical skill [Move Like a Rabbit], which halved his physical energy consumption, making the exertion negligible for him.

On the other hand, Smoker, wanting to be strong and having pretended all his life, voluntarily gave up his advantage, resulting in the fight with Karl being close in strength and even slightly losing.

In the end, he was only three years older than Karl. After Karl enhanced himself with the Sacred Light, his physical advantage disappeared, and he could only rely on his extensive practical experience to cope with Karl.

"Hey, your name is Karl, right? I admit your strength!"

"Hahaha, Major Smoker, if you hadn't given up your natural advantage, I would have surely lost."

Smoker forced a smile and didn't reply, thinking that when Karl learned to use Haki, his advantage would vanish, but that shouldn't happen so soon. So far, he hadn't even seen a hint of Haki, let alone in Karl, a newcomer.

"Time's up!"

The sound from Zephyr rang out, and the fight officially ended. Smoker sighed with relief.

He had given up his natural system advantage and ended in a draw with Karl. Not too bad. After all, this guy truly is a monster.

Zephyr, wearing a purple suit and holding a microphone, stepped forward.

"The final fights are over. As the head instructor of the Marines , I declare the 24th Marine Training Camp officially concluded!"

"Yay! Pa-pa-pa-pa~"

Applause erupted as the recruits cheered. After two months of hellish training, they finally graduated!

The officers in the stands immediately started bustling around. They had already picked the talents they liked and were just waiting to approach them after the ceremony.

Beneath his sunglasses, Kizaru squinted at Aokiji and Akainu, who were sitting next to him. His body was already poised for action. As soon as old Zephyr announced the dismissal, he would immediately rush to find Karl.

No way would he give those two scoundrels a chance!

"...Starting tomorrow, you will begin a month of practical experience, and all recruits from the training camp will participate in the process of capturing pirates!"

"You will personally learn about the malice and cruelty of pirates." You are the elite of the Marines! Only by enduring the baptism of blood can one truly consider themselves a Marine!

"Enforce justice, maintain peace, and justice will prevail!"

As Zeohyr finished his speech, the recruits shouted the Fleet's motto!

"Justice will prevail! Justice will prevail! Justice will prevail!"

Karl felt a surge of emotion. Finally, the fateful day for Zephyr had arrived.

When he saw Binz and Ain earlier, he realized that a future disaster would occur. It was this tragic defeat that led to Zephyr, who wasn't suffering from asthma at the time, losing his arm to the snot-nosed kid Weevil and weeping loudly over his students' bodies, eventually leading to his complete disillusionment with the Fleet.

But fate had already quietly turned its gears. Would Zephyr, not struggling with asthma, lose his arm to a defeat by the snot-nosed kid Weevill, and would he weep over the bodies of his students, leading to his complete disillusionment with the Fleet?

"Alright, I can see these guys have been eager for a while now, ha-ha-ha! In that case, you're dismissed!"

The vice admirals in the stands heard this news and approached the recruits with smiles on their faces, occasionally letting out indecent chuckles that made the group of recruits shiver.

Karl thought Kizaru must have reserved him, so he just turned and walked away.

The next second, a golden light flashed, and the tall figure of Kizaru suddenly appeared in front of Karl.

"Namikaze, oh, Admiral Kizaru, you're here!"

Kizaru looked serious, glancing around like a thief, and whispered:

— I don't have time to explain, come with me!

— Hey! Borsalino, don't be in such a rush! Don't we even have the right to take a look?

Kizaru slowly turned his head and saw Aokiji and Akainu walking toward them side by side, gentle smiles on their faces, though Akainu's smile was uglier than a cry.

— Oh my God! The three admirals all fell for Karl at once, what a blessing!

— The blessing is obviously strength! Isn't Karl the strongest in our group? "That's true."

Under the envious gazes of the other recruits, Karl felt chills run down his spine. Now he finally understood what Zephyr meant when he said not to reveal his abilities. It turned out to be quite challenging.

Karl couldn't offend any of these three uncles, and he didn't dare to. Fortunately, Kizaru had recruited him in advance, so at least he had an excuse.

— He-he, brother Karl, you haven't forgotten what I told you earlier! Come and be my adjutant! Just report to me when the practice is over.

After saying this, Kizaru nervously winked at Karl, indicating that Karl should follow his lead, but it didn't affect Karl.

Joking aside, you wear those broken sunglasses every day; who can clearly see your eyes?

Feeling the curious gazes of Akainu and Aokiji, Karl became nervous, but Kizaru's words reminded him of himself.

"Of course, Admiral Kizaru, I..." - "Wait a minute!"

Kizaru gloomily looked at Akainu, great!

I didn't expect Sakazuki, the guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, to not keep his word!