Dr. Ent didn't bother responding to the skeptical glances from the soon-to-be graduates. After explaining the three tiers of combat robots, he stepped aside to let Zephyr take center stage.
""Never underestimate the enemy in front of you," Zephyr said, sweeping his sharp gaze across the trainees. His voice dropped low with gravity.
"Or you'll only be the one to suffer"
"Half an hour from now, you'll enter that forest up ahead and spend three full days and nights inside. Your objective is to take down as many combat units as possible—and collect the chip embedded in the back of each one's neck."
"Keep in mind, these robots are the property of Marine Headquarters. Don't go overboard. Removing the chip will disable them. Unless absolutely necessary, do not destroy them completely."
For some reason, Nao could swear that Zephyr was sneaking subtle glances his way as he said that.
He curled his lip. Says the guy who punched down a 10-meter-high steel gate just to show off. That wasn't Marine property, huh?
"AC model robots—each chip is worth 5 points. AD model robots—100 points. AE-model…"
Zephyr's voice deepened.
"Two thousand points."
"The total number of chips you collect during the three days will determine your final score and ranking. When the time is up, you must exit the forest and report for scoring."
"Anyone who is incapacitated and forced to withdraw… or ends up in the bottom ten rankings… will be considered a failure. You won't graduate. You'll have to wait six months to try again. Understood?"
"Yes, Instructor Zephyr!"
The response was unified, loud, and solemn.
Everyone knew this was the most critical point of their graduation. Whether they walked out of here as full-fledged Marines—or were forced to wait another half-year—would be decided by their performance in the next 72 hours.
"One more thing."
Zephyr glanced behind him, toward the line of Commodores standing at attention—along with Rear Admirals Doberman and Dalmatian. The twelve officers stepped forward, their expressions cold and imposing as they stared down at the recruits.
"These officers will also be entering the forest."
"But they're not here to protect you. They'll be operating covertly, patrolling the woods. Every three hours, they'll search the area—and target you. If they catch you, they'll take the most valuable chip in your possession."
Zephyr's tone was calm, but the meaning was razor-sharp.
"If that happens, you can choose to take the loss and move on… or chase them down. If you manage to keep on their trail for one full hour without losing them, your chip will be returned."
"However, if you fail to catch them, you'll not only lose the chip—you'll burn a huge amount of time and energy. That will seriously hurt your final score."
"So how you respond—that's entirely up to you. Read the situation, and act accordingly."
Wait, what?!
The new recruits stared at the imposing group of high-ranking officers, swallowing hard. Suddenly, this final assessment felt way tougher than they'd imagined.
"What's the matter? Getting nervous already? Feeling unsure?"
Zephyr's voice boomed louder.
"If you can't even get through this, how do you expect to graduate? How will you walk out into the world with the honor of being my students?"
"Well?! Speak up! Do you have confidence?!"
"Yes, Sir!!"
The forest shook with their unified roar.
"Good."
Zephyr nodded in satisfaction, then raised a broad hand and gave the command:
"Then move out!"
...
Deep in the Forest.
"The higher the tier, the more points each robot gives," said a tall, skinny recruit, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with several others. He couldn't hide his excitement.
"Zephyr-sensei never said anything about us not teaming up. What do you guys think—should we go after an AE model robots together?"
"It's doable if we work together," said another. "But it'd be a hell of a fight. Might take hours. Too much time wasted."
"Come on, it's 2,000 points! One of those bad boys equals hundreds of AC-tier robots. Worth the risk, no?"
"Sure, it's tempting," the only female in the group finally sighed.
"But don't forget—points are based on chips. We can't exactly break a chip into pieces and split it, can we?"
"And what about those Commodores and Rear Admirals?" added another.
"Imagine we finally take one down… and they show up and swipe the chip? All our work—gone."
"..."
The tall, skinny recruit deflated, muttering, "Forget it. Just pretend I was talking out my ass."
The others couldn't help but laugh.
"Wonder where Bastille is right now," said the female recruit. "Top of our class. He's practically Commodore-level already. If he went after an AE unit, he might actually pull it off."
"Yeah," the skinny one agreed, nodding. "He's probably the only one strong enough to solo one of those monsters."
"You're forgetting someone."
She gave him a side glance, her tone sharp.
"There's one more guy out here."
"That guy's the real monster…"
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed through the forest.
A beast-shaped robot—its form like a long-maned lion—was obliterated before it even had the chance to react. Its body shattered into metallic shards, scattering across the forest floor. A glowing blue chip fell from the back of its head.
"AD-42."
"Damn… I didn't even draw my sword. Just used my fists…"
Nao picked up the chip, staring down at the unrecognizable heap of twisted metal with a troubled expression.
"And I didn't even use Armament Haki. How did it break down this fast…?"
That thing had zero durability.
Dr. Ent had claimed AD model robots could match a Marine Captains. If this was the level he meant, then it was honestly disappointing.
Guess I better pull my punches going forward.
If he ended up wrecking all the robots on the island, the Headquarters Science Division eggheads would probably lose their minds.
Where should I store this thing?
Nao examined the chip. It was a thick, solid rectangle—about the size of a hard drive. Carrying it around in his hand wasn't going to cut it. He needed something to keep it in.
He walked along the nearby riverbank, searching. He found a few usable containers: a worn-out straw hat, a half-buried pouch in the mud…
But after checking the sizes, he clicked his tongue and tossed them all aside.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, something flashed in his peripheral vision. His eyes lit up. Without a word, he quickened his pace, rushing straight towards it.