"Oh? Torreja?"
Leno gazed at the red-haired youth displayed on the screen, his palms extending iron chains that wrapped around his body. Morgan lifted his wine glass in his other hand, assessing the situation.
"If I'm not mistaken, he's a Devil Fruit user—Paramecia type, Chain-Chain Fruit Fruit! Quite a formidable ability."
"East Blue is known for being weak, and we all know the power of a Devil Fruit is enough to dominate!"
"Of course, I'm not implying you're weak. This gentleman and this lady seem to have awakened Observation Haki?"
Morgan glanced at Kuina and Kuro, nodding in approval.
"You've good cadres."
"As for President Leno, your abilities are as unfathomable as ever," Morgan complimented.
Leno smiled faintly, unfazed by the praise. Morgan, a master of words, certainly knew how to play his role well. Leno wasn't surprised that Morgan had chosen Torreja, who had been grabbing attention since the beginning of the broadcast. It was no coincidence that Leno had a bet with Morgans today.
"President Leno, who will you choose?" Morgan asked curiously. "Also, if neither of the people we select wins first place, how will we determine the victor?"
There were ten teams in total, and they would only be selecting two. But what if someone from the other eight unexpectedly took first place?
Leno responded calmly, "In that case, whoever arrives first from the teams we bet on will decide the winner."
"Interesting!" Morgan chuckled, puffing on his cigar. "So, shall we choose now?"
Leno's eyes scanned the screen as he said, "I choose the group that started last."
"Oh?" Morgan raised an eyebrow, looking at the final group. The team leader was a young man dressed in black trousers and a white shirt, with a bird perched on his shoulder, appearing serious and focused.
"There's some potential here,"
Morgan mused, trying to recall if he knew the individual. But no familiar memory surfaced. He looked once more at the others on the ship, noting that those left unpicked by the previous nine groups weren't exactly the cream of the crop—quite the opposite.
"Are you sure about this?" Morgan questioned.
Leno nodded. "Yes, I choose them."
"Why? The other eight teams seem much more capable."
Leno smiled. "I saw something different in them."
"What might that be?" Morgan asked, intrigued.
"Weakness," Leno replied.
"Weakness?"
Leno explained, "Weakness is not always absolute."
Morgan shook his head. "Perhaps, but the strong are the ones who control everything."
Leno didn't argue further. He was confident in his assessment of the final team. His optimism stemmed from recognizing an "acquaintance" among them—Rob Lucci.
Lucci, a weapon secretly trained by the CP9 unit of the World Government, was unlikely to be exposed easily. Concealing his identity was of utmost importance. Even Morgan, with all his influence, wouldn't have known about Lucci unless CP9 revealed themselves.
Morgan had power, but not enough to disrupt the World Government's secrets.
Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District, was known to Morgans, but Lucci and his team? They were fresh, newly debuted agents of the government.
Leno's bet also aligned with the conditions of the first test. In this test, the gaps between personal strength and weakness were narrowed. It was a matter of choice, cooperation, and mutual support.
As the ten teams arrived on the island, various tools were laid out on a long table by the beach—knives, swords, saws, axes, ropes, logs, and planks.
As soon as Torreja's group landed, he barked orders at his teammates, "Hey, don't hold me back!"
"Yes, yes!" The nine members nodded obediently, much to Torreja's satisfaction. He chose an axe from the tool pile, intending to find a map while leaving the raft-building to his team.
Meanwhile, Lucci's team approached things differently. After a quick assessment of the situation, Lucci turned to his group. "What are your skills?"
Kaku wasn't around, so Lucci had to rely on the people in front of him. Among them were elderly individuals, women, and young men, all appearing frail.
"I'm a shipwright!" one elderly man declared.
"Great! That's exactly what we need," Lucci responded, his eyes lighting up. The others introduced themselves in turn—one could lift heavy weights, another could hunt, while others had smaller skills to offer.
After listening to them all, Lucci took charge. "If we want to pass this test, follow my lead."
"Understood!" they agreed in unison.
Lucci then began organizing the group. "The hunters and I will search for a map. The rest of you will help the shipwright build a raft. And remember, our tools should be prioritized for raft building."
The group marveled at Lucci's strategic thinking.
As they set to work, a started feeling uneasy. He had underestimated the importance of teamwork in this challenge. The other groups, like Torreja's, were more focused on combat tools, neglecting the essential task of raft-building.
Three hours passed, and the teams that had successfully built their rafts began to set sail. Torreja's team, having tied logs together haphazardly with his iron chains, produced a rough and unstable raft. In contrast, Lucci's team, while not perfect, had a more thought-out, balanced approach.
The teams now faced their next challenge: the voyage to the next assessment point. The first 10 nautical miles were filled with dangerous reefs and eddies, the next 10 nautical miles swarmed with Sea Kings, and the final stretch of 10 miles was a free zone, rife with unexpected attacks. It was clear this test had only just begun
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+30 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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