Chapter 34

"Oh, come on... What's the big deal? So you killed some overgrown monkey! No matter how strong, it's just a brainless beast. If you want to kill, use your head. The longer I live, the more I realize that."

Keelung scoffed, turning to face Loya with disdain.

"Besides, you think these fresh-faced rookies can take me? What a joke!"

Loya blinked, then a mocking smile spread across his face. "Well, aren't you the smart one!"

Thanks to Zephyr's gag order about Loya's suspected ice dragon powers that freeze time and space, footage of his fight with the silver-backed ape never made the rounds.

Plus, Keelung had been away on missions for the past month, only just returning today. He was clueless about Loya, only hearing vague rumors about his strength.

This led the Elite Battalion vet to severely underestimate Loya.

He assumed Loya had used some trick to kill the ape, that his raw strength wasn't all that.

The Vice Admiral's disciple? Overhyped.

In short, Keelung figured he could take Loya on.

If he could beat Loya, the so-called "strongest" recruit, his stock in the Elite Camp would skyrocket. More guidance from Zephyr, maybe even a shot at challenging Hansa one day!

So, seeing Loya's blatant contempt, Keelung doubled down. "Hey! What're you staring at, pipsqueak? You want a beating?"

"..."

Aludo went quiet. Hansa said nothing. Brother Jerome pulled out some gummy candy, passing it around as they settled in to watch the show.

Aludo and Jerome knew Loya best in the Elite Camp. His overwhelming power was clear from their morning sparring sessions.

Sure, Keelung was tough - stronger than Minde, or Minde wouldn't have thanked him earlier.

But against this monster...

Hansa didn't step in to smooth things over. Yeah, Zephyr turned a blind eye to vets roughing up newbies, but when your target could wipe the floor with you? That was asking for trouble.

Hearing Keelung's taunt, Loya dusted himself off and helped Aludo up. The big guy had been kneeling so long his legs were numb.

But Aludo flinched, grimacing. "Loya, could you, uh, move your hand?"

"Huh?" Loya blinked, then realized. "Crap, sorry! Forgot!"

He pulled his hand away, leaving an icy handprint on Aludo's clothes. A frigid mist drifted off on the breeze.

This was a new trick Loya was working on, combining his ice powers with some modeling magic. Against opponents as fast as moles, sometimes his ice armor didn't form fast enough.

Not ideal for defense.

So Loya was trying to develop a permanent ice armor. Didn't need to be strong, just enough to take that first hit.

The tricky part wasn't the technique, but making it second nature. To keep it up constantly was more about habit-forming than development.

So he'd forgotten his hands were still coated in ice, catching Aludo off guard with his icy grip.

Ignoring Aludo's dirty look, Loya eyed Keelung with amusement. "You sure you wanna do this? Trust me, it's gonna be embarrassing."

"You little..." Keelung felt his blood boil. Who was he? An Elite Camp member, dammit!

This cocky rookie was getting too big for his britches!

Keelung sneered, lunging forward with a lightning-fast punch. He'd teach this brat what it meant to join the Elite Camp. Here, dragons coiled and tigers crouched at his feet.

It had become a tradition, really. Elite Battalion vets putting recruits in their place.

Every recruit who made it here used to be top dog in basic training, full of themselves.

That pride was a double-edged sword.

On one hand, it drove them to excel, to push through any obstacle.

But in real combat? That kind of arrogance got you killed, fast.

Aside from that incident with Zephyr, Elite Battalion members died on missions every few years. Nine times out of ten, it was from underestimating the enemy.

The pirate crews out there, like Luffy and his gang? The stand-up fighters were few and far between.

Most were cunning, ruthless scum.

Sneak attacks, poison, hostages, fake surrenders - nothing was off-limits.

That's why they needed to stamp out that overconfidence. Why Zephyr let the vets rough up the newbies.

---------

Keelung's speed was no joke. In the Elite Camp, he was solidly upper-tier. Even against monsters like Aludo or Jerome, he could hold his own.

Too bad he was facing Loya.

His fist was still a foot away, but the air pressure alone was whipping Loya's hair.

Faced with Keelung's brutal assault, Loya lazily raised a hand.

"Well... I did warn you."

SNAP!

CRACK!

The slap echoed like a gunshot. Keelung froze mid-lunge, as if someone had hit pause.

The vets stood slack-jawed, staring at Keelung's face. Five finger-shaped welts bloomed red against his pale skin.

Aludo and Jerome glanced at Loya, who calmly lowered his hand. They shuddered, remembering their morning spar. "Back then... Loya must've been pulling his punches. Big time."

They weren't wrong. That morning, Loya had barely used 40% of his strength, dragon-slaying magic aside.

His draconic physique had hit level three, and the boost was mind-blowing. Even his system was shocked by the raw power.

If he mastered the Rokushiki, Loya could take on Rob Lucci - the World Government's so-called "genius of the century" - without breaking a sweat. No magic needed.

And that's not even counting those unnamed dragon techniques from the original story.

But that's why Loya felt so frustrated after the morning's fight. In the current Elite Camp, he couldn't even break a sweat!

"You..."

Keelung snapped out of his daze, staring at Loya in disbelief. "You... you bastard!!!"

"I'll—"

CRACK!

Before Keelung could finish his threat, Loya slapped him again.

Trash talk? Please. Loya had read enough online forums to last a lifetime. He wasn't about to sit through some D-list villain monologue.

This time, Loya didn't hold back. Better to shut this loudmouth up for good.

The vets watched in horror as Keelung vanished, faster than any Soru they'd seen. BOOM! A massive crater appeared in the courtyard wall.

Stone shrapnel rained down like hailstones.

In the pit lay Keelung, out cold. The right side of his face was swollen grotesquely, blood everywhere. A few teeth had gone AWOL.

Loya dusted off his hands. "Whew, that was close. Good thing I held back a bit..."

"Loya! You didn't kill him, did you?!" Aludo yelped. "Instructor Zephyr's gonna have your hide when he gets back! Kill a comrade and it's straight to Impel Down!"

The vets snapped into action. Some rushed to Keelung's aid, while others drew weapons, aiming at Loya.

Loya raised an eyebrow.

From Aludo's tone, it was clear that Keelung and Minde were the camp jerks. Real pieces of work.

But even for those two, getting beaten to a pulp was one thing. The other vets showed no schadenfreude. Instead, their eyes burned with hatred. For Loya.

He was reminded of something he'd read online: "Weak chicks always huddle together for warmth."

In raw strength, this Elite Camp couldn't hold a candle to the year's crop of monsters. But those monsters weren't half as united as these "weak chicks."

Which was better? Loya couldn't say.

Aludo eyed Loya nervously. His words were all business, but he'd subtly shifted, putting himself between Loya and the vets.

From behind, it looked like Aludo was blocking Loya's escape. But from where Loya stood? Aludo was shielding him, making it easier to bolt if needed.

The gesture warmed Loya's heart. He patted Aludo's... thigh, reassuring him. "Relax! Remember, I slapped twice. First to test his limits, second to knock him out. He's alive, trust me."

Aludo shook his head stubbornly, refusing to budge. He winked at Loya urgently.

Geez... talking to smart people was easy. Stupid people? Like pulling teeth.

Loya sighed inwardly, but his irritation faded.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, Hansa, the Elite Battalion chief, appeared beside them. Aludo nearly jumped out of his skin.

Hansa coughed lightly. "It's fine. Keelung's just unconscious. Badly hurt, but he'll live."

"R-right!"

Aludo scratched his head sheepishly. He'd been ready to help Loya escape, thinking Keelung was dead. Now, guilt at almost betraying his comrades warred with relief on his face.

"That's good... Everyone's alive, so it's all good. Hehe."

"What an idiot," Loya muttered under his breath.

...

When Zephyr returned, he was surprised to find the courtyard half-empty. The three new recruits were gone, along with Elite Battalion's infamous troublemaker duo.

Weird, but not unheard of. Maybe they'd headed back early. He shrugged it off and barked, "Alright! How's the pecking order? One-on-one with me!"

Without waiting for a response, Zephyr strode into the attic.

Loya, gnawing on a bone Aludo had snagged from the kitchen, heard the call. He wiped his greasy mouth and stood.

"Guess I'm up first. No objections, right?"

The vets said nothing, their eyes fixed on Bibi Hansa, sitting cross-legged in the corridor.