Chapter 8

"Run! The ice is coming down!" someone yelled.

Everyone scrambled back to the cafeteria as hail began pelting the ground. Fist-sized chunks shattered on impact, leaving craters in their wake.

"Where's Loya?" Ms. S scanned the room, panic in her voice. "Why isn't that idiot inside?!"

A recruit pointed out the window. "There! He's still out there!"

"Damn it!" Ms. S grabbed a pot, ready to charge out. "We gotta save him!"

But before anyone could move, Loya's mouth lit up with a blue magic circle.

BOOM!

Another ice tornado shot skyward, obliterating the falling hail and carving a path back to the cafeteria. With a smug grin, Loya conjured an ice umbrella and strolled back, untouched by the icy barrage around him.

"Is that guy for real?" a recruit whispered, awestruck.

Loya sauntered in, tossing his umbrella aside. "So, Ms. S, ready for round two?"

Ms. S waved him off. "No need. You've burned through all that food with your little show. Your stomach's probably empty again... What kind of fruit user are you anyway?"

Loya just smiled and bowed. "Thanks for the meal!"

The recruits erupted in cheers. "Loya won! Our guy actually won!"

As they headed back to the dorms, the chatter was all about Loya's clever trick.

"See you tomorrow, Loya!" "Yeah, catch you later!"

Loya waved goodbye, oddly enjoying the camaraderie. His room was bare-bones - just a bed and a chair - but clean.

"Ah, recruit life," he sighed, flicking on the light.

WHOOSH!

A chill wind grazed his neck. Loya dropped, forming an ice sword and thrusting backward. His attack met air, and a kick to his gut sent him flying into the wall.

Gritting his teeth, Loya slammed his fist into his palm. "Ice Make: Coffin!"

CRACK! CRACK!

A massive ice block erupted, trapping the intruder.

Loya slumped against the wall, clutching his ribs. "What the hell? Assassins at Navy HQ? This place is nuts!"

He looked up at the ice cube in front of him, eyes widening in shock. It was empty!

"Looking for me?"

A low baritone voice rumbled. Loya whipped around, freezing momentarily.

"Admiral Aokiji... why are you here?"

There stood one of the Navy's current admirals, Aokiji, sporting a white suit, green blindfold, and a wild hairstyle. Seeing Aokiji, Loya's tension eased. This admiral, a proponent of "lazy justice," wasn't likely to kill him without cause.

"And what have you done? Don't do anything!"

Seeing Loya's relaxed demeanor, Kuzan was curious. "Hey, boy, why so relaxed? If I attacked you immediately, you'd be dead."

Loya rolled his eyes, sitting down and checking his injury. "You're an admiral of the Navy. Even without a sneak attack, I'd die. Anyway, if I'm doomed, why not relax?"

"You brat..." Kuzan was momentarily choked by Loya's nonchalance. He found this lazy, effortless attitude quite appealing. Kuzan tossed him a can of medicine.

"Take it. I held back earlier. With your physique, you should be only slightly injured."

Snapped! Loya caught the jar, smiling. "Thank you!"

After taking the medicine, Kuzan leaned back in a chair, looking down at Loya. "Aren't you curious why I attacked you?"

"I was, at first," Loya said, wrapping a bandage around himself and sitting cross-legged. "But then I remembered that former Admiral Zephyr visited the recruit camp this morning. That made me not so curious."

"Oh? Explain your reasoning."

"First, former General Zephyr is an elite battalion instructor. He usually doesn't inform us about actual combat training, yet he's here. Many in the new camp haven't even seen him before. Unusual, right? The reason must be my joining."

Seeing Kuzan's expressionless face, Loya continued, "Then, my ice dragon form's ability is also freezing, just like your frozen fruit, General Aokiji. So, when you appeared, I figured General Zephyr was optimistic about me and wanted to pull me into the elite camp. You're here to test me. With only a month left for the actual combat assessment, you need to know my combat strength."

"Hey~ What a wonderful inference," Kuzan clapped lazily. "But you missed one thing. I'm not just here to test you. You'll follow me to learn to develop your fruit abilities. After all, I know freezing best."

Loya looked at Kuzan in shock. "With your character, you'd accept such a troublesome task?"

"...Boy, do you know what you're saying is rude?"

Kuzan had no interest in further conversation. Since Loya understood, there'd be time for more interactions later.

"Then, that's it. Starting tomorrow, wait for me in the cafeteria after training at night. If I'm not available, someone will notify you."

"Yes, I'll trouble Teacher Kuzan!"

Kuzan turned at the door. "Don't call me teacher. Your only teacher is Zephyr. I'm just helping you develop your fruit ability."

"Okay, Mr. Kuzan, Mr. Kuzan, walk slowly!"

Kuzan frowned, a cross appearing on his forehead, and flicked his fingers.

"Freezing time!"

He left, leaving Loya, now an ice sculpture, frozen in place.

Kuzan emerged from the shadows, hands in his pockets. He spotted Zephyr and raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Zephyr? Thought I was sending you that report tomorrow. What's keeping you up?"

Zephyr crossed his arms, glancing at the dorms. "Try sleeping when someone's chucking ice cubes on your roof all night."

"Well," Kuzan drawled, "maybe if you hadn't let him get into that eating contest with Ms. S, he wouldn't have needed to use his powers to digest."

Zephyr's sharp look made Kuzan wince. After an awkward silence, Kuzan cleared his throat. "Since you're here, want to hear about the test?"

"Go on," Zephyr nodded.

"You were right about the kid. Good reflexes, strong physique, but no real combat experience. He's all instinct, no discipline."

"Obvious from his sloppy footwork and unfocused eyes," Zephyr agreed. "What about his fruit ability?"

Kuzan's face turned serious. "It's potent. That cold isn't just freezing; there's something else there, probably dragon-related. If I hadn't dodged that last move..." He shook his head. "But he's using it like a bar brawler. Raw power, no finesse."

Zephyr hummed thoughtfully. "Focus on developing his fruit abilities. I'll see about lightening your other duties. We need all the combat power we can get with the chaos coming to these seas."

"Ah, how considerate," Kuzan smirked. "Should I thank you, Mr. Zephyr?"

The next morning, Loya stretched in front of his open window, injuries nearly healed. "Ah, another beautiful day," he sighed contentedly.

"Hey! Upstairs!" A voice bellowed from below. "Some of us are trying to live down here! It's been leaking all night!"

Loya peered down, seeing a very annoyed neighbor glaring up at him. He realized with a start that his ice-making the night before must have melted, causing quite a mess. "Oops," he muttered, wondering how he was going to talk his way out of this one.