Within the 16th Branch, there were currently four great beauties: Makino, Kalifa, Ain, and Sophia.
Of course, in another two or three years, Nami would undoubtedly become the fifth, but for now, she was still too young and needed more time to grow.
Because of this, Sophia was incredibly popular among the recruits. Had she not spent every waking hour training like her life depended on it, she would likely have been pursued by a horde of admirers.
While Kalifa was also highly popular, she worked in the intelligence department and rarely appeared within the branch. As for Ain, though she was stunningly beautiful with a perfect figure, she was known within the training camp as the "Devil Instructor."
Consequently, the most popular of the four was the branch's cook, Makino. However, there were persistent rumors that Makino and Commodore Sean were... "involved," so no Marine was foolish enough to try his luck.
Regardless, at this moment, the majority of the recruits and veterans alike were cheering Sophia on.
Once Sophia stepped onto the stage, she took a deep breath and instantly executed a Soru. Although she wasn't as polished as Ace, her technique had reached a standard viable for actual combat.
Then, she stopped.
This left many people bewildered. Even some of the ordinary Marines would attempt a second move, though none had ever fully succeeded. Was Sophia—the second-best in the training camp after Ace—really only going to demonstrate a single Soru?
That didn't seem right.
"Recruit Sophia, are you finished?" the Marine recording the scores asked, sounding surprised.
"No. The next demonstration requires a partner because I'll be performing the Kami-e of the Six Powers!"
'What? Kami-e?'
The Marines were stunned. Wasn't it common knowledge that Kami-e was the last technique to be learned in the Six Powers? It was the most difficult to master; even many field-grade officers and admirals at Headquarters had mastered five of the techniques but failed to learn Kami-e.
"Are you sure you want to demonstrate Kami-e?"
"Yes!" Sophia nodded firmly.
Just then, a figure blurred toward the stage.
"I'll do it!"
In the next instant, Lucci appeared directly in front of Sophia.
The speed left every recruit—and even the veterans—breathless. 'Was this Captain Lucci's Soru?' The speed was staggering, and the distance he had covered looked to be over thirty meters.
Even Ace couldn't help but clench his fists upon seeing it. He hadn't forgotten how Lucci had beaten him senseless back in Foosha Village.
He thought that after six months of training, he had closed the gap, but it seemed his strength was still worlds apart from Lucci's.
"Recruit Sophia, are you ready?" Lucci asked expressionlessly.
"Ready, Captain Lucci!"
"Begin!"
With a sudden 'whoosh', Lucci lunged forward and unleashed a whip kick. He moved so fast that most of the recruits didn't even realize he had attacked.
Even then, Lucci hadn't even used twenty percent of his normal strength.
However, just as the kick was about to connect, Sophia moved. The strike swept past her, grazing her by the narrowest of margins. Lucci immediately launched another attack, increasing his speed. The two became a blur of motion—one attacking, one evading—moving with incredible velocity.
Up on the main platform, the observers commented.
"Sophia is indeed impressive. She's far stronger than the ones we trained."
"True. Many of the recruits we sent over still haven't even mastered Soru."
"That's not entirely fair. The training methods are different. Aside from the Six Powers, we have to spend most of our time learning intelligence skills."
The members of the p9 group continued to exchange thoughts as they watched the display. On the field, the two finally separated.
"Not bad. Your Kami-e is very proficient," Lucci remarked. With a nod, he used Soru to vanish from the field and reappear back on the platform.
The presiding Marine loudly announced that Sophia had passed with a grade of "proficient" in two Six Powers techniques, triggering a wave of applause from both recruits and veterans. The veterans, in particular, were genuinely impressed. Even those born at Headquarters—who had eaten three months more Sea King jerky than the recruits—hadn't mastered Kami-e. Even the five who had come from the Elite Training Camp were no exception.
Following this, the examination entered a dull period. Most candidates either barely managed a single move that wasn't combat-ready or failed to produce any technique at all.
Until...
"Recruit number 0139, Nami, step forward for your demonstration!"
Hearing this, everyone immediately perked up. This was the ultimate dark horse! Despite her usual bottom-tier performance in the training camp, the image of her smashing the Doriki tester with a single punch was still fresh in everyone's minds.
Everyone was curious: could the girl who shattered the tester actually execute the Six Powers?
"Um... I also need a partner."
"Recruit Nami, don't tell me you want to demonstrate Kami-e as well?"
"Yes. It's the only one I know..."
The crowd was speechless. Sophia had already shocked them, and now Nami wanted to do the same? Was it somehow easier for women to learn Kami-e than the other five techniques?
Even the Marine recording the scores began to question reality. He turned toward the main platform.
"Which one of you is going?"
"I'll go," Kalifa spoke up. "For some reason, I feel a certain connection to this girl."
She wasn't just speaking randomly; she truly felt a strange affinity for Nami, though she couldn't explain why.
Sean nodded. Kalifa and Nami did indeed have a "connection"—at the very least, in another life, they had shared a very peculiar fight.
Quickly, Kalifa used Soru to dash toward the center of the field. Unlike Lucci, who could cover the distance in one go, she had to use Soru twice to reach Nami.
"Are you ready?"
"Ready, Lieutenant Commander Kalifa!"
"Then let's begin. Take this!"
Kalifa's long leg whipped out in a strike. While she wasn't as fast as Lucci, her rapid succession of kicks created a blur of afterimages that was visually stunning.
Of course, that was only for the people on the main platform. The recruits couldn't keep up with the speed, so the beautiful display was lost on them.
Meanwhile, Nami began to dodge. With minimal movement, she precisely evaded every single kick.
On the main stage.
"While she's a bit behind Sophia, she has certainly mastered Kami-e."
"Speaking of which, is there any record in CP9's history of someone learning Rokushiki and mastering Kami-e first?"
"Not that I know of!"
"Right, Nami is only sixteen, isn't she?"
"I've checked the files. Nami doesn't turn sixteen for another two months; she's only fifteen!"
"Good grief, Fukuro, you really are something..."
Fukuro's sudden interjection drew a collective sigh of exasperation from the group.
"Have you noticed that every single one of Kalifa's kicks is aimed directly at Nami's face? Do they have some kind of grudge?"
Blueno, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
The group paused, momentarily taken aback.