"The assessment is over!"
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Saint Roselith Seraphina lowered the pressure of her Conqueror's Haki, allowing the oppressive atmosphere that had filled the training grounds to gradually disappear.
She turned toward the assistant instructors responsible for recording the results.
"You can begin calculating the scores."
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
The instructors immediately moved into action.
Those who had been knocked unconscious were carefully checked before their positions were recorded.
The instructors measured the distance each candidate had managed to cover before the end of the assessment, then combined those results with their previous scores.
The candidates who had remained conscious were also evaluated according to how far they had advanced toward Saint Roselith Seraphina.
Saint Roselith Seraphina calmly watched the process.
Then her gaze fell upon the only candidate who had managed to stand directly before her.
"Turi."
"What are you doing here?"
Turi stood calmly beside her, his expression completely different from that of the exhausted candidates scattered across the training grounds.
The result was already obvious.
He was the only candidate who had resisted the pressure of her Conqueror's Haki strongly enough to reach her position without collapsing.
Saint Roselith Seraphina had suspected him from the moment she saw his unusual performance during the previous assessments.
His physical ability was far beyond what should have been expected from an ordinary newcomer.
And now, he had demonstrated an equally unusual level of resistance to Haoshoku Haki.
There was clearly something he was hiding.
"Vice Admiral Roselith, the Marines are the largest organized military force on the sea."
Turi shrugged casually.
His voice carried a hint of helplessness.
"I thought joining the Marines would be the safest way to protect myself while also gaining access to greater opportunities."
It was a reasonable explanation.
At least, it sounded reasonable.
Saint Roselith Seraphina narrowed her eyes.
She didn't believe him.
However, she didn't expose him either.
"I'll be watching you."
Her tone was calm, but the warning behind her words was unmistakable.
Turi could only smile bitterly.
"Yes, Vice Admiral."
Saint Roselith Seraphina turned away.
For now, she would allow him to maintain his disguise.
But she would remember him.
…
The Final ResultsThe final day of the selection process arrived.
The results were finally posted.
Hundreds of Marines crowded around the ranking board, desperately searching for their names.
"Tashigi!"
Kuina suddenly smiled.
"You passed!"
Tashigi hurried over.
"Really?!"
"There it is!"
Kuina pointed toward the list.
"Your name is there."
Tashigi stared at the ranking board in disbelief.
Her eyes gradually became moist.
"493rd…"
"I actually passed."
"I really persevered until the end!"
Her voice trembled.
She had nearly collapsed during the physical assessment.
She had struggled against Saint Roselith Seraphina's Conqueror's Haki.
She had even doubted whether she possessed enough ability to remain among the candidates.
Yet she had made it.
She had earned a place in the Marine Special Training Camp.
Tashigi wiped her eyes and immediately began searching for Kuina's name.
She eventually found it.
"Kuina!"
"Hm?"
"How are you only seventy-sixth?!"
Tashigi stared at the ranking in disbelief.
Kuina had performed extremely well during the physical assessment.
She had also advanced considerably during the Conqueror's Haki test.
Based on those results alone, she should have been much higher.
Kuina scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
"Hehe…"
"I suppose my written examination score wasn't very good."
She already knew exactly why.
The written examination had been disastrous.
Tashigi looked at her in confusion.
"But weren't those supposed to be basic Marine regulations?"
"How could your score be so low?"
Kuina's expression became awkward.
She couldn't exactly tell Tashigi that she had spent most of her time focusing on swordsmanship and physical training while neglecting the mountain of Marine regulations she had been expected to memorize.
She also couldn't admit that she had never been particularly fond of studying.
"It's… complicated."
Tashigi tilted her head.
"Complicated?"
"Forget it."
Kuina smiled awkwardly.
"I'm still in the camp, aren't I?"
Tashigi nodded.
"That's true."
A Marine officer responsible for announcing the results stepped forward.
"All candidates whose names appear on the final list are to report to the training grounds immediately."
"Those who were not selected are to return to their respective Marine branches."
The announcement spread throughout the assembled Marines.
Some candidates lowered their heads in disappointment.
Others clenched their fists, unwilling to accept the result.
Yet despite their disappointment, none of them regretted coming to Marineford.
They had witnessed the overwhelming power of Conqueror's Haki firsthand.
They had stood before a Marine officer whose strength was far beyond anything most of them had ever encountered.
For many of them, that experience alone had been worth the journey.
MarinefordThe selected candidates assembled on the training grounds.
Saint Roselith Seraphina and the assistant instructors were already waiting.
At the front stood an older man with a stern expression and a massive mechanical arm.
"Everyone, listen carefully."
The man's voice immediately silenced the crowd.
"My name is Zephyr."
"I am the chief instructor of this Marine Special Training Camp."
The candidates immediately recognized him.
"Zephyr?!"
"The former Admiral Zephyr?!"
"So that's Black Arm Zephyr!"
"The legendary instructor who trained countless Marines!"
Whispers spread through the formation.
Several candidates glanced toward Zephyr's enormous mechanical arm.
They were curious about it, but none dared to ask directly.
Zephyr ignored the murmurs.
His gaze swept across the trainees.
"I expect every one of you to remember one thing."
"This camp isn't a place for reputation."
"It's not a place where rank will protect you."
"And it certainly isn't a place where talent alone will carry you."
"If you want to become stronger, you will have to earn it."
Saint Roselith Seraphina stepped forward after Zephyr finished.
"I am Saint Roselith Seraphina."
"For the first half of this training cycle, I will serve as the deputy instructor."
The trainees immediately became restless.
They had already heard countless rumors about her.
The Marine officer known as Vice Admiral Hakutaku.
The young swordswoman who had fought against Edward Newgate, the man known throughout the world as Whitebeard.
The Marine whose strength had become the subject of countless exaggerated stories.
One trainee finally raised his hand.
"Vice Admiral Hakutaku!"
Saint Roselith Seraphina looked toward him.
"Speak."
"Is it true that you can defeat Whitebeard?"
The question immediately caused the other trainees to turn toward her.
Everyone wanted to know the answer.
Saint Roselith Seraphina considered the question for a moment.
"If you're asking about Whitebeard at his current age and condition, I believe I could force him back in a direct confrontation."
"But defeat him?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"I wouldn't claim that."
The trainees became silent.
Saint Roselith Seraphina continued.
"Edward Newgate remains one of the strongest pirates in the world."
"His Gura Gura no Mi is extraordinarily destructive, and his Haki is equally formidable."
"Even if I could withstand his attacks, defeating him in a prolonged battle would be another matter entirely."
Her answer was straightforward.
She had no reason to exaggerate her strength.
Another trainee raised his hand.
"Then, Vice Admiral, does that mean your strength is already comparable to that of an Admiral?"
Saint Roselith Seraphina smiled faintly.
"You've all witnessed the strength of the Admirals."
"I won't compare myself to them without sufficient evidence."
She had fought Kizaru before.
She understood exactly how terrifying an Admiral could be.
The Marines' three Admirals were monsters who stood at the summit of the world's military power.
Saint Roselith Seraphina was confident in her own abilities, but confidence did not mean recklessly declaring superiority over people whose full capabilities she had never tested.
One of the trainees nodded respectfully.
"Vice Admiral Hakutaku, you're too modest."
Saint Roselith Seraphina ignored the compliment.
"Enough."
"You didn't come here to discuss my strength."
The entire training ground became quiet again.
"You came here because you want to become stronger."
"You came here because you believe in justice."
"But justice without strength is merely an ideal."
"And strength without conviction is nothing more than violence."
Her gaze swept across the trainees.
"If you want to uphold your justice, you need the strength to protect it."
"That is why the Marines established this Special Training Camp."
The trainees straightened their backs.
"You already experienced the selection process."
"You know how demanding this camp will be."
"So I will make one thing clear before your actual training begins."
"If anyone wants to withdraw now, step forward."
"No punishment will be given."
"You will simply return to your original Marine branch."
Saint Roselith Seraphina paused.
"But once you officially begin the training program, quitting will be treated as failure."
The trainees exchanged glances.
Nobody moved.
Not a single person stepped forward.
Zephyr watched them silently.
A faint smile eventually appeared on his face.
Saint Roselith Seraphina nodded.
"Very well."
"From this moment onward, you are officially members of the seventeenth batch of the Marine Special Training Camp."
"The training begins today."
The trainees immediately became energized.
Some clenched their fists.
Others took deep breaths.
Kuina's eyes burned with determination.
Tashigi stood beside her, equally serious.
Riva remained calm.
Turi stood quietly among the others.
Every person present understood that the selection process was over.
The real ordeal had just begun.
Zephyr stepped forward.
"Enough standing around!"
"Warm-up!"
The trainees immediately became alert.
"Twenty kilometers!"
"Run around Marineford!"
A collective gasp swept through the formation.
"Twenty kilometers?!"
Zephyr's expression didn't change.
"Move!"
"Sir!"
The seventeenth batch immediately charged forward.
Their first day at the Marine Special Training Camp had officially begun.
And none of them yet understood just how brutal the road ahead would become.