The warship's deck training area was unusually quiet.
A wide-open field stretched out beneath the sky, the hardened ground crisscrossed with countless scars left by drills and sparring.
Several Marine officers stood around the perimeter, keeping a respectful distance, eyes fixed on the center.
Raifeng walked forward, step by step, expression calm.
Opposite him—
Bogard stood waiting.
Garp's long-time adjutant.
A swordsman who had followed the Vice Admiral for years.
Within Marine Headquarters, no one treated him as an ordinary officer—because everyone knew his blade was anything but ordinary.
Bogard's gaze settled on Raifeng. His face remained composed, but the seriousness in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Raifeng," he said evenly. "Vice Admiral Garp asked me to test you."
Raifeng nodded. "Understood."
The surrounding Marines unconsciously held their breath.
This wasn't some casual spar.
It was a test—straightforward, direct, and meant to measure the truth.
Bogard lifted his sword slightly.
"Begin."
The moment the word fell—
Raifeng moved.
Bang!
The ground under his feet cracked faintly as his figure vanished from where he stood.
Soru.
Several Marines' pupils shrank.
"So fast!"
Bogard's eyes sharpened.
In the next instant—
Clang!
Steel rang out.
A flash of blade-light erupted as Bogard drew and met him head-on.
Raifeng's figure appeared right in front of him. The two blades collided. Sparks burst outward.
Raifeng landed lightly, shifting half a step back.
Bogard slid back a fraction—just a fraction—his boots scraping a thin line across the ground.
A ripple of shock passed through the crowd.
"That exchange… Bogard got pushed?"
Bogard steadied himself. His expression didn't change, but his grip tightened.
"Again."
Raifeng didn't hesitate.
Bang!
Soru exploded again. His body flickered, then reappeared at Bogard's flank—
Shigan!
Raifeng's index finger thrust forward, power compressed into a single lethal point.
Bogard reacted instantly, twisting his torso as his sword cut across—
Clang!
The blade intercepted the strike cleanly.
At the same time, Bogard's foot swept out low, fast, and sharp—aimed to break Raifeng's balance and seize tempo.
Raifeng's body loosened in an instant.
Kami-e.
His form turned light and fluid, swaying just enough for the attack to pass with barely any contact.
He stepped in.
Tekkai.
His muscles tightened like iron.
Raifeng drove his shoulder forward—
Boom!
A dull impact echoed. Bogard was forced back several steps, the ground cracking under his heels.
The training grounds fell into a stunned silence.
"This… he's forcing Bogard back again?"
Bogard finally frowned.
This time, he didn't simply "test."
He adjusted—fully.
His stance lowered. His breathing slowed.
The air around him changed, like a blade being drawn from its sheath—quiet, but dangerous.
"I see," Bogard said, voice calm, but heavier now. "So the report wasn't exaggerated."
He stepped forward.
The next clash erupted—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal rang continuously. Sparks scattered. The sound echoed across the training grounds like drumbeats.
Raifeng's movement was clean and precise—no wasted steps, no hesitation.
Soru.
A sudden burst, closing distance like a blink.
Geppo.
A sharp midair shift, changing angle at the last possible moment.
Shigan.
A puncture threat that forced Bogard's blade to stay honest.
Tekkai.
A moment of iron-hard stability that refused to be moved.
Kami-e.
A slip and sway that made counters bite empty air.
Rankyaku.
A slicing air-blade kicked out to control space and force Bogard to respond.
The Six Powers flowed seamlessly through Raifeng's combat, each technique linking into the next as if they'd been carved into him long ago.
Bogard's pressure increased with every exchange.
And so did the weight of Raifeng's presence.
Speed.
Power.
Timing.
Adaptation.
All of it kept rising—like the fight itself was feeding him.
After another violent clash—
Boom!
Their weapons separated. Both stepped back.
Bogard lowered his sword slightly.
The training grounds went dead silent.
He stared at Raifeng for a long moment, then spoke.
"…Enough."
Raifeng stopped immediately, standing still without complaint.
Bogard exhaled slowly.
His eyes were complicated—shock, caution, and something close to disbelief.
"This was only a test," he said. "But continuing… would no longer stay a test."
He paused, then added, voice firm:
"Your combat power is already beyond the standard expected of Marine Headquarters officers."
A cold breath seemed to sweep through the crowd.
No one spoke.
No one even blinked.
Bogard sheathed his sword with a crisp sound.
"From today onward," he said, "you can't be judged by rank alone."
Raifeng nodded. "Understood."
Then—
A loud laugh cut through the silence.
"Hahahaha!"
Garp stepped forward from the crowd, eyes bright.
"Well done!"
He strode up and slapped Raifeng's shoulder heavily.
"Brat," Garp said, grinning wide, "you didn't embarrass me."
Raifeng smiled faintly.
Garp looked around at the stunned Marines, then laughed again.
"Hah… looks like this old man really is getting old."
But the pride on his face was impossible to hide.
The training grounds slowly returned to normal.
Yet in the hearts of everyone present, one fact was carved in deep—
Raifeng had reached a level that no longer fit neatly into ordinary categories.
And his future…
Was terrifying to imagine.
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