"Yuno, we're almost at Marine Headquarters. Are you nervous?"
Aboard the warship, Lafer rubbed his palms together, his eyes fixed nervously on the distant silhouette of land on the horizon.
"Not particularly," Yuno replied calmly, his gaze equally steady.
After all, he'd seen stranger things—time travel, for one. This wasn't enough to rattle him anymore.
The journey had lasted over ten days, spanning from the North Blue to the Grand Line. Thanks to the Navy's special sea route, their vessel had traveled swiftly and safely.
Marine Headquarters—the sacred ground of all sailors.
A place of pride, ambition... and pressure.
The voyage had been smooth, devoid of storms or ambushes.
Now, the warship docked behind the immense citadel of the Headquarters. The North Blue recruits—around a hundred in number—were led away to be processed and housed.
Among them, only a handful were women.
In this world, female sailors were exceedingly rare. With the harsh demands of physical strength, few women could make the cut, and even fewer made it into elite ranks.
Female warriors were like pearls in the sea—rare, but when found, often brilliant.
The Next Day.
All new recruits across the Four Seas and the Grand Line—fewer than five hundred—were gathered.
They stood at the massive Marine Recruit Training Camp.
The grounds could hold tens of thousands, but now seemed vast and empty in the face of their small number.
Then a man appeared.
A burly figure in the white cloak of justice, bearing a golden insignia of Major General on his shoulders.
Each step he took seemed to amplify the pressure in the air.
His presence hit like a sledgehammer. Battle-hardened and radiating bloodlust, he was a predator among sheep.
Many recruits flinched. Some broke into a cold sweat. The tension was unbearable for most.
"I am Major General Cage, your instructor for the coming days."
He spoke with calm authority, but his voice carried a chill that made even the bravest go stiff. His piercing gaze swept over the crowd—and none dared meet his eyes.
Except one.
Lafer.
His gaze, burning with wild defiance, met Cage's directly.
Cage paused.
'Heh... got some guts, huh? A little wolf in sheep's clothing?'
There were always one or two cocky ones each year.
Cage made it a tradition to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.
This year's "chicken" had just volunteered.
"Soldier, name?" Cage asked, eyes locked on Lafer.
Lafer blinked, but quickly straightened his back and grinned savagely.
"Sir! Lafer, sir!"
"Hm. Lafer, is it?"
Cage's expression didn't change. "And how would you rate yourself?"
Lafer, thinking this a test of guts and honesty, puffed out his chest.
"Sir, I believe I'm decent!"
But his grin was too wild—bordering on challenge.
"Decent, huh?" Cage's smile twisted.
In a blink, he vanished.
Before Lafer could even react, a heavy boot smashed into his side, sending him flying over ten meters!
Gasps rang out. Some flinched. Others were frozen in place.
But Cage wasn't finished.
He flashed forward again—appearing midair—and delivered a crushing axe-kick that slammed Lafer down like a meteor. Dust burst from the impact.
Cage landed with one foot planted firmly on Lafer's back.
He leaned in, voice calm yet heavy:
"Still think you're 'decent'?"
Yuno watched silently, his brows slightly furrowed.
He understood immediately—this was a calculated display of dominance. Cage had picked Lafer not for any mistake, but simply because he looked like trouble.
Still, Yuno didn't like it.
Lafer had annoyed him plenty during their voyage, but he wasn't a bad person.
In fact, he was honest, eager to help, and had a simple-minded but loyal spirit.
Just... a little too rough-looking. That appearance, that grin—it always gave people the wrong impression.
But did that warrant this kind of treatment?
Yuno narrowed his eyes.
Yuno had regarded Lafer as a friend during this time. Now, seeing that friend being stepped on by someone, a chill crept into Yuno's eyes.
Lafer was still dazed.
Why had that officer hit him?
He hadn't done anything wrong... had he?
Thankfully, Lafer's body was exceptionally tough. Though a flash of pain crossed his face, he grit his teeth, drew a breath, and asked haltingly,
"Sir, why did you hit me?"
"Hmph, good endurance."
Cage thought to himself.
But to make an example of him, Major General Cage suddenly kicked Lafer again, sending him tumbling back to his original place, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
And it was this final kick that made Yuno's gaze grow even colder.
Then Cage reappeared at his original position in a blink. Facing the quaking crowd of recruits, he swept his gaze across them and nodded in satisfaction.
"I know most of you were top dogs in your respective branches. But do you know where you are?"
"This is Marine Headquarters — the heart of justice! This is where the strongest of the strong gather! You think you're something? Look around! Who here isn't powerful?"
"So drop the arrogance. Accept your own weakness. Train hard, and become—"
He was interrupted mid-sentence.
"I think my strength is pretty good, Instructor. Does that mean I don't need to train?"
A hush fell over the crowd.
Major General Cage's words were cut off cleanly. He blinked — surprised someone had dared to interrupt. His eyes quickly turned cold, locking onto the source of the voice.
It was Yuno.
The other recruits were stunned.
Did this guy have a death wish? Daring to talk back after what Cage had just done?
Lafer, still grimacing in pain, lifted his head. When he saw Yuno standing there defiantly, he couldn't help but wink at him.
'He's doing this for me…!'
A surge of warmth and guilt rose in his heart.
Cage glanced at Lafer, then at Yuno again. He quickly pieced things together and narrowed his eyes.
"Soldier," he said, voice calm but sharp. "Repeat what you just said."
Yuno met his gaze without flinching.
"I said, Instructor, I think my strength is pretty good. So I shouldn't need to train anymore, right?"
A twitch appeared at the corner of Cage's mouth. Then came a cold laugh.
"Alright then… You think you're strong?"
Without warning, Cage vanished.
He used Soru, one of the Marine's Six Styles, appearing at Yuno's left in the blink of an eye — and lashed out with a brutal whip kick aimed straight at Yuno's chest!
Of course, Cage hadn't used his full strength. He didn't want to cripple the boy, just teach him a painful lesson — break his pride, put him in his place.
But just as the kick was about to land…
Yuno vanished.
A clean, elegant flash step!
The kick missed.
Cage's boot sliced through empty air.
He froze — stunned.
When he looked again, Yuno was already standing calmly on the other side.
A flash of shock appeared in Cage's eyes.
"He dodged it…?"