More and more figures emerged from the forest, though some remained conspicuously absent—not due to fatalities, but because the island's dense woodlands and complex terrain had left some stranded in remote areas or simply lost.
Fortunately, surveillance covered the entire island. Under the Revolutionary Army's organized search, all members eventually assembled.
No tragic deaths occurred, though one new reserve member did lose an arm. Judging by his determined demeanor, however, retirement wasn't on his mind. Fishman Hatchan praised this resilience highly—this indomitable spirit embodied the true revolutionary ethos, refusing to be broken by adversity.
Soon, the group began boarding ships to depart the island.
The anxiety they'd carried ashore had been tempered now. As the island gradually receded into the distance, Rez and others couldn't help but reflect.
"Seriously... there were multiple close calls out there."
"Same here! One of those lynxes nearly gutted me—lucky I reacted fast."
The new reserves exchanged hushed war stories, their voices tinged with lingering fear.
"Rez, how many beasts did you take down?" someone asked curiously.
"Not many, just ten or so."Rez shook his head slightly, somewhat dissatisfied. As the one with the highest Power Level among the new reserve candidates, he had always held himself to a very high standard. Yet, he never expected his performance in this actual combat to be so mediocre.
"This is already quite good. I heard last year's reserve candidates achieved about the same results," someone said enviously.
People are inherently different. Some are born with the qualities of a strong individual, and the gap will only grow wider.
"I wonder how Rhode performed..." someone murmured at that moment.
"I'm not sure either."
Rez shook his head and said, "But he's a swordmaster, so his efficiency in slaying beasts should be better than mine. Still, at most, he probably only took down a dozen or so."
"After all, he's too slow and physically weak. If he ran into even a slightly stronger beast, he'd probably have to flee."
The other newly promoted reserves nodded in agreement.
Rhode's frail physique was obvious to everyone, and no one understood it better than they did.
Just then, Nia walked past and overheard their conversation. Unable to hold back a soft laugh, she tossed them a piece of paper. "Take a look. The top ten performers from this combat mission have been announced."
"Huh?"
Rez swiftly snatched the paper and scanned the names. Instantly, his entire body stiffened.
The other reserves, seeing his reaction, curiously crowded around. One by one, they froze in place, eyes widening, pupils trembling violently—as if they had witnessed the most unbelievable thing.
At the very top of the list was none other than Rhode, their fellow recruit!
"While you were struggling to survive, he was playing a game."
Watching their collective stunned expressions, Nia chuckled and walked away.
With a single sword strike, Rhode had slain the giant serpent. If his performance wasn't the best of the entire mission, Nia would be the first to disbelieve it.
As the results spread, the deck erupted into clamor. Everyone found it hard to believe—historically, the top ten spots were almost always dominated by the captains, with very few exceptions.
"Seems like this new guy Rhode is something else."
"I heard he's a swordmaster. Didn't expect him to be this strong."
"Shano's got competition now."
The crowd buzzed with excitement and curiosity.
They didn't fear the emergence of a prodigy—on the contrary, having such a comrade would greatly improve their survival odds during missions.
Standing alone at the ship's bow, Shano, who had been resting with his eyes closed, was roused by the commotion.
"A young swordmaster?"
He murmured the words softly, then smirked dismissively. After all, the gap between swordmasters could be vast, and he didn't believe the young Rhode had the strength to challenge him.
...
Half a day later.
The ship returned to White Earth Island.
As Rhode stepped out of the cabin, he immediately noticed the stark difference in how others looked at him. Rez and the others regarded him with awe, while most of the reserves eyed him with curiosity and provocation.
"Results were announced, huh?"
His eyes flickered slightly as he quickly pieced it together—the bonus from slaying the giant serpent must have propelled his performance score above everyone else's.
Of course, he didn't care about that.
Pulling on his coat, he followed the group, embarking on yet another journey across the wasteland.
Fishman Hatchan didn't seem intent on heading straight back to headquarters. Instead, he led Rhode and the others along the coastline, soon arriving at a rugged, complex terrain.
Rhode could clearly sense numerous hidden sentries in the shadows. From some concealed spots, he even caught glimpses of dark cannon barrels.
"This is the coastal base, responsible for monitoring White Earth Island's shoreline to prevent any pirates who accidentally land here from stumbling into headquarters."
Hatchan briefly explained before guiding the reserves into the base's main hall.
He didn't elaborate on how these pirates would be dealt with, but it was clear their fate wouldn't be a pleasant one.Hatchan, as a high-ranking officer of the Revolutionary Army, held considerable authority and status. He passed through without obstruction, with every revolutionary soldier he encountered saluting him respectfully.
"Rez and the rest of you stay. The others may go rest."
Upon reaching a large hall, the fish-man Hatchan issued his command.
"Yes!" Nia and the others quickly dispersed, leaving only Rhode and the other newly promoted reserves.
The scene fell into silence for a moment.
After a long pause, Hatchan finally spoke, "I believe that through this real combat experience, you've gained a deeper understanding of your own capabilities."
"In actual combat, physical strength is just one aspect. Swordsmanship, martial arts, and awareness all play crucial roles—sometimes even more important ones!"
"Without these, you're merely a brute with raw strength..."
Reflecting on their recent experiences, Rez and the others instinctively nodded, their expressions thoughtful.
Before this, they had only focused on rigorous physical training, believing that sheer strength alone could overpower everything.
The logic wasn't wrong, but they couldn't possibly train to the point of overwhelming everything in one go. In this process, swordsmanship and martial arts—which could fully utilize their physical prowess—became extremely important.
As for awareness, that could only be accumulated through repeated battles. There was no rushing it.
"Last time, I taught you how to alter your breathing patterns—the foundation of physical strength."
The fish-man Hatchan stood with his hands behind his back, speaking in a low voice, "Today, I will teach you an advanced martial art—the Six Powers."
"These six techniques include Shave for instantaneous bursts of movement, Moon Walk for walking on air..."
After a brief introduction, he began demonstrating the Six Powers, moving slowly and explaining the key difficulties and tricks.
"The Navy's Six Styles?"
Rhode blinked but wasn't particularly surprised. Given the Revolutionary Army's infiltration of the world, mastering such a practical advanced martial art like the Navy's Six Styles was only natural.
Nia had previously used Shave before.
For Rhode, the Six Powers were worth learning, but he didn't need to master all of them.
The slashing technique of Tempest Kick seemed like a joke to a swordmaster like him, and Finger Gun was even more useless—he had no need to learn strange skills like the Two-Finger Zen. His physical stamina was already more than sufficient.
As for Iron Body and Paper Art, these two abilities seemed like foundational training for Two-Colored Haki. Given Rhode's rapid physical enhancement, he believed he would soon meet the conditions to practice Two-Colored Haki, making these techniques largely unnecessary.
"The explosive displacement of Shave and the aerial mobility of Moon Walk are what would be most useful to me."
Rhode sighed inwardly, his eyes fixed on Hatchan on the platform.
With intelligence twice that of an average person, he naturally memorized the techniques with ease. But to truly master them, he would still need to practice repeatedly on his own.
Yesterday's recommendation votes were only in the single digits... Feeling blue.