The training camp's parade ground was packed with people.
Everywhere, whispers buzzed—
faces full of suppressed excitement.
After being left "to fend for themselves" for two whole weeks, to the point many wondered if they had been forgotten entirely…
They finally saw a living instructor.
Some recruits were moved to tears.
At the front stood Zephyr—the Chief Instructor.
Behind him stood a row of well-known Rear Admirals and Vice Admirals.
Even in the New World, that lineup was enough to shake the seas.
The overwhelming pressure made even the Headquarters recruits stiffen their backs with pride.
The enlisted from the branch bases felt their blood boil as well.
This was the Marine Headquarters.
This was the power of justice.
"Silence!"
Zephyr's voice thundered through the air like an explosion.
The roaring crowd instantly fell still, as if grabbed by the soul.
"I know many of you have complaints.
You blame me for wasting two whole weeks of your time."
"But listen well."
"The instructors of the training camp will only guide you for three years.
Everything after that…
will depend on you."
"Tell me—
after leaving this camp, will you no longer have to struggle?
No longer need to push yourselves?
No longer have to grow stronger?"
"Those who think the last two weeks were 'a waste' have one thing in common—
they rely on others pushing them from behind.
They have never once considered striving forward on their own."
"A truly strong person first possesses a strong heart.
You must learn to defeat yourselves—
your desires, your laziness, your greed, your fears."
"A person who cannot conquer himself,
no matter how strong his power becomes,
will remain a slave to it—
and eventually, walk toward destruction."
"These two weeks were time for you to face yourselves…
and also time for me to evaluate you."
"And the results…"
Zephyr's eyes swept across the crowd like blades.
"I am extremely dissatisfied."
"In the first few days, all of you were disciplined.
Good."
"But after that, the number of people who continued training began plummeting.
By the second week, only a handful remained."
"And yesterday—
the number of people still training was ten."
"Ten.
Out of four hundred."
"You were selected as the elite of the Marines—
one in ten thousand."
"So tell me…"
Zephyr's voice grew cold.
"Since when…
does someone who can't even last two weeks…
deserve to be called elite?"
Among the four hundred, some lowered their heads in shame.
Some stayed indifferent.
Some even felt indignant.
Zephyr didn't care.
He continued, voice firm and resonant:
"This is your first lesson—
The source of strength is not what we teach you,
not Devil Fruits,
not anything external…"
"It is the one thing you constantly overlook—
your own heart."
"To be weak is not shameful.
But accepting weakness—
getting used to weakness—
is."
"For the next three years,
I will strip your weakness bare.
You will face it.
You will confront it."
As Zephyr's words fell, several officers stepped forward and distributed lists through the crowd.
"As you can see,
this is the ranking I made based on your performance over the last two weeks."
"It is meant to show you the gap between yourselves and your peers—
and to help you choose a suitable target to chase."
"For those at the bottom,
this may be cruel."
"But if you cannot handle this tiny setback—
you are unfit to remain a Marine."
The moment the lists were handed out, shouts erupted everywhere—
shock, joy, disbelief, outrage.
Longinus could feel countless eyes landing on him.
Zephyr raised a hand for silence.
"I know some of you will claim this ranking is meaningless.
That it's only my subjective assessment."
"I don't mind if you wish to challenge each other.
In fact, that is why the ranking exists."
"So you can find suitable opponents to push each other forward."
While Zephyr spoke, Longinus unfolded the list in his hand.
The chart was shockingly detailed:
1st — Longinus
Mental Fortitude: S
Strength: S
Speed: S
Endurance: S
Martial Arts: S
Swordsmanship: —
Marksmanship: S
Devil Fruit: —
Observation Haki: S
Armament Haki: —
Overall Evaluation: S
2nd — Gion
Mental Fortitude: S
Strength: A
Speed: S
Endurance: B
Martial Arts: B
Swordsmanship: S
Marksmanship: —
Devil Fruit: —
Observation Haki: —
Armament Haki: —
Overall Evaluation: S
3rd — Kaji
Mental Fortitude: C
Strength: S
Speed: B
Endurance: S
Martial Arts: A
Swordsmanship: —
Marksmanship: —
Devil Fruit: S
Observation Haki: —
Armament Haki: —
Overall Evaluation: S
Nearly everyone turned their gaze toward Longinus.
But with his composure, the attention didn't stir a ripple in his heart.
He simply reasoned inwardly:
It's judged by graduation standards, then.
Otherwise, I wouldn't be rated this highly.
The instructors watching from the platform nodded silently.
Forget strength—
this mindset alone placed him above all others.
Zephyr spoke again:
"This ranking uses the standard of third-year graduates."
"An A means the level you should reach after three years.
An S means a level ranking near the very top among graduates."
"As for anything B or lower…"
Zephyr didn't bother finishing the sentence.
The meaning was clear:
Your goal is to reach A.
Not admire mediocrity.
The crowd erupted completely this time.
They already knew there were three "monsters" this year.
But until now, they had no clear sense of how wide the gap was.
Now they understood:
The three monsters were already standing beyond the finish line
before everyone else had even taken their first step.
Fourth place—Lonos—was the most tragic.
His ranking was high, but compared to the top three,
the gap was so vast he was completely forgotten.
More and more people stared at Longinus, overwhelmed.
"Everything is S except swordsmanship, fruit, and armament…
How is that even possible!?"
"And what is this…
Observation Haki?
Armament Haki?
Why do only he have grades in those!?"
Gion, unlike the bewildered recruits, felt genuine shock.
Haki?
At this stage?
And with S-level evaluation?
That's not 'beginner level'…
She had acknowledged his sense of justice.
But she never believed he surpassed her in strength.
That was why she hadn't challenged him.
But now—
a burning fighting spirit quietly awakened within her.
Zephyr swept his gaze across the crowd.
"If any of you doubt the ranking,
I have time today."
"You may verify it yourselves."
Just as Gion opened her mouth—
"I WANT TO CHALLENGE LONGINUS!"
Kaji roared, eyes blazing with fury.
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