"Vice Admiral Hakutaku, if you make another move, I'll draw my sword."
Vice Admiral Hōshōzan, better known as Fire Mountain, maintained his usual composed demeanor despite the strange situation unfolding before him.
He was normally a good-natured and relatively calm Marine officer, but the woman standing before him was behaving completely differently from the reputation he had heard about Vice Admiral Hakutaku.
Although he had never personally fought Saint Roselith Seraphina before today, he had heard enough stories about her strength to understand that this confrontation could become dangerous if neither side backed down.
Yet what puzzled him most was not her strength.
It was her attitude.
Saint Roselith Seraphina seemed to be enjoying the battle far more than a Marine officer conducting a training exercise should.
"I couldn't be happier!"
"I've long heard of the veteran Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters, and today I finally have the opportunity to experience your strength for myself."
Saint Roselith Seraphina's fighting spirit continued to rise as she spoke, and the white gloves she had been wearing were already lying discarded on the ground.
Her expression remained calm, but there was an unmistakable excitement in her eyes.
Fire Mountain narrowed his eyes.
The pressure radiating from her body was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
"Then, please enlighten me, Vice Admiral Hakutaku."
Fire Mountain reached behind himself and drew his sword.
The silver-black blade rested against his shoulder as he assumed a proper stance.
Saint Roselith Seraphina did not answer.
She simply vanished.
"!"
Fire Mountain's pupils contracted.
Soru!
Using one of the Six Powers of the Marines, Saint Roselith Seraphina crossed the distance between them in an instant.
Her physical ability, combined with her mastery of the Six Powers and her exceptional combat instincts, made her movements extremely difficult to follow.
Fire Mountain immediately swung his sword.
Clang!
Saint Roselith Seraphina's fist collided with the flat of his blade.
The force of the impact caused Fire Mountain's arms to tremble.
Before he could adjust his stance, Saint Roselith Seraphina twisted her body and redirected the sword with a precise palm strike.
Then her other fist shot forward.
Boom!
Fire Mountain was struck squarely and sent crashing onto the ground.
Dust scattered across the training ground.
The nearby Marines stared in stunned silence.
Saint Roselith Seraphina lowered her fist and looked at Fire Mountain with a faint smile.
"The strength of Marine Headquarters' veteran Vice Admirals truly lives up to its reputation."
There was no mockery in her voice.
She genuinely acknowledged his ability.
Fire Mountain had reacted quickly enough to perceive her movement and had managed to block her initial strike.
That alone was enough to prove that he was considerably stronger than an ordinary Marine officer.
Fire Mountain pushed himself upright and wiped the dust from his uniform.
"Vice Admiral Hakutaku, it seems I owe you an apology."
His expression became serious.
The strength Saint Roselith Seraphina had demonstrated was far beyond what he had expected.
He had previously heard rumors that Vice Admiral Hakutaku had fought Edward Newgate, the man known throughout the world as Whitebeard.
However, Fire Mountain had never completely accepted those reports.
Even if the rumors were true, there had been other Marines present during that confrontation, including Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp.
Therefore, Fire Mountain had always suspected that the reports had exaggerated Saint Roselith Seraphina's actual strength.
Now, after personally experiencing her power, he understood that the rumors had not been exaggerated nearly enough.
"However, defeating me does not mean you possess enough strength to defeat Whitebeard."
Fire Mountain tightened his grip around his sword.
"I may have underestimated you, but I am not going to surrender after one exchange."
Saint Roselith Seraphina's eyes brightened.
"Is that so?"
"Then show me your true strength."
Her smile widened.
The atmosphere changed.
Fire Mountain drew a slow breath.
His entire body tensed as he prepared himself for another exchange.
At the same time, Saint Roselith Seraphina reached for the sword at her waist.
Shing!
The blade slid from its sheath.
A cold metallic gleam flashed across the training ground.
Fire Mountain's expression changed.
He had almost forgotten one important detail.
Saint Roselith Seraphina was not merely a powerful Marine officer with exceptional physical strength.
She was also an accomplished swordswoman.
She had defeated him without even drawing her blade.
Now that the sword was finally in her hand, Fire Mountain understood that the battle had entered an entirely different stage.
An oppressive aura suddenly erupted from Saint Roselith Seraphina.
Conqueror's Haki!
The invisible force spread outward.
Fire Mountain's expression became solemn.
The pressure was vastly different from ordinary intimidation.
It was the overwhelming manifestation of a powerful will.
His injured body immediately felt heavier.
His knees bent slightly beneath the pressure.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
Fire Mountain planted his sword against the ground to stabilize himself.
"Isn't this a little excessive?"
"I was only saying that I wanted to see your strength!"
Saint Roselith Seraphina did not answer.
Her eyes remained fixed on him.
A faint killing intent accompanied her Conqueror's Haki.
Then she raised her sword.
The blade flashed.
Fire Mountain's pupils contracted.
For an instant, he saw the image of a white streak cutting through the air.
His instincts screamed at him to defend himself.
However…
Saint Roselith Seraphina suddenly stopped.
The entire training ground became silent.
Fire Mountain stared at her in confusion.
"…What?"
Saint Roselith Seraphina remained motionless.
The excitement that had filled her eyes moments earlier gradually disappeared.
Something was wrong.
She could feel it.
The moment she had drawn her sword, she had suddenly realized that this battle no longer had any meaning.
Training Riva and Tuli was different.
Their strength was close enough to hers that she could control the battle and use the confrontation to test their limits.
There was a purpose behind every exchange.
But fighting Fire Mountain seriously was different.
The gap between them was simply too large.
If she continued increasing her strength, she could seriously injure him.
If she used her full power, she might even kill him.
That was not training.
That was simply bullying someone weaker than herself.
Saint Roselith Seraphina slowly lowered her sword.
"What am I doing?"
She muttered under her breath.
For some reason, she suddenly felt as though she had been acting like a completely different person.
The intense desire to fight.
The urge to crush every opponent in front of her.
The strange satisfaction she felt whenever she pushed someone beyond their limits.
None of it felt completely natural.
Then a voice suddenly appeared inside her mind.
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[Wouldn't it have been better to continue?]
[Why did you stop?]
Saint Roselith Seraphina froze.
Her hand tightened around the sword.
"Who are you?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
She had sensed something similar before, but this time the voice was far clearer.
"Come out!"
"Who are you?"
The voice answered almost immediately.
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[Who am I?]
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[I am you.]
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[Saint Roselith Seraphina.]
Her expression stiffened.
"What… does that mean?"
She couldn't understand.
How could something inside her mind claim to be her?
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[Didn't I make myself clear?]
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[Everything about you, every thought you have, every memory you possess, every desire hidden within your heart… I know them all.]
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[Because I am you.]
The voice sounded increasingly excited.
It was almost as though it had been trapped in silence for an extraordinarily long time and had finally found someone capable of hearing it.
Saint Roselith Seraphina remained frozen.
"Are you… another me?"
No answer came immediately.
Then the voice laughed softly.
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[Perhaps.]
Saint Roselith Seraphina's expression became even more serious.
She had no idea what was happening.
She didn't know whether this was connected to the System, her own consciousness, or something else entirely.
More importantly, she didn't understand why her personality had suddenly changed.
She had always enjoyed becoming stronger.
She had always enjoyed challenging powerful opponents.
But this was different.
This was an almost uncontrollable urge to fight.
It was as though another instinct had awakened inside her.
"Then what exactly are you?"
The voice remained silent.
Saint Roselith Seraphina waited.
Nothing.
She frowned.
"Answer me."
Still nothing.
She slowly sheathed her sword.
The oppressive aura surrounding her disappeared.
The overwhelming presence that had filled the training ground vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Riva, who had been watching from a distance, immediately noticed the change.
"What exactly happened to Instructor Hakutaku?"
His expression became serious.
He had served under Saint Roselith Seraphina for a considerable period of time.
Therefore, he could recognize when something about her behavior was unusual.
Tuli also narrowed his eyes.
He had been carefully observing the entire situation.
There were several possibilities.
Perhaps Saint Roselith Seraphina possessed some kind of unusual psychological condition.
Perhaps her emotions had temporarily overwhelmed her judgment.
Or perhaps…
Something else had interfered with her mind.
"There's movement."
Riva's voice brought Tuli's attention back to the battlefield.
Saint Roselith Seraphina walked toward Fire Mountain.
"Vice Admiral Hōshōzan, are you all right?"
She extended her hand.
Fire Mountain stared at her for several seconds.
The woman standing before him looked completely different from the person who had attacked him moments ago.
He accepted her hand and allowed her to help him stand.
"I'm fine."
Fire Mountain brushed the dust from his uniform.
However, his eyes remained fixed on her.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.
"Vice Admiral Hakutaku, what exactly happened?"
Saint Roselith Seraphina paused.
She had no intention of explaining something she herself didn't understand.
"It's all right."
She offered him a sincere apology.
"What happened today was my fault."
"I apologize for taking the training exercise too far."
Fire Mountain stared at her.
"So… that's it?"
He wanted an explanation.
Unfortunately, Saint Roselith Seraphina had none to give.
She didn't even understand what had happened herself.
Seeing her reluctance to discuss the matter further, Fire Mountain wisely decided not to press her.
"Very well."
The strange incident was temporarily put aside.
…
Several days passed.
The special training camp continued without interruption.
The trainees were subjected to increasingly demanding physical exercises.
Every day brought a new challenge.
Every day tested another aspect of their bodies and minds.
For those who had entered the camp believing that strength alone was enough, reality was beginning to teach them otherwise.
Physical strength.
Endurance.
Discipline.
Willpower.
Combat awareness.
All of these qualities were essential for a Marine who intended to survive the Grand Line and eventually face the monsters of the New World.
One afternoon, the instructors gathered the trainees near the Marineford harbor.
"Prepare for the twenty-kilometer swim!"
The instructor's voice echoed across the waterfront.
The trainees looked toward the sea.
A line of buoys had been placed across the designated training route.
"You will swim along the marked route."
"Stay within the boundaries."
"Anyone who leaves the designated course will be disqualified."
A number of trainees swallowed nervously.
Twenty kilometers was already an exhausting distance under normal circumstances.
Doing it as part of the special training camp was another matter entirely.
"For a Marine, combat at sea is unavoidable."
"You may be required to rescue comrades who fall overboard."
"You may be thrown into the sea during battle."
"You may have to survive for hours before a rescue vessel arrives."
"Therefore, knowing how to survive in the water is not optional."
The instructors continued explaining the purpose of the exercise.
However, Saint Roselith Seraphina stood at the edge of the training grounds and quietly observed the trainees.
Her expression was calm.
Yet deep within her consciousness, the mysterious voice remained.
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[You stopped again.]
Saint Roselith Seraphina's eyes narrowed slightly.
She ignored it.
For now.
There were more important matters.
The training camp had only just begun.
And if the mysterious presence within her truly intended to reveal itself, she would eventually force it to answer.
Until then, she would continue moving forward.
After all…
She was Saint Roselith Seraphina of the Roselith Family.
And she had never been the kind of person who allowed an unknown enemy to dictate her path.