Zephyr Special Training Camp: Six Months Later
The scorching sun burned the vast training ground.
After six months of high-pressure training, the trainees of the Zephyr training camp have completed a complete transformation in terms of physique, willpower, and skills.
And today.
Zephyr personally issued the first task - [Actual Combat Annihilation Mission]!
Mission Objectives:
Location: East Blue Mill Town.
Enemy: Emerging Pirates Group [Gray Reef Fang Pirates Group].
Threat Level: Upper C (capable of small-scale destruction).
Objective Instructions: Confirm annihilation, protect civilians, and assume full command on site.
The two-person team - Rogge and Rhett - were chosen to carry out the mission.
Zephyr put his hands behind his back, his eyes as steady as a hammer as he glanced over Rogge and Rhett.
"The battlefield is not a training ground."
"When encountering an enemy, first break their courage, then their army."
"Remember—protecting the people comes first, eliminating the scourge comes second."
Rhett stood still and Rogge nodded silently.
The two looked at each other and reached an absolute understanding in silence.
A strong wind blew past.
Two young figures boarded the small warship heading towards East Blue.
East Blue · Off the coast of Mill Town
In the evening, the sea reflected the blood-red afterglow, and the wind and waves beat against the dilapidated pier.
The warship slowly approached the shore.
Rogge and Leiter went up to the deck side by side and saw from afar——
A dilapidated but well-armed pirate ship is quietly approaching the port of Mill Town!
On the deck, dozens of pirates roared and savagely, brandishing swords and muskets, looking like hungry beasts ready to pounce.
The captain in the lead was two meters tall, muscular, and had a scarlet skull emblem tattooed on his left arm.
——[Gray Reeffang Krant]!
"Target confirmed."
Rogge whispered, his eyes as cold as a knife.
"Take action?"
Rhett tilted his head, his fists already clenched, veins bulging.
Rogge nodded slightly, his voice like a sword whispering in the cold wind: "Quick battle, quick decision."
Next second.
Rogge steps out!
The air vibrated and surged around him.
A layer of transparent air wave visible to the naked eye spread out with him as the center, and the earth trembled!
[Air Pressure Step]!
boom--!
A black afterimage cut through the sea breeze!
Rogge's body instantly crossed dozens of meters and rushed into the Pirates' formation like a gust of wind and lightning!
The air compressed rapidly in front of his fist!
[Qi Shock Slash]!
Swish——!
A crescent-shaped air blade cut through the air, leaving a sharp sonic boom trail!
Boom——!!
More than ten pirates were caught off guard, their chests torn and blood splattered. In an instant, they were thrown several meters away and fell to the ground wailing!
Rhett followed closely behind!
There are no fruit abilities and no gorgeous light effects.
Only the ultimate Taijutsu! Only the newly awakened [Armament Haki]!
On the tip of the fist, the inky black armament color solidified like rock.
Boom!
As soon as he stepped on the ground, gravel flew everywhere!
Rhett rushed into the enemy camp with extremely brutal punches, like an angry lion!
boom!
A punch smashed the chest of a knife-wielding Pirates! The sound of bone cracking was loud!
The Pirates flew backwards like rags and knocked down an old roof!
"Assholes!! Kill them!!"
Gray Reeffang Krant roared and summoned the remaining followers to rush towards Rogge and Rhett frantically!
Rogge narrowed his eyes and clenched his palms slightly.
The air vibrated and compressed violently, and visible distorted ripples spread out!
[Explosive Pressure Bomb·Combo]!
——High-frequency triple explosive air pressure shock!
boom!!!
boom!!!
boom!!!
Three huge explosive shock waves, like hammers tearing through the air, pierced through the Pirates crowd!
Dozens of Pirates who rushed over were directly sent flying by the compressed blast!
The scene was bloody and the stone pillars at the port were broken!
Rhett roared, and knocked an assassin away with a knee strike. Then he turned over and swept his leg, with the gravity hardened by the armament color, kicking the two attackers directly to the ground!
Just five minutes!
The port was pouring with blood.
[Gray Reef Pirates]——
Total destruction!
Only Captain Crant was left, still struggling.
But the next moment!
Rogge stepped lightly, and the air suddenly exploded!
The figure came like an arrow!
A [Air Pressure Punch·Explosive Style] accurately hit Krant's chest!
Boom!!!
Krant didn't even have time to groan before his sternum collapsed and he flew dozens of meters away, crashing heavily into the ruins, his life or death unknown!
Blood and smoke filled the sky above the port.
Rhett clenched his fist and gasped for breath. Rogge shook his wrist lightly and stood in the middle of the ruins and corpses, his eyes calm and steady.
They quickly confirmed the internal protection situation of Mill Town.
——No civilian casualties.
The townspeople were in shock.
When I saw two young men in Marine uniforms returning with blood and gunpowder, standing in the afterglow like divine soldiers descending from the sky—
Countless townspeople shed tears with excitement, some covered their mouths and sobbed, while others put down the stones in their hands and knelt down to shout.
"Thank you!!!"
"Long live Marine!!!"
"Savior!!!"
At that moment, Rogge lowered his head slightly and looked at those fragile lives that longed for protection.
In my heart, something deep and hot is burning silently.
——The first actual combat mission was completed perfectly.
It was also the first time that I truly felt: [Justice].
It is not only a slogan, but also the hope of countless fragile lives.
Just when Rogge and Rhett confirmed that they had completed the annihilation mission and boarded the small warship to prepare to return - the wind suddenly changed.
There was a sudden commotion on the side of the deck.
A man wearing the uniform of an Ensign officer from the headquarters, with a fake smile on his face, slowly approached with several reserve soldiers.
His voice was greasy and frivolous. "Just in case, let's do another [Real-World Reaction Test], little ones?"
Before Rogge could agree.
Several soldiers have drawn their swords and rushed over!
But Rogge just glanced at him coldly.
His brows were slightly raised, his expression was indifferent.
His perception surged like a tide, and in an instant, he caught a hint of disguised malice in the air.
That's not training, that's not a test.
But it is——[Internal Corruption Test].
Test whether he can be suppressed and whether he will submit to it.
Rogge's eyes suddenly turned cold!
The next second——
Take a step!
[Floating flight]!
boom!!
The air collapsed instantly under his feet, and his body drew a sharp arc like a broken arrow of light, rising into the air in an instant!
Close your palms slightly.
The air vibrated and compressed in his palm!
In the blink of an eye.
[High frequency gas explosion]!!!
——Triple compressed air roars and vibrates!
boom!!!
The air waves within a five-meter range suddenly exploded!
Several assaulting soldiers who were caught off guard were blown away by the erupting air pressure storm and hit the deck railing like rags, vomiting blood and fainting!
Weapons flew out of hands and wailing sounds rang out one after another!
The entire deck fell into deathly silence in an instant.
Only the sea breeze was left, carrying the groans of the wounded soldiers.
In mid-air.
Rogge's figure slowly fell in the air flow, his black hair flying and his uniform fluttering in the wind.
His eyes were as cold as a knife as he scanned the entire audience.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the officer who was planning the test.
The boy's voice was low, like the suppressed thunder before a storm:
"Training accident?"
"...Really, a useless test."
The officer's smile froze on his face.
Cold sweat instantly soaked my back.
He opened his mouth, trying to cover it up with a perfunctory smile, but his voice was so trembling that even he could hear it:
"Haha... a small, small misunderstanding... a small misunderstanding..."
Rogge glanced at him indifferently.
Without saying a word.
But deep down, I have already coldly engraved this person's name, appearance, and breath deep into my memory.
rot--
It must be eradicated.
Just like cleaning out Pirates.
No matter where it hides, no matter what skin it wears.
In the end, it will be completely burned to ashes under absolute justice.
——From this moment on.
In the Zephyr special training camp, all those who harbor evil intentions,
For the first time I really realized:
This boy named Rogge——
Not a pawn that can be easily suppressed or manipulated.
————
Late at night.
The bright desk lamp illuminated the desk piled with documents alone, and the air was filled with the strong smell of tobacco and a suppressed sense of anxiety.
Sakazuki, in uniform and with his cloak still on, sat alone behind his desk, a sealed report quietly unfolded in his hands.
The content is simple to the point of being cold and cruel:
Zephyr Training Camp Internal Reaction Report
[Record of the "accidental injury test" incident encountered by the Rogge team]
[List of responsible persons is attached]
Pop.
The cigar burned out.
He exerted a little force with his fingers and crushed the report into a pile of ashes.
A fiery yet cold light ignited in the fiery eyes.
"...waste."
The low pronunciation was like the first muffled thunder suppressed under the lava.
Sakazuki slowly pushed the chair away and stood up.
With a flick of his cloak, a strong wind rushed in through the crack of the door, bringing with it the sound of rustling the corners of his clothes.
The night outside the window is as dark as iron.
He stood still, counted a few breaths in silence, and slowly closed his eyes.
[Advanced Observation Haki]——Spreading silently!
Those were the corrupt auras that he had secretly marked himself a few months ago.
At this moment, the location, state, and habits of every breath appeared in his mind as clearly as stars in the night sky.
Sakazuki opened his eyes, blood-red flames surging in his pupils.
"To beat a dog, you have to do it at night."
That night.
Outside the training camp, in the Dark Harbor Tavern, at the warehouse transfer point—
Those corrupt auras that were once engraved by the high-level observation Haki disappeared silently overnight.
The next morning.
The sea breeze blows.
There were a few barely noticeable dark red water marks on the sea surface, as if even the waves themselves did not dare to mourn for them.
And inside the training camp, those who harbored ulterior motives,
Faintly aware of——
An invisible giant bloody hand was silently tightening the noose.
Everyone's attitude towards the rising star [Rogge] has completely changed.
From temptation—to fear.
Sakazuki himself never said a word in public.
It was as if nothing had happened that night.
He simply, after finishing all his "aftermath" late at night, stood on the highest observation tower in the base and gazed at the New World that was about to rise in the distance.
In the eyes filled with blazing flames, the straight and lonely figure of the black-haired boy emerged.
The cold wind blows and the cloak flutters.
The heart of the molten lava burns silently and fiercely.