Chapter 33: Debt

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The crowd looked at Byakuya with eyes wide in disbelief. Destroy the testing machine so far with just one finger, was this even a human? 

If that flick landed on a person, it would be an incredibly gruesome sight. 

Just the thought of being classmates with such a person for three years filled everyone with despair.

How would they even have a chance to compete when Byakuya was going to overshadow them so much? 

Especially for someone like Quirk, who thought he was the best in this class and even had more tricks up his sleeve.

But now, it seemed there was no point in using them.

He was already thinking about requesting to drop out from Zephyr and rejoining the next training camp after Byakuya graduated. 

After all, being the top graduate of the training camp often came with its ship, a privilege usually only granted to vice admirals.

Only a few rear admirals got this special treatment. 

Most top graduates were granted the rank of rear admiral upon graduation.

Someone like Smoker, who willingly applied to return home as a captain, was an exception.

The instructors watched Byakuya leave with a mixture of awe and amusement. 

"How am I even supposed to record his scores?" one instructor wondered. Should he mark down 'punched a testing machine across the field'? 

In the following tests, Byakuya continued to amaze everyone.

Whether it was weightlifting, speed tests, or other physical tests, Byakuya's scores were the best in the training camp, far ahead of the second-best. 

At the end of the tests, the instructors were left in a daze.

Even when they dismissed the soldiers, the soldiers were still in shock and disbelief. Even the East Blue soldiers weren't as excited anymore. 

They knew Byakuya was strong and capable of defeating Captain Smoker.

But they never expected him to be so overwhelmingly strong, especially considering Byakuya was just eighteen while some of them were nearing thirty. 

What chance did they even have?

One of the instructors took the test results and headed to Zephyr's office. 

It was Zephyr's practice to review each soldier's situation and tailor a suitable training plan for them. 

Since everyone started at a different level, a common training approach wouldn't work for everyone.

Zephyr noticed the instructor's somewhat troubled expression as he took the test results. 

"Why the long face? Were the test results particularly bad this year?" Zephyr opened the report and began to review the scores. 

"These aren't bad at all. Oh, this Quake fellow is quite impressive. He should be a focus of our training program."

After reviewing the results from the other blues, Zephyr allowed himself a small smile. 

"This batch of recruits looks promising. Once they graduate, we'll be able to add a significant number of valuable members to the Marines."

However, when it came to the East Blue results, Zephyr didn't seem interested. He quickly glanced over the first two scores before dismissing them. 

"Sigh, the Marines in East Blue have been getting worse and worse over the years. We should consider cutting down their quotas."

"Chief Instructor, you should look further down the report. There's a surprise waiting for you."

"A surprise from East Blue?" Zephyr raised his eyebrows, puzzled. 

"A surprise indeed." The instructor was looking forward to Zephyr's reaction when he saw Byakuya's scores. 

Zephyr continued to flip through the report. "What kind of surprise can there possibly be here?" It wasn't until Zephyr got to Byakuya's scores that he shot out of his chair.

Byakuya had come in first in all the tests. "Instructor Cook, can you explain to me what 'Flicked testing machine' means?" 

Cook recounted the events as they had happened. "Flicked it away and destroyed it with just one finger?"

The testing machines were rare devices in the Marines, known for their durability. They could withstand the strength of rear admirals. 

But Byakuya had flicked and destroyed it away with just one finger. 

Zephyr suddenly remembered what Garp had said to him before leaving—that Byakuya had single-handedly taken down ten or so pirate crews in East Blue.

At the time, Zephyr had assumed Garp was exaggerating, trying to give himself face. 

He thought those pirate crews must have been small-time. But who would have thought that Byakuya's strength was truly this impressive?

"Garp, he wasn't lying! This kid is just here for a vacation!" Byakuya hadn't let Smoker report his achievements in taking down the pirates. 

After all, his efforts would only elevate him from an ensign to a commander, or at most a captain. Nowhere near a junior admiral.

Byakuya knew that being at the top of his class would guarantee him at least the rank of lieutenant commander. 

So he wasn't too concerned about his previous achievements and left Smoker to handle them as he saw fit.

Cook was in a difficult spot. "Chief Instructor Zephyr, tomorrow I'm supposed to start training them."

"But is there any point in training Byakuya? I think he could survive just fine if we threw him into the New World."

Zephyr understood what Cook was implying. Asking a weaker individual to train someone significantly stronger would be ridiculous. 

"Do not worry, I'll personally oversee Byakuya's training. You just focus on the other students."

Cook let out a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was for Byakuya to lose his patience and snap back at him with a finger flick. 

He doubted his bones were tougher than the testing machine.

The next day, Byakuya learned that he didn't need to train with the other students. This didn't surprise him at all. 

Exceptional talents like him usually received special treatment, even if those talents were aided by some unfair advantage.

...

"One testing machine costs 50 million belly. Repairing the training room wall costs 20 million belly." 

"The total comes to 70 million belly. I hope you can pay this back soon," were the first words Byakuya heard from Zephyr upon meeting him.

That alone made Byakuya want to drop out. What kind of training camp was this? It was nothing short of a scam! 

There had been no mention of this when he was asked to test his strength.

Byakuya tried to argue, "Instructor Zephyr, this doesn't seem fair! Who knew that that machine was so easy to destroy" 

Zephyr, looking at the young Byakuya, offered a slight smile. "In this camp, my word is law."

'Fine, you're the boss. I'll pay the fee. But when I've learned what I need to, there will come a time when you'll regret this, old man!' 

<End Chapter>

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