"Why are you all looking at me?"
"You're not seriously thinking I'm going to make a move, are you?"
"This graduation trial was arranged for you—not for me."
"If I step in and handle everything, then what's the point of the rest of you?"
Kai looked at them with an odd expression.
The cadets instantly fell silent.
Even now, they still couldn't forget what they had seen a few days earlier—
Kai's horrifying strength.
The fact that he possessed combat power on par with a Vice Admiral.
The fact that he had personally defeated and captured a pirate worth several hundred million berries.
The moment those memories surfaced, none of them dared keep placing their hopes on him.
"Kai's right."
"This is our graduation trial."
"The whole point is that we complete it with our own hands."
"If Kai makes a move, then there's no point in any of us being here."
"Don't forget..."
"That monster's strength stands far above the vast majority of people on this sea."
Smoker took a deep breath and spoke seriously.
Hearing that, the cadets finally withdrew their gazes from Kai.
"You don't have much time left."
"The Cerberus Pirates are going to notice your presence soon."
"They'll also notice the Marines moving into position behind us."
In other words…
"This fight is about to begin."
"Get yourselves ready now, unless you want to be scared into falling apart the moment it starts."
As early as the moment they landed on the island, Kai had already activated Observation Haki and begun surveying the area.
Now, with his Observation Haki covering a five-hundred-meter radius, he could already sense several pirates rapidly moving in their direction.
Clearly, the Cerberus Pirates weren't fools.
They had already realized the Marines were making a move and were gathering their own men to prepare for a full confrontation.
All Kai could do now was warn Smoker and the others before those pirates arrived.
The moment he finished speaking, Smoker, Tina, and the other cadets all tightened mentally.
Their faces showed obvious tension.
Then, one after another, they drew their weapons.
Some held rifles.
Some drew swords.
Some remained empty-handed, prepared to fight with their fists.
In short, every cadet present made immediate preparations for battle.
So they're coming…
"The Cerberus Pirates…"
"This is really starting, isn't it?"
"Everyone, do not lower your guard. These pirates are scum with blood all over their hands. If we make even a single mistake, we may never recover."
"Don't think that just because Kai is here, we can act without worry. This is our trial—not his."
"For a monster like Kai, he doesn't even need a graduation trial."
"When we face those bastards, we need to go all out from the very beginning."
"No hesitation. No pity."
"Those people do not deserve sympathy."
One after another, the cadets tried to suppress their fear and steady themselves.
Off to the side, Trull watched the seventy cadets prepare for battle and couldn't help clicking his tongue in admiration.
"As expected of Admiral Zephyr's students…"
"Every one of them is a genuinely capable elite."
"As the next generation of Marine talents, what they lack now clearly isn't strength."
"What they lack is real combat experience."
"And the experience of killing."
That's all.
"Once they get through today's trial, every one of them will be tempered anew."
"At that point, they'll become true Marine elites."
"Right now, they're still just green recruits."
That was what Trull thought.
And then he noticed something strange.
His gaze shifted toward the five-year-old Kai.
"That kid…"
"What exactly is going on with him?"
"The Marine training camp actually has a child this young?"
"And not only that—he's been brought here to take part in a trial against real pirates?"
"Is that really appropriate?"
Trull frowned.
Then he noticed something even stranger.
Smoker, Tina, and the rest of the cadets—all roughly around twenty years old—kept throwing looks full of trust toward the five-year-old boy.
What was that supposed to mean?
Trull was startled.
"That kid…"
"Who exactly is he?"
"All these cadets are around twenty, and yet they treat that five-year-old as if he were their pillar?"
Am I seeing things?
"He's just a child. What could possibly qualify him to earn that kind
Trull couldn't make sense of it.
But he could clearly tell—
the way those cadets looked at Kai carried the emotions they reserved for a strong superio
Whenever they looked at him, the fear in their hearts visibly settled.
It was as though they had found the center that stea
"That kid…"
"could he really be the emotional anchor of the whole team?"
"No way."
He's only five.
"These cadets are all elite talents, each one carefully chosen."
"And yet people like that are centering themselves around a five-year-old
There has to be something
Trull was thoroughly confused.
And just as he continued
Kai seemed to understand it.
He slow
At that instant, Trull felt go
His scalp tingled.
"S-such sharp perception…"
"That child…"
"Is he really only five?"
"At just five years old, he already has this kind of aw
"Now I want to see…"
"How strong he truly is."
Trull involuntarily drew a breath and quickly looked away,
He was afraid he might attract even more of the child's attention.
Just then—
"Colonel Trull! The Cerberus Pirates are here!"
One Marine elite shouted urgently.
T
Sure enough—
the Cerberus Pirates were coming in force.
They advanced openly and aggressively.
One pirate after another br
The entire area instantly filled with murderous energy.
The atm
They're here.
"Everyone, prepare for battle."
Trull's eyes hardened.
Even though their main task was only to surround the pirates and ensure no one escaped, they still needed to be
At the same time
Their expressions turned serious
Each of them tightened their grip on their weapons
No one dared to relax.
Then—
The Cerberus Pirates stopped.
And from among them stepped a broad-shouldered middle-aged man.
He had
"Navy brats?"
A bunch of snot-nosed r
"and you actually dared come here to surround the Cerberu
"You've got a death wish."
"Who exactly gave you the courage?"
The man grinned viciously, his voice shrill and cold.
Behind him, all three hundred pirates laughed wildly, their faces twisted as they looked
"Boss, looks like the Marines are using us as training fodder."
"They actually sent a bunch of rookies to deal with us.
In that case…
"let's sat
"If the Marines want to use us as a whetstone, then let's slaughter e
Meanwhile
At a glance, he recognized the man.
"Cerberus Pirates captain Kurrin…"
"Dog-Dog Fruit, Model:"
"Bounty: 60 million berries."
That's right.
The tattooed middle-aged man before them was none other than the captain of the Cerberus Pirates—
Cerberus Kurrin, a major pirate with a bounty of sixty million.
Within the Grand Line, he was no weakling.
Turning his gaze, Kai looked toward Smoker and the cadets with interest.
So…
"how are you going to handle
For this battle, he was not one of the participants.
He was merely—
a spectator.
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