"I... give up!"
Doan was straightforward. Once he determined that he couldn't win, he conceded immediately.
In truth, Doan's physique and his proficiency with the Six Powers were actually superior to Ace's. However, he wasn't a Devil Fruit user, and his Haki was only at the beginner stage. He could use it, but that was the extent of it.
Most importantly, Ace was currently like a miniature sun; it was difficult enough just to get close to him, let alone seize his physical body. As for long-range attacks... well, as a beginner in Haki, Doan hadn't yet mastered the second stage of Armament Haki—projection. He could only manage the first stage: partial hardening.
On the viewing stand, Akainu showed no displeasure at Doan's surrender. This was merely a sparring match between Marines, not a battle against pirates. If a soldier could judge that there was no path to victory, there was no need to stubbornly cling on for half a day only to be defeated anyway.
However, the Marines of the 16th Branch were somewhat confused.
'This Commodore from Headquarters doesn't seem as strong as our own Commodore Lucci. In fact, he feels a whole lot weaker...'
If that were the case, could they give it a try? Even if they lost, it wouldn't be embarrassing, right? Suddenly, many Marines began looking for partners to team up for challenges.
But before any of them could propose a new round of combat, another person stepped out from the ranks.
The second strongest person below the rank of Field-grade officer: Sophia.
She had graduated in the same class as Ace. Back during the evaluations, her scores had crushed everyone else's, second only to Ace. However, she was the polar opposite of him.
Ace understood the importance of physique and martial arts and had intensified his training in those areas—his Doriki had already reached over 1,200—but he didn't pour all his energy into them. After all, he also had to develop his Devil Fruit and spent a fixed two hours every day studying vast amounts of scientific knowledge. Consequently, after leaving the training camp, his physical growth had slowed, shifting toward a more balanced, comprehensive development.
Sophia was different.
Since she had no Devil Fruit, she poured every ounce of her energy into her physique and martial arts. Her daily training was insane; within the 16th Branch, she and Zoro were known as the two "training maniacs."
As a result, a few months later, Sophia's Doriki had actually surpassed Ace's, currently reaching over 1,300. Furthermore, because Lucci often gave her private coaching, she was undoubtedly the best among those below Field-grade officer rank in the branch when it came to the Six Powers.
Walking onto the training ground, Sophia casually selected a Commodore as her opponent and then looked toward Sean on the main stand.
Her gaze said it all: 'Vice Admiral, I'm ready. Let's begin!'
"Sean, it looks like she wants a solo challenge as well. How does her strength compare to Ace's?" Akainu asked.
"In terms of overall combat capability, she's definitely a bit weaker than Ace. But if we're talking strictly about martial arts, she's stronger!"
"Speaking of which, where did you recruit these people from? Every single Company-grade officer is comparable to a Commodore or even a Rear Admiral."
Sean's answer genuinely surprised Akainu. However, with Ace's precedent, Akainu wasn't as shocked as he had been before; instead, he was curious about where Sean had found so many high-quality recruits.
"Admiral Sakazuki, Sophia's background is actually quite tragic. Her home village was plundered by pirates. Out of over a hundred villagers, everyone was slaughtered except for her and four other women. Lucci happened to arrive with his men just in time to kill all those pirates. Now, all five women are serving in my 16th Branch."
"Hmph. Those pirates... sooner or later, I will slaughter every last one of them!"
As soon as Sean finished speaking, Akainu's murderous aura suddenly erupted. In his entire life, the thing he hated most was pirates.
"That day will come, Admiral!"
"Yes, you're right. That day will definitely come. Once I become... forget it, let's not talk about that. Let them begin!"
Halfway through his sentence, Akainu abruptly stopped and changed the subject.
Sean, of course, knew exactly what Akainu had intended to say.
'Once I become Fleet Admiral, right?'
Although he felt a bit bad for Akainu, Sean had already reserved the position of the next Fleet Admiral for himself!
"Yes, Admiral!"
With that, Sean stepped forward and raised his right hand again. After confirming that both parties were ready, he brought his hand down.
"Begin!"
Standing opposite Sophia was Commodore Sieg. Among the seven Commodores under Akainu's command, he was the second weakest.
However, that "second weakest" rating referred only to raw power. Unlike Doan, Sieg was a Devil Fruit user. Although his ability lacked direct attacking power, it was incredibly troublesome. If one wasn't careful, even someone like Doan could fall into a trap and lose.
Naturally, Sophia didn't know this.
The moment Sean's hand dropped, Sophia immediately executed two consecutive Sorus, appearing behind Sieg in an instant. Then, she unleashed a whip-kick.
By the time Sieg reacted, it was too late. He managed a slight turn and blocked with his left arm, but he was sent flying instantly. He crashed into the ground over thirty meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The entire training ground—except for Akainu's entourage—was stunned.
'This strength... isn't it too weak?'
Especially the Marines with a Doriki of 500 or 600; they felt as though they wouldn't have fared much worse if they had gone up there.
As for Sophia, she stood frozen in place.
She had only launched a probing attack, so what happened? She had watched Ace's fight with Doan and acknowledged that her martial arts were slightly inferior to Doan's, so she had prepared herself for a hard-fought battle.
And yet...
"Embarrassing wretch!" Akainu cursed under his breath from the main stand.
He knew his subordinates well. If Sieg were judged solely on raw strength, he would be at the level of a Headquarters Captain. There was a reason he held the rank of Commodore. But to be beaten so miserably the moment the match started was truly a disgrace.
"Admiral Sakazuki, Commodore Sieg is a Devil Fruit user, isn't he?" Sean asked.
"Oh? How did you know?"
"Based on that exchange, his Doriki definitely doesn't exceed 500. That clearly isn't enough for a Commodore's level. Since he already holds that rank, he must have something exceptional about him. Therefore, I guessed his Devil Fruit must be very special."
"Good judgment. Sieg is indeed a Devil Fruit user, and as you said, it is a very special ability. If someone is careless, even a Vice Admiral could fall victim to it," Akainu nodded.
Sean silently thought to himself, 'I knew it...'
But if even Akainu described it as a "very special" ability, just what kind of power was it?
'Wait, did this ability never appear in the original story?'
In the center of the training grounds, Sophia snapped back to her senses and began walking toward the cloud of dust that had yet to settle.
Just as she closed the distance to within five seconds of arrival, a peculiar surge of energy suddenly shot out from the debris.
It was too close and too sudden; there was no time to dodge. Reacting instinctively, Sophia crossed her arms in front of her, bracing herself in a defensive stance.
In the next instant, several waves of light energy slammed directly into her.
However, the expected scene of Sophia being blown backward never happened. After the attack landed, she remained completely unscathed.
As the billowing dust finally began to clear, Sieg's figure emerged. He was down on one knee, a trickle of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. Clearly, he had been injured when Sophia had kicked him away earlier.
He slowly stood up and began walking toward her.
Everyone felt that something was off, though they couldn't quite put their finger on what it was. But soon, most of them realized the truth.
Sophia was still frozen in her defensive posture, motionless. Even as Sieg walked right up to her, she didn't react.
No, it wasn't that she wasn't reacting. If one looked closely, Sophia's crossed arms were slowly unfolding. It was just that her movement was agonizingly slow, as if her speed had been reduced a hundredfold.
In the next moment, Sieg stepped past Sophia's side, raised his hand into a knife-hand strike, and slammed it violently into the back of her neck.
Once the strike landed, he stopped moving.
The watching Marines were utterly bewildered, completely unable to comprehend what had just happened.
However, Sean, watching from the stands, saw exactly what it was. And because he understood, he was genuinely shocked.
'Isn't that Silver Fox Foxy's ability? Did my presence cause a butterfly effect that led to that guy's death?'
'No, not necessarily. The main plot doesn't start for another year and a half. It's possible that in the original timeline, the previous user died, and Foxy acquired the Devil Fruit later.'
The Paramecia-type Slow-Slow Fruit!
'If I remember correctly, how long does the effect of the Slow-Slow Beam last?'
He remembered—thirty seconds!
No wonder Akainu had mentioned that if one wasn't careful, even a Vice Admiral could fall victim to it. This was what he meant.
He had to admit, if used correctly, this was a terrifying ability. There were many Devil Fruits in the world of pirates that lacked direct offensive power, yet they were among the most fearsome. The Slow-Slow Fruit was one; Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit was another.
Though they lacked raw destructive power, who would dare underestimate them?
"It seems the girl has no chance now. But this is for the best; it serves as a reminder to her not to underestimate anyone!" Akainu remarked from the side.
While Sophia's tentative use of her tentacles had impressed him, her decision to rush in without confirming the situation had made Akainu frown. It was precisely this carelessness that allowed Sieg to seize the opportunity for a sneak attack and flip the battle in his favor.
However, considering Sophia had been an ordinary civilian only a year ago, reaching her current level of strength was already a remarkable achievement. As for combat experience, that would come naturally with more actual fighting.
Despite his words, Akainu was actually quite satisfied with Sophia's progress.
Soon, the thirty seconds elapsed.
As the effect of the Slow-Slow Beam wore off, Sophia's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed instantly. While her physical constitution and martial arts were far superior to Sieg's, the back of the neck is a universal weak point. Being completely defenseless, even with Sieg's Doriki being less than 500, it was more than enough to knock her unconscious.
Meanwhile, the other six Commodores under Akainu's command all covered their faces.
How embarrassing!
To defeat a girl not even twenty years old, he actually had to rely on a sneak attack. To think this man was their colleague... it was simply pathetic!
Sieg, however, couldn't care less. It didn't matter how he won; what mattered was that he 'had' won!
He looked at Doan with a smug expression, thinking, 'You're the supposed strongest among us, Doan, yet you still lost, didn't you?'
With a triumphant air, he began walking back toward the line of Commodores. But after only a few steps, he realized his six colleagues were all staring with wide eyes and gaping mouths.
They looked as if they had seen a ghost.
"Hey, what's with you guys? Why the faces?"
No one responded. In the next moment, Sieg realized they weren't looking at him. They seemed to be looking behind him.
'Could it be...'
Suddenly realizing something, Sieg whipped around to look!