Chiga sat bored in the stands, his eyes slightly closed, as if asleep. He no longer needed to participate in the upcoming matches.
Don't misunderstand, it wasn't that he was eliminated. Instead, the assessment rules had changed. Since Chiga's strength was completely on a different level from everyone else, the higher-ups decided to separate him and no longer have him participate in the competition.
The unlucky fellow, Chris, who had faced Chiga in the very first match, could now re-enter the competition.
Chiga's assessment was changed from sparring with students to being evaluated by a Vice Admiral sent from Headquarters. Before this, Headquarters had already consulted Chiga, as this would undoubtedly be unfair to him.
However, Headquarters decided that no matter how Chiga performed in his battle with the Vice Admiral, he would definitely be given a Devil Fruit.
Chiga had no objections to this arrangement; it saved trouble and avoided the awkwardness of eliminating acquaintances.
Today was the third day of the competition. The four final contestants from groups A, B, C, and D were Ain, Smoker, Binz, and Glevs.
Ultimately, Graves was eliminated, with Smoker, Binz, and Ain finishing first, second, and third, respectively.
Smoker didn't choose a Devil Fruit or a Great Grade sword. He made his own request: a Jitte embedded with Seastone as his weapon.
Marine Headquarters agreed. After all, Smoker was a Logia user and the first-place winner of this competition, even though Chiga hadn't participated in the final matches.
Binz chose a Great Grade sword with a green hilt, named "Green Vine."
What puzzled everyone was that Ain, as an ability user, actually chose a Devil Fruit. And because she was third, she could only choose an unknown fruit not listed in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
Ain silently returned to the stands, clutching a Devil Fruit. Her roommate immediately asked her why.
Ain pursed her lips, recalling a conversation she had with Chiga before the assessment.
"What reward do you want from this assessment? Anyway, besides you, I can't think of anyone else who'd get first place."
"A Devil Fruit, I guess. It has a special meaning to me."
"Special meaning?"
"Hehe, it's a secret. I can only say it'll greatly help improve my strength."
"You're going to eat it?"
"No, if I eat it, won't I become a landlubber?!"
"…Who are you talking about?"
"Uh-uh, sorry."
"Never mind if you don't want to say. It's your secret, but… I know."
"You know what?"
"Hehe, secret."
"…"
Shaking off her thoughts, Ain turned and smiled at her roommate.
"Because there was really nothing else to pick, you know? A Devil Fruit might even be worth money later."
Her roommate thought about it and agreed, no longer dwelling on the question. She continued,
"Alright, you're quite the little money-grubber. Let's watch the match. The main event is next: the showdown between Uchiha Chiga and a Headquarters Vice Admiral. Tsk tsk, this has never happened before. This Uchiha Chiga is truly a monster; he's not on the same level as us at all."
Hearing her roommate call Chiga a monster, Ain gave her a chiding look. Her roommate then remembered that Ain was practically a little fan of that Uchiha Chiga, and she'd been caught red-handed.
Smiling awkwardly, she quickly said,
"Oh dear, oh dear, watch the match, watch the match! It's about to start!"
Ain wasn't truly angry. She put away the Devil Fruit in her hand and quietly waited in her seat for the upcoming match.
By this time, the arena had been mostly cleared and repaired. Kake, wearing his "Justice" coat, appeared on the stage. Today, he wasn't wearing his black suit underneath, but rather his most comfortable tea-colored casual clothes.
Kake held the microphone, cleared his throat, and announced to the crowd,
"Next will be the battle between Uchiha Chiga and a Headquarters Vice Admiral. Given the significant difference in strength between student Uchiha Chiga and other students, this special arrangement has been made, and his personal consent has been obtained."
Everyone in the arena already knew this news, so there was no particular reaction. Seeing the calm atmosphere, Kake continued,
"In this match, regardless of victory or defeat, student Chiga will receive a Devil Fruit as a reward. Furthermore, if he wins, then…"
At this point, Gakkei deliberately paused, trying to build suspense for the audience. However, the audience didn't buy it. In a moment, many banana peels, eggshells, and other debris appeared around Kake. Wiping a bead of cold sweat from his forehead, Kake no longer delayed and quickly said,
"If student Chiga wins, then upon his graduation, he will at least be awarded the rank of Headquarters Rear Admiral!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the arena erupted. Before this, even the first-place winner of the Elite Training Camp would at most receive the rank of Colonel. Yet, there was an insurmountable chasm between Colonel and Rear Admiral. One must remember that a Rear Admiral was already halfway into the upper echelons of Marine Headquarters. This Uchiha Chiga was only 17 years old, wasn't he? A 17-year-old Rear Admiral?
However, on second thought, the prerequisite was to defeat a Vice Admiral, which was even more preposterous. A Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters was a genuine member of the Headquarters' high-ranking officers. Although their performance in the anime might seem a bit underwhelming, they still possessed strength.
Perhaps it was just a grand promise from the Headquarters' higher-ups as a gimmick, everyone in the audience thought.
Not only the audience but also many high-ranking Marine officials on the high platform thought the same, with the exception of Zephyr and Sengoku.
Tsuru heard the news and looked at Sengoku in surprise, asking,
"Sengoku, what is the meaning of this? Is it just to add a gimmick?"
Other high-ranking Marine officials also looked at Garp; this was the question they wanted to ask as well.
Sengoku shook his head, his gaze fixed on the arena below, and said,
"I received confirmation from Zephyr that Uchiha Chiga currently possesses at least Vice Admiral-level combat power."
"Nani?!"
Sengoku's words were like a bombshell, leaving everyone stunned. They all looked at Zephyr, who nodded with a serious expression.
Such growth speed was truly astonishing. Given Zephyr's character, he wouldn't joke about such matters. So, a 17-year-old Chiga now had Vice Admiral-level combat power?
Sitting next to Tsuru, Gion had her legs together and her hands clasped on her thighs, her peach-blossom eyes fixed on Chiga in the spectator stands, her expression subtle.
Chiga in the stands seemed to sense something and looked up at the high platform, his gaze settling on Gion, who was watching him.
Chiga smiled slightly and mouthed a few words to Gion, causing a blush to spread across Gion's face. With her strength, she naturally saw clearly and understood Chiga's meaning:
"Don't forget our promise, Sister Gion."
Gion certainly wouldn't forget; she remembered it more clearly than anyone. She also used lip-reading to convey her meaning to Chiga:
"Of course, I haven't forgotten, but aren't you getting a bit carried away? Are you so confident you'll defeat that Vice Admiral?"
Chiga didn't offer any further explanation, only mouthing three words again:
"Trust me."
Receiving Chiga's reply, Gion stopped communicating with him. She had gotten the answer she most desired.
Although she didn't know Chiga's exact strength, she always felt a sense of security from him. It was this feeling that made her lose herself in it. She murmured softly,
"You're really going to do it, Chiga."
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Initially I wasn't going to drop a chapter today but I did, cos of those that sent powerstones.