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Successfully landing on the island within an hour meant passing the assessment.
Sengoku’s simple statement plunged the entire Martial Exercise arena into silence. The assessment wasn’t too difficult; quite the opposite, it was too easy.
The artificial islands in the sea were no more than a few nautical miles from the coast. Anyone who could sail a boat could easily reach them in an hour.
But that was precisely the problem; this was the Three-Forces Military Exercise, representing the honor of the World Government and the Marines!
So…
“Something’s wrong,” Roy muttered under his breath as he glanced at the sea in the distance.
The surface appeared unremarkable, but Marine battleships could be seen encircling the islands in the distance, some flying special flags.
Roy recognized the flag, it belonged to the Medical Force.
“I’ve heard the martial exercise is dangerous, but this many medical ships?”
He chuckled but remained unconcerned. His gaze shifted to Smoker beside him. “Hey, Smoker, looks like we’re really going to clash after all.”
“Hmph.”
Smoker snorted, but a hint of seriousness flickered at the corners of his mouth.
Sengoku had made it clear that whoever drew the same island would be their opponent.
So…
“Just what I wanted.” Smoker removed the cigar from his mouth before speaking. “Roy, you’d better not collapse before setting foot on the island.”
He hadn’t slacked off on his training these past few days.
“Huh? That’s my line! I’m freakishly strong now. I’m just waiting to land and beat you to a pulp.”
After this exchange, Smoker turned to leave, shouting to the crowd, “Hey, Tashigi, let’s go!”
“Yes, Colonel Smoker!”
Roy watched as a blue-haired girl wielding a katana followed Smoker out of the crowd.
“Colonel?” He remarked, noticing the title she used.
“Mm… that guy was promoted to colonel a few days ago. His transfer and promotion orders will be issued after the Three-Forces Military Exercise.”
Hina extinguished her cigarette with the heel of her shoe. “After the martial exercise, he’ll leave Headquarters to take up his post in Loguetown in the East Blue.”
“I see,” Roy nodded. “In that case, let’s have one last get-together before he leaves. How about a party at Grandma Kara’s tonight?”
“Hina isn’t paying.”
“No problem. Smoker will foot the bill. Just look at the cigars sticking out of his chest. He’s clearly got money to burn.”
Hina shook her head in exasperation. “You’re all such dishonest people. Hina sighed.
Roy merely smiled at her words.
Though he was losing a rare friend from the Marine Headquarters, it was inevitable. After all…
“Everyone has their own path to walk,” he said, tossing the cola to Fal behind him. “Keep this safe for me. I’ll finish it when I get back.”
He stood up and strode toward the shore.
“…”
“Boss, even though I ate the Fresh-Fresh Devil Fruit, I’m not a refrigerator,” Fal wanted to say. But, in the end, he exchanged a glance with the Marine Detention Unit soldiers and shouted, “Boss! Keep it up!”
The shout reached Roy’s ears, but he didn’t turn back. He simply reached the shore, took a running leap forward, and plunged into the sea with a splash.
Bang!
With a Geppo leap, his figure shot off into the distance!
Nearby, Smoker’s body had already transformed into white smoke and was darting forward.
It wasn’t just them, either. Nearly all the participants set off like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, each choosing their own path.
“The martial exercise has begun! The first trial is ‘Island Ascent!’ We can already see the contestants making their distinct choices!”
The commentator from the World Economy Newspaper faithfully fulfilled his duty.
“Vice-Admiral Hamo of the Giant Tribe… oh! He’s diving straight into the water! Is he planning to swim across? That makes sense. Given the immense size and physical prowess of the Giant Tribe, swimming would be much faster than taking a boat.”
“And there’s Vice Admiral Gion. She’s quite…cough, cough…I mean, her speed is absolutely astonishing! I bet none of you can see her moving because I can’t either!”
“And what about the contestant wearing the white mask? Why don’t I have any information on him? Logistics! Logistics!”
“Ah, right! That’s Wicked Tongue ‘Sora’!” He’s walking on the surface of the sea… no, wait, the seawater has solidified! Is that his ability?!”
“Some competitors have chosen to head to the lower docks to take a ship. Hmm, but I must say, that’s a rather pedestrian choice.”
As the commentator spoke, most of the audience held their breath and watched intently.
Just as Roy had predicted, anyone who wasn’t a complete fool would realize:
The assessment couldn’t possibly be this simple!
Indeed, the situation soon took a dramatic turn.
Buzz!
The once-calm sea surface began to churn and roil.
No… it actually did!
“There’s something beneath the surface!”
Eagle-eyed observers spotted a massive, dark shadow gradually emerging from the depths.
The next moment…
Hōng lóng!
A battleship belonging to the Allied Kingdoms Guard was suddenly hurled into the air by a massive surge of seawater with a deafening BANG.
At the same time, a colossal figure erupted from the depths.
“A large-scale sea beast?”
Gasps of terror rippled through the crowd as they gazed upon the monstrous creature, a bear-like beast with a ferocious face and a body nearly a hundred meters long.
“Wicked!”
On the airborne battleship, a participant with a sniper rifle roared, “Just a sea beast? Watch me blow its head off!”
With a low growl, he locked his sniper scope onto the sea beast’s skull and fired.
BANG!
The bullet instantly struck the Sea Beast’s skull, triggering a violent explosion.
Seeing this, he smirked proudly. “I’m an officer of the Allied Kingdoms Guard! My bullets are Doyle Kingdom’s special explosive rounds from the North Blue. A mere sea beast? Hmph!”
But before he could finish, the smoke cleared to reveal the enormous Sea Beast glaring at him with crimson, feral eyes.
It was only then that the contestants noticed the metallic sheen emanating from the Sea Beast’s body.
“What the hell is that thing?!”
Before he could react, the sea beast’s massive tail swept down and crushed him and his battleship into the depths.
A nearby medical ship immediately rushed to his aid.
The commentator’s voice rang out, tinged with regret: “Alas, ‘Guns Knight’ Buffy of the Allied Kingdoms Guard has been eliminated. What a pity! But don’t despair too much because quite a few other competitors have been eliminated as well.”
“Seriously, there are way too many Sea Beasts! And they’re all so massive!”
Indeed.
As the contestants reached the surface, a large number of enormous sea beasts emerged from the depths, blocking the path to the nine artificial islands.
This led to the immediate elimination of many ordinary contestants, forcing the remaining competitors to halt their progress.
The creatures formed a massive living barrier, blocking the way for everyone.
“What fools! Who would even consider engaging those things head-on?”
“The sea’s blocked? Just take to the skies!”
Suddenly, a contestant dressed in a scientist’s uniform with a rocket launcher strapped to his back soared into the sky!
But…
ROAR!
With a low, guttural roar that sounded almost like language, the sea beasts began to converge beneath him.
Click!
Click!
In the next moment, the sea beasts’ tails folded like buttons and linked up to form an even longer, colossal entity in mere moments.
These interconnected behemoths then leaped out of the water, their towering forms nearly reaching the clouds!
“Ah!?”
The scientist could barely utter a syllable before he was shot down from the sky.
As he tumbled downward in a smoking heap and crashed onto the medical ship below, every participant present clearly understood the truth.
This was the true nature of the first trial:
It wasn’t just about landing on the island; it was about breaking through the barrier formed by the Sea Beasts to reach it.
But…
“Even the sky…”
“No matter how you look at it, these things can’t possibly be sea beasts!” someone exclaimed.
Since when do sea beasts have steel bodies or the ability to connect with each other?
“With monsters like this blocking the way, who can…”
But their complaints were cut short.
In the next moment…
Clang!
The clear ring of a sword echoed across the sea.
Bang!
A sea beast’s massive head fell instantly.
Blood splattered, revealing the steel-forged veins and bones within its neck. This was unequivocal proof that the competitors were right: these sea beasts were no ordinary creatures.
But atop that falling head,
Shuā!
…A lithe figure draped in a Marine uniform stood unmistakably.
Momousagi Gion.
“Swift Slash: Pallas’s Cat!”
Her famed blade, Konpira, danced in her hand as her rabbit ears swayed in the wind.
Shuā!
Her figure vanished at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. In the next instant, the heads of the four sea beasts in front of her were cleanly severed.
A heartbeat later, her silhouette flickered across the fallen heads as if she were treading flat ground. She surged toward the distant artificial island with impossible speed.
And she was not alone.
“Mere sea beasts, even if you’ve been modified, what can you possibly do?”
From Second Island came the colossal Vice-Admiral Hamo of the Giant Tribe, charging headlong into the Sea Beast horde without slowing down. A swarm of creatures swiftly surrounded him.
But then…
Bang!
With a deafening roar, the colossal sea beasts were sent flying backward in unison.
Only then did everyone realize that Hamo had finally unsheathed the massive sword he carried on his back. Even by giant standards, the blade was impossibly large, nearly as tall as Hamo himself.
“The gods of Elbaf will not be pleased by fighting such filth!” the Giant Vice-Admiral bellowed, sounding more like a Sea Beast than the creatures themselves.
And elsewhere…
“I thought my opponents would be something worthwhile, but they’re just a bunch of beasts,” A man with a sinister aura and a wickedly twisted face sneered from the direction of Fourth Island. His long tongue flicked out as he gazed at the approaching sea beasts.
“Don’t even think of getting near me, you trash, lower than common rabble!” He hissed and chuckled darkly as he reached out to meet the charging creatures.
In an instant, the Sea Beast’s body underwent a dramatic transformation. Its razor-sharp claws and steel-forged body morphed into their complete opposite, a mass of soft, cotton candy, like liquid.
With a casual flick of his wrist, the man transformed seawater into sharp, solid spikes that instantly pierced the sea beast.
These scenes silently conveyed a stark truth.
“How utterly unbelievable!”
“Momousagi, Wicked Tongue, Greatest Swordsman! The elites have quickly widened the gap between themselves and the main forces!”
“Witness this, everyone! This is the Three-Forces Military Exercise! The young generation of the government and Marines is safeguarding the seas!”
The commentator’s voice boomed with fervent enthusiasm.
Meanwhile…
“These sea beasts…” Roy observed the creatures intently.
“Are these Vegapunk’s Sea Beast Weapons?” Roy mused, already suspecting the answer.
Sea Beast Weapons were one of Vegapunk’s bioengineering projects capable of creating incredibly powerful sea beasts.
However,
“They clearly haven’t become true ‘Sea Beast Weapons’ yet. I haven’t seen them fire lasers or demonstrate the destructive power capable of instantly destroying a large-scale battleship, as described in the original work. Perhaps they’re just prototypes?”
“Still, even as prototypes, they’re formidable. Most participants probably won’t even make it past the first stage,” Roy mused inwardly.
Clearly, this initial trial was designed to filter out the less exceptional participants. Judging by the current situation, it was proving quite effective.
Roy glanced around and noticed that nearly all of the individuals breaking through the Sea Beast swarm were powerhouses logged in Hans’s information records.
The only exceptions were a few masked figures in the distance.
He recognized two figures in black suits: Kaku and Rob Lucci, whom he had encountered not long ago.
The third figure, dressed in a white suit, had a face as impassive as a mask.
“CP0’s Guernica… he’s actually here too,” Roy muttered.
He immediately recognized Guernica as the strongest CP0 agent, who had participated in the Yonko War and triggered Nika’s Awakening in the original story.
Just as he was registering his surprise, Roy noticed Guernica and the two CP-9 agents split apart. Guernica headed toward Third Island while the other two approached Roy.
Just as Roy was surveying his surroundings…
“Hey, Roy!” Smoker’s voice cut through the air again.
Roy turned to see Smoker enveloped in white smoke. He sent a Sea Beast flying with a single punch before fixing his gaze on Roy.
“What are you staring at, you idiot?”
Clearly, Smoker had noticed Roy’s sudden stop.
But Roy merely grinned.
“Who said I was staring? I was just assessing the range and numbers.”
“Range and numbers?”
Smoker frowned. ‘What did that mean?’
Roy didn’t answer directly. Instead, he continued, “Oh, by the way, Smoker, I just made plans with Hina to have dinner at Grandma Kara’s tonight. Let’s make a bet!”
He held up a finger. “Whoever arrives at the island last pays for dinner tonight!”
“Are you serious?” Smoker gave Roy a strange look.
“I know you’ve probably gotten stronger after training with Instructor Zephyr, but no matter how I look at it, I have the clear advantage in this situation.”
As they spoke, a sea beast’s tail slammed into Smoker.
Bang!
The sea erupted, but Smoker’s body dissolved into smoke and then reformed.
Roar!
The sea beast flicked its tail and widened its eyes in obvious confusion.
As Smoker had pointed out, his Logia ability gave him a distinct advantage in this situation. Sea Beasts can’t naturally incorporate Seastone into their bodies. If he didn’t worry about stamina, he could theoretically maintain full elementalization and surge straight to the finish line.
“So, are you taking the bet or not?” Roy grinned.
“Since you’re offering to treat, I have no objection!” Smoker snorted coldly, assuming Roy was planning a farewell party for him.
With that, an even denser plume of white smoke surged from his body, signaling his intent to accelerate toward the artificial island.
But just then…
“Since you’ve agreed, move aside!”
He heard Roy’s voice, his fist clenched tight. Golden ripples flickered across his fist, tinged with faint blue and crimson.
At that moment…
“Hmm?”
Momousagi Gion, speeding across the sea toward Artificial Island No. 1, abruptly halted, as if sensing something.
“Oh?”
Vice-Admiral Hamo of the Giant Tribe frowned as he swam rapidly through the water, his eyes burning with battle intent as he glanced in Roy’s direction.
Across the entire sea, every powerful participant sensed an overwhelming aura stirring.
As Roy felt the power surging within him, a faint smile curled his lips.
[Human-Human Fruit: Model Daibutsu LV4: Incarnation as a Giant Buddha. Grants a Buddha-like Golden Body and immense strength, allowing the user to unleash devastating shockwaves. With deeper mastery, the ‘Buddha Golden Body’ becomes even more tenacious and powerful, unleashing even stronger shockwaves. The user can freely control the shape of these shockwaves, increasing their range and extending their duration.]
[Human-Human Fruit LV5: Devil Fruit Awakening. Grants the user intelligence and physical abilities at the absolute peak of human potential, allowing them to maintain a humanoid form indefinitely.]
“Smoker, I told you… I’m terrifyingly strong now.”
“Super Shockwave Fist!”
(End of chapter)
You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.p*treon.com/darkshadow6395