Bang!
Inside the Fleet Admiral's Office, the expensive desk was smashed to pieces by a single palm strike from Fleet Admiral Kong.
He stared at Zephyr, who was standing there with an awkward grin, and rose abruptly to his feet, fury barely contained.
"So this is your graduation assessment?! Out of more than twenty cadets in the Marine Officer Training Camp, the least injured has two broken ribs! The worst one has fourteen fractures across his body and won't even be able to get out of bed for at least half a month!"
Kong glared at Zephyr, his voice thick with irritation.
The Marine Officer Training Camp had already attracted worldwide attention. He had scheduled interviews, arranged reporters from major newspapers, and planned to present these cadets to the world—boosting the prestige of Marine Headquarters.
And now what?
Was he supposed to send out a group of bruised cadets wrapped in bandages and leaning on crutches to face the press?
"Oh, that's nothing serious!" Zephyr waved dismissively. "Didn't Dr. Moxibia just complete a new research breakthrough? Supposedly it's an extremely effective recovery serum. Just get a batch for these brats."
Kong's expression darkened instantly.
"Do you even hear yourself?"
He nearly ground his teeth to dust.
Dr. Moxibia was the World Government's chief scientist—hailed as a once-in-a-century genius. His teacher had been one of the greatest scientists ever to sail these seas. Unfortunately, that eccentric old man had refused to work for the World Government under any circumstances. For certain delicate reasons, the Government dared not antagonize him openly. Instead, they secured the serRear of his sole disciple.
And Moxibia's brilliance rivaled that of his master.
He possessed intellect beyond ordinary humans and an obsessive passion for science. As the user of the Bloom-Bloom Fruit, he used its unique abilities to accelerate and multiply his research efficiency. His greatest field of expertise was lifeform research.
The recovery serum Zephyr mentioned was his proudest creation in recent years.
A concoction of rare, top-grade medicinal ingredients combined with extremely precise scientific ratios—its effects were astonishing. But so was its price. Rumor had it that the World Government had already invested over ten billion Berries into the project.
Its sole function: drastically enhance the body's natural recovery speed.
"That kind of thing," Kong growled, "even the high-ranking officials of the World Government are reluctant to use. What makes you think it would ever be allocated to the Marines?"
Zephyr shrugged.
"But Kong, you don't want the press conference to showcase a bunch of half-crippled cadets, do you?"
Kong fell silent.
Rumors were already spreading—claims that a severe bullying incident had erupted within Marine Headquarters, that all the cadets had been brutally beaten by the Navy's rising star, Roldy .
Such gossip harmed both the Marines and Roldy .
Too much hope had been placed on him. If this situation spiraled out of control, it wouldn't just embarrass Marine Headquarters—it would expose Roldy 's flaws to the world.
The Marines needed a symbol.
"You know that justification is weak," Kong said at last.
Even if Marine Headquarters postponed the press conference, no one would dare challenge them openly. At worst, speculation would increase.
But as a fellow instructor, he understood Zephyr's true intention.
Use a flimsy excuse to openly demand compensation from the World Government.
Why should such life-saving serum be reserved for those pampered Celestial Dragons? The Marines were the ones who truly needed it.
In the end, Kong decided to try.
No one knew what rhetoric he used, but ultimately the World Government approved the allocation of three vials.
They would arrive in three days.
Escorted by the Celestial Dragons' strongest shield—
Two CP0( Cipher Pol - Aigis 0) agents.
…
Roldy knew nothing of this.
At that moment, he was sitting in Dragon's hospital room, grinning mischievously as he waved a banana over Dragon's head.
Dragon's injuries were severe enough that he could only lie there helplessly, glaring at Roldy 's infuriating smile.
"You're definitely holding a grudge," Dragon suddenly muttered.
"I'm not. I didn't. Don't slander me."
Roldy raised an eyebrow and delivered an instinctive triple denial.
Everyone at Marine Headquarters knew he was broad-minded and magnanimous. Never held grudges.
Dragon was clearly defaming him.
"Heh."
Dragon rolled his eyes.
Broad-minded? The entire Headquarters knew Roldy was petty to the extreme. Did he think the things he'd done in Impel Down hadn't spread?
Even now, Dragon couldn't remember exactly how he had offended Roldy in the first place.
"Hey, hey—what's with that 'heh'? You think I'd remember something like you stealing my biscuits six years ago? Or five years and three months ago when you took my meat? Or four years and eleven days ago when you plucked the flowers I grew—"
"I've long forgotten all of that!"
Dragon's expression slowly shifted into shock.
What kind of illness do you have?! You remember all that trivial nonsense?!
With that kind of memory, why not use it for studying?
…Wait. This guy actually scored full marks in every written exam.
Never mind.
In moments of extreme speechlessness, silence truly was the only response.
"See? I'm very generous!" Roldy continued proudly. "For example, your old man has punched me countless times, and I've only planned to punch him back—well, you know. Doesn't that prove it?"
Thus, Dragon—utterly powerless to resist—was forced to endure two full hours of Roldy 's rambling.
You think two hours is the limit?
No.
It only stopped because it was time for dinner.
Perhaps eating was the only way to shut him up.
"Finally… peace and quiet."
Dragon exhaled deeply and then deliberately put on a frail expression, allowing a pretty nurse to feed him steak.
Unfortunately—
Half an hour later, Roldy returned.
Another three hours of nonstop chatter, seemingly desperate to prove something.
And no, it didn't end there.
He came again on the second day.
Then the third.
Only when a messenger arrived with word that Fleet Admiral Kong had summoned Roldy to his office did Dragon's ears finally find relief.
He dared not stay another moment.
He tore off his bandages by force and limped away without looking back.
Anything—
Was better than that.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789