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Grand Line, Dinosaur Island:
Pirate flags fluttered above the island, where a city fortress carved from the skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex stood at the center.
Hanafuda sat regally in his seat at that moment, cradling a glass of blood-red wine. His gruesome wounds had completely healed, and his gaze was fixed on the Den Den Mushi live-streaming before him.
“The Three-Forces Military Exercise is about to begin! This military exercise will be broadcast live in its entirety by the World Economy Newspaper,” the commentator boomed from the Den Den Mushi.
On the translucent screen projected by the Den Den Mushi,
The majestic silhouette of Marine Headquarters, Marineford, came into clear view.
“Hey, we’re pirates! Why are we watching the Marines’ martial exercises?” a pirate in the City Fortress whispered to his companion.
“The commander’s a warlord, after all,” The other pirate replied, winking. “Besides, what happened before…”
Seeing his companion’s blank expression, he shrugged and said, “Just watch.”
“Oh,” The puzzled pirate replied before turning his full attention to the live broadcast.
The screen showed the southern coast of Marineford’s Tenshukaku (Main Tower). The massive iron dome remained in place, but the surrounding area was densely packed with troops and formations.
Different banners hung above each formation.
“We can see the white-winged banner of the Sky Guard. To their left is the trident flag of the Holy Land Patrol Legion!”
Further to the right were the flags of the World Government and various national banners, likely representing the valiant Allied Kingdoms Guard and participants from government agencies. Beyond them…”
The commentator, clearly a seasoned professional, deliberately omitted the term “CP,” which would be unfamiliar to most viewers.
“And finally…”
As he spoke, the camera panned to the largest formation, which dominated the entire frame.
The first thing that caught my eye was the dazzling Marine Seagull-and-Scales flag.
“It’s the Marines! The symbol of Sea Justice and the host of this Three-Forces Military Exercise!” As the announcer finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi’s live feed zoomed in from a wide shot of the distance.
The camera focused on the podium closest to the coastline.
Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood at the top, with a massive clock looming above his head. Below him, rows of seats stretched out. The three central seats were colored blue, yellow, and red.
Three figures were already seated in them:
A slightly dark-skinned, curly-haired man with an elongated face and weary expression… Aokiji Kuzan.
A man wearing yellow sunglasses and a yellow-striped military uniform that gave off a vaguely lecherous vibe… Kizaru Borsalino.
And a stern-faced man in a red formal uniform with his military cap firmly set… “Akainu” Sakazuki.
“The Three Admirals!”
The Hanafuda subordinates’ pirate crews felt a surge of fear.
The Three Admirals are the Marines’ supreme military power and the figures most feared by pirates across the sea.
Although their captain had become a warlord, theoretically absolving them of any need to fear the Marines, the mere sight of these three still made their legs tremble.
Beyond the Admirals, the surrounding ranks were filled with numerous Vice Admirals from Marine Headquarters.
At the forefront, almost shoulder-to-shoulder with the Admirals, stood Zephyr, Garp (bandaged in several places), and Tsuru, the chief staff officer of Marine Headquarters and a gentle-faced female Vice Admiral.
The Den Den Mushi’s live broadcast feed then shifted rapidly, jumping between different formations of people.
With each jump, the camera paused briefly on a different competitor.
“We’re now showcasing the elite contenders, who were handpicked by our reporters and specially selected for our viewers. Of course, to ensure a fair competition, we won’t reveal their names or abilities. But remember these faces!”
“As our editor-in-chief, Mr. Morgans, declared, the ultimate champion of this martial exercise will undoubtedly be one of them!
Just as the commentator’s voice reached a fever pitch…
“Captain! Captain!”
A subordinate’s abrupt intrusion interrupted Hanafuda’s viewing of the live broadcast.
After Hanafuda glared at him fiercely, the subordinate flinched and stammered, “Captain, it’s Major Undertaker. He’s sent a reply.”
He hastily handed Hanafuda a sealed envelope.
Just as Hanafuda was about to take the letter, the subordinate continued, “Regarding the Spade Pirates, they attacked one of our ships two days ago. We’ve now basically pinpointed their location at sea.”
At this, Hanafuda slowly rose to his feet.
“Spade Pirates…”
With a swift sweep of his massive tail, Hanafuda demolished the seat behind him. He glared intently at the subordinate, ready to press him for more information.
But at that very moment…
“Hmmm?”
Hanafuda caught sight of the figure on the screen sipping cola through a straw out of the corner of his eye.
Crash!
The wine glass shattered in his hand, crimson wine spilling across the floor like blood. His eyes narrowed into lizard-like vertical slits.
“Roy Amos.”
His hoarse voice, laced with palpable killing intent, echoed through the room.
“I’m just saying, what’s with that live-streaming Den Den Mushi? It’s been staring at me for ages now.”
Roy glanced uneasily at the Den Den Mushi pointed in his direction.
“After all, boss, you’re the Marine Supernova, one of the top contenders this time,” Fal murmured beside him.
However, Hans clearly disagreed. “Naturally, higher attention is expected,” Fal added.
Thanks to the abilities of the Full-Full Devil Fruit, Hans had been discharged from the hospital much sooner than Roy had anticipated, much to Roy’s chagrin.
“Fal, don’t talk nonsense,” Hans retorted. “The boss isn’t that popular. His ranking among all competitors is around 5th place, and his odds of winning are 50.41%.”
Roy: “?”
He stared at the booklet Hans was holding. “Fifty-point-four-one percent?”
That’s… oddly precise.
Speaking of which…
“What’s that thing in your hand? Hand it over!”
Roy snatched the booklet from Hans’s grasp and flipped it open. He froze, staring blankly at the page.
Top Contenders:
#1: Momousagi Gion, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, Top 3, Probability: 97.3%
#2: Iron Cannon Urban, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, Top 3 Probability: 76.4%
#3: Greatest Swordsman Hamo, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral (Giant Tribe), Top 3 Probability: 51.2%.
…
#8: Earth Tea Loris, Marine Headquarters Commodore, with a Top 3 probability of 48.4%.
#9: Shark Cutter Bastille, Marine Headquarters Commodore, Top 3 Probability: 48.2%
#10: Wicked Tongue Sora, Holy Land Patrol Legion Deputy Legion Commander, with a Top 3 probability of 47.6%.
The table of contents on the first page lists numerous names, each followed by page numbers containing detailed information.
As Hans had mentioned, Roy’s name was ranked fifth.
Roy Amos
Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Commander and disciple of “Black Arm” Zephyr
He fought to a draw with the Warlord “Lizard King” Hanafuda, but Morgan’s account was vague, suggesting World Government propaganda.
Hobbies: Cola
Top 3 probability: -50.41%
“Propaganda?! Who do they think they’re fooling?” Roy exploded in anger but then immediately realized something was off. “Wait, where did you get this?”
He wasn’t the only one who was puzzled. Fal and the others were equally baffled. Despite painstakingly gathering information for ages, they failed to obtain any details about the seeded candidates.
Hans had recently been hospitalized in the infirmary, so how could he have obtained such detailed information?
“It’s from the World Economy Newspaper,” Hans explained. “While I was in the infirmary, I got this from a fellow patient. He’s a reporter for the newspaper. He was caught secretly logging contestants’ information and got beaten up so badly that he ended up in the infirmary.”
He boasted, “I snuck a copy while he was unconscious. Brothers, am I awesome or what?”
But clearly, no one was paying him any attention at that moment.
Everyone, including Roy, was now curiously examining the information in their hands.
“Gion. It makes sense she’s ranked first.”
The first name Roy saw was the top-ranked contestant, Gion.
Roy knew her well.
She was a top-tier vice admiral in the Marine Headquarters and was regarded as a younger sister by Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marine’s chief of staff. Her seniority and status were exceptionally high.
Her swordsmanship was legendary and rumored to rival that of the sea’s greatest swordsmen. The blade she wielded, Konpira, was a renowned Ō Wazamono, one of the twenty-one supreme-grade swords.
Most importantly, this vice admiral was almost certain to secure the position of “admiral candidate” within the year, with rumors already circulating that her epithet would be “Momousagi.”
While reward systems vary across military branches, securing first place in the Three-Forces Military Exercise typically grants Marine participants the rank of Admiral Candidate.
As a vice admiral already eligible for Admiral Candidate status, her first-place ranking came as no surprise.
Roy suspected that Sengoku had sent her specifically to compete and ensure that the top spot wouldn’t go to anyone else.
The subsequent headquarters vice admirals, “Urban” and “Hamo,” followed a similar pattern. The former was a seasoned veteran, and the latter represented the formidable Giant race. Neither could be underestimated in strength.
Beyond these two…
“Almost none of the CP photos are included. Morgan still doesn’t dare offend the World Government in this regard,” Roy muttered to himself. “I wonder if any CP0 agents are participating?”
He recalled seeing Kaku and Rob Lucci at the docks earlier, but if it were just them, Roy doubted they could make it far in the Three-Forces Military Exercise.
And beyond that…
“Huh? This guy…”
Roy noticed a contestant who stood out.
#19, Hasmod, the White-Winged Knight of the Sky Guard, with a top 3 probability of 26.3%.
What caught Roy’s attention were Hasmod’s massive wings and the bandages covering almost his entire body in the photo.
“A Skypiean? And he’s competing with such severe injuries?” Roy muttered to himself, puzzled.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind him.
“A few Sky Guard members are Skypieans. Also, the guy you mentioned probably has old wounds.”
Roy turned to see Smoker and Hina approaching from nearby.
“You’re taking this seriously, huh? Your information gathering is pretty good,” said Smoker gruffly, a lethal amount of cigar hanging from his lips as always.
“…”
Roy glanced at Hans, who was itching to speak, and shot Fal a knowing look.
The Marine Detention Unit brothers silently clamped their hands over Hans’s mouth just as he was about to blurt out, “I gathered this information!” They dragged him to the back.
Seeing this, Roy smiled faintly. “Just some basic information, nothing special. What did you mean by ‘old wounds’ on this man?”
He looked curiously at Smoker and Hina, who stood beside him.
Clearly, he knew Smoker’s personality and connections well. If this smoker had any information, it was most likely Hina who gathered and shared it with him.
Smoker: “…”
According to the information Hina collected, Hasmod’s wounds likely date back to the attack on Western Sky Peak three years ago.
Hina didn’t hide anything. “They say the Sky Guard suffered terrible losses when they captured the attackers in that raid. But the government has sealed off all specific information, so I don’t know the details either.”
She shrugged, lit a cigarette, and nodded.
Roy and Smoker followed her gaze and saw Hasmod, the bandaged monster from the photo, standing among the Sky Guard, a long spear in hand.
Yet he seemed utterly ostracized. Even his fellow Sky Guard members, who were dressed in identical uniforms, kept their distance from him.
“I also heard that the attackers in that raid were Skypieans,” Hina continued, exhaling a plume of smoke. “Ever since then, the Skypieans within the Sky Guard have been completely ostracized.”
Hina exhaled.
“Hmph, unable to defeat the attackers, they blame their own comrades instead?” Smoker scoffed.
“Are you still bandaged up from that injury three years ago?” Roy asked casually but didn’t press the matter further.
He seemed to remember something and began rapidly flipping through the information he held.
“Ah!”
He quickly looked up at Smoker. “Smoker, you’re ranked 31st, not bad! I only had to flip a couple pages to find you. And you, Hina, are 37th. That’s a bit disappointing.”
He grinned. “Just so you know, I’m ranked fifth.”
Smoker and Hina: “… ”
“This guy really deserves a beating.”
Just as the two were itching for a fight and ready to throw down then and there,
Hōng lóng!
A sudden, earth-shattering roar drew everyone’s attention.
The massive iron curtain before them began to slowly descend.
Finally, Roy caught a glimpse of what lay beyond.
As expected, the vast sea stretched beyond the southern shore of Marineford.
But, as a seasoned Marine who knew Marineford like the back of his hand, he noticed something unusual.
Roy immediately noticed the change in the sea’s surface. Ten new islands had appeared.
Nine of the islands were relatively small and encircled a massive island at the center.
Obviously, islands couldn’t rise from the sea spontaneously.
Therefore…
“Artificial islands?”
Roy’s mind naturally arrived at the answer.
Each of the nine smaller islands bore a numerical marking from one to nine.
Just then…
“Hey, Roy, Smoker.”
Hina gazed thoughtfully at the nine artificial islands and asked, “Hina’s curious. Did you guys draw numbers this morning? Which ones did you get?”
As she spoke, she waved her hand. “I got number five!”
“…”
Even without her asking, Roy and Smoker understood her implication.
“I got number seven,” Roy replied.
“Number seven,” Smoker echoed.
The two men spoke in unison.
“Attention, everyone!”
Sengoku, holding a Den Den Mushi, addressed the entire coastline from the podium established by the Marines: “Preparations for the Three-Forces Military Exercise are complete.
“I will now announce the rules of the Martial Exercise.”
The Martial Exercise assessment consists of three stages. The first two stages will be conducted today to select the most outstanding participants. The final assessment will take place three days later.”
“This morning, each participant drew a numbered token at random.”
Pointing toward the artificial islands in the distance, he explained succinctly, “The first stage is simple. Proceed to the island corresponding to the number you drew.”
“Ships are available at the harbor below, though you are free to choose not to use them.”
Participants who successfully reach their designated island within one hour will pass this stage.
(End Of This Chapter )
You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.p*treon.com/darkshadow6395