"Lucci, I heard that bastard Jake is back. The instructor mentioned he might refuse this exchange match. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, a faint coldness flashed across Lucci's face.
Casually draped in a black coat, his eyes sharp as blades, he replied.
"Unnecessary. Tell the instructor that even if it's Jake—the so-called 'Future of the Marines'—I'll prove he's nothing more than a false benchmark the Marines has hyped up. There's no need for refusal."
"But... it's ultimately the instructor's decision. Are you sure?"
"Kaku, are you having trouble understanding me? Tell the instructor—I'll fight."
At this point, Lucci's expression clearly showed extreme impatience.
The killing intent radiating from him sent a chill down Kaku's spine.
He had heard rumors about Lucci—this guy had reportedly slaughtered hundreds of soldiers not long ago.
Watching Rob Lucci's retreating figure, Kaku wore a faint trace of fear on his face.
He shook his head and turned to head toward the instructor's room.
Half a minute later, the sound of a teacup shattering echoed from the instructor's quarters.
*****
The next day, at 2:27 PM, on the training grounds of the Marine Elite Training Camp, Zephyr arrived early.
For him, today was a day to wash away the shame.
Though he had long passed the age of petty rivalry, the fact that his students had suffered 17 consecutive defeats against the same opponent still stung his pride.
Yet, he couldn't bring himself to be too harsh on his students.
After all, that Rob Lucci was undeniably a once-in-several-centuries genius by the World Government's standards.
While his Marine elites were undoubtedly talented and had trained diligently, they still paled in comparison to such monstrous aptitude.
Among the students he had taught, only Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu could have surpassed someone like Lucci at the same age.
But now, as he watched Jake chatting cheerfully with his classmates in the distance, Zephyr couldn't help but smile.
Among his disciples, there was now one more who could be called a monster.
And in Zephyr's eyes, Jake's talent was, in fact, a tier above even Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu.
The first three might be considered monsters, but during their usual training, Zephyr could still see them occasionally hitting bottlenecks.
However, Jake was different.
From the moment Zephyr began teaching him until now, Jake's improvement was visible almost every single day.
It was as if he never encountered any bottlenecks at all.
No matter what technique or ability it was, he could learn it instantly just by seeing it once.
As long as he was willing to practice, there were never any obstacles in his way.
Every bit of progress flowed as smoothly as pushing a boat downstream—effortless and seamless.
There was none of that frustrating stagnation where one could train hard for half a month but remain stuck, unable to break through a bottleneck.
Moreover, when it came to Devil Fruit abilities, Zephyr held Jake's in particularly high regard.
Though he often criticized Kizaru for relying too much on his Devil Fruit powers, he couldn't find much fault with Jake's, which was simply too outstanding.
After all, had anyone ever seen a Devil Fruit that allowed for such well-rounded development like Jake's? By all logic, Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit was already among the very best of Devil Fruits, yet compared to Jake's, it seemed as pitiful as a stray dog on the roadside.
Zephyr looked at Jake, his heart swelling with fondness.
Still, to prevent any accidents, he stepped forward and approached Jake.
Glancing at the other students who had slightly dispersed around them, Zephyr spoke softly.
"Jake, don't let this match weigh too heavily on your mind. Rob Lucci is strong—he's been training since childhood and has years more experience than you. Even if you lose to him, no one will blame you. Prioritize your safety. Don't push yourself too hard."
Hearing Zephyr's words, the surrounding students immediately chimed in.
"Hina agrees with the teacher. That bastard is strong, Jake. Be careful."
"Zephyr-sensei isn't wrong, but Jake, I still hope you'll teach that bastard a lesson."
"Jake, win or lose, just do your best. I'll treat you to a meal afterward!"
"Jake, if anything goes wrong, remember to stop immediately!"
Listening to everyone's well-wishes, Jake simply replied in a calm voice.
"Don't worry, everyone. I won't underestimate him, but I don't believe he can defeat me either."
Hearing Jake's confident words, a faint smile appeared on Zephyr's face.
But before he could say anything, a cold voice cut through the air.
"If your strength doesn't match the confidence you're showing right now, I'll be very disappointed, Jake."
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
The CP organization had already arrived near the training grounds, and the one who had just spoken was none other than Rob Lucci, his gaze fixed intently on Jake.
Facing Lucci's words, Jake merely smiled and responded.
"I don't want to waste time arguing. Can we start now?"
As soon as Jake finished speaking, the middle-aged CP instructor opened his mouth to speak—but Lucci's figure had already vanished from his side.
Zephyr's brow furrowed slightly before he took a step back, swiftly pulling all the students around him dozens of meters away.
The next moment, a powerful blast of wind erupted from the spot where Jake stood, forcing everyone to squint against the gale.
All they could see were the two figures at the eye of the storm, their fists locked in confrontation.
Rob Lucci looked at Jake, a smirk curling at the corners of his mouth as he spoke.
"It seems you're indeed different from those worthless trash. Over ninety percent of your classmates wouldn't have been able to withstand that punch."
Hearing Lucci's blatantly insulting words, the elite naval trainees' faces flushed with shame and anger.
Yet none could refute him—his words were true.
They couldn't even withstand a single move from him.
Jake responded to Lucci's taunt with calm indifference.
"What about your comrades? Could they withstand it?"
Lucci snorted coldly.
"What's it to you?"
"Then they couldn't. But I don't consider them trash. In fact, I believe those who look down on others simply because of their own strength are the real trash—fools bewitched by power. Don't you agree?"