During the one month of special training under Garp, Roya did not appear at the recruit camp even once. Many of the recruits had already completely forgotten about Roya.
However, just as the month was about to come to an end, a piece of news spread like wildfire, instantly igniting the entire recruit camp.
"Have you heard? The recruit camp's annual combat assessment is about to begin!"
"Of course I've heard! All of our previous training was for real combat anyway… I heard that if you take first place this time, or perform exceptionally well, you can enter the elite camp and receive personal instruction from Admiral Zephyr!"
The recruits discussed it excitedly. At the mention of the former Marine Admiral Zephyr, their faces could not help but fill with admiration and excitement.
The Marines were not a retirement home. They trained soldiers who would fight pirates to the death. Especially the Marine Headquarters recruit camp—those trained here were the elite of the Marines.
Therefore,
The Marine Headquarters held one real combat assessment every year, and participation was mandatory for all recruits in the regular camp!
The Headquarters recruit camp was divided into the regular camp and the elite camp. The regular camp had many recruits and was split into ten squads, each led by a rear-admiral instructor. The elite camp, however, had only one group.
After graduating from the regular camp, the highest possible rank was Captain. But after graduating from the elite camp, the minimum rank was Lieutenant Commander!
And most importantly, the instructor of the elite camp was not an ordinary rear admiral, but the former Marine Admiral—Zephyr!
Entering the elite camp was the dream of every regular-camp recruit, because the current Marine Admirals—Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji—were all Zephyr's students and had all trained in the elite camp!
Amid the excitement,
There were also some recruits of average strength who knew they had no chance of entering the elite camp, and thus began discussing who would likely qualify this year.
"If nothing unexpected happens, first place this time should be Drake from Squad Five."
"Drake? Most likely. No one can beat him. His strength is on a completely different level. I heard that not long ago, he one-shot the strongest recruit from Squad Eight."
At this, the speaker's face involuntarily showed a trace of awe.
Even among regular-camp recruits, the gap in strength was enormous. The strongest person in each squad could easily defeat most other recruits.
And someone like X Drake, who could instantly defeat even the strongest members of other squads, was clearly already far ahead of everyone else.
"Oh right, what do you think Drake will be like after entering the elite camp? Could he still be number one?" someone suddenly asked curiously.
At that moment, a sneer suddenly sounded from somewhere in the crowd.
"Number one? Heh. Do you even know what kind of monsters are in the elite camp?"
The people nearby looked at one another, most of them shaking their heads, clearly unfamiliar with the elite camp. Their gazes all fell on the recruit who had sneered.
Feeling everyone's attention, the recruit took a deep breath. His expression grew solemn as he said, "I heard that the current top-ranked person in the elite camp is named Smoker. He's a Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit user!"
"Do you really think Drake can compare to that?!"
The entire area fell silent.
Hearing this news so suddenly, everyone's eyes widened in shock.
"A Logia?! Isn't that the strongest of the three Devil Fruit types? Can anyone even beat someone like that?!"
"You've got to be kidding! A guy like that is still a recruit?"
"If that's true, then all recruits of the same generation are probably just there to make him look good."
---
In the courtyard.
It was noon, with the sun hanging high overhead.
At this moment, Roya was gripping Engetsu(Flame Moon) with both hands, repeatedly swinging it through the air. Sweat continuously streamed from his forehead, his arms numb and aching, yet he continued slashing tirelessly.
Training to the body's limit required no fixed method. Only when breaking through the limit did one need special techniques to make it easier.
As Roya's body grew stronger, breaking his limits became increasingly difficult.
Fortunately,
With the techniques Garp taught for breaking physical limits, although the process had grown harder, it was still possible to continue progressing.
Possessing the special Soul Sword, Roya was naturally more interested in swordsmanship, and he had even specifically asked Garp about it.
Garp's answer, however, was completely unexpected.
Garp told Roya that every powerful swordsman ultimately walked a different path. There was no fixed road in swordsmanship—everyone had their own sword path.
The initial stages of sword training were not much different from physical training: strengthening the body, increasing arm strength, and honing the power and speed of slashes.
As for so-called sword energy, it was merely a form of attack that emerged once the power and speed of slashes reached a certain level.
Although Garp was not a swordsman, as a powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the seas, he had seen far too many sword masters.
Thus,
After receiving this answer from Garp, Roya slightly shifted the focus of his training toward swordsmanship.
And just as Roya was holding his sword with both hands, maintaining a single posture and performing simple repetitive slashes—
Garp suddenly arrived in the courtyard and waved at him.
"Roya, you can take a break today."
"Hm?!"
Roya stopped swinging his sword and turned toward Garp in surprise.
Over the past month, even though Roya felt he had been training almost insanely hard, Garp had always wished he would go even harder. Never once had Garp proactively told him to rest.
Looking at the puzzled Roya, Garp casually dug his little finger into his nostril and said, "The recruit camp has its annual combat assessment. All recruits are required to participate. It starts tomorrow."
To Garp, even a mandatory combat assessment was something he could easily exempt Roya from.
But he had no intention of doing so.
No matter how good Roya's talent and willpower were, without experiencing real combat—without going through true bloodshed—it would be impossible to become a genuine powerhouse.
"A combat assessment, huh?"
Hearing Garp's words, a look of realization flashed through Roya's eyes. He gently stroked Engetsu in his hand, while the corner of his mouth curved upward slightly.
Roya had long since discovered that the golden energy obtained from combat, used to strengthen the Soul Sword, was at least twice as much as what he gained from pure training!
Under such circumstances, there was no way he would refuse the combat assessment.
Moreover,
Roya had long wanted to test roughly how strong he currently was. Understanding one's true strength could not rely on imagination alone—it had to be verified through real combat.
Now, Roya's Soul Sword had been strengthened to Second Stage +6. Although he was still far from the fifth stage required to release Ryūjin Jakka, he was already very close to the third stage. If nothing unexpected happened, the third stage would likely be another major transformation!
For that,
Roya was extremely eager.