The referee's voice echoed across the entire arena. After a brief silence, a tidal wave of cheers erupted from the stands.
"Nice one! That was incredible!"
"This is the kind of battle that gets your blood pumping!"
"That Uchiha Kaito actually beat a Marine HQ Vice Admiral? Was that guy even the real deal?"
"Shut up! I know that Vice Admiral — even among the others, his strength is top-tier!"
"Doesn't matter. We just witnessed the birth of a legend."
"Kaito, I want to have your babies!"
...
Compared to the spectators below, the Marine brass on the platform appeared calm — or at least, they seemed that way on the surface.
Akainu slapped the armrest of his chair and declared in an unquestionable tone:
"That Uchiha Kaito... he's mine!"
Aokiji didn't buy it in the slightest. Propping up his chin with a hand, he coolly replied with just one word:
"Why?"
Akainu's right arm turned into magma, which hissed and sizzled as it dripped to the floor, smoke billowing up. In an icy tone, he said:
"Because I'm an Admiral."
Aokiji let out a scornful chuckle, his own arm turning to ice and radiating biting cold. He had no intention of backing down. Fixing his gaze on Akainu, he enunciated each word:
"I'm also an Admiral. Just because you say you want him, I should hand him over?"
"So what, you're deliberately trying to piss me off?"
"Heh... as if I'd dare stand against you. After all, you ordered the massacre of an entire boat of civilians, didn't you?"
"Childish. Sacrifice is unavoidable in the name of justice."
"Ridiculous. Wanton slaughter of innocents — what kind of justice is that?!"
Their argument was escalating fast. The tension crackled like a storm about to break. Kizaru, closest to the two, didn't even try to intervene. In fact, his body had begun to photonize, clearly ready to make a quick exit the moment punches started flying.
Of course, Sengoku couldn't let things devolve into chaos — not in front of the recruits. What kind of example would that set? What would happen to the Marines' image? His expression darkened as he barked:
"Enough! Do you want to bring shame to the name of the Marines?!"
As he spoke, a wave of Conqueror's Haki, laced with black lightning, exploded from Sengoku's body. To immediately quell the situation, Sengoku unleashed his Conqueror's Haki. As the Fleet Admiral, his Haki was naturally formidable.
Akainu and Aokiji, being the primary targets of that force, both froze, their expressions darkening as they fell silent.
Once Sengoku saw they had calmed down, he withdrew his Haki and coldly stated:
"Kaito's future after graduation is his own to decide. No one has the right to interfere!"
Akainu looked like he still wanted to say something, but Tsuru, who had remained silent the whole time, shot him a cold glance. He swallowed his words. No matter how headstrong he was, he couldn't take on both Sengoku and Tsuru.
At the end of the day, the Marine leadership was still dominated by the Dove faction. He could only suppress his frustration and clench his fists, thinking bitterly:
"Damn it... if only I were the Fleet Admiral..."
...
The near clash between two Marine Admirals didn't affect Gion at all. At this moment, her eyes were locked solely on Kaito standing in the center of the arena. She wanted to run down there and throw her arms around him that very second. Forget just one request — even a few conditions didn't matter anymore.
She'd already made up her mind about him who was over ten years her junior but always managed to surprise her and make her feel safe. Age had never been an issue anyway — strictly speaking, Kaito was much older than just seventeen.
Ain, sitting in the audience, had both hands clamped over her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears. Kaito's final victory and the miracle he had created for the Marines made her even more emotional than if she had done it herself.
In this moment, she was simply happy for the boy in her heart.
...
Standing in the arena, Kaito naturally sensed those two intense gazes from opposite directions. He knew exactly who they belonged to. Even in the smoke earlier, he'd heard Ain's voice.
Even a blockhead would've picked up on her feelings by now. But the problem was... he already had Gion. Okay, not officially, but wasn't it practically a done deal?
Kaito did admire Ain. A strong, resilient girl who had spoken up bravely in the cafeteria — she'd long since left a deep impression in his heart.
What a pity.
Kaito sighed lightly and raised his thumb toward the high platform. Gion responded with a flirtatious smile, her red lips parting in a silent message:
"The match is over. I'll be waiting at the dorm entrance."
Tch... They totally gave her the wrong title. Kaito cursed in his heart, but quickly shifted gears — time to claim his rewards and head for the dorm. The real prize clearly came after.
He had to admit, that spiky orange-haired loli's earlier evaluation had been spot on — direct, accurate, and piercing.
...
Ain, watching from below, saw everything. Her heart suddenly clenched as if she had lost something irreplaceable. Her face turned ghostly pale.
A roommate next to her immediately asked with concern:
"Ain, are you okay? Are your old injuries flaring up again? I'll help you back to rest!"
Ain forced a faint smile, waved her hand weakly, and said she was fine — no need to worry. Then she fell silent, blankly staring at Kaito's back on the stage. Two streams of tears silently slid down her cheeks.
No matter how hard she tried, the gap between her and Kaito was still so vast.
In her eyes, perhaps only someone like Vice Admiral Gion — strong, influential, and accomplished — could be worthy of Kaito.
...
And so, the annual year-end assessment concluded successfully after Sengoku stepped forward and gave a speech.
After the match, Kaito was escorted to Sengoku's office by the referee.
The other high-ranking officers had already been dismissed, especially Akainu and Aokiji. God knows what would've happened if those two saw Kaito in person — probably another fight.
With those two headaches gone, Sengoku looked at Kaito — a recruit who had brought him one surprise after another in less than a year — and the more he looked, the more he liked him.
He'd heard Gion was totally smitten with the kid. What was she waiting for? Someone this old man approved of couldn't possibly be a bad choice!
Of course, Sengoku only thought this to himself. There was no way he'd ever say it aloud.
Definitely not because of Tsuru, though.
Absolutely not!
...
Kaito, noticing Sengoku hadn't said a word for a while, gave a few fake coughs to break the awkward silence.
Sengoku snapped back to reality and also coughed twice, trying to lighten the mood. Honestly, nothing beats a good cough to diffuse tension.
Returning to his usual stern demeanor, Sengoku opened a cabinet and pulled out three finely crafted boxes, pushing them toward Kaito.
These were the rewards Marine HQ had prepared for Kaito — three powerful Devil Fruits to choose from!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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