At this moment, everyone watching was stunned.
Even Lucci and the other field-grade officers on the stage were no different. They all knew the maximum capacity of the Doriki tester.
3,000 Doriki!
Yet Nami had smashed it to pieces with a single punch. How was that even possible? Even if her rage had boosted her strength tenfold, it still wouldn't have been enough!
Beside them, Sean gave a slight nod. 'That's Nami for you. No doubt about it.'
As long as Belly was involved, this girl would dare to punch the Pirate King himself! In the original story, Luffy and Zoro were frequently beaten black and blue by her.
Just then, a Marine approached with the score sheets.
"Commodore, the first round of assessments for all recruits is complete. 128 have passed, and 71 failed to meet the standard!"
"Have the instructors take the failures back. They will be eligible for a re-test in three months!"
"Yes, Commodore!"
The Marine nodded and quickly jogged over to the instructors' group.
Next, for the 128 recruits who had passed the first test, the second assessment awaited them.
The Six Powers!
If the higher-ups at Headquarters knew the assessment standards of the 16th Branch, their eyes would likely pop out of their sockets.
Even in the Headquarters Elite Training Camp, not every student managed to learn the Six Powers over a three-year term. Even those who did usually only mastered a single technique. And that was under the premise that the students were elites recommended by various branches, possessing strength far beyond that of an average Marine, and after three years of rigorous elite training.
As for the standard training camps, the recruits weren't even qualified to learn the Six Powers. It wasn't that the Marine didn't want them to learn, but standard recruit training only lasted three months. The primary curriculum consisted of basic physical fitness, firearms training, artillery operation, and basic hand-to-hand combat.
By the end of their training, most recruits typically had a Doriki value of 10 to 12, which was light-years away from the physical requirements needed to learn Rokushiki. To begin learning the Six Powers, one needed a minimum Doriki of 200.
Of course, the better the baseline condition, the easier it was to learn, and the more effective the techniques became. This was why Sanders waited until Ace and Sophia's Doriki reached 300, or even nearly 400, before starting their instruction.
For the ordinary Marines at the branch, instruction began at 200. If they waited until the recruits hit 300 or 400, the six-month training period would likely be over.
"The second round of assessments officially begins now. The instructor group will lead the way. Recruits will demonstrate the Six Powers one by one. Mastering a single technique is sufficient to pass!"
"Yes, Commodore!"
Immediately, several instructors directed the recruits to spread out, leaving the center of the drill ground empty. They were then called forward one by one according to their training camp ID numbers.
"Recruit 0002, Prado! Begin your demonstration!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing his name, the recruit stepped out from the line and walked to the center of the clearing. The reason he was number 0002 was that recruit 0001 had failed the first assessment and had been sent back for retraining.
"Commodore, Prado's score in the first assessment was 356 Doriki, ranking fifth among all recruits," a Lieutenant explained to Sean while holding the score sheet.
Sean nodded slightly, watching with interest. While he wasn't as talented as Ace or Sophia, Prado was still among the top tier of recruits. Sean wondered if the boy could surprise him by performing two techniques.
Under everyone's gaze, Prado began.
"Soru!"
With a flash, he vanished and reappeared four or five meters away.
The field-grade officers on the stage nodded. Not bad. Although the speed wasn't quite fast enough and the distance was short—and the execution was a bit stiff—he had indeed mastered Soru.
"Recruit Prado has successfully used Soru. Do you wish to continue?" the Marine recording the results asked.
Prado nodded vigorously.
"Tekkai!"
His eyes narrowed as he activated Tekkai. Unfortunately, he couldn't maintain it for long. After only five or six seconds, his strength gave out. He dropped to one knee, panting heavily, his eyes filled with frustration.
"Unable to maintain for a duration. Tekkai failed!"
"However, due to the successful execution of Soru, Recruit Prado passes the second round!"
"Next, Recruit 0003, Sieg! Please step forward!"
...
Time flew by. An hour passed in the blink of an eye. Of the 128 recruits, 55 had completed the second round. So far, 37 had passed and 18 had failed.
"Recruit 0079, Ace! Please step forward!"
It was finally Ace's turn. As he walked to the center of the field, everyone struggled to hold back their laughter.
It was simply... unrecognizable! He looked exactly like a bruised pig's head.
Quickly, everyone shifted their gaze toward Nami in the line.
'Hiss... this woman is ruthless. You absolutely cannot offend her!'
They had seen it with their own eyes—even Ace, the strongest recruit, had been beaten into a pulp. Come to think of it, Ace was a Logia user; how on earth did Nami manage to beat him into that state?
If Sean were to answer that question, it would be: A Nami who has had her Belly stolen is omnipotent!
"Soru!"
"Moonwalk!"
"Rankyaku!"
The moment Ace took the stage, he executed three techniques in one fluid motion. First came Soru, followed by a leap into the air where he used Moonwalk, and finally, a Rankyaku strike from mid-air that slammed into the ground, carving a trench into the drill field.
Although the trench was only about two meters long and ten centimeters deep, it was still a trench—a mini-trench, perhaps.
Ace had completely forgotten the lumps on his head, wearing a look of smug satisfaction. However, with his face so swollen, the expression only made him look more hilarious.
Regardless, while previous recruits had barely managed one technique, Ace's execution of these three was highly proficient, fully meeting combat standards.
Sean nodded. But in the next moment, he raised the microphone.
"Recruit Ace, report to the logistics department after the assessment. Once the logistics department estimates the repair costs for the damage to the drill ground, the amount will be deducted from your monthly salary!"
...
Wait, what?
He had wanted to show off, which was why he decided to follow up his Moonwalk by launching a Rankyaku from mid-air toward the ground.
But the result...
'God, I regret it... Why on earth did I feel the need to show off?'
As for confronting Sean about it, Ace had no such intention. He knew all too well that it would be pointless.
Ultimately, he could only walk away with his head hanging low.
Meanwhile, the Marine in charge of recording the scores called out once more.
"Recruit number 0082, Sophia, please step forward!"
Atop the stage, Lucci's eyes instantly lit up.