A Test of Strength #58

One month later

I frowned as I swung my spear at the marine soldier approaching me, but I felt no impact as the sharp tip cut through his body like a hot knife would cut through butter.

The marine soldier didn't flinch as his body liquified, turning into clay and slowly mending itself. Naturally, I knew it would happen, so I didn't falter as I forcefully stomped the ground, causing the tiles beneath my feet to crack.

With a grunt of effort, I bent down and picked up a tile before flipping it on the clay marine soldier and crushing him before I took up my spear and sprinted toward Prince, who was on a rock a safe distance away.

"Scary..." Prince said with a smile as he waved his hands, causing seven more clay soldiers to appear, and they immediately moved to block my path without hesitation.

I dispatched the two clay soldiers to reach me with a swift swing of my spear before smashing the head of the third with a punch. Then with my free hand, I retrieved my revolver and blasted the heads of three more clay soldiers.

The last clay soldier managed to sneak up on me, but I reacted in time as I turned in its direction and impaled it with my spear. However, it showed zero reaction as it turned into liquid and engulfed my spear.

I quickly scanned the area and noticed the other clay soldiers slowly regenerating, prompting me to frown as I let go of my spear, ignoring the devil fruit creations as I charged the user.

I closed the distance before he could react and lunged at Prince with my index finger pointed in his direction. The attack landed, and the man turned to liquid, much to my chagrin, causing me to hit the rock and smash it into pieces.

"Your devil fruit power is a serious pain in the ass, Prince..." I said as I turned around and saw my fellow student emerge from behind a tree with a smug grin, dozens of clay soldiers surrounding him. "And you're an even bigger pain," I added, shaking my head at him.

"You're just saying that because I'm not as reckless as you," Prince said with a chuckle. "Well, I'm sure you'll be able to land a hit on me eventually if you keep practicing..." He added as he snapped his fingers, dismissing the clay soldiers.

"I'll be sure to land it on that smug excuse of a face of yours..." I said with a scoff as I went to pick up my spear, shaking it to remove the clay clinging to its shaft with an annoyed expression.

"That's the spirit..." Z-sensei's said as he walked up to me, patting me on the back with a grin. "That's enough for today. You can head out and get some rest, Prince..." He added as he removed his hand from my shoulder.

"Come with me, kiddo. I've got something for you," Instructor Zet said as he turned around and started walking away after gesturing for me to follow, and I had no reason not to oblige.

It's been three months since I arrived here and started my training. I was slowly but steadily growing stronger as I had already mastered Kami-e and Shigan and was halfway through learning Tekkai.

Being the experienced marine instructor he was, Z-sensei saw through my limited mastery over Kami-e. When he asked me about it, I told him the truth about my training with Liu Fan while keeping the part about the manual and the origin of the six powers to myself.

I could only master two of the six powers so quickly, thanks to Z-sensei's guidance and Liu Fan's manual, but that wasn't all.

My skill with the spear steadily grew thanks to the constant spars with my fellow students and Z-sensei's aids. My physical prowess didn't lag either, as my teacher made it a point to dedicate two hours of daily training sessions to strength and endurance exercises.

Add that to the advanced training equipment available at Marineford, Z-sensei's advanced training methods, and a shit ton of hard work, and you've got a bonafide monster in the making. Yup, that's me, in case you're wondering.

In any case, I didn't focus solely on gaining physical strength, as I didn't neglect my meditation either. Experiencing the life of a marine and interacting with so many soldiers also boosted my understanding of human nature.

I also made my medical expertise known. And the higher-ups were more than happy to use them as they would call on me to help whenever the Marineford's medical team was overwhelmed, allowing me to expand my understanding of the human anatomy.

And lastly, I took a class in navigation, which was taught to new recruits by a retired rear admiral, but progress on that front was slow due to the introductory nature of the lessons. But it's only a matter of time before I reach a satisfactory level.

"Make yourself at home, kiddo..." Z-sensei said as we reached his residence on the training grounds, snapping me out of my daze. "But first things first... drink...?" He asked as he retrieved two green bottles of alcohol and put them on the table.

"Sure..." I replied as I took one of the bottles. "But what's the occasion, Z-sensei?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I opened the bottle and drained it before turning to my teacher and watching him do the same.

"Your first deployment," Instructor Zet replied with a grin, to which my eyes widened in surprise. "But I'm getting ahead of myself..." He added as he reached into the drawers of his desk. pummel

"Your teacher's got a gift for you..." Z-sensei said as he retrieved a dark gray metallic spear tip, a pommel, and a box of revolver bullets and placed them on the desk. "For your spear," He added, his grin widening as he spoke.

"This is...?" I asked as I picked up the pommel, my eyes widening as I felt its rough texture. "It's sea stone, isn't it?" I asked, realization dawning on me as I turned to my teacher.

"Only the purest, commissioned from the eggheads from the science team by yours truly," Instructor Zet replied. "You'll need them for your deployment, and speaking of which..." He added as he reached into his inner pocket and retrieved a piece of paper. "Your orders..."

"Thanks, Z-sensei," I said, quickly gathering everything into the bullet box and placing it in my bavkpack before taking the orders. "Based on the gift, I'm guessing I'll have to go after someone with a troublesome devil fruit ability?" I asked, giving my teacher a puzzled look.

"That you are..." Z-sensei said as he gestured for me to take a seat, and I obliged. "Your target is General Gasparde... a marine officer turned pirate with a bounty of ninety-five million," He said with a scoff at the mention of the man.

"Despite my objections, the higher-ups were content to let him roam the sea since he wasn't making a major nuisance of himself..." Zet explained with a scoff. "But I convinced Sengoku to send you after him as a from of test to your capabilities..." He added with a smile.

"I say it's a test, but I don't expect him to give you much trouble..." Z-sensei went on, his tone dismissive. "As a marine, Gasparde was a deadbeat, and I doubt turning to piracy did him any favors in that regard..." He added with a shrug before he paused, seemingly thinking about something.

"But, I heard he ate a strange Logia devil fruit recently... so you must be wary of its powers..." He added in a careless tone. "Any questions?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Where will I find him, and how will I even get to him...?" I asked with a sigh. "I'm still taking my navigation lessons..." I added as I scratched my head with a troubled expression.

"Don't be an idiot, kiddo. You're a Marine HQ commander... you'll have your own crew and ship..." Z-sensei said as he messaged his forehead in exasperation, to which I could only chuckle awkwardly.

"You've already met Warrant Officer Isuka... she'll be your navigator and second in command..." Instructor Zet explained, and I could only sigh despondently as the face of the uptight redhead flashed in my mind. "In addition, I'll send Ain to keep an eye out and ensure nothing goes wrong..." He added, to which my expression grew even more depressed.

"At this rate, I'm not even sure I'll be able to find Gasparde before those two nag me to death..." I said with a bitter smile. "Can't you send someone else with me? I'll even take Binz..." I added with a pleading expression as I looked at my teacher.

"Binz is running some errands for me. Just behave yourself, and the ladies won't nag you, kiddo," Z-sensei said with a shrug. "Now get out of here and start preparing yourself..." He added as he shooed me away with a wave of his hand.

"You leave tomorrow at dawn..."

...

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