Zoro's pupils contracted, and his hands clenched into fists. He tried to force himself back onto his feet, but his injuries made it impossible. All he could do was lie there.
"Kuina!" Zoro gritted his teeth, his expression torn.
Of course he understood what his friend was trying to do. Becoming Kojin's disciple would give him a way to survive. Otherwise, he would either be executed or spend the rest of his life in Impel Down.
Neither was a fate he wanted. Whether he died or was locked away in Impel Down, all his dreams, convictions, and ambitions would come to nothing. But the idea of taking an enemy as his master was still incredibly hard to accept.
"Zoro!" Kuina knelt anxiously beside him, her forehead pressed against the ground.
A voice suddenly echoed through Zoro's mind. "If you can't stay alive, if you can't become stronger, then how are you supposed to help Luffy become King?"
His pupils shrank. A moment later, everything went black, and he lost consciousness.
Kojin sat in his chair and waited for quite some time, but when no answer came, he frowned. "He passed out!"
Perona giggled. "You three really didn't hold back."
Kojin sighed and glanced at Rob Lucci, Daz Bones, and Moria.
"The kid may be our enemy, but his spirit deserved our full strength!" Moria said with a laugh. After all this time, Moria's once-bloated figure had completely disappeared. In its place was a broad-shouldered, muscular body.
Standing there now, he actually looked rather imposing. He held an enormous blade nearly two-thirds his own height. Towering beside Lucci and Daz Bones, he stood out like a giant among ordinary men.
"Get back to your special training." Kojin shook his head with a smile, then turned slightly toward Koby, whose face was swollen and covered in bruises. "You may indeed be my junior brother, but I never gave you permission to throw my name around and act like a big shot. However…"
Kojin paused, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"If you can't endure this training, I can offer you one special privilege. You're free to quit and walk out at any time."
Koby trembled. He could hear both the displeasure and mockery in his senior brother's words. He clenched his fists.
After a long silence, he suddenly raised his head. "Please don't worry! I will never quit this training! Even if I have to work a hundred or a thousand times harder than everyone else, I will graduate from the Special Training Class! Even if it kills me, I won't take a single step back!"
He practically roared the final sentence.
Kojin listened in silence. Then he slowly rose from his chair, turned his back on Koby, and walked toward the exit of the training field. Only when he reached the doorway did his calm voice drift back.
"Then show me just how strong your resolve really is. And prove that Master Garp hasn't lost his eye for talent."
Koby gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and shouted at Kojin's retreating back. "Yes, sir!"
Compared with the class leader, the vice class leader, and even the Warlord Gecko Moria, Koby was far behind. He had suffered tremendously during the second stage of training and had come close to death several times. Even among the other trainees, many were far stronger than him.
He and Helmeppo were practically the weakest members of the entire class. Yet no matter how difficult things became, he had never considered quitting. This place was his only chance to truly escape his old life and reach a whole new level.
Fighting opponents far stronger than himself was dangerous, but it also brought countless opportunities and hard-earned lessons.
He now deeply understood what Senior Brother Kojin had taught him during their recent spar: only bloodshed could drive a Marine forward, and only by understanding the darkness of the world could one truly understand its justice and light.
The medics soon rushed onto the training field with a stretcher and carried Zoro away. Kuina stood and watched him go, following after a brief hesitation.
---
At noon the following day, Joyce's adjutant arrived. "Vice Admiral Joyce asked me to deliver them to you personally."
The adjutant was a lieutenant colonel in formal attire, with a sword hanging from his waist. He was clearly nervous in Kojin's presence, but he maintained proper military etiquette, even bringing a bottle of fine liquor from Vice Admiral Joyce's homeland.
"Eustass Kid."
"Trafalgar Law."
"Mad Monk Urouge."
"Scratchmen Apoo."
"Basil Hawkins."
Kojin swept his gaze across them. They were the same Supernovas he had defeated not long ago at the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Thank you for going to the trouble. Tell Vice Admiral Joyce I enjoyed the liquor he sent."
The tension faded from the adjutant's face. "I'll be sure to pass on your message." He straightened, gave Kojin a respectful salute, then turned and left, knowing better than to ask about the Supernovas' fate.
Silence settled over the area as Kojin studied the five Supernovas standing before him in Seastone handcuffs, considering what to do with them.
"Go and summon Vice Admiral Rosinante," Kojin said, casually waving to the Marine beside him, who immediately went to deliver the message.
Below, Trafalgar Law's expression changed instantly. If there was anyone in this world he truly respected, it was undoubtedly Rosinante, who also seemed to know everything about him.
"As for Eustass Kid, Urouge, Scratchmen Apoo, and our magician here, Hawkins… lock them in Headquarters' prison for now. I don't have time to deal with them."
"Yes, sir!" The Marines sprang into action and escorted the four Supernovas away.
Once they were gone, Kojin turned to Law with a faint smile. "I imagine you're feeling rather conflicted right now. After all, both Rosinante and I had high hopes for you, and yet you became a pirate and disappointed us both."
Law jerked his head up, glaring furiously. "Shut up!" Then he lowered his head again and forced out a desperate plea. "Don't bring Rosinante here."
Kojin sneered. "A pirate has no right to make demands of me."
Law bowed even lower until his forehead touched the ground, his body trembling slightly. Time passed slowly. Kojin picked up a book he had borrowed from Kuma, quietly flipping through it with the occasional amused glint flashing in his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, a tall figure approached. Rosinante looked puzzled when he noticed Law lying on the ground.
"Headquarters is currently holding its seventy-eighth strategy meeting in recent weeks. You summoned me so urgently, sir. Is there a mission you need me to carry out?"
Kojin chuckled and pointed at Law. "There's no mission. I simply wanted you to meet someone."
Rosinante turned toward Law. At first, his face showed only confusion. Then his expression shifted to shock, followed almost immediately by joy. Rosinante crossed the distance in three long strides and hauled Law to his feet.
"Law! I finally get to see you again! Why are you in handcuffs? Did you do something to anger Sir Kojin? Hurry up and apologize!"
Rosinante deliberately put on an outraged expression, even clenching his fist and slamming it mercilessly into Law's head. "Apologize!"
Law's expression changed repeatedly, but he refused to speak.
"Do you want me to beat you senseless?" Rosinante brought down another fist. This time, Law couldn't endure it and cried out in pain. Rosinante's mastery of the Six Powers and Haki had been personally passed down by Kojin; like his mentor, he possessed a pair of genuine Iron Fists.
"Apologize!" Rosinante shouted again.
Law's face twitched. Finally, he sighed helplessly. "I'm sorry... I mean, I'm sorry."
Only after hearing those words did Rosinante smile, immediately turning to Kojin. "You see? Law understands what he did wrong! Why don't you remove his Seastone handcuffs and let me give him a proper lesson?"
Kojin watched Rosinante's performance with a knowing smile before scoffing.
"Don't you think this little act of yours is a bit too obvious? Still, I have no interest in interfering with whatever game you two are playing. I'll leave Law in your hands. I trust you won't disappoint me."
Rosinante immediately stood at attention. "I will not disappoint you, sir!"
Kojin gave Law one last glance, then turned and walked away.
Meanwhile, Kuma crouched silently inside the training field, watching the members of the Special Training Class fight fiercely against one another.
He had been relieved of his duties as Kojin's bodyguard and was now part of the medical team, with the primary responsibility of removing everyone's pain and exhaustion. As for the price Kojin had warned him he would eventually have to pay, it had yet to come due. All Kuma could do was wait.
Five more days passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the Marine hospital, Zoro slowly opened his eyes, his entire body wrapped in bandages.
"You're awake?" Kuina spoke softly from beside him.
Zoro's exposed eyes shifted slightly. "You've been here the whole time?" His voice was hoarse.
"Yeah." In truth, Kuina had stayed because she was worried her master might suddenly issue another order and have Zoro taken away. The bond between them was complicated, though not romantic; they were rivals who respected each other's swordsmanship and kindred spirits walking the same path.
"Thanks," Zoro murmured. "So, what did they decide to do with me? Execution, or Impel Down?"
Kuina looked at him. "Master hasn't decided yet."
Zoro froze for a moment, then broke into a grin. "So I still get to live a little longer, right?"
Kuina stared at him strangely, unable to understand how his mind worked. What happened next surprised her even more. Despite being covered from head to toe in bandages, Zoro suddenly sprang out of bed, snatched up the three swords resting nearby, and strapped them to his side.
"Kuina, I need you to do me a favor!"
Kuina gave him a puzzled look. "What?"
"Take me to the training field!" Zoro grinned, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
(End Of This Chapter)
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