As Zephyr finished speaking, the atmosphere of the entire training ground instantly became restless.
The "Iron Jaw" instructor stepped forward. His booming voice echoed across the field:
"Now, we begin the first round of testing—Doriki values! When your name is called, step forward in order! Anyone with a score lower than 80 Doriki will be sent directly to the Deckhand Class!"
A line for the test was quickly formed.
"Hank!"
A burly recruit, who looked like an ace from his local branch, was the first to step forward.
He took a deep breath and threw a punch with all his might.
"125 Doriki! Pass!"
The recruit breathed a sigh of relief. However, there was no joy on his face. This score was clearly not very impressive.
The next few people passed without any major issues. Most of their scores hovered between 100 and 150.
Soon, a somewhat thin-looking guy stepped up. He used every bit of strength he had, but in the end, the machine only showed the number "79."
Amidst a wave of pitying looks, he was heartlessly led away to the Deckhand Class area.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming dull, a loud name was called.
"T-Bone!"
A tall, thin young man with an honest gaze stepped out. He was as straight and thin as a ruler.
Aiden looked at his excessively thin face.
"This guy... why does he look so familiar?" Aiden muttered to himself.
"I think he was a named character in the original manga. But I can't remember. It's your fault for being a man. I remember people like Hina very clearly."
While Aiden was complaining internally, T-Bone had already meticulously taken the most standard Marine combat stance.
With a loud shout, he suddenly threw a punch!
"420 Doriki! High Excellence!"
When this value appeared, the crowd went into an uproar!
This was the highest score so far. It was nearly three times the average result!
T-Bone ignored the gasps of surprise around him. He simply gave a silent salute and returned to the ranks.
"Next, Rosinante!"
A blonde youth ran up clumsily. He nearly tripped over his own left foot, drawing a round of laughter from the crowd.
His face turned bright red from nervousness. He closed his eyes tight and swung a wild punch as if he were throwing his whole life into it.
"221 Doriki! Pass!"
Hearing this unexpectedly high number, Rosinante himself was shocked.
He quickly bowed and retreated in a frantic hurry.
"Hina!"
Though she was young, Hina already had a mature, confident presence.
She stepped forward elegantly and took off her coat.
She didn't use her fist. Instead, she spun her body and used a swift, powerful kick with her high heel.
It struck the center of the testing machine's target with perfect precision!
"310 Doriki! High Excellence!"
The crowd gasped again. They looked at this strong and stylish woman with awe.
However, the real shock was only just beginning.
"Smoker!"
When the instructor called his name, Smoker spat out the cigar in his mouth and slowly walked out.
He didn't look at anyone. That lazy, careless expression he usually wore vanished the moment he stepped up.
It was replaced by a cold, extreme focus.
Last night, Aiden's unbelievable punch had made him doubt his own reality.
He desperately needed an overwhelming display of power to reclaim his status as the strongest.
More importantly, he wanted to silently show his "true" strength to that monster hiding in the corner.
He walked to the machine and took a standard Marine combat starting position.
"Oh? That troublemaker is actually getting serious?" The instructors were somewhat surprised.
Smoker took a deep breath. He used the power from his waist to twist his entire body's strength into a single point.
He threw a punch with absolutely nothing held back!
BOOM—!
The testing machine let out a violent, overburdened roar.
The numbers on the screen soared at an unprecedented speed.
Finally, they froze at a number that made everyone gasp for air!
"602 Doriki! He's a monster!"
Even the instructors had shocked expressions on their faces. The recruits in the field began to whisper frantically.
"Are you kidding me?! Is that really the kind of power a recruit can produce?"
"T-Bone's record was broken just like that?"
"I heard he has a Logia Devil Fruit. The physical boost from a Devil Fruit is truly terrifying!"
Indeed, for teenagers, their bodies were far from reaching their physical limits.
For a top-tier Devil Fruit user like Smoker, the fruit's power would passively strengthen his body year after year.
His physical starting point was far beyond his peers.
Amidst the mountain of cheers and gasps, Smoker did not show a single hint of pride.
He slowly pulled back his fist and suddenly turned around.
His hawk-like eyes pierced through the ranks of hundreds of people.
With unmistakable provocation, his gaze locked onto Aiden.
It was as if he were saying: Do you see? This is my true power! Last night, you were just lucky!
While Smoker enjoyed the mix of awe and jealousy from the crowd, many more "extra" recruits took their turns.
Finally, the last name was called.
"Aiden!"
After Smoker had set the field on fire, the following few Marines seemed completely unremarkable.
Therefore, Aiden's appearance didn't attract much attention.
Only Smoker kept his eyes glued to Aiden.
Aiden walked forward calmly.
Like every other ordinary recruit before him, he took a deep breath.
Then, he shouted "with all his might" and threw his punch.
The numbers on the testing machine jumped up at a moderate pace.
Finally, they stopped precisely at a number that made the entire field fall silent.
"101 Doriki."
After a short silence, a few suppressed snickers broke out from the ranks.
"What was that? I thought the last guy would be some kind of hidden monster."
"He's just a last-minute addition to the roster. It's good enough that he can even keep up."
Hearing the comments around him, Smoker's face became even worse than it had been in the detention cell last night.
He stared at the "101" on the testing machine.
His eyes were bulging, as if he were trying to stare another "0" into existence on the screen.
"101? What kind of joke is this?!!"
Smoker felt like his world was being turned upside down.
"That punch he landed on my stomach last night... there is no way it was only 101!"
"Even if that punch wasn't 1001, it wasn't far off! This guy... this guy is definitely acting!"
He snapped his head toward the figure walking calmly off the platform, looking at him as if he were a monster.
"How is it possible... how can someone control their power to such a degree?! What exactly is he trying to do?!"
Standing not far from Smoker, Hina keenly noticed his strange behavior.
She looked with interest at the transfer student who only scored 101.
Then she looked at Smoker's face, which looked like he had seen a ghost.
A playful curve appeared at the corner of her mouth. The suspicion in her eyes deepened.
"Perfect," Aiden thought.
His heart was calm, and he almost wanted to laugh.
"Pulling back 99% of my strength right before the moment of impact is much harder than blowing this junk machine apart."
"Well, I definitely won't be going to the Deckhand Class. Step one is complete."
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