Chapter 131

Sengoku came today not only because of Rosinante. He asked Rosinante to sit on the sofa, and then said,

"Carl, the graduation examination of the Naval Academy will be held in three months. Fleet Admiral Kong wants you to oversee the final assessment."

Carl raised his eyebrows thoughtfully.

"Final assessment? Like the one my instructor Zephyr used to conduct? I'm guessing the candidates are Dragon, Aramaki, and Aokiji, right?"

"That's correct. Just like you back then, their strength far exceeds that of other students, and not many are qualified to assess them."

"Has instructor Zephyr retired from this role?"

"Well, not exactly. Zephyr feels that while they are powerful, they aren't quite on your level from back in the day, so he prefers not to take on this responsibility anymore. Besides, many young recruits now look up to you as a role model. Your presence would inspire them."

"So that's the reason… Fine, I'll take the job."

Carl agreed, clenching his fists as a wicked grin appeared on his lips.

Dragon has been much more subdued since he was beaten twice. Three years have passed. This time, I'll make sure he doesn't forget...

Three months later, the graduation examination arrived as scheduled.

Just like previous sessions, this examination lasted for two days. On the first day, as Dragon and other students entered the venue, they looked up at the podium. Beneath Fleet Admiral Kong's position were three chairs, reserved for the Navy Admirals.

In awe, everyone watched as Sengoku, Zephyr, and Carl, wearing Navy cloaks, slowly ascended the podium.

Sengoku took the center seat, with Zephyr and Carl on either side.

Compared to the veteran Admirals, the students' eyes were clearly more focused on Carl, seated on the right.

As soon as Carl sat down, shouts of "Admiral Carl" erupted from below. Zephyr chuckled.

"Carl, your juniors are calling for you."

Carl smiled, waved at the crowd, and the cheers grew even louder until Kong stood up and announced the start of the examination.

The first day of the assessment was tedious for Carl. After all, it was just a battle among some "ordinary" students. Still, he kept a smile and observed.

The quality of this batch wasn't bad, but compared to Carl's generation, they seemed somewhat lacking. After all, Carl's class had seven Navy supernovas. Even without them, elites like Momonga would have easily topped this batch.

By the end of the first day, the regular students had completed their tests. The real excitement was set for the next day.

The following morning, Dragon, Aramaki, and Aokiji stood in the center of the venue, awaiting their assessment.

This time, the Headquarters hadn't hidden the details. It was made known that Carl himself would be their examiner.

Among the three, Aokiji seemed the most excited, remembering the time when he first joined the Navy.

Back then, he had also fought against Carl, along with Aramaki and Dragon. But in that fight, Aokiji had been the first to fall, something he still regretted.

Now, he finally had the chance to make up for that.

"I won't be the first to lose again," he thought confidently, casting a glance at Aramaki, who responded with a bored expression, muttering,

"What's this kid so excited about?"

Dragon, on the other hand, stood silent, air swirling around him as he focused on preparing for the coming battle.

Up on the platform, Kong reiterated the assessment details. Once he finished, Carl stood up from his chair and, in a flash, appeared before the trio.

Aokiji and Aramaki greeted Carl eagerly, but Carl's eyes were on Dragon.

"Dragon, I hear you've been sailing with Vice Admiral Garp. It seems you've been taking my advice. Let's see how much you've improved."

Dragon narrowed his eyes.

"That's for you to find out, Admiral Black Dragon."

Aramaki smirked to himself. "Here we go again with Dragon thinking he's something special."

Carl chuckled softly.

"I'm looking forward to it."

With that, Carl signaled the referee. The referee saluted and gave the signal to begin.

Without waiting for Aramaki or Aokiji, Dragon transformed into a whirlwind, surging towards Carl with immense force. The ground beneath him shattered under the pressure.

Amid the howling blue storm, a wind claw shot out, aiming for Carl's chest.

Carl casually placed one hand in his pocket and raised the other, effortlessly catching the incoming claw.

"Nani!?"

Dragon's face emerged from the hurricane, stunned. Before he could react, Carl yanked him out of the whirlwind and struck his back with a sharp elbow.

Boom!

A massive crater formed beneath Carl's feet, green energy still seeping from the impact point.

Garp, observing from the high platform, muttered darkly,

"The gap is still this wide?"

Just then, a violent gust of wind surged from the crater, forming a tornado that lifted Carl's Navy cloak. But just as quickly as the tornado formed, it dispersed, leaving Dragon bent over, his face pale.

Aramaki burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Dragon, how'd you turn into a lobster so fast?"

Ignoring Aramaki, Dragon turned to Aokiji.

"Kuzan, help me."

Aokiji nodded, extending his hand as white mist swirled from his palm.

Dragon summoned a small tornado in his hand, which quickly expanded. Aokiji infused the storm with freezing cold, transforming it into a massive ice-blue whirlwind.

In awe, the audience watched as Dragon hurled the freezing storm toward Carl.

"Extreme Cold Storm!"

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+95 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg