To Roya, recruits at Mozu's and Dars's level no longer even qualified as sparring partners. Casually crushing two such opponents did not bring him any sense of exhilaration—instead, it left him feeling slightly restless.
So Roya did not step down from the arena. He simply stood his ground, sword in hand, calmly waiting for the next challenger.
Outside the arena.
All the recruits were momentarily stunned by Roya's single phrase—"Next."
What… was he implying?
Was he treating the combat assessment like a challenge arena?!
Although Roya had effortlessly defeated Mozu and Dars, both of them ranked beyond the top hundred, or even the top two hundred. In the Navy recruit camp, there were far more people stronger than those two. Relying on just that display, it was absolutely impossible to firmly hold the overall first place.
"Heh, interesting."
"So he's learned how to cut steel, and now he's already looking down on everyone?"
Among the strongest recruits—those ranked within the top thirty—no one was angry. Instead, they watched Roya with expressions of interest.
These stronger recruits could remain composed. Those below them, however, could not.
Once they came back to their senses, anger began to flare.
"What, no one else coming?"
"Or are you… planning to come at me together?"
Roya gripped Engetsu and stood in the center of the arena, sweeping his gaze across the surroundings. His eyes gleamed with vitality. At this moment, he had already decided to properly test the results of his month-long sword training in real combat.
Roya had never confined his ambitions to something as small as the Marine Headquarters' training camp—especially after obtaining the Soul Sword System, and even more so after acquiring the evolvable Ryūjin Jakka.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Marine Admirals.
The Four Emperors.
The summit of the sea—that was where his gaze was fixed.
He was still very far from such heights, but no matter how long the road, it had to be walked step by step. And the Marine Headquarters training camp was undoubtedly Roya's very first step.
Since he had already made up his mind, then just like during the practical combat assessment—
He would fight to his heart's content.
The recruits in the arena had already been struggling to hold themselves back after Roya's "Next." Hearing his latest remark, their fury erupted.
This was a blatant disregard for them!
Roya wasn't someone like Drake, whose strength was already universally acknowledged as absurd. No one knew how Roya had obtained first place in the practical combat assessment, or whether the results had been manipulated internally—but one thing was certain:
Relying solely on the ability to cut steel was not enough to justify such arrogance!
"I'll do it!"
A recruit immediately stepped forward, unable to restrain himself, and challenged Roya.
This kind of scene was extremely rare. Although the combat assessment allowed different people to consecutively challenge the same opponent, the challenged person had the right to rest. In most cases, no one would accept repeated challenges in succession.
Even the instructors present had almost never seen such a combat assessment.
"That brat Roya…"
Zephyr watched the scene and could not help but smile slightly. Roya's bold confidence reminded him strongly of Garp in his younger days.
The other instructors' eyes also flickered with interest.
"Third match…"
The Marine rear admiral responsible for officiating looked at Roya with clear curiosity and announced the start of the third bout.
The third challenger did not use a standard steel sword, but instead wielded a pair of axes.
Since Roya could easily cut through Marine-issued swords, using a heavy weapon like axes should give a certain advantage.
"Hah!!"
Without wasting words, the recruit let out a low shout. Holding an axe in each hand, he raised them high and chopped downward with full force.
Facing the incoming axe strike, Roya once again showed no intention of retreating or dodging. Instead, he lightly brought his sword across his body and swept it upward.
"This guy…"
Seeing Roya attempt to block a two-handed axe strike with a one-handed sword, the recruit's eyes widened in shock.
Was he… seeking death?!
How could a one-handed sword possibly block a two-handed axe?
However, what caused terror to instantly flood the recruit's face was that—
Roya actually blocked it.
Clang!!
Sword and axe collided, producing a sharp metallic clash that echoed across the arena. Roya's sword did not cut the axe in half, but it carved a visible notch into the axe blade, embedding itself directly into the metal!
More importantly—
Roya stood there, sword held horizontally with one hand, and no matter how hard the recruit pressed down with both arms, the axe could not move forward even an inch.
"This…"
"Such overwhelming strength?!"
The spectators' eyes widened almost in unison.
Even the strongest recruits, including Drake, showed looks of astonishment. As for the recruits from Roya's own squad, their expressions were downright eerie—like they had just seen a ghost.
Was this really the same Roya who couldn't even keep up during weighted runs?!
Blocking a two-handed axe with a one-handed sword required far more than a slight advantage in strength. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to stop the axe.
"Surprised?"
Roya maintained the one-handed block and smiled faintly at the third challenger's ghost-like expression.
At that moment, the smile looked utterly demonic to the recruit—dark and terrifying.
Crack!
Roya's sword arm suddenly trembled, and with sheer force, he blasted the recruit backward several steps.
This—
Was Roya's current strength.
After a month of training under Garp—constantly breaking limits and drawing out his physical potential—Roya's strength had undergone a complete transformation.
If even then he could not vastly surpass ordinary recruits, then during the second month, when he trained under sword pressure, his arm strength had increased by an unknown magnitude. Moreover, the Sword Soul's enhancement to strength could not be underestimated.
With all these factors combined, even in pure strength, Roya stood far ahead. Across the entire standard training camp, there were very few who could contend with him in raw power.
After driving the recruit back with a single sword strike, Roya stepped forward and swept his blade horizontally.
The recruit had not yet recovered from his shock. Seeing the attack, he instinctively raised his axes to block.
Boom!!
Sword and axe collided once more, but this time the sound was no longer a crisp metallic ring—it was a heavy, thunderous boom. Almost instantly, the axes flew out of the recruit's hands, sent spinning away by Roya's strike.
Only at this moment did many of the stunned recruits finally understand—
Why Roya had been able to cut Mozu's and Dars's swords in half.
With such terrifying arm strength, combined with the sharpness of the famed blade Engetsu, failing to cut through steel would have been absurd nonsense.