Chaton was feeling frustrated.
Though he thought highly of himself, he knew deep down that his strength didn't match Edward Weevil's.
And yet Ren a total monster had managed to slay Weevil outright. That was terrifying.
"Ah… that probably won't happen. I think his opponent will at least be Kizaru or Aokiji. Otherwise, why would they be here?"
Onigumo spoke nonchalantly.
In his eyes, Ren would likely be promoted to at least Vice Admiral after this.
Meanwhile, Ren was secretly torn.
"Should I challenge Kizaru or Aokiji? Both of those guys are tough nuts to crack…"
He didn't know if he was truly on par with the Admirals, but the thought excited him.
Today, he was the star of the show.
"This kid's already fired up? Interesting…"
Garp's gaze never left Ren.
Of course, he knew exactly what was going on in that brat's head—Ren had his sights set on Kizaru and Aokiji.
Nearby, Vice Admiral Tsuru was also eyeing Ren in the crowd.
"Garp, is this kid really that strong? You must be pretty smug, huh?"
"Haha, he's okay I guess. Just a bit better than the others. Still a long way to go if he wants to catch up to me!"
Garp spoke with fake modesty, clearly proud.
Those around him rolled their eyes.
Please, you're the Marine Hero. You're on par with the Admirals. Of course Ren isn't quite there yet.
No one seriously believed that a 19-year-old had already reached Yonko-level strength.
That was the peak of the world, after all.
The graduation exam began.
One by one, the graduates selected their opponents and stepped into the duel arena.
"The rules are simple: no lethal blows, no attacking vital areas. Victory is determined by knocking down your opponent or forcing a surrender."
The early matches went smoothly.
Most trainees beat their opponents without too much trouble.
Thanks to Ren's presence over the years, their growth had accelerated dramatically.
Otherwise, they'd have no face left to show.
Soon, it was Ain's turn.
And to everyone's surprise, she chose to challenge a Rear Admiral of Marine HQ—Black Tiger.
Just like his name suggested, Black Tiger had dark skin and his body was painted with bizarre, tribal patterns.
From a distance, he really did look like a black tiger.
"Not bad, gutsy little graduate. Be careful."
"Please guide me."
Ain remained as polite as ever.
They saluted each other before beginning the fight.
The crowd erupted in excitement.
A little girl challenging a Rear Admiral? This was going to be good.
"Go, beautiful girl! You can do it!"
"Take him down! Don't be scared!"
Even though it was just a school exam, it was rare to witness such entertaining duels.
Many family members of Marines and nearby civilians had come to watch.
They all knew Ain, the beautiful and adorable girl from the academy—so of course they cheered for her.
"Didn't expect a junior like you to be this gutsy. And I'm the first Rear Admiral to get picked too, huh…"
Black Tiger smirked, then suddenly vanished with Soru, launching a fierce attack without holding back.
He seemed to want to end the fight in a single blow.
"Armament! Light-Speed Punch!"
Ain stepped to the side with a fluid motion, easily dodging the punch.
Then she retaliated immediately, coating her fist with Armament Haki and striking back.
This was a punch technique Ren had taught her—its core concept: speed.
Even though Ain couldn't match Ren's punch rate, her dozens of punches per second still carried immense power.
"Didn't think a junior like you had already mastered both Armament and Observation Haki. No wonder you dared to challenge me."
Black Tiger gave a cold smile. He was still very confident in his own strength.
Suddenly, Admiral Aokiji sat up straight in the observation area.
That Light-Speed Punch had caught his attention.
"Kizaru… doesn't that move look kinda familiar?"
He turned and whispered to Kizaru beside him.
"Oh? Ohhh… not something I taught, I swear. Probably that kid, Ren."
Kizaru looked toward Ren in the crowd.
They'd already heard from Zephyr and Garp that Ren supposedly had a Copy-Copy Fruit—capable of replicating others' Devil Fruit powers.
"Not just that… her footwork is impressive too. I've never seen it before."
Vice Admiral Tsuru's eyes sparkled with interest.
She wasn't wrong—the footwork was something Ren had secretly taught Ain.
It came from martial arts in Ren's previous life—traditional Chinese kung fu, though mostly lost in his old world, was gaining new life here.
Tsuru's voice was full of appreciation.
She had always loved training talented female soldiers.
Seeing someone like Ain display such skill at such a young age immediately stirred her desire to mentor her personally.
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