Tatsuki turned around and looked at the only three people left on the field.
Borsalino was raising his hands in surrender. "So scary. Tatsuki is as strong as a monster. I think I'll just give up."
On the other side, Kuzan scratched his head. "What a pain. But since it's come to this..."
"Hmph!"
A cold snort interrupted Kuzan's chatter.
Sakazuki strode forward, each step leaving a footprint in the ground.
"All the humiliation from this week... I'm going to pay it all back to you today."
"You two! If you're still men, then come with me! Let's take down this bastard first!"
The future Three Admirals, the prototypes of the Marines' ultimate combat power, were actually forced to choose to team up by Tatsuki at this moment.
"That's more like it."
Tatsuki cracked his neck, making a series of popping sounds.
"If I don't beat the three of you into submission together, how could I have the face to teach you what 'Justice' is in the future?"
Soru!
Four figures disappeared from their spots almost simultaneously.
Boom!!!
A terrifying shockwave instantly exploded in the center of the arena, and the hard stone floor cracked inch by inch.
Sakazuki's fist, Kuzan's whip kick, and Borsalino's kick, all attacked Tatsuki from three directions simultaneously.
This was a checkmate!
Even a Marineford Rear Admiral would have to suffer defeat when facing the combined attack of these three monsters.
But Tatsuki smiled.
He simply closed his eyes, as if giving up resistance.
Kami-e: Fighting Body!
Tatsuki's body twisted at an impossible angle, like a piece of paper, sliding past Sakazuki's punch and brushing against the sole of Kuzan's shoe.
Only Borsalino's kick landed on him.
Tekkai: Steel!
Tatsuki didn't stiffen. Instead, he instantly hardened his back muscles while moving.
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal rang out.
Using the impact of the kick, Tatsuki didn't retreat but instead advanced, slamming into Sakazuki's chest like a cannonball.
"Sakazuki, it looks like your wound has reopened?" Tatsuki's voice was like a demon's whisper.
Shigan: Bone Piercer!
Pfft!
One of Tatsuki's fingers poked into the unhealed wound on Sakazuki's chest.
"Argh!!!"
The intense pain caused Sakazuki's movements to stiffen for a split second, and cold sweat instantly drenched his body.
"Despicable!"
"This is called tactics, my dear friend. Keep practicing."
Tatsuki seized the opportunity to grab Sakazuki's arm and, with a textbook shoulder throw, slammed the future Fleet Admiral into the charging Kuzan.
Bang!
The two collided and rolled into a heap.
Finally, only Borsalino remained in the air.
"Sorry, Borsalino, time to clock out."
Tatsuki shattered the ground, soaring into the sky with Geppo, appearing above Borsalino's head.
Rankyaku: Battle Axe!
His right leg was like a giant axe descending from the sky, carrying wind pressure as it chopped down heavily.
Borsalino crossed his arms to block.
Boom!
He felt as if he had been hit by a mountain. He slammed into the ground and passed out with his eyes rolled back.
The smoke and dust cleared.
The entire venue was silent.
The sunglasses in Zephyr's hand had been crushed into powder.
In the center of the arena, only one person remained standing.
Tatsuki stood proudly among the three fallen men. Although his uniform was a bit messy, his aura was at its peak.
He won?
One person took down the entire camp and even defeated the three monsters head-on?
Just as everyone was shocked by Tatsuki's invincible posture.
Tatsuki, in the center of the field, fell to his knees with a "thud," scooped up the unconscious Sakazuki, and wailed toward the sky. Tears came as if on command, streaming down his face.
"Sakazuki! Kuzan! Borsalino!"
"Waaaaah... how could I be so heavy-handed!"
Tatsuki cried heart-wrenchingly, with snot and tears everywhere.
"My heart hurts so much! You were hit, but the pain is in my heart!"
"I'm not human! I'm a beast! I shouldn't have won! I shouldn't have hurt our friendship for that damned first place!"
"Zephyr-sensei!" Tatsuki turned his head, his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at the stands.
"I don't want this first place anymore! You can even just give me the cash equivalent of the prize! Please, you must heal them!"
Everyone looked at the "Strongest New Recruit" crying like a child, their lips twitching in unison.
This acting... was way too exaggerated.
When he was fighting just now, he was clearly smiling more pervertedly than anyone else.
[Ding! Detected host's extremely hypocritical performance, successfully disgusted the entire audience!]
[Ding! Defeated all the elites of the New Recruit camp single-handedly, establishing the status of "Great Demon King"!]
[Disruption level being calculated... Violation Points critical hit reward: +8,000 points!]
Hearing the system's pleasant prompt, Tatsuki, with his face buried in Sakazuki's chest, revealed a joyous smile that looked even uglier than his crying.
Inside the arena, the atmosphere was at a strange, tense standstill.
On the viewing platform, Sengoku's eye corner twitched slightly. He pushed up his round-framed glasses, turned to Zephyr beside him, and spoke with a complex tone, "Zephyr, are the soldiers you train usually this... emotionally expressive?"
Zephyr didn't say a word. With a face like iron, he jumped off the platform and strode toward the center of the field.
"Enough! Hold back those crocodile tears!"
Zephyr's roar was so powerful that Tatsuki's crying stopped abruptly.
Tatsuki looked up, his eyes clear but carrying grievance and resolve.
"Zephyr-sensei, Sakazuki, he..."
"He's not dead yet!"
Zephyr irritably kicked Borsalino, who was playing dead on the ground, and glared at Tatsuki.
"That Shigan of yours almost punctured his heart just now, and yet you have the face to sit here wailing like it's a funeral?"
Tatsuki took the opportunity to stand up and gave a serious Marine salute. "Sensei, I did that to stimulate his potential in actual combat! That strike just now was my deepest concern for Sakazuki!"
Zephyr snorted coldly, ignoring his glib talk, and turned to announce to the entire audience, "The final winner of the Elite Camp examination—Tatsuki!"
"Now, as promised, as the first-place winner, you have the right to be the first to choose one of three top-tier Logia Devil Fruits!"
Whoosh—
As soon as these words were spoken, the originally noisy arena instantly fell silent.
Everyone's breathing became heavy, and countless eyes stared fixedly at the three treasure chests on the high platform.
On the ground, Borsalino, who had been faking unconsciousness, quietly opened a slit of his eyes.
Kuzan, clutching his stomach, couldn't help but sit up straight.
Even Sakazuki, who was on the verge of fainting, subconsciously clenched his fist.
They were waiting for Tatsuki's choice.
Even if Tatsuki took one, they would still have a chance at the remaining two.
(End of Chapter)
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