During the month Roya spent undergoing Garp’s special training, he never once appeared at the recruit camp.
By now, many of the recruits there had completely forgotten about him.
Then, just as that month was drawing to a close, a piece of news spread throughout the entire recruit camp like wildfire.
“Have you heard?
The recruit camp’s annual practical combat assessment is about to begin!”
“Of course!
All the training we’ve been doing was in preparation for actual combat…
I heard that whoever takes first place this time, or performs exceptionally well, can enter the Elite Camp and receive personal instruction from Admiral Zephyr!”
The recruits began discussing it among themselves.
At the mention of former Marine Admiral Zephyr, looks of admiration and excitement appeared on their faces.
The Marines were no retirement home.
They trained soldiers who would fight pirates in life-and-death battles.
The Marine Headquarters recruit camp, in particular, existed to cultivate the Marines’ elite forces.
Therefore, Marine Headquarters held a practical combat assessment every year, and all recruits in the Regular Camp were required to participate!
The Marine Headquarters recruit camp was divided into the Regular Camp and the Elite Camp.
The Regular Camp had a large number of recruits and was divided into ten squads, each led and trained by a Rear Admiral instructor.
The Elite Camp, on the other hand, consisted of only a single squad.
After graduating from the Regular Camp, the highest rank a recruit could attain was Captain.
But after graduating from the Elite Camp, even the lowest-ranking graduates would attain the rank of Major!
More importantly, the Elite Camp’s instructor was not an ordinary Marine Rear Admiral.
It was former Marine Admiral Zephyr!
Entering the Elite Camp was the dream of every recruit in the Regular Camp.
After all, the current Marine Admirals—Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji—had all been Zephyr’s disciples and had received training in the Elite Camp!
Amid their excitement, some recruits who knew that they had no chance of entering the Elite Camp began discussing who might be selected this time.
“I’d say first place this time will probably go to Drake from the Fifth Squad, unless something unexpected happens.”
“Drake?
Yeah, probably.
No one can beat Drake.
The gap between his strength and ours is just too great.
I heard that not long ago, he defeated the strongest recruit from the Eighth Squad in a single move.”
At that, the recruit couldn’t help but reveal a trace of awe.
Even though they were all recruits in the Regular Camp, the differences in strength between them were enormous.
The strongest recruit from each squad could easily defeat the other recruits.
And someone like X Drake, who could defeat even the strongest recruits from other squads with a single move, had undoubtedly left everyone else far behind.
“By the way, what do you think will happen when Drake enters the Elite Camp?
Will he still be able to remain number one?” someone suddenly asked curiously.
At those words, someone in the crowd suddenly let out a mocking laugh.
“Number one?
Heh.
Do you even know what kind of monsters are in the Elite Camp?”
The recruits looked at one another.
Most of them shook their heads, clearly knowing very little about the Elite Camp.
Their gazes consequently turned toward the recruit who had laughed.
Seeing so many people looking at him, the recruit took a deep breath.
His expression gradually became extremely serious.
“I heard that the current strongest person in the Elite Camp is named Smoker.
He’s a Logia user—the Smoke-Smoke Fruit!”
“Do you really think there’s anyone who can compete with him?!”
The entire courtyard fell silent.
After hearing that, everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.
“A Logia?!
Isn’t that the strongest of the three types of Devil Fruits?
Can anyone really beat him?!”
“You’ve got to be kidding!
Someone like that is actually still a recruit?”
“If that’s true, then all the recruits from the same generation are probably nothing more than his supporting cast…”
…
In the Courtyard
It was midday, and the sun hung high overhead.
Roya was gripping Engetsu with both hands, repeatedly swinging the blade through the air.
Sweat continuously streamed down his forehead, and both of his arms had become numb, yet he continued to swing the sword without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.
Training the body to its physical limit did not require any fixed method.
Techniques were only necessary when attempting to break through those limits, making it easier to push past the body’s physical boundaries.
As Roya’s body grew stronger and stronger, breaking through his limits naturally became increasingly difficult.
Fortunately, he now possessed the techniques Garp had taught him for breaking through his physical limits.
Although pushing past his limits had become more difficult, he could still continue.
Possessing a special Sword Soul, Roya was naturally very interested in swordsmanship.
He had even specifically asked Garp for advice about it.
Garp’s answer, however, was completely beyond Roya’s expectations.
Garp had told Roya that every powerful swordsman ultimately walked a different path.
There was no fixed path in swordsmanship.
Every person had their own way of the sword.
At the beginning, training in swordsmanship was not much different from physical training.
It was all about strengthening the body, developing arm strength, and improving the power and speed of one’s slashes.
As for the so-called Flying Slash, it was merely an attack method that could be unleashed once the power and speed of one’s slashes reached a certain level.
Although Garp was not a master swordsman, he was a powerhouse who stood at the pinnacle of the sea.
He had seen far too many experts in swordsmanship.
Thus, after receiving this answer from Garp, Roya shifted a small portion of his training focus toward the path of the sword.
And just as Roya was gripping his sword with both hands, maintaining the same posture and repeatedly practicing simple downward slashes, Garp suddenly entered the courtyard and waved at him.
“Roya, you can take a break today.”
“Hm?!”
Roya stopped swinging his sword and turned toward Garp in confusion.
During this entire month, even though Roya felt that he had already been training desperately—almost to the point of madness—Garp had still wished that he would train even harder.
When had Garp ever voluntarily told him to take a break?
Seeing the confused expression on Roya’s face, Garp casually picked his nose with his little finger and said,
“Yeah.
The recruit camp has an annual practical combat assessment.
All recruits are required to participate, and it starts tomorrow.”
Although Garp could easily have exempted Roya from the mandatory assessment, he had no intention of doing so.
Even though the talent and determination Roya had displayed were both excellent, it was impossible for him to become a true powerhouse without experiencing actual combat and being tempered by real bloodshed.
“A practical combat assessment?”
A look of understanding flashed through Roya’s eyes.
He gently stroked Engetsu in his hand, and the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly.
Roya had discovered a long time ago that the golden energy obtained from battle and used to enhance his Sword Soul was at least twice as much as the golden energy gained through ordinary training!
Under such circumstances, there was naturally no way Roya would refuse the practical combat assessment.
Besides, Roya had wanted to test his current strength for a long time.
If he wanted to know roughly where his strength stood, simply imagining it in his head was not enough.
He needed to compare himself against others through actual combat.
By now, Roya’s Sword Soul had already reached Stage Two +6.
Although he was still quite far from the Stage Five required to unleash Ryūjin Jakka, he was already very close to Stage Three.
If nothing unexpected happened, Stage Three would most likely bring about another transformation!
Roya was looking forward to it.