The dust over the training ground had not yet settled, and Sakazuki lay sprawled messily on the stone floor, having completely lost the ability to fight on.
Borsalino stood in the center of the arena, the pitch black Haki slowly fading from her hands as her usual lazy demeanor resurfaced. Yet, as her clear eyes swept over the field, not a single officer dared to look down on her anymore.
She knew the nature of these Marine Headquarters recruits all too well. Every one of them was a product of the elite system, endowed with exceptional talent and pride. Subduing Sakazuki alone would not prevent others from harboring quiet dissatisfaction in the days to come. If she wanted the next year of training to be peaceful and hassle free, she had to establish absolute authority and thoroughly beat everyone into submission.
Borsalino's tone was calm yet laced with intense pressure, reverberating across the entire training ground. "All of you, come at me together."
Those simple words instantly ignited the crowd. Dozens of young officers flushed red, the pride deep within their hearts thoroughly provoked. Sakazuki's defeat did not mean the rest of them were helpless. Even if her strength was extraordinary, it was impossible for her to contend with the entire group at once.
"How arrogant!"
"She only defeated Sakazuki! Does she really think she can overpower all of us?"
Battle intent surged through the crowd, their initial dread diluted by the confidence of fighting as a unit. They assumed combat stances and began closing in on her from all sides.
Within the ranks, Strawberry, Onigumo, Yamakaji, and Doberman were the most composed, standing as the top powerhouses among this batch of recruits. They naturally assumed the roles of squad leaders, organizing a surrounding formation.
Doberman bore a stern expression, his brow furrowed with seriousness as he spoke in a deep voice. "Her Devil Fruit power is the Glint Glint Fruit, renowned for speed. She is extremely fast and her Haki far exceeds ours. Do not fight her individually: we must cooperate!"
Though Doberman appeared rough on the outside, he was extremely meticulous at heart and skilled at command. As his voice fell, he charged forward. Clenching his fists tight with fierce pressure wrapped around them, he aimed straight for Borsalino's front, intending to pin her down and create an opening for his allies.
Onigumo's figure flickered as he slid to the side, taking up a position on the flank. His footwork was strange and agile, his six arms exceptionally flexible, as he specialized in sudden sword attacks. Drawing two short blades from his waist, cold light flashed off the steel. His gaze locked onto Borsalino's footwork, waiting patiently for an opportunity to launch a surprise harassment rather than rushing into a head-on clash.
Strawberry followed close behind, quietly cutting off Borsalino's retreat paths. The rest of the recruits advanced in step, maintaining an orderly offense and defense. It was not the chaotic mob Borsalino had anticipated.
Looks like I underestimated them.
What was even more noteworthy was that Doberman and Onigumo had already touched the threshold of Haki. Faint yet genuine Armament Haki hovered around them. Though still at an entry level, it boosted the power of their moves far beyond that of ordinary recruits, allowing them to effectively restrict a Logia user.
"Attack!" Doberman barked a low order, and the battle exploded into motion.
From the front, Doberman slammed forward with a fierce punch, Haki coating his fist as he aimed straight for Borsalino's face to force a direct clash. On the other side, Onigumo's blades flashed in rapid succession, sending dense waves of blade wind straight toward her blind spots. The offensive from dozens of recruits instantly wove into a tight, inescapable net.
Yet, faced with an all-out siege, Borsalino's expression remained calm. With Observation Haki fully unleashed, the trajectories of everyone on the field were clearly mapped in her perception.
Tapping her foot lightly, a faint shimmer from Yata no Kagami blurred her form as she accelerated, precisely dodging Doberman's heavy frontal punch while the wind pressure brushed past her clothes.
"She really is fast!" Onigumo's eyes narrowed. The source of this chapter is g.com.
His swords shifted techniques in an instant, abandoning the direct assault to weave a dense net of slashes targeting Borsalino's joints to restrict her movements.
Borsalino swiveled sideways, her posture graceful as she narrowly avoided two gusts of blade wind. At the same time, she raised her hand and condensed a faint golden glow. Light particles burst from her fingertips, firing several slender lasers at high speed to force back two recruits approaching her flank.
Seeing this, Strawberry pressed his attack immediately, his formidable physique barely holding out against the impact of the light particles. Taking advantage of the moment Borsalino adjusted her stance, he slammed forward with his shoulder.
Strawberry's sudden attack was remarkably clever, using his allies' moves to mask his own movement, causing even Borsalino to cast a sideways glance.
She no longer relied solely on dodging and defending. Pitch black Armament Haki instantly covered both her arms, and she raised her hands to block Strawberry's shoulder charge head-on.
A dull collision exploded, and Strawberry felt a tremendous counter force bounce back into him. His body stumbled back two paces, his arms going numb in an instant.
Right at that moment, Doberman and Yamakaji lunged forward together. Two ferocious attacks pressed down simultaneously from left and right in a tight pincer move. With their fists reinforced by Armament Haki, they finally exerted pressure on Borsalino.
"It is working! Keep the rhythm!" Doberman shouted in a heavy tone.
Seizing the opportunity, the two intensified their attacks. Haki-infused fists rained down in rapid succession, combining with Onigumo's slashes to tighten the encirclement once again. For a brief moment, they managed to hold Borsalino in place.
A flicker of genuine admiration passed through Borsalino's eyes. Truth be told, this future lineup of Headquarters Vice Admirals possessed solid foundations. Had she not possessed the speed advantage of her Devil Fruit, this situation would have been tricky to manage.
But that was all it was.
"Time to end this," Borsalino murmured softly to herself.
The golden light around her flared with blinding intensity as the power of the Glint Glint Fruit was fully unleashed. Brilliant light particles swirled around her as beams of light twisted and flowed. Her figure instantly split into several shimmering residual afterimages, dodging the onslaught from all directions simultaneously.
Leaping high into the air, she looked down from above.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
As her crisp voice fell, countless light projectiles poured down from the sky. It was not a wild, indiscriminate bombardment, but a precise barrage aimed at non-lethal targets like limbs, shoulders, and flanks. She was no amateur who missed her targets; years of mastering her Devil Fruit made her precision absolute.
A dense rain of light projectiles blanketed the field. Onigumo swung his twin swords at maximum speed, blade wind fluttering as he tried to sever the incoming light beams. But the light speed barrage was far too dense; several projectiles accurately struck his shoulder and forearm, sending intense pain through his body.
Doberman gritted his teeth and pushed his Haki to tank the barrage, using Armament Haki to protect his upper body. Under the relentless assault, several small wounds opened across his skin, the force driving him back repeatedly.
Yamakaji had been the fastest to advance, making his position the most vulnerable; several light projectiles struck his legs, throwing off his balance and sending him tumbling to the ground.
As for the rest of the ordinary recruits, they were completely powerless to resist. Hit one after another, they cried out in pain as their surrounding formation collapsed instantly. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Borsalino turned into a beam of light, weaving through the field and landing right in the center, her Observation Haki firmly locked onto the remaining few. Giving them no chance to regroup, she closed the distance in a flash. Her pitch black, Haki-coated palms struck out, every blow hitting a critical pressure point.
Onigumo brandished his swords in a desperate last stand, sending strange blade winds slicing toward her face. Borsalino sidestepped smoothly while her other hand, clad in Armament Haki, crushed a wind blade in its grip. With a reverse hand chop to his neck, Onigumo stiffened and fell limply to the stone.
Doberman endured his pain and charged once more, driving a fierce punch straight at her chest. Borsalino caught the punch head-on, leveraging her spin to redirect his momentum as her force dispersed his Haki.
Within moments, the entire offensive across the field was completely dismantled. Strawberry and Yamakaji collapsed one after another from exhaustion, and the crowd of young officers lay strewn across the training field in disarray, injured and unable to rise again.
The clamor faded, and silence returned to the grounds.
Borsalino stood tall, easing her stance as the golden light around her faded, steadying her slightly ruffled breathing. Looking around, her gaze landed on a straight figure standing quietly at the edge of the field.
Momonga.
From start to finish, he had not participated in the siege, standing quietly in the corner observing the entire battle. Now, looking at his defeated, battered peers on the ground, and then at the calm young woman in the center of the field, his eyes were filled with lingering fear and relief, secretly amazed by his own foresight. Had he lost his head earlier and charged in with the crowd, he would definitely be lying among them right now.
The strength of the Captain before them had long surpassed the dimensions of what newcomers like them could comprehend; it was not a gap that numbers could bridge.
Borsalino looked at him and said indifferently, "Not bad."
The sudden praise caught Momonga off guard for a second. He gave a helpless, bitter smile, bowed slightly in respect, and said nothing.
After this fight, it was predictable that the upcoming training would proceed smoothly. But the price had been immense. Nearly all the recruits participating in this session were injured to varying degrees, making it impossible to conduct further training immediately. On its very first day, the grand Marine Elite Training Camp was forced to announce a three day suspension.
This absurd farce quickly spread throughout Marineford.
Garp, who was resting at Headquarters, burst into a belly laugh upon hearing about it. "Bwahahaha! Good! Well fought! Those brats were always walking around with their noses in the air, so they were long overdue for a good beating! That girl Borsalino did a fantastic job!"
In contrast to Garp's delight, Zephyr wore a helpless expression, clutching his forehead with a massive headache. Unsurprisingly, he was soon summoned by Fleet Admiral Kong for questioning.
Inside the office, Kong wore a stern expression as he berated Zephyr in a heavy voice. "Zephyr! As Chief Instructor, how could you allow recruits to fight an instructor in public? And even end up with everyone injured, what an absurdity!"
Zephyr sighed helplessly and admitted his fault frankly. "This was my oversight. I tacitly allowed the duel on site, intending to temper the newcomers, but I failed to keep things under control..."
"Establishing authority can be done step by step," Kong said, his brow tightly furrowed. "Fortunately, two days of rest should fix them right up."
"I understand," Zephyr nodded slightly.
Kong looked at Zephyr and Borsalino, and ultimately waved his hand helplessly. He understood as well that although it was a major farce, it was not necessarily a bad thing. It was just that the spectacle was truly far too ridiculous.