Standing over six meters tall, Roldy looked like a war god at the center of the training grounds.
As the cadets charged toward him, he casually hurled Dragon straight into the crowd. The Gorilla Zoan user in front—possessor of the Ape-Ape Fruit, Model: Gorilla—hurriedly caught Dragon, only to be blasted backward by the overwhelming force. His boots carved two long trenches across the ground before he finally came to a stop.
"Dragon, are you alright?"
"I—ugh!"
The cadet stared miserably at Dragon, whose face was pale as he vomited into his arms.
Brother… could you at least turn your head? You had chive dumplings this morning! The smell is lethal!
"Don't be afraid—charge!"
One cadet recovered first. Waving his saber, he rushed at Roldy . The others followed suit.
Several leapt into the air using Geppo, their legs slicing out crescent-blue Rankyaku blades that screamed toward Roldy . Others vanished with Soru, flashing behind him and unleashing relentless Shigan strikes against his massive frame.
But…
"It's nowhere near enough!"
Roldy roared and stomped the ground with his right foot. The shockwave blasted the attackers behind him away. His enormous hands swept through the air, shattering every incoming Rankyaku slash.
"One-Sword Style: Forward Slash!"
"One-Sword Style: Steel Cleave!"
"Two-Sword Style: Twin Blossom Slash!"
Three swordsmen attacked in unison.
Roldy used no fancy tricks—he simply threw a punch.
Four blades collided with his fist. Armament Haki sparked violently on impact—but in the next instant, all four sabers shattered.
Roldy had held back.
His fist continued forward, smashing into the three cadets.
They were sent flying. One was caught by Zephyr. Another was barely saved by fellow cadets. The unluckiest one landed headfirst—embedded straight into the ground.
"If this is all you've got, then as Rear Chief Instructor, I'll have no choice but to fail your combat assessment!"
Roldy scooped up a few pebbles and hurled them with explosive force.
They screamed through the air like bullets—
Then suddenly expanded mid-flight.
"Moa Moa— Fifteenfold Scattershot!"
Fifteen times.
Yes—Roldy 's mastery of the Moa Moa no Mi (Multiply-Multiply Fruit) had advanced again. From tenfold to twentyfold amplification—this was a qualitative leap. His relentless training laid the foundation, while his bloodline awakening shattered the final bottleneck.
The tiny stones now carried power rivaling cannon shells.
"Great Eruption!"
Scorching magma engulfed the incoming barrage.
A towering figure wreathed in molten heat stepped forward and adjusted his cap.
Sakazuki.
He said nothing—but the magma boiling along his arms spoke volumes.
"Now that's interesting. Sakazuki… I hope you can last a little longer."
This time, Roldy did not wait.
He moved first.
"Moa Moa— Twentyfold Speed!"
He became lightning incarnate.
Sakazuki dared not underestimate him. From the moment he stepped onto the battlefield, his Observation Haki had been fully deployed.
Even so—
By the time he reacted, Roldy 's fist had already slammed into his abdomen.
A transparent shockwave tore through his body. It felt as if a raging rhinoceros had rammed him.
Sakazuki's vision went white.
His body collapsed forward, nearly losing consciousness. But sheer willpower forced his awareness back. He planted his left foot, barely steadying himself—
He turned his head—
And saw another fist rapidly enlarging in his pupils.
Boom!
The sound alone was enough to make one's bones ache.
Zephyr's face twitched.
Kid… I told you to assess them—not beat them half to death!
Even someone as tough as Sakazuki was flattened by that punch. He rolled across the ground more than a dozen times before painfully propping himself up on his elbow.
Blood trickled down his forehead.
His entire body screamed in agony.
Only now did Sakazuki truly understand the gap between himself and Roldy .
A few exchanges—that was all it took to push him into utter disgrace. From beginning to end, he hadn't even launched a proper counterattack.
He knew this assessment exceeded normal standards.
He also knew he would graduate regardless—he would be one of the brightest cadets of this Marine Officer Training Camp. Even if he collapsed now, no one would criticize him. His injuries were real.
But—
"Your punches barely tickle. Is that all the strength you're so proud of?"
He staggered to his feet, sneering defiantly.
Lie down? Choose comfort?
That might be how most people lived—but not Sakazuki.
He wanted every pirate in this world eradicated.
He would enforce Absolute Justice across the seas.
The justice he carried would not allow him to fall.
Roldy looked at him in mild surprise.
Stubborn as a mule.
Good. That's the Sakazuki he knew.
"Hound Blaze!"
The magma around Sakazuki's arm transformed into a ferocious crimson hound. Its temperature was far hotter than usual—so intense that the air itself warped under the heat.
This was the strongest attack in this year's training camp.
Unfortunately—
Still not enough.
"Gale — Dragon Twister!"
A violent hurricane surged forward.
Roldy glanced sideways. Dragon—face still pale—was manipulating the wind, sealing off Roldy 's retreat. The raging currents dragged at his massive frame as Sakazuki's magma hound closed in from the front.
If he dodged, he'd waste their effort.
So—
He didn't dodge.
A crimson glint flashed in Roldy 's eyes.
Coated in Armament Haki, he brazenly caught Sakazuki's attack head-on.
In the next instant, his figure blurred—
And his hand clamped around Dragon's throat in the distance.
Zephyr covered his face.
He knew.
It was over.
"Sea Drop!"
Roldy 's voice echoed from midair.
The ground trembled violently beneath Zephyr's feet—lifting even him slightly off balance.
When the dust settled—
A massive crater dominated the training grounds.
Dragon lay unconscious at its center.
Sakazuki hung limply in Roldy 's grasp like a rag doll.
The gap…
Was absolute.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789