"..."
Kuzan lowered his head slightly, remaining silent.
Four months ago, he had witnessed—and participated in—the tragedy of Ohara's destruction.
The once blazing "fire of justice" that burned so fiercely within him had grown dim after that operation, his entire demeanor gradually shifting from fiery resolve to a languid, indifferent state.
Zephyr, his mentor, could keenly sense this change, but he couldn't directly comfort Kuzan. How could he even begin to explain the truth behind the Buster Call? From what position?
There were many things Zephyr himself couldn't stand about the higher-ups, but with Mariejois pressing down from above, he knew all too well that even as a former admiral, there were limits to what he could change.
"…Sigh…"
Zephyr let out a long sigh, and after a while, said in a low voice, "There are things I can't teach you. All I hope is that you can, like when you were a fresh recruit, stay true to your own sense of justice—regardless of how others, or the higher-ups, behave…"
"There aren't many missions from Headquarters at the moment, so you're probably not eager to get dragged into a major operation right now, are you?"
He eyed Kuzan, frowned thoughtfully, and then suddenly said, "Alright then, I was planning to personally lead the next practical assessment for the new recruits, but since you're back, why don't you handle it this time? I can take a short vacation to rest a bit. How about it?"
"You want me to handle it?" Kuzan finally looked up, clearly surprised.
"Haha, exactly!"
Zephyr clapped him on the shoulder with a smile. "Don't overthink it. Just consider it a break for yourself. Though, to be fair, with all the time off you've had these past few months, someone might be envious."
"..."
Kuzan hesitated for a moment, then, under Zephyr's expectant gaze, finally sighed and gave a small nod.
Everyone in the room was sharp enough to guess Zephyr's intentions.
—It was nothing more than hoping Kuzan, while relaxing, might reconnect with the passion and ideals of these young recruits, to perhaps rediscover his own convictions through their earnestness, and to help him climb out of his current slump.
But…
Kuzan glanced out the window, where the white flag of Marineford fluttered in the breeze.
Would something like this really help him?
…
In a large indoor training hall, over two hundred new recruits from the elite camp were gathered, split into groups for hand-to-hand combat training.
It was already 9 a.m., and the morning routine was underway. Zephyr, the chief instructor, had yet to appear, but a messenger had brought unexpected news.
"The exam tomorrow is canceled?"
Nao was paired with Shiryu, the two of them sparring with Rokushiki techniques. Upon hearing the news, he froze. "What's going on? Did Zephyr-sensei take leave for a few days?"
"Technically, it's not canceled—just postponed," Shiryu said, dodging Nao's bamboo sword with a casual Soru movement. "At breakfast, I heard Zephyr-sensei was discussing something with Fleet Admiral Sengoku. It seems they're planning a real-world assessment for us recruits. My guess is he's been busy preparing for it."
"I see…"
Nao nodded. Their group had been in the elite camp for nearly a year, and with monthly assessments confined to Headquarters, it was starting to feel stale. A real-world exam sounded exciting.
"Any more details leaked?" he asked. "Like which pirate crew we'll be targeting? New World or the first half of the Grand Line?"
"No idea. But forget about the New World," Shiryu said dismissively. "Even if it's a real-world assessment, it's still an exam. With our current overall strength, going into the New World would be asking for casualties—even with instructors backing us up. Zephyr-sensei wouldn't risk that."
"Most likely a pirate crew from the first half of the Grand Line, maybe one that's just recently entered those waters."
Shiryu took a deep drag from his cigarette and added, "Or it could be one from the Four Blues. After all, there are still plenty of suitable targets there—except, of course, for your East Blue."
Everyone knew East Blue was the weakest of the four seas.
"Sometimes the truth really hurts, Shiryu."
Nao sighed with exaggerated sadness. "But seriously, isn't it a good thing for us Marines that East Blue doesn't have many high-bounty pirates?"
Shiryu chuckled and didn't respond. Instead, he asked casually, "By the way, you seem unusually eager for this upcoming exam. Got a plan to finally move up the rankings?"
"Do I?"
Nao laughed awkwardly, but inside he was inwardly muttering, "Even Shiryu's picked up on it. Am I being that obvious?"
In truth, Shiryu's guess was spot on. Since receiving his system the day before, Nao had been looking forward to the exam more than ever.
Armed with his newly mastered intermediate Kami-e and his enhanced stamina, he might not take first place, but cracking the top twenty seemed within reach.
He was sick of perpetually sitting at the fifty-something mark. It was time to move up!
But plans never keep up with changes. He'd already envisioned a perfect "play the underdog" script for the exam, where he'd shock everyone with a surprise performance.
And now this? What a letdown!
"Still distracted?"
A low voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Shiryu, who had somehow circled around, aimed a Shigan right at Nao's shoulder.
It was, of course, a restrained strike that would only cause minor bruising at worst, but the speed was real. The attack was already at skin's reach.
Got him!
Shiryu's expression remained calm. From his perspective, Nao was too slow to react and would soon be rubbing his arm in pain.
But—
In the blink of an eye, Nao's body twisted sharply to the left, blending with the surrounding air currents, narrowly avoiding the Shigan with an almost impossible move.
"Hiss…"
Shiryu drew in a sharp breath.
His keen instincts told him Nao's movement wasn't a fluke—it was the mark of someone who had mastered Kami-e.
"Impressive, impressive."
As Nao turned around, Shiryu eyed him like he was looking at a monster. "Alright, spill it. Who are you really? Are you sure you're not Rosinante in disguise? When did you get so good at Kami-e?"
Nao was silent for a long moment.
"…Shiryu, as I've said before, sometimes the truth really hurts like hell."