Chapter 31

But man, they never saw this coming. The whole battalion ganging up on Loya and they couldn't even leave a scratch? That was like trying to dent Kaido with a rubber duck.

And get this - Loya was going easy on them! He didn't even bust out any of his big guns.

Those ice wolves alone could've turned the place into a popsicle party gone wrong. And going toe-to-toe with Loya? Did you see how he dropped those elite camp hotshots like they were made of paper?

The recruits' mouths were drier than Alabasta during a drought. The gap in strength was wider than the distance between Raftel and East Blue.

Seeing this carnage, Zephyr stood up from his seat like he was sitting on a hot Den Den Mushi.

"Alright, I hereby declare this assessment over. Christopher Loya, you're the winner!"

...

"Geez, that wasn't even a warm-up!"

On the way to grab some grub, Loya was sighing like Sanji after being rejected by Nami.

Aludo, Brother Jerome - these guys from the so-called "monster gathering place" weren't even making him break a sweat anymore.

Loya couldn't help feeling a bit down. Kuzan had sailed off on some mission and wouldn't be back for months. With no real challenge in the elite camp, where was he supposed to find someone to help him level up?

Maybe he should go back to the boot camp and poke the bear - er, instructors? Or see if Lieutenant General Mole was still nose-deep in those trashy novels?

Sure, that'd probably make his power levels shoot up faster than Luffy's appetite, but it also sounded like a one-way ticket to getting his butt handed to him.

Zephyr would probably hang him up like a piñata and go to town. After all, now that Loya had passed the test, he was officially Zephyr's disciple. Embarrassing Zephyr would be like drawing a mustache on Whitebeard's wanted poster - not a smart move.

With these thoughts swirling around like a mini Aqua Laguna, Loya pulled up his system panel.

Name: Christopher Loya

Energy Stage: Second Stage, Sixth layer

Energy Value: 340/1000

Mana: 9000/9000

Mana Recovery Speed: 850/m

As Loya's power level kept climbing like Luffy's bounty, he was getting less and less juice out of his training and fights. Today's brawl only netted him 50 energy points, with Brother Jerome and Aludo contributing a whopping 20 of those. Most of the other recruits? They might as well have been fighting with pool noodles for all the energy they gave him.

"Only 340? At this rate, I'll hit third rank when Zoro learns to read a map," Loya grumbled, closing the panel.

With his modeling magic getting pretty slick, Loya was running out of quick ways to power up besides upgrading the system. His ice wolves for offense and ice armor for defense? He'd mastered those faster than Sanji spotting a pretty girl. Coming up with new tricks on his own seemed about as likely as Buggy becoming the Pirate King.

As for dragon slaying magic, sure, he'd cooked up some fancy moves like awakening and pseudo-dragon transformation. But it was like giving Usopp bigger muscles - his sniping might pack more punch, but his aim wasn't getting any better.

Without a dragon mom to show him the ropes, Loya was still fumbling around in the dark with his dragon slaying magic.

But hey, today wasn't a total bust. Those 40 energy points might be small fry, but even Sea Kings start as eggs, right? Plus, he got to flex his new modeling magic muscles in a real fight.

...

After chowing down, Loya and the gang headed to the square in front of Marine HQ's fortress. You know, the place where they had that little get-together called the War of the Best. It was big enough to host a party for many people, if your idea of a party involved lots of punching.

Standing there, with that massive fortress looming over you like Oars on a growth spurt, endless stairs behind you, and the sea stretching out to forever? It'd make anyone feel tiny.

Well, almost anyone. Hard to feel small when you're busy licking roast suckling pig off your fingers.

Just as Loya was savoring that last bite, Zephyr popped up in front of them like he'd used Soru.

Zephyr's eye twitched at the sight of Loya still going to town on his fingers, but he pulled himself together faster than Luffy spotting meat.

"Alright, follow me!" he barked.

Now, even though both were for training recruits, the recruit battalion and elite battalion were about as close to each other as Zoro was to having a good sense of direction.

One's hanging out on the edge of Marineford, close enough to the sea to get splashed, while the other's tucked away in the fortress like a treasure in Nami's safe.

This little detail is why Loya was giving Aludo and his crew the stink eye this morning.

Sure, they're technically part of the boot camp, but let's be real - when Zephyr's running the show with his fists of fury, what he says goes.

But come on! Their training spots are as different as Sanji and Zoro's personalities. How can they claim to be from the same boot camp?

And don't even get me started on the perks. These two camps? They're living in different worlds.

With the elite squad being smaller than Chopper's patience for Luffy's antics, Zephyr can give each of them one-on-one training. It's like getting private lessons from Rayleigh, while the regular recruits are stuck in a class bigger than Whitebeard's crew.

This was Loya's first rodeo in the fortress. Usually, recruits were as welcome here as pirates at a Marine family picnic. The Navy in the One Piece world isn't exactly known for its open-door policy.

As they walked, Loya was rubbernecking like a tourist in Sabaody. The place had a vibe colder than Aokiji's morning shower. Even the plants lining the hallway looked like they were standing at attention. The only warmth came from the sunlight sneaking in through the windows, making the leaves look like they were waving a white flag.

Zephyr led the gang down a corridor longer than Luffy's appetite and hung a right. The two soldiers guarding the door snapped to attention faster than Sanji spotting a pretty girl when they saw Zephyr coming.

"Chief Instructor Zephyr!" Zephyr gave a curt nod in greeting.

After passing through the passageway, the group emerged into a wide courtyard. In the center, paved with bluestone, several navy soldiers dressed as recruits were training.

Among them was Loya's acquaintance, Aludo. He was laughing arrogantly as he fought - or rather, as he was being beaten. He let his opponents punch and kick him without so much as flinching.

Besides Aludo's unmistakable bulk, the most notable figures in the courtyard were three swordsmen. Brother Jerome, wielding a long sword and a short sword, was alternately besieging a thin swordsman caught in their circle.

Jerome's swordsmanship was formidable. Honestly, Loya couldn't think of a good way to counter such attacks, except maybe using brute strength to overpower them. But facing these opponents, the thin swordsman in the middle didn't budge an inch. Eyes closed, he raised his wooden sword, accurately blocking every slash.

"Holy crap, he's insane!" Tony's eyes were glowing with excitement as he clutched the sword at his waist.

Simon, being from a long line of military folks, quickly assessed the situation. "Is that some kind of... arrogance training?"

Zephyr nodded approvingly and introduced them. "That's the current chief of the elite battalion, Bibi Hansa. A pure swordsman."

Loya looked at him in surprise. "Pure swordsman?" The term seemed oddly specific.

At that moment, the elite camp members noticed the approaching group and turned to look. After a brief pause, they saluted Zephyr sharply.

"Instructor Zephyr!"

In the crowd, Aludo's eyes landed on Loya. He grinned and said to those nearby, "Well, well, look who finally showed up! This oughta be fun! Oh yeah, see that shrimp? That's Loya!"

With Loya's sharp hearing, not to mention Aludo's complete lack of subtlety, he heard every word crystal clear.

"Shrimp... SHRIMP?!"

Suddenly, a wave of killing intent burst from Loya's body. Before Zephyr could even process what was happening, a dark blur shot past him. In the blink of an eye, the massive Aludo vanished from sight.

BOOM!

The bluestone floor exploded, sending countless pieces of rubble flying like shrapnel. Faced with this chaos, the elite battalion members were startled for a moment before showcasing their abilities, easily deflecting the stone fragments.

"Wait, Loya... why's that name so familiar?"

"C'mon, don't you remember? He's the guy Vice Admiral Zephyr took on as a disciple. Killed that Silverback Great Ape during the elite assessment."

"Oh shit, that monster rookie!"

The elite camp members whistled, eyeing the crater in the ground.

"Damn... he really is short, though."

Before his... dimensional jump or whatever, Loya's 5'9" wouldn't have turned any heads. But in the world of One Piece? It's downright puny. Forget the Whitebeard-sized monsters like Moria or Bartholomew Kuma - even the likes of Boa Hancock tower over him at nearly 6'5".

When Aludo called Loya a shrimp, he wasn't trying to be clever - his brain probably couldn't handle such a complex operation. He was just stating a fact. A fact that stings... and now, so does Aludo.

Aludo lay at the bottom of the crater, wheezing in pain. Loya pinned him down with one foot, wielding a pair of ice tweezers and plucking out Aludo's chest hair one by one.

"Who's a shrimp now, huh?"

"Not... so... tough... are ya?"

"Big... mouth... YEOWCH!"

Aludo struggled, but Loya had him outmatched in raw strength. His face was beet red with embarrassment.

The onlookers were at a loss for words. They turned to Zephyr, hoping for some guidance.

Zephyr just pinched the bridge of his nose and waved weakly. "I didn't see a thing."

Ignoring Aludo's muffled groans, he turned to introduce Tony to the group. "From today on, you can call me Instructor Zephyr. This is where you'll be stationed from now on. Hell, you can even live here if you want."

His voice grew stern. "The moment you step foot here, I want you to stop thinking of yourselves as ordinary recruits. You're Navy now - real soldiers!"

"Our elite camp doesn't just do your typical training. We take on real missions! This ain't like your combat drills or assessments. No one's gonna hold your hand out there. There's no retreat. It's you against the pirates, life or death!"

He fixed Tony with a hard stare. "You got that, kid?"