Chapter 32

Zephyr unconsciously unleashed his aura, his words carrying the iron taste of blood. It was enough to make the faint-hearted piss themselves.

Tony and the others were nervous, sure, but not scared. From the day they joined the Navy, they'd been branded the worst recruits in their class. Who'd want to bear that kind of humiliation?

Joining the Elite Camp today? That was their answer to all the blood, sweat, and tears!

They exchanged glances, straightened their backs, and bellowed, "Yes, sir!"

That roar shook off two years of shame and frustration. From today, they were Elite Camp!

Zephyr's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Good! Remember this day!"

He relaxed a bit and started explaining the differences between the Elite Battalion and the regular recruits. When he got to the graduation assessment, Zephyr suddenly vanished, reappearing beside Loya and Aludo. He grabbed them both, tossing them out of the crater before jumping down to give them a thorough thrashing.

"Enough, you two! I'm about to explain the graduation assessment, so listen up! Especially you, Aludo!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" The two nodded respectfully, sporting matching blue noses and swollen faces.

The Elite Battalion's graduation assessment was a whole different beast compared to the regular recruits.

Regular recruits just had to pass a series of tests at the training grounds. Pass those, and you're out, assigned based on the higher-ups' whims.

For the Elite Camp? It was a whole lot messier. Their graduation assessment had three parts, and failing even one meant no graduation.

First up: the physical fitness test. Speed, strength, endurance - all the basics.

Second: the real-world combat test. They'd randomly pick a bounty from Navy HQ's wanted list. Your job? Capture or kill. Sure, they excluded the real monsters, but the remaining bounties were no joke.

The third and most crucial step? The Elite Battalion's special: the Prison Deathmatch.

It was exactly what it sounded like. Elites gunning for graduation had to fight to the death in a specially-built arena.

Their opponents? Could be captured pirates, terrifying beasts, even admirals.

Ten deathmatches total. Pass four, and you're good.

Only after clearing all three steps could you officially graduate.

The one silver lining for the Elite Camp members? These three stages were sequential but not continuous. They had three years to complete them all.

"You're free to apply for the graduation assessment whenever you want... But!" Zephyr's face darkened, looking like he could eat someone. "I don't want to see any of you failing repeatedly 'cause you're not strong enough. Got it?"

Aludo nodded sheepishly. "Yes, sir~"

It didn't take a genius to figure out who Zephyr was talking about. Aludo was clearly the guy who'd been failing and retaking the test.

But how was that possible?

In the Elite Camp, Aludo was the one Loya knew best. The guy wasn't called the Iron Fist Master for nothing. Was his strength really not enough to graduate?

Besides mastering one of the Six Powers, Aludo's Artillery Boxing technique was nothing to sneeze at.

As if reading Loya's mind, Zephyr shot him a glance. "Aludo's strength is fine. By rights, he should've graduated already. But his speed evaluation is only D-rank. He'd be a sitting duck out there."

Loya blinked. Come to think of it, that made sense.

Was Aludo slow? Not compared to the average recruit. But in the Elite Battalion? He was a tortoise.

Now that Loya's strength had skyrocketed, he could take Aludo down in seconds, relying on pure speed. Before the big guy could even react, he'd be trussed up like a turkey.

Loya looked at Aludo sympathetically. The guy's head was drooping, wearing an expression that screamed 'I'm already dead inside'.

Loya raised his hand. "Uh, Instructor Zephyr? I remember Aludo's been in the Elite Camp for over two years now. What happens if he still can't pass after the three-year limit?"

Aludo's face fell even further. Loya might as well have been rubbing salt in the wound.

"What happens? Hmph!" Zephyr sneered. "According to regulations, Elite Battalion members who fail to pass in three years can still graduate. But they start from the bottom as grunts, as punishment... But!"

Zephyr's voice suddenly rose. "In all my years as Chief Instructor, not one of my students has failed that assessment. If that happens, well..."

Aludo, strong as a grizzly bear, trembled like a scared chick. "I'll definitely pass, sir! You can count on me, Instructor Zephyr!"

The meaning behind Zephyr's last sneer was crystal clear. If Aludo really failed, Zephyr might just kill him himself to save face for the Elite Camp.

Despite the strict strength requirements, the Elite Battalion's rules were actually pretty lax compared to the regular recruits.

For one, there was no need for crack-of-dawn training every day. It was pretty chill.

If you wanted to train, you trained. If you wanted to goof off, Zephyr didn't give a damn.

Zephyr did gather everyone once in a while for evaluations, checking on the Elite Camp members' progress. But the rest of the time? They were free to do whatever.

Plus, everyone in the Elite Camp got their food and lodging covered. All they had to worry about was training.

The only catch? The grub. Sure, the chefs here whipped up nutritionally balanced, energy-packed meals. But the taste? Let's just say Aludo kept sneaking off to the regular recruits' mess hall.

"Alright!" Zephyr wrapped up. "That's the Elite Camp in a nutshell. After we're done here, feel free to explore. Different rooms have different training gear. Oh, and if you want to move in, just bring your stuff after dinner."

He turned to the veterans working out nearby. "Teaching session starts in 30 minutes. Same old rules, you sort out the pecking order yourselves! Got it?"

The vets grinned and shouted back, "Yes, sir!"

Zephyr grunted, gave Tony and the others a cool once-over, then strode out of the yard.

Loya stood there, gears turning in his head. Suddenly, it clicked.

He elbowed Aludo, who shot him a 'don't bother me' look. "Hey! Wanna bet where those guys behind me'll rank? No way they're middle of the pack, right?"

At that, Aludo perked right up. "Nah, they'll be near the bottom for sure! That Tony guy's decent with a sword, but we've got five or six top-notch swordsmen here. He's got no edge. Logic says he'll start at the bottom, just like I did!"

"You really okay admitting that so easily?" Loya deadpanned, then ignored him.

He glanced back. Simon seemed to have a vague idea of what was up, but Tony and Minnie looked completely lost.

"Oi! Fresh meat!"

Sure enough, the moment Zephyr's foot hit the ground outside the courtyard, a voice rang out.

Loya and Aludo exchanged wicked grins, eyeing the source of the voice.

The speaker was an Elite Battalion vet. His recruit jacket was stretched tight, showing off his muscles. On his head was the symbol of the Beast Tribe - a flat, animal-like nose. He looked more like a thug than a Navy man, sneering down at them.

Aludo whispered to Loya, "That's Minde Newfik. Heard he used to run a small gang in the East Blue. Middle of the pack here, but the biggest hothead by far."

Loya snorted, ready for the show.

The hostility in Minde's eyes was clear as day. Tony, top of his class, stepped forward. "Something on your mind, senior?"

"Well, ain't you polite!" Minde's voice dripped with sarcasm. He looked down his nose at Tony. "You're new here. As your senior, I should teach you some... unwritten rules."

His lips curled into a sneer. "Like how newbies go to the back of the line. Get it?"

The trio's faces hardened at his tone. Laurent Minnie, always quick to anger, was about to let fly with a kick, but Simon held her back, whispering something in her ear. She fumed but stayed put.

This was gonna be good.

Tony's hand went to his sword hilt. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline, sir."

"Hah! Tough guy, eh?"

In Minde's eyes, these boot camp greenhorns had never faced Zephyr's training. He figured a couple threats would have them handing over their newbie privileges, shuffling to the back of the line like good little rookies.

Yeah, newbie privileges. Elite Camp rules said new members got priority mentoring for the first week. But if they gave it up "voluntarily," well, no one could say anything.

With dozens in the Elite Camp, chances were the bottom of the line wouldn't even get to Zephyr before he called it a day.

So every time new recruits joined, the vets would "put them in their place" like this. Zephyr turned a blind eye.

It wasn't that Zephyr didn't care about newbies. This system bred competition, and competition meant progress.

Only recruits who'd been humbled, had their pride stripped away, and came out shameless and gutsy could make it in the Elite Camp. No coddling here - these would be the Navy's future backbone, fighting pirates on the front lines.

But Minde hadn't expected such a firm rejection. Now he felt his face burning. His tone went ice-cold. "Looks like you punks don't want to play nice!"

Tony didn't flinch. His eyes locked on Minde, left hand moving back from his sword hilt, right hand gripping it loosely, feet planted.

"I've heard about the Elite Camp's strength. I've looked forward to it. But if you use that strength to bully others and take what's theirs, I'm afraid I can't obey."

"Speak English, dammit!" Loya shouted from the sidelines, chucking an ice spear.

WHOOSH!

The spear shot between Minde and Tony, fast and vicious.

The ice spear whistled through the air, then thudded into the ground with a solid chunk.

Gulp.

Tony and Minde locked eyes, both visibly swallowing hard.

Tony steadied himself and spoke with determination. "You just want to knock us down a peg, right? If you want priority that badly, fine. Let's settle this with a fight!"

Minde's jaw dropped. This wasn't how it was supposed to go at all!

The other Elite Battalion members shot surprised looks at Loya.

"That ability... just like the rumors said."

With that ice spear demonstration, the veterans silently bumped up Loya's threat level by several notches.

A month ago, Loya joining and taking down Aludo head-on had been a shock. Since then, the stories kept coming, each one hammering home just how strong Loya really was.