"I'll draw!"
Rosinante stepped forward and reached into the box. He pulled out a slip of paper—just one word written on it:
Borsalino.
"Hey, little bro, who'd you get?"
Borsalino leaned over with his usual lazy grin, only for his eyes to widen the moment he saw the name written on the paper.
"Oh~ It's me!"
The moment Borsalino exclaimed, every cadet turned to look at Rosinante with eyes full of pity.
Everyone in the Marine Academy had witnessed Rosinante's growth firsthand, his tireless training, his unshakable resolve, his unwavering determination. More than a few times, cadets sneaking out at night to use the restroom and had glimpsed Rosinante alone, tirelessly training under the cover of darkness.
They respected his dedication, admired his discipline—but respect didn't equate to strength. No matter how hard he worked, a mere human couldn't stand against a monster.
Rosinante and Borsalino weren't in the same league. Among all the cadets, Rosinante had the potential to challenge anyone—anyone except for those two monsters: Sakazuki and Borsalino.
Against them, there was simply no contest.
"Give it up, Blue Eagle." Water Buffalo muttered, resigned. "There's no beating either of those two."
The other cadets chimed in:
"Yeah, Blue Eagle, just surrender. No shame in losing to someone like Borsalino."
"He's a Logia—the Glint-Glint Man. None of our attacks can even touch him. Just forfeit."
"Seriously, don't throw your life away."
…
Every gaze turned to Rosinante, urging him to accept reality and surrender. But just then, a familiar chime echoed in Rosinante's mind:
Ding! Congratulations, Host, on triggering a Choice Mission. Do you wish to surrender to Borsalino?
1. Surrender
("Daddy Borsalino, you're the boss! Please don't hit me, I surrender~")
Reward: Ruby Crystal from the League of Legends Equipment System.
2. Challenge and defeat Borsalino
("Just a yellow monkey, huh? I'll beat the crap out of you with one punch!")
Reward: Giant's Belt.
3. Challenge and defeat both Sakazuki and Borsalino at once
("Red Dog, Yellow Monkey—come at me both! I'll take you down together!")
Reward: Black Cleaver.
The Black Cleaver! Just seeing that item made Rosinante's eyes burn red. A true armor-shredding weapon. Equip that, and punching through Kaidou's tough hide would be a walk in the park. Thick-skinned, you say? That's what Black Cleaver is made for!
But that third option… was impossible.
*Challenging both Sakazuki and Borsalino at once was one thing—*he could stomach a beating. But defeating them, even in their "juvenile monster" phase? No way. Unless one possessed the power of an Admiral, taking them both down wasn't happening.
So that left two real options.
Option 1 was simple and clean: surrender. No risk, no effort, no pride either. It wasn't Rosinante's style and it didn't align with his goal.
Rosinante didn't just want to be strong, he wanted to become the Fleet Admiral. And how could a future Fleet Admiral not even have the courage to draw his blade?
A real warrior never backs down.
So naturally, Rosinante leaned toward Option 2. But that wasn't just a test of courage, it was a test of strength. Beating Borsalino wasn't going to be easy.
Just dealing with his Logia powers was a nightmare. Without Haki, even landing a hit was nearly impossible.
And that's why no one believed in Rosinante's chances.
But still, he wanted to try.
"Blue Eagle," Z said calmly, eyes locked on Rosinante. "Have you made your decision? Will you fight, or will you surrender?"
Rosinante looked up sharply. His eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"I'll fight. I choose to battle!"
"Oooh~ That look in your eyes is pretty sharp, little bro~" Borsalino smirked, his tone as infuriatingly lazy as ever, lips puckered in mock surprise. Clearly, he wasn't taking Rosinante seriously.
And why would he? Rosinante didn't even know Haki. There was no way he could land a hit.
"Alright then," Z announced with the same unreadable calm. "The duel will take place tomorrow at noon. Prepare yourselves. This could shape your military record for years to come."
Though his tone stayed neutral, Z gave Rosinante a long look—his eyes glinting with appreciation. His lips curled into a slight smile.
What a promising seedling.
With that, Z turned and left, leaving behind a crowd of wide-eyed cadets. The moment he was gone, they swarmed Rosinante.
"Blue Eagle, are you out of your mind?! Fighting Borsalino? That's suicide!" Water Buffalo was the first to yell. Over the past few months, Rosinante had become one of the most well-liked cadets in the entire Academy.
After Borsalino had casually revealed that Rosinante was the son of Admiral Sengoku, the cadets had only grown more impressed. Rosinante wasn't arrogant or standoffish—he mingled with everyone, treated even the lowest-ranking cadets as equals, and trained harder than any of them.
He didn't act like the privileged son of a high-ranking officer. He was humble, respectful, and carried himself with quiet determination. That made him incredibly relatable and easy to admire.
It was like discovering the mayor's son was in your class, and he treated you like a friend. That kind of guy naturally earned respect and loyalty.
From the start, Rosinante had made no effort to hide his identity. But he hadn't come to the Marine Academy just to grow stronger. His real goal was to win hearts and minds.
He wanted to become Fleet Admiral. But he knew he couldn't do it alone, he needed allies. Loyal ones. And the Marine Academy was full of future officers just waiting to be won over.
To achieve that, he had to do two things:
First, be approachable. Build good relationships with everyone, from prodigies like Sakazuki and Borsalino to future rank-and-file officers like Water Buffalo.
Second, demonstrate overwhelming strength. In the world of pirates, power was everything. No amount of charm or charisma could make people follow a weakling. A pack of wolves might obey a tiger, but never a sheep.
That's why Rosinante had to prove his strength.
And Borsalino was the perfect stepping stone.
If he could defeat Borsalino—he'd win not just the fight, but the unwavering loyalty of everyone in the Academy.
(End of Chapter)
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