Chapter 255: The Marine Martial Arts Tournament
Holy Land Mary Geoise · Chamber of Authority
Heavy golden curtains blocked out all external light. The Five Elders sat around a long table, the atmosphere heavy with suppressed gravity.
On the table, a report submitted by CP0 lay open. Every line of text matched Roy's dictation word for word.
St. Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro spoke in a deep voice: "To arrange training for the rookies, Roy transported Marco to Sabaody to attract the Whitebeard remnants... and that old relic interfered?"
St. Jaygarcia Saturn flipped through the report slowly, letting out a cold hmph. "An island was nearly destroyed, but according to CP0, Roy sustained no injuries."
He narrowed his eyes. "Has Rayleigh really aged that much?"
St. Shepherd Ju Peter's lips curled in mockery. "It seems we were deceived by the illusion he created all these years, letting him live freely in Sabaody for so long. A man who once stood shoulder to shoulder with Roger can't even stop a young monster of the Marines now."
St. Topman Warcury tapped his finger on the table. "And Marco? Is his death confirmed?"
St. Marcus Mars nodded. "CP0 confirmed the corpse. The Phoenix Fruit should have respawned by now."
Nusjuro's eyes turned cold. "Send someone to retrieve the Phoenix Fruit. A Devil Fruit of that caliber cannot fall into pirate hands again."
Saturn closed the report, glancing at everyone present. "As for Roy... let him continue his games."
"From what we've seen, he only places extreme importance on his brothers."
"As long as we don't touch that nerve, he won't actively antagonize us."
Ju Peter chuckled lightly. "That's for the best. Let him grind down those remnants of the old era and the Yonko. For us, it saves a lot of trouble."
Warcury nodded slowly. "Maintain the status quo. No unnecessary interference."
The other four chorused: "Agreed."
Silence returned to the Chamber of Authority. Only the candle flame flickered slightly, as if this decision that could change the structure of the seas was merely a routine chat.
...
Somewhere at Sea
The warship cut through the waves, the cry of seagulls passing overhead echoing on the deck.
The sea breeze kicked up white foam. Roy stood at the bow, gazing deeply at the boundless horizon.
Ace approached slowly, his footsteps almost silent.
He just stood not far away, quietly watching this man who was usually calm and collected, but now wore such a contemplative expression.
After a long time, Roy finally let out a slow breath, as if he had made a decision.
Ace couldn't help but ask, "Big Brother Roy, what are you thinking about? Why so serious all of a sudden?"
Roy looked back at him, a playful smile curling his lips. "I was thinking..."
"If we held a 'Martial Arts Tournament' within the Marines, wouldn't that be fun?"
Ace froze. "Hah?! A Martial Arts Tournament? What for?"
"Duels, sparring, real fights with real weapons. To see who among this massive group of Marines are the true pillars of strength."
"OOOHHH!!!"
Not far away, Luffy, Nami, and Usopp were attracted by the voice and ran over.
Luffy's eyes lit up, fists crunching as he clenched them. "Fighting?! I want to join!!!"
Roy looked at him and suddenly grinned. "You can't participate this time."
"EHHHH—?!!" Luffy deflated instantly, turning gray with disappointment. "WHYYY?!!!"
"Because this time, I intend for only the backbone of the Marines to participate, to boost the strength of the mid-level officers."
Roy patted his shoulder. "But if you really want to fight... you can come as a spectator and challenge the winner. If you win, I'll give you an extra reward."
"OHHH!!!" Luffy revived instantly, full of battle intent. "Then I definitely have to go!!!"
Nami held her forehead and sighed heavily. "Honestly, this guy only has fighting in his brain..."
Usopp shivered as he spoke, "I feel like this tournament... is eighty percent likely to destroy Marineford..."
Roy gazed at Marineford gradually appearing on the distant horizon.
"It's time... to make this massive fleet truly powerful."
...
Marineford · Fleet Admiral's Office
The warship docked, and the soldiers filed off.
Roy let Ace, Luffy, and the others go rest first, while his figure flashed, teleporting directly to the door of the Fleet Admiral's office. He knocked lightly.
"Enter."
Pushing the door open, Sengoku was organizing intelligence at his desk.
Seeing Roy, his brow relaxed, tone sounding relieved. "I read the intel. Good work. That old bastard Rayleigh finally ate a loss."
After a simple briefing on the post-war cleanup, Roy's expression became serious, his tone formal:
"Fleet Admiral, please call for Vice Admiral Tsuru and Instructor Zephyr."
"There is a major matter I need to discuss with all of you."
Sengoku tapped his finger lightly on the desk, squinting at Roy, as if sensing something unusual from his expression.
But he didn't ask much, picking up the Den Den Mushi to give a few orders.
Before long, the door opened.
Tsuru walked in slowly, hands clasped in front of her.
Zephyr was the same as always, arms crossed, steps steady, wearing a confident smile.
"Roy, I heard you have a new plan?" Tsuru spoke first, tone calm.
"Spit it out. What crazy idea did you come up with this time?" Zephyr grinned, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
Roy turned around, standing before the three elders. "I intend to hold an internal event at Marine Headquarters—a Martial Arts Tournament."
Sengoku's pen paused, brow furrowing slightly. "A Martial Arts Tournament?"
Roy nodded. "That's right. A tournament specifically for the elite Vice Admirals and Headquarters elites."
"The goal is simple—through high-intensity combat sparring, filter out those who can truly shoulder great responsibilities, and simultaneously thoroughly ignite the fighting spirit of the Marine's mid-level forces."
Tsuru narrowed her eyes, fingertips gently stroking her chin. "You want to use this to reshuffle the deck and re-evaluate the distribution of combat power within the Marines?"
"Not just a reshuffle."
Roy spoke calmly. "In the past years, too many people have relied on titles, connections, and tenure to coast by, forgetting that strength is the foundation of the Marines.
We need a competition shocking enough to make the true strong stand out and force the lazy and weak to step down."
Zephyr's eyes lit up, fist smashing into his palm. "Good! Now that's what the Marines should be! I've long been sick of those guys who only talk and never train!"
Sengoku, however, frowned tighter, speaking in a deep voice, "Even if it's a tournament, if high-ranking officers collide with full force, it might damage our foundation.
Also, the rewards need to be stimulating enough, otherwise no one will risk their lives."
The corner of Roy's mouth lifted slightly, as if he had prepared for this long ago. "Don't worry, Fleet Admiral. Zephyr and I will be watching. As for the rewards, I've already thought of them—"
He paused. "The top three will receive Devil Fruits specifically for combat enhancement, choosing freely based on their ranking."
As his words fell, the room fell into dead silence.
Tsuru's gaze wavered for the first time. "Roy... are you serious?"
Roy nodded indifferently. "Of course. These are fruits I collected personally; they won't take up public Marine resources."
Zephyr's eyes widened, and he laughed excitedly. "Bwahahaha! You brat, getting bolder and bolder! But I like it!"
Sengoku took a deep breath. The pen in his grip made a faint cracking sound. After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly:
"Roy, do you know what this means? This tournament will cause waves within the Marines like never before!"
Roy met his gaze. "I know. But if the Marines want to become truly strong, they must undergo this kind of trial by fire."
"Only when pushed to the limit will new monsters be born."
Tsuru smiled. "Since you've made up your mind, I will assist with the logistics and scheduling."
Zephyr laughed loudly. "I want to see with my own eyes just which brats are qualified to eat those fruits!"
Sengoku was silent for a long time, then slammed the table and stood up, a long-lost heroism on his face:
"Alright! We'll do it your way!"
"It's time for the Marines to undergo a true transformation!"
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