Chapter 9: Doriki Test: You’ve Still Got a Long Way to Go! Doriki.

In this world, it was a way to quantify a fighter's physical combat power, purely measuring raw strength and speed, without taking into account Haki or Devil Fruit abilities.

For context, an average adult man, after undergoing some basic Navy training, would usually have a Doriki of about 10.

By comparison, Spandam, the notorious "human measuring stick" among CP9 officers on Enies Lobby, only had a pitiful Doriki of 9.

Within the Navy, Doriki served as a benchmark to gauge the strength of lower- and mid-level personnel.

At Zephyr's Navy Academy, Doriki testing was also a crucial evaluation metric for all trainees.

The minimum Doriki required to enter the academy was 80. To graduate, cadets needed at least 500, with no upper limit beyond that.

Of course, Doriki was just one of many graduation standards. Besides individual combat power, cadets were also assessed on various other qualities before they could earn their commission.

Before long, Zephyr led Yoriichi Tsugikuni to an open training ground.

Standing before Yoriichi was an enormous stone slab measuring 5 meters by 5 meters by 5 meters. On the side of this massive block was a small digital display, currently reading "0."

Zephyr walked up to the stone slab, tapped it lightly with his hand, and turned toward Yoriichi.

"Yoriichi, this here is the 'device' we use to measure Doriki."

"This entire block is made from pure Seastone. It's unbelievably hard. When you strike it, the force transmitted into it is converted into a numerical Doriki value, which then shows up on that little screen."

"Here, watch how it works."

With that, Zephyr raised two fingers and gave the stone slab a seemingly gentle tap, as though knocking on a door. Yet despite how casual it looked, the enormous stone block let out a deep boom and visibly shifted backward by several centimeters.

Boom!

The sound reverberated across the training ground, and the numbers on the digital display beside Zephyr jumped wildly before finally freezing at 1,213.

Zephyr seemed quite pleased with his demonstration, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. Ten seconds later, the massive slab slowly slid forward on its track, returning to its original position as though it had springs hidden behind it.

Yoriichi found himself staring in fascination. It was the first time he'd seen a device capable of directly measuring raw striking power.

Still, looking at the giant Seastone slab, Yoriichi couldn't help feeling puzzled. A block that big shouldn't budge under normal circumstances, right?

Yet Zephyr had knocked it back a few centimeters with a single tap, scoring over 1,200 Doriki. For an ordinary person, it seemed unlikely they'd even make the display register at all.

"Go ahead, Yoriichi. Give it a try. Use your strongest strike!"

Zephyr grinned and motioned toward the slab, signaling Yoriichi to step up.

Curiosity burning in his chest, Yoriichi walked up to the stone slab, planted his feet in a steady stance, and then launched a fierce punch at its surface.

The tremendous force exploded onto the Seastone block… yet the slab remained utterly unmoved.

However, on the digital display beside Zephyr, the numbers started flickering upward before finally halting at 520.

"Heh. Is that all you've got?"

Zephyr eyed the number on the screen. Although his words seemed dismissive, his gaze toward Yoriichi was full of amusement and faint pride.

Just then, Yoriichi suddenly took a step back and swiftly drew the long sword from his waist.

"Whew…"

With a small adjustment to his breathing, he slashed toward the stone slab. Flames, vivid red and flickering like tongues of fire, coiled around the black blade, casting a crimson glow across Yoriichi's youthful face.

"Breath of the Sun – Third Form – Raging Sun!"

Clang!

A sharp metallic ring echoed out, completely different from the dull thud of a punch. The moment Yoriichi's blade struck the Seastone surface, sparks exploded as if metal had collided with metal.

The colossal slab recoiled visibly, sliding back several meters before shuddering to a stop.

Meanwhile, on Zephyr's display, the Doriki value shot upward, finally settling at a staggering 5,333.

Zephyr turned his head and stared at the number on the screen. For a brief instant, his expression froze, the shock plain on his face. But almost immediately, he composed himself again, his tone calm as he said:

"Hmm… well, not too shabby."

Despite the flat tone and casual words, Zephyr's mind was roiling like a stormy sea.

A Doriki over 5,000… What did that even mean?

Put simply, most Navy Vice Admirals, not counting Devil Fruit abilities, only fell into the 2,000 to 4,000 Doriki range. Excluding someone like Garp, even top-tier Vice Admirals barely scraped the 5,000 mark.

Back on Enies Lobby, Luffy using Gear Second would have probably measured just over 5,000 Doriki. And at that time, Luffy was already considered a formidable pirate, having defeated two of the Shichibukai and earning the title of one of the "Worst Generation."

Without a doubt, a Doriki surpassing 5,000 was no trivial feat anywhere on the seas.

Yet here was Garp, who'd casually brought back some teenage boy, and that boy already possessed such monstrous strength. Zephyr couldn't help being deeply shocked.

Still, determined to maintain his aura as a seasoned instructor, Zephyr kept his outward composure.

"Yoriichi, you'd better train hard from here on."

"A Doriki of barely over five thousand is still nowhere near enough. You've got a long way to go."

"Only when you can do what I can will you finally be ready to set sail."

As he spoke, Zephyr once again positioned himself in front of the Seastone slab. Drawing in a deep breath, he gathered his strength and hurled his fist toward the stone with all his might.

Boom!

A dull, thunderous sound echoed as the Seastone block flew backward more than ten meters. The digital display next to Zephyr climbed rapidly, freezing at 7,000 before flickering and transforming into a string of garbled zeroes.

Crack!

At that moment, it seemed the slab had reached the end of its track. A sharp crack rang out as the mechanism connecting the stone to the floor broke apart. The giant block toppled and rolled even farther away, bouncing and thudding across the ground.

"To even budge this slab, you need at least 1,000 Doriki. As for me, my current level is roughly around 10,000."

"Kid, you've still got a long way to go. But don't worry. Stick with me, and I'll shape you into a fine Marine."

Zephyr flashed Yoriichi a broad grin as Yoriichi stared, utterly dumbfounded.

"Come on. Let me show you the rest of the academy. Tomorrow, your personal training starts with me."

Without another glance at the smoking, battered testing machine, Zephyr turned and strode off, beckoning Yoriichi to follow.

Not long after the two of them left, several Navy instructors rushed into the training ground. Surveying the chaos the smoking devices, the cracked tracks, and the massive Seastone slab lying overturned they stood in speechless silence.

The rest of the day passed with Yoriichi trailing close behind Zephyr as he introduced him to every corner of the Navy Academy.

It wasn't just the academy either. That afternoon, Zephyr even took Yoriichi around Marineford itself.

Along the way, they bumped into many familiar faces: old comrades, disciples, and Marine officers who admired Zephyr. And today, Zephyr was in particularly high spirits. He greeted everyone they met and enthusiastically introduced Yoriichi.

"Oh! So-and-so, you're back?"

"Ah, this kid? My new disciple."

"His strength? Eh, nothing special. On his first test, he only scored a bit over 5,000 Doriki. Still plenty raw."

Yoriichi eventually lost count of how many people Zephyr repeated those exact words to. While marveling at Zephyr's wide network of connections, Yoriichi also gradually became more familiar with Marineford itself.

That evening, after a long day following Zephyr around, Yoriichi finally returned home. He sat on the wooden walkway outside his room, leaning against a pillar and tilting his head back to gaze at the night sky.

"This world's night sky… feels even deeper than the one before."

"And the stars… they shine so much brighter."