The atmosphere in the arena was strangely tense.
In the stands, the corner of Admiral Sengoku's eye twitched slightly. He pushed up the round glasses on his nose, turned to Zephyr beside him, and spoke in a complicated tone, "Zephyr... are the soldiers you train always this... emotionally expressive?"
Zephyr said nothing. His face ashen, he leaped down from the stands and strode toward the center of the arena.
"That's enough! Stuff those horse piss tears back in!"
Zephyr's furious roar brought Kane's wails to an abrupt halt.
Kane looked up, his eyes clear, holding three parts grievance, two parts resolve, and five parts acting he hadn't yet put away.
"Instructor Zephyr, Sakazuki, he..."
"He's not dead yet!" Zephyr kicked Borsalino, who was playing dead on the ground, out of the way and glared at Kane. "That Finger Pistol of yours just now nearly pierced his heart, and now you have the gall to mourn him here?"
Kane got up smoothly, saluting with a solemn expression. "Instructor, I did that to stimulate his potential in actual combat! That last strike was a sign of my deepest concern for my classmate, Sakazuki!"
Zephyr snorted coldly, ignoring his glib talk. He turned around and announced to the entire arena:
"The final winner of the Elite Camp Exam is—Kane!"
"Now, as promised, as the first-place winner, you have the right to be the first to choose one of three top-tier Logia-type Devil Fruits!"
Whoosh—!
The moment he spoke, the somewhat noisy arena fell instantly silent.
Everyone's breathing grew heavy as countless gazes locked onto the three Phoebe zhennan treasure chests on the high platform.
On the ground, Borsalino, who had been feigning unconsciousness, quietly cracked open an eye. Kuzan, clutching his stomach, couldn't help but sit up straight. Even Sakazuki, on the verge of passing out, subconsciously clenched his fists.
They were waiting, waiting for Kane's choice.
As long as Kane took the strongest one, the remaining two would still have a chance.
With his hands in his pockets, Kane slowly walked toward the high platform.
He stood before the three priceless fruits, reached out, and let his fingertips gently trace the mysterious spiral patterns on their skins.
Just as everyone thought he was about to pick one up—
Kane suddenly withdrew his hand, a hint of... disinterest on his face.
"Reporting to Admiral Sengoku, reporting to Instructor Zephyr."
Kane turned around, his back to the treasures that could drive the world into a frenzy, his voice calm:
"These fruits, I don't want any of them."
The entire arena was dead silent.
It lasted for a full three seconds, and then, the crowd erupted!
"What?!!"
"Did I hear that right? He refused?"
"Those are Logia types! Did this guy get his brain bashed in?"
Sengoku was stunned, his hand holding a teacup frozen in mid-air. In all his years, he had seen people fight to the death over Devil Fruits, but he had never seen someone turn one down when it was handed to them on a silver platter.
Zephyr's face darkened instantly, and an invisible pressure spread out from him.
"Kane! This is not the time for jokes!"
"Do you know what you're refusing? This is a power countless people can only dream of!"
"Power?"
Kane chuckled softly, then suddenly looked up, a startlingly arrogant glint flashing in his eyes.
He scanned his surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the bewildered new recruits, the shocked officers, and finally landing on the three men on the ground.
"Instructor, you often teach us not to rely too heavily on Devil Fruit abilities."
"Abilities are certainly powerful, allowing one to ascend to the heavens in a single step. But precisely because they come so easily, they can make people complacent, causing them to neglect the honing of their own physical bodies."
"In the New World, even the strongest Devil Fruit ability can be countered one day. Only Haki... Haki is the power that reigns supreme over all else!"
These words, like a clap of thunder, struck a chord in the heart of every single person present.
Only Haki reigns supreme!
What kind of conviction was this!
This wasn't just a slogan; it was the declaration of a true powerhouse, one with absolute confidence in their own strength!
On the ground, Sakazuki's eyes shot open. He stared intently at the figure silhouetted against the sun, a mixture of unwillingness and shock swirling in his heart. This guy... that kind of spirit...
Zephyr was stunned.
He looked at the troublemaker who usually gave him the biggest headaches, and his eyes actually started to feel warm.
He had always worried that this generation of "monster rookies" relied too much on their natural talents, neglecting their fundamental physical training and Haki. He never expected that the one who understood him best, the one who most embodied his "Black Arm" will, would be Kane!
"Good! Good! Good!!"
Zephyr said "good" three times, then let out a hearty laugh, his fan-like hand clapping heavily on Kane's shoulder, nearly dislocating it.
"As expected of a soldier I trained! You've got ambition! Since you firmly believe in your own path of Haki, I won't force you to eat these things!"
In the stands, Garp crushed his Rice Crackers to dust and laughed wildly, "Bwahahaha! Sengoku, did you hear that? This kid is exactly my type!"
In an instant, the way everyone looked at Kane changed.
It shifted from the fear of looking at a monster to the admiration for a pure powerhouse.
This was a true man, willing to forsake shortcuts in his pursuit of the ultimate martial path!
[Ding! Delivered the "Haki is Supreme" speech, establishing a false, profound persona, and inspiring awe throughout the audience!]
[Triggered "Subvert Cognition" achievement! Violation Value +2000!]
Hearing the system notification, Kane was ecstatic.
Not wanting a Devil Fruit?
Nonsense!
The System Roulette had plenty of fruits he'd never even heard of; they were bound to be stronger than these three.
Besides, when he became Fleet Admiral in the future, how could he manage without reliable soldiers under him?
And also...
Kane looked at the deeply moved Zephyr, and his expression suddenly turned a little sleazy.
"Um... Instructor, since I'm not eating a fruit, that means I've saved Marine Headquarters a significant strategic resource, right?"
Zephyr, still reeling from his emotional high, subconsciously nodded. "Yes, these three fruits are indeed precious. Leaving them for Sakazuki and the others is an excellent supplement to our combat strength..."
"In that case,"
Kane rubbed his hands together, speaking rapidly:
"Could my share of the prize be converted to cash? I did the math, and this fruit should be worth at least a billion or so Belly, right? So, will you be giving me cash, or depositing it directly into my allowance account? An 80% discount is fine, too. I'm not picky."
The air froze once again.
The smile on Zephyr's face stiffened, then began to crack.
The tea Sengoku had just sipped sprayed all over the back of Garp's head.
"What... did you say?" Zephyr's voice was trembling.
"Convert it to cash!"
Kane blinked his big eyes, speaking with perfect justification, "It's a prize I won with my own abilities. I'm choosing to forgo the physical item in exchange for its equivalent monetary value. That's perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
"I've already thought it all out. Once I get the money, I'll first go to Sabaody and buy a manor, then hire a few dozen maids... ahem, I mean, hire a few dozen training partners to hone my Haki day and night."
"Reasonable? I think you're asking to meet your maker!"
Zephyr could finally take no more. Veins bulged on his forehead as a thunderous roar echoed through the sky.
"I'll give you noble integrity! I'll give you Haki reigns supreme!!"
Boom!!
With a tremendous bang, Kane was sent flying by Zephyr's kick like a meteor, becoming a twinkling star in the distant sky.
"Wake those three bastards up! The fruits are theirs! And have that scoundrel Kane reflect in the brig for three days!!"
From the air, Kane's fading screams could still be heard:
"Fine, don't give me the money! Why'd you have to hit me! I'm going to file a complaint with the World Government!!"
[Ding! Publicly solicited a bribe from an Admiral, treating top-tier strategic assets as a monetary transaction!]
[Severely desecrated the sanctity of "Justice"! Received a massive amount of Violation Value: +5000!]
...
Half an hour later, in the headquarters infirmary.
The afterglow of the sunset streamed into the sickroom.
Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan sat in a circle, each holding a strangely patterned Devil Fruit, their expressions complicated.
They had lost.
Lost completely and utterly.
But the man who had defeated them had tossed this power, a power that could incite wars on the high seas, to them as if it were trash.
"Is Haki... truly the truth that reigns supreme over all else?"
Sakazuki looked at the Magma Fruit in his hand, his gaze grim. Though he was unwilling to admit it, he had to concede that the man's words possessed a chilling power.
"This is so frustrating," Kuzan scratched his hair. "It makes it seem like we're picking up his leftovers."
"Yeees~ what a terrifying man."
Borsalino held the Glint Fruit, lost in thought. "He'd rather trust his own body than take a shortcut... That level of conviction, I am truly no match for him~"
At that moment, although the three still held resentment toward Kane, it was mixed with a greater, albeit reluctant, sense of respect.
Perhaps that man really did it to spur us on...
Just then, a figure with a bruised face, limping and muttering curses, passed by the window.
"Damn you, Zephyr, you really hit hard... If you weren't going to give me the money, you didn't have to kick me in the face, did you?"
"No, this was a huge loss. Tonight, I have to sneak into his office and steal all those boxes of special-issue cigars he's been hoarding!"
The voice carried clearly into the sickroom.
The somewhat heavy and emotio
nal atmosphere in the room instantly vanished.
Crack.
The apple in Sakazuki's hand was crushed.
The three looked at each other, dark lines appearing on their foreheads in unison.
Moved, my ass!
This guy was still the same scumbag after all