Just judging by physique alone, there was a clear gap between Roya and Very Good.
Roya had the height and build of an ordinary person. Though he did not appear frail, compared to the much taller and bulkier Very Good, he still looked somewhat slender.
As for Very Good, Roya actually had some impression of him. In the original story, he seemed to be a Paramecia-type Berry-Berry Fruit user, capable of splitting his body into balls to evade attacks.
Under the mocking gazes of the veterans, Very Good wore an arrogant expression and beckoned at Roya.
"Come on. As your senior, I'll give you three moves!"
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry. Three moves are too troublesome… one move will do."
Roya looked at Very Good calmly, lightly gripping the hilt of Engetsu. At the instant his words fell, a crimson line suddenly flashed across the air as the Engetsu sword was drawn in a blur.
Ittōryū: Kasō!
Boom!!
Before Roya's slash even fully landed, a silvery-white gleam flashed along the blade. In the next instant, it was completely engulfed by flames that suddenly surged up and coiled around the sword.
With a single swing, it was as if a fire dragon burst forth from its lair.
Towering flames erupted violently, sweeping toward Very Good. At the same time, a streak of silvery-white sword energy was mixed within the inferno. That sword energy, embedded in the crimson flames, was like the eye of a dragon—creating the impression that a true fire dragon had descended upon the world.
When they first heard Roya say he was "in a hurry," both Very Good and the surrounding veterans froze for a moment, then broke into mocking smiles, paying it no mind at all.
But in the next instant, everyone's eyes widened, jaws nearly dropping to the ground. Staring at the flames erupting from Roya's blade, all of them wore expressions of utter disbelief.
"What the hell—fire?!"
"You've got to be kidding me. Could that be… a Logia Flame-Flame Fruit?!"
Even the veterans watching from the sidelines were dumbfounded. Needless to say, Very Good—who was facing the surging inferno head-on—was even more shocked. Seeing the flames mixed with sword energy crash toward him, his instinctive reaction was to dodge.
However, the speed of the flames and sword energy was terrifyingly fast. Even though he exerted himself to the limit to evade, he only managed to avoid half his body.
Under Very Good's horrified gaze, his body was engulfed head-on by the flames and sword energy.
This scene left the veterans utterly stunned. Even Ain and Sadi, among the female Marines present, stared in astonishment at Roya calmly sheathing his sword, their beautiful eyes filled with amazement.
Boom!!
Under the impact of the flames, Very Good's body suddenly shattered into countless round balls, scattering in all directions. In doing so, he managed to avoid the sword energy mixed within the flames.
This was not a Logia ability, but rather the Paramecia Berry-Berry Fruit—allowing him to split into balls to evade attacks.
Seeing this, Roya showed no surprise at all, nor did he make any move to strike again. Instead, a trace of contempt flashed through his eyes.
Fire… doesn't care whether you're human or a ball.
Crash—!!
Even though Very Good had split into countless small balls, the flames scattered as well, precisely wrapping around every single one of them. No matter how the balls rolled about, they could not extinguish the burning flames.
"So hot! It burns! It burns!!"
The balls rolled frantically across the ground. The largest one—Very Good's head—had long since lost its arrogant expression. Instead, he screamed miserably, his eyes filled with fear.
He simply could not believe that Roya possessed a flame-type ability.
At this moment, he had already mistaken Roya for a Logia Flame-Flame Fruit user. Even the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, which lacked strong offensive power, allowed Smoker to firmly occupy the top spot in the Elite Camp. How much more terrifying would a highly offensive flame ability be?
If turning into balls could not extinguish the fire, then he would be burned alive if this continued.
"I concede! I concede!!"
Amid his screams, Very Good directly admitted defeat.
Clang!!
This was the sound of Roya sheathing his sword. At the exact moment the blade fully entered its scabbard, the flames burning across the field abruptly extinguished, as if they had never existed.
One slash ignited the fire. One slash extinguished it.
Gurgle, gurgle.
All the balls rolled back together, reforming into Very Good's body. He now looked utterly miserable, with none of his previous arrogance remaining.
Fortunately, he had not been burned for long. Only his clothes were charred black and riddled with holes, while the burns on his body were not severe. Otherwise, he might not even have been able to stand.
After sheathing his sword, Roya indifferently shook his head. Without another glance at Very Good, he turned and left.
The new recruits who had arrived with Roya already knew that he could unleash flames with his sword. Even so, seeing him completely crush Very Good in a single move—forcing the previously domineering veteran to immediately concede—still left them shaken.
"Against an Elite Camp veteran… a one-move kill as well?!"
"Are we really from the same rookie class?"
They muttered to themselves in shock.
Even those who already knew Roya's abilities were stunned. As for the veterans, their shock was even greater. Watching Roya's departing figure, disbelief was written across their faces.
Very Good was no ordinary figure.
With his Paramecia Berry-Berry Fruit, Very Good ranked solidly in the middle—if not slightly above—among the Elite Camp. Yet he had been so effortlessly defeated in a single move by a newcomer who had just arrived.
How could that not be unbelievable?
And what exactly was the ability Roya had just used?
Flames!
Smoker's dominance in the Elite Camp was partly due to his strong physical skills, but also because of his Logia Smoke-Smoke Fruit. Even so, smoke lacked strong offensive power. Flames, however, were a completely different matter.
At this moment, as the shock lingered, the veterans unconsciously turned their heads toward Smoker, who had appeared nearby at some point, two cigars clenched between his teeth.
"He's not a Logia user," Smoker said after watching Roya's retreating figure and reflecting on the scene. "The flames didn't originate from his body, but from his sword. And certain details are different from Logia abilities."
"I don't know what kind of flame ability that is, but it's definitely not Logia."
As a Logia Smoke-Smoke Fruit user himself, Smoker was extremely familiar with Logia abilities. Though he did not know Roya's exact power, he was certain it was not Logia.
"So it scared me for nothing. It's not Logia after all?"
"Hah, I thought there was another Logia user. If it's just a similar ability, then compared to you, Smoker, there's really nothing to talk about."
After hearing Smoker's words, the veterans were momentarily stunned, then visibly relaxed.
"So the one-move kill was just a coincidence? If Very Good had dodged the flames and counterattacked, he might not have lost."
"Haha, instead he underestimated his opponent and got one-shot by a rookie—then even panicked into conceding."
As they spoke, several veterans turned to look at Very Good—his body charred black, injuries light but appearance utterly miserable—and burst out laughing.
Very Good stood there in a daze, never expecting things to turn out this way. His face darkened even further, frustration welling up inside him.
"No, this won't do. I'm going to fight that brat again!"
"Hahaha, you should probably change your clothes first. Look—Ain and the others are already too embarrassed to stay here."
The veterans pointed at the many burned holes in Very Good's clothes and laughed loudly.
Very Good's old face flushed red. He looked down at the tattered holes in his clothes, his mouth twitching slightly. In the end, he could only leave in disgrace.