"I-I'm not seeing things, am I? Major Bogard was defeated?!"
After a brief silence, a Marine soldier's exclamation ignited a cacophony.
"Incredible! That kid! How old is he?! One punch sent Major Bogard flying?!"
"Major Bogard is our Marine genius. How could he be taken down so fast?! This is impossible!"
"Is this kid really only twelve? To have such strength at twelve?!"
...
The scene turned into a boiling kettle, the noise reaching a fever pitch.
Many Marines chattered, unable to believe their eyes, faces etched with incredulity.
"I... was my worry misplaced?" Lansa's jaw dropped, his gaze vacant.
He thought Goku wouldn't fare well against Bogard; who knew Bogard wouldn't last a single exchange?
"Is this kid really that powerful?"
"No, Goku is strong, but not enough to defeat Bogard in one hit under normal circumstances."
As he muttered to himself, Garp's voice came from beside him.
Garp shoved a handful of rice crackers into his mouth, crunching as he spoke, "The only reason Bogard was sent flying just now was that he was too careless."
"He didn't take Goku seriously at all, so he never expected the boy to possess such raw power."
"This young man was getting a bit too arrogant. It's good for him to suffer a little and get toughened up."
Hearing Garp's explanation, Lansa realized the truth, his admiration for Garp deepening.
'So Vice Admiral Garp saw this coming all along. That's why he stopped me earlier. Truly a veteran!'
As he marveled, as if proving Garp right, Bogard—who had been stuck in the metal plating for a while—finally moved.
"Damn it... I was careless."
Bogard pried himself out of the steel, clutching his stomach and glaring through gritted teeth at the innocent-looking Goku.
He no longer looked calm and collected. His hair was a mess, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth—the very image of a loser.
'I won't lose to this shrimp! Not while my pride is on the line!!'
Feeling the burning stares of everyone around him, his face flushed. He swore in his heart.
The gazes he previously ignored now felt like needles pricking his skin, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Only by defeating Goku could he pull those needles out!
"Huh? You're really strong. You could still stand up after taking my punch."
The adorable Goku looked at Bogard, who had walked back in front of him, and praised him from the bottom of his heart.
Goku felt incredibly strong now, as if he could defeat any opponent.
Since he had never possessed such power before—power he felt could easily crush many versions of his past self—he was genuinely impressed that Bogard could take a direct hit and keep fighting.
But to Bogard, those words sounded like an insult.
His face turned beet red as he hissed, "Don't get cocky! I was just caught off guard! I won't hold back anymore!"
The surrounding Marines seemed to back him up, nodding as they realized, "So that's it. I knew Major Bogard couldn't be taken down like that. He was holding back."
"Makes sense. His opponent is just a kid, after all. It's normal for the Major to go easy."
...
Even though the Marines were agreeing with him, for some reason, Bogard felt even worse.
He took a stance and told Goku, "Come! I'll show you the gap between us!"
Goku looked at Bogard's raised hands and pointed at one of them, asking sincerely, "Huh? Didn't you say you'd only use one hand?"
Bogard: "..."
"To show you proper respect, I've decided to use both hands."
Bogard's face tightened as he forced the words out.
"Oh, I see." Goku nodded seriously, seemingly believing him.
Bogard: "..."
Fearing he would lose his composure if they kept talking, Bogard bellowed, "I'm coming!"
He lunged toward Goku. His right leg whipped out like a lash, whistling through the air as it swept toward the boy.
Whoosh!
Goku hopped lightly, easily dodging the strike. He flipped twice in mid-air and landed behind Bogard.
"Hehe! Over here!"
He flashed a peace sign with his small hand, wearing an innocent smile.
Bogard turned around, his face darkening.
"Brat, don't get ahead of yourself!"
With that, he lunged again, his fists raining down like a torrential downpour.
Goku ducked and dove through the onslaught, not letting a single blow touch even the corner of his clothes.
Two breaths later, Goku stepped back twice before leaping in front of Bogard, swinging his small, fair fists.
The tables had turned. Now it was Bogard's turn to dodge.
But to his horror, he found it nearly impossible to evade. He could only raise his arms to block, and the sheer force behind the blows shocked him.
'This kid... how can he be this strong?!'
Seeing Bogard forced back by Goku's attacks, the Marines broke into an uproar.
"Is Major Bogard on the defensive?"
"Is this kid really this strong? Or is the Major still holding back?"
Hearing the chatter, Bogard momentarily lost his focus. That lapse caused his movements to slow by a fraction.
Inevitably, Goku's fist slammed into his face, sending him flying once more!
Boom!!
Bogard smashed an indentation into the ship's railing. Seeing stars, he felt the whole world turn upside down.
After a moment, he shook his head, forcing himself to stay conscious. He stood up and attacked Goku again.
But this time, not even a few seconds passed before he was sent flying back, creating another dent in the railing.
"Hey, you're strong, but you're no match for me."
Goku's blunt words stabbed straight into his heart.
He lay on the deck for a long while before enduring the pain to stand up. Looking at Goku's youthful face, he finally calmed down.
"Little guy, you are indeed powerful. Much stronger than I was when I first joined the Marines. Now I understand why Vice Admiral Garp wanted to recruit you."
He glanced at the smiling Garp and realized the Vice Admiral had allowed this duel largely to teach him that there's always someone better—to cure him of his arrogance.
'Thank you, Vice Admiral Garp. I understand now.'
He whispered in his heart.
At that moment, Garp said to Lansa, "Watch. Now that Bogard has cleared his head, it's time for Goku to suffer a bit. He needs to learn there are plenty of people in the Marines stronger than him."
Lansa nodded like a woodpecker. "Mhm, mhm!"
On the field, Bogard looked at Goku again, a confident smile playing on his lips. "You're strong, but saying I'm no match for you is a grave mistake."
"I wasn't called a genius just because I joined the Marines early. It's because I have a talent for the Six Powers—martial arts that transcend human limits."
"Now, let me show you one of them."
He muttered under his breath, "Soru!"
Shing!!
In an instant, he vanished and reappeared behind Goku.
Following up immediately, he kicked Goku squarely in the back.
Wham!!!
Goku was plastered against the steel wall of the cabin like a starfish before sliding down, a red mark on his forehead.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"
Goku clutched his forehead, tears welling up from the pain.
"How was that? Now you know how strong I am, kid." Bogard stood with his hands behind his back, feeling back in control, the victory within his grasp.
"Each of the Six Powers is a technique an ordinary person might struggle a lifetime to learn. But for me, I mastered Soru in just four months."
He spoke with a flat tone, earning looks of adoration from the surrounding Marines.
"Major Bogard is amazing! I tried learning Soru too, but I could never get the hang of it."
"Tell me about it. The Six Powers are just too hard. I'd be thanking my lucky stars if I could master just one in my life."
After the pain subsided, Goku stood up and said huffily, "I can do that too!"
"You can?"
Bogard blinked, then couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha! Kid, even if you are talented, learning it would take—"
Before he could finish, Goku's figure suddenly vanished, making Bogard's eyes bulge.
In the next heartbeat, just as he sensed something was wrong, Goku appeared behind him and delivered a flying kick straight to his kidney.
Wham!!
Instantly, another human-shaped indentation appeared on the cabin wall.
The expressions of the Marines froze. It was as if they were being choked; they couldn't make a sound.
Garp's hand, reaching for a rice cracker, stopped mid-air. His pupils dilated slightly.
"V-Vice Admiral Garp... was this also part of your prediction?"
The slack-jawed Lansa asked instinctively.
Garp snapped out of it and laughed boisterously, "Bwahaha! Of course! I knew Goku was something special. That's why I had to bring him into our Marines!"
"But didn't you just say Goku was going to suffer—"
Boom!!
Lansa collapsed to the ground with a massive lump on his head and swirls in his eyes. Garp withdrew his fist as if nothing had happened and stuffed a rice cracker into his mouth.
"Sheesh, young people and their daydreaming."