Three days later.
Clear skies stretched endlessly above the sea.
The sun hung high, spilling warm light across the ocean until the entire surface glittered like molten gold. Waves rolled lazily, and the wind carried the clean salt bite of open water.
A massive Marine warship cut steadily through the calm.
On the deck—
Kai was drenched in sweat, training like a machine.
A thousand-kilogram weight pressed into his body as he pushed through a brutal set.
"Eight thousand nine hundred ninety-four!"
"Eight thousand nine hundred ninety-five!"
"…!"
Sweat streamed down his skin and soaked the deck beneath him.
Finally—
Huff.
He exhaled hard and ended his daily quota.
He straightened, grabbed a towel, and wiped his face clean. Then he walked to the railing, closed his eyes, and let the cold sea wind roll over him.
Truthfully… this kind of training barely increased his strength anymore.
But he'd grown used to it.
A day without training felt wrong—empty, restless, like something was missing.
And even if each improvement was tiny…
Tiny gains, stacked day after day, still became something terrifying over time.
"Three days since we left Marineford…"
Kai murmured.
They'd been sailing through the Grand Line for three full days now.
No major storms.
No serious pirate trouble.
Almost peaceful.
Footsteps approached.
Smoker, Tina, and several trainees came to the railing beside him, staring out at the endless blue.
After a moment, Smoker asked quietly, "That pirate crew Instructor Zephyr told us about… the Cerberus Pirates. Do you think we can handle them?"
Back when they set sail, Zephyr had already explained the graduation trial in full.
Their mission was simple:
Destroy the Cerberus Pirates.
Zephyr would supervise—but he wouldn't interfere unless absolutely necessary.
Everything depended on the trainees.
The Cerberus Pirates weren't small-time trash.
Their total bounty was over one hundred million.
The captain had an animal-type Devil Fruit—Dog-Dog Fruit: Cerberus Form—with a bounty close to sixty million.
And their core officers weren't weak either—several had bounties in the tens of millions.
For trainees who had never truly shed blood in a real pirate battle…
That pressure was unavoidable.
Kai turned his head and smiled faintly.
"Let me correct one thing," he said calmly. "Not we. You."
"I'm not part of this graduation trial."
"Instructor Zephyr ordered me not to interfere."
"So this is your trial. Not mine."
The trainees fell silent.
Smoker's jaw tightened.
Tina didn't speak at all.
Kai waved a hand. "Relax. If something goes wrong, I'll save you. And if an outside force interferes—something you can't handle—I'll deal with that."
"But as far as the Cerberus Pirates go… that's on you."
Someone blurted, "Why do you get to skip the trial?"
Kai looked at him like it was the funniest thing in the world.
"You want to know?"
"Beat me. I'll tell you."
"And I'll even make it so you don't have to do the trial either."
The trainee instantly shut up.
Beat Kai?
Even imagining that felt like suicide.
Smoker—a Logia user—had already been crushed by him before.
What chance did the rest of them have?
Kai, in their eyes, was a mountain you could only look up at.
He sighed, like he decided to be kind.
"Fine. I'll tell you."
"I'm too strong."
"If I join the trial, you won't even need to move. You'll just win by standing there."
"That would make the whole graduation meaningless."
"So Instructor Zephyr told me: no fighting."
The trainees lowered their heads in bitter silence.
…Yeah.
When you're strong enough, you really do get privileges.
Someone muttered through gritted teeth, "So what—strength means you can do whatever you want?"
The others stared at him like he was dumb.
"…Doesn't it?" they replied in unison.
The trainee went quiet immediately.
Kai suddenly asked, "How long until we reach Angel Island?"
Angel Island was their destination.
A few days ago, Marine intelligence confirmed the Cerberus Pirates had been spotted near its waters.
Smoker thought for a moment. "Probably four more days."
"Four…"
Kai stretched his arms. "Too early. I'll go rest."
He took one step—
Then froze.
His eyes narrowed sharply, locking onto a point several kilometers away.
Out there, near the horizon—
A massive ship cut across the sea.
A pirate ship.
Its skull flag snapped proudly in the wind.
"Pirates?"
Kai raised an eyebrow.
After three quiet days… they finally ran into one.
But then his expression shifted.
"…No."
"Something's off."
His vision sharpened.
On that pirate ship stood a gigantic figure—six or seven meters tall, like a walking fortress.
A curved white moustache.
A vacant, dull stare.
Drool at the mouth.
A massive blade in his hands, like a guandao.
Fat body. Thin legs. Ugly face.
Kai's eyes turned cold and deep.
"That face…"
"That build…"
"If I'm not mistaken…"
"That's Whitebeard's so-called 'second son'…"
"Edward Weevil."
His voice lowered.
"And the man who—years from now—will wipe out a Marine training camp… and cut off Instructor Zephyr's arm."
Kai's lips curled slightly.
"…I didn't expect to meet you this early."
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