On the training grounds of the Marine Elite Training Camp, the future pillars of the Marines were currently engaged in combat drills, preparing for the next day's confrontation with the CP organization.
Yet, not a single smile could be seen on anyone's face.
After suffering seventeen consecutive defeats, the sheer humiliation made it impossible for them to muster even a hint of amusement.
Even an ordinary person with average talent would be severely demoralized by such a relentless string of failures—let alone these elite Marine trainees, who were all geniuses in their own right.
Binz pressed his hands against the ground, and thick tendrils of plants surged from beneath his feet, spreading at an astonishing speed until they covered the entire training field.
But as he watched this unfold, Binz let out a long sigh before turning to Smoker beside him and said.
"It's no good. At this level, we stand no chance against that bastard! I need a much wider range—something bigger!"
As he spoke, he pressed his hands against the ground once more.
The immense drain on his stamina was evident as his complexion visibly paled.
Smoker immediately grabbed Binz's wrists and roared,
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot?! Your body's already at its limit! Go rest—now isn't the time to push yourself!"
Hearing Smoker's words, Binz covered his eyes with one hand, his voice trembling with barely suppressed emotion,
"But… but Smoker, I can't lose to that bastard again! I don't want to embarrass Zephyr-sensei anymore! Damn it… I'm so useless!"
By the end, large tears were streaming down his face as he slumped weakly to his knees, his voice thick with frustration.
Witnessing this, not just Smoker but also Hina and Ain fell into silence.
They stared at Binz, kneeling there in anguish and each of them felt a deep pang in their hearts.
As the strongest remaining trainees after Jake and Monet's departure, they had never imagined they would suffer seventeen straight losses at the hands of their opponents.
And when that bastard had openly—and then subtly—insulted their instructor, Zephyr, calling him a fool, their fury had reached its peak.
Yet none of them had lashed out, because Zephyr had always taught them that infighting among comrades was unacceptable under any circumstances.
The more care and kindness Zephyr showed them, the heavier the guilt weighed on their hearts.
For students like Binz and Ain—who were practically like Zephyr's own children—the depth of their anger and frustration was unimaginable.
But as they looked at Binz, collapsed on the ground, they all knew the truth: tomorrow's battle would likely end the same way—with that bastard Rob Lucci victorious once again.
Rob Lucci's personality was utterly detestable, but his strength was undeniable—far beyond anything any of them could match.
Even Smoker himself knew that with his current strength, not only was he incapable of arresting Rob Lucci, but he didn't even have the ability to hold out against Rob Lucci for much longer.
Even though they had trained hard, even though they had exhausted nearly all their strength and methods, in front of that monster, every move they made was predicted and dodged in advance.
Their attacks either landed on Tekkai or Armament Haki Hardening and after all that effort, the opponent didn't even spit out a drop of blood.
That feeling was utterly despairing.
Hina looked at Smoker's tightly clenched fists, a trace of worry flashing across her face.
Just as she was about to say something to comfort him, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from across the square.
The moment they heard it, everyone turned around—because they knew that in the entire elite training camp, only Jake could currently defeat Rob Lucci one-on-one with certainty.
Though none of them had ever seen Jake go all out, they had more than enough trust in the man who had recently overthrown the entire Prince kingdom.
"Sorry I'm late. I've kept you all waiting."
As Jake's voice reached them, Monet followed closely behind him, walking toward the group.
Seeing that it was indeed Jake, faint smiles appeared on Smoker and Binz's faces—especially Smoker.
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and lightly punched Jake's shoulder before saying.
"You bastard, disappearing for so long really made us lose face. We've already lost to that bastard Rob Lucci 17 times. If you hadn't come back, we'd probably be staring down our 18th straight defeat. I know this makes me sound pathetic, but compared to my own pride, I care more about Zephyr-sensei dignity."
"Hina agrees. Jake, you two were gone for too long. But Hina doesn't blame you. Given how dangerous the situation was back then, if you two hadn't left, you would've been killed by that bastard. So Hina thinks retreating from the battlefield was absolutely the right call. Don't listen to the nonsense from those idiots."
Hina, ever the perceptive girl, had likely heard some of the negative rumors circulating about Jake and Monet's prolonged absence.
Regardless, she laid everything out openly, looking out for the two of them.
Meanwhile, Ain walked up to Monet and took her hand, tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke.
"If only I'd noticed the commotion in the square sooner, maybe I could've stopped Monet from being taken away for so long. I'm sorry. And those of us who stayed behind… we failed to do what we should have. Losing 17 times in a row—we've completely humiliated Zephyr-sensei. It's all our fault."
As these words were spoken, everyone in the training camp lowered their heads in shame.
The humiliation Rob Lucci had inflicted on them was something they would never forget.
Jake looked at his classmates, all of whom bore varying degrees of injuries, and his brow furrowed slightly.
If he wasn't mistaken, the wounds on his classmates seemed to have been inflicted by the Six Styles.
Among all of them, the one with the highest mastery of the Six Styles, aside from Jake himself, was Rob Lucci!
Gazing at the dim expressions on everyone's faces, Jake spoke with firm and calm determination.
"Don't worry. Tomorrow, I'll return this humiliation to them a thousandfold!"
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