The cannon test was over, and neither Wood nor Gion were dissatisfied with their "below average" evaluation.
Even someone as critical as Gion understood that with their subpar skills, achieving such a score was already a rare accomplishment.
Especially Wood's final shot, which landed just ten meters from the target—an exceptional performance by his standards.
Although the grading instructor could only shake his head, vowing to blacklist both from the artillery unit in the future, the two of them were thrilled.
After all, the shots they fired during the test were the best they had ever achieved...
In the forest behind Marineford's naval academy.
A boy wearing only a pair of shorts was currently dodging the charging attacks of several wild boars in a swampy area.
Ever since Wood defeated the leader of the wild boar pack, this swamp had become one of his regular training grounds.
The wild boar leader, having been thoroughly subdued, had now become his loyal follower—his "pig leg."
His feet sank into the muddy ground, which created a powerful suction that made it difficult to move quickly.
Unlike humans, the wild boars seemed well-adapted to this terrain, moving with their usual agility.
"Snort, snort—!"
Several wild boars snorted and charged at Wood from different directions. Strangely, not only did Wood dodge the attacks coming from in front of him, but he also avoided those from his blind spots.
"Alright, that's enough for today's training. Thank you all for your help. I'll bring some vegetables from the cafeteria tomorrow to reward you."
In the moonlight, the boy picked up his clothes hanging on a branch and announced the end of the day's training.
The wild boars that had been relentlessly pursuing Wood stopped their attacks upon hearing his words, snorting as if they understood.
It had been another year since Wood started his training at the naval academy.
During this time, whenever he had the chance, Wood would retreat to the mountains for special training.
Half a year ago, through intense training with weighted gear and dodging the wild boar leader's attacks, Wood had successfully mastered Soru, one of the Rokushiki techniques.
His recent training in the swamp was aimed at mastering Geppo.
The Rokushiki techniques include Soru, Tekkai, Geppo, Rankyaku, Shigan, and Kami-e.
Among these techniques, three focus on leg strength, and once Soru is mastered, learning Geppo and Rankyaku becomes much easier.
Allowing the wild boars to attack him in the swamp served two purposes: to help him quickly adapt to the increased weight on his legs and to simultaneously train Kami-e.
Kami-e, as the name suggests, allows the body to become as light as paper, enabling more effective dodging of various attacks.
In the beginning, Wood only had one wild boar attacking him in the swamp, yet even then, the powerful suction of the mud left him battered and bruised every day.
However, as time passed, Wood gradually adapted to the heavier steps, and the number of wild boars attacking him increased.
This grueling self-destructive training left his body covered in various wounds, most of which were from the wild boars' tusks, though some were from other beasts in the forest.
Of course, hard work always pays off. After a year of hellish training, Wood's physical condition had become several times stronger than it was a year ago.
In addition to mastering Soru, Wood was also on the verge of mastering Geppo.
And although he hadn't yet fully mastered Kami-e after constantly facing the wild boars' assaults, he accidentally awakened Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki)!
At first, Wood was puzzled by his newfound ability to sense danger and instinctively evade it, but after some thought, he realized that he had likely awakened Kenbunshoku Haki.
The emergence of Kenbunshoku Haki was a delightful surprise for Wood, as unlike the Rokushiki techniques, which could be learned through hard work, Haki was not something everyone could possess.
Excluding the exceedingly rare Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki), the other two types of Haki—Kenbunshoku Haki and Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)—were not uncommon on the Grand Line, but they certainly weren't ordinary.
Both Kenbunshoku Haki and Busoshoku Haki, like Devil Fruits, have multiple developmental paths.
For Kenbunshoku Haki alone, Wood knew of four different types.
The first type was the unique Kenbunshoku Haki of Katakuri, which, when honed to its peak, could even briefly foresee the future!
The second type was the wide-range Kenbunshoku Haki exemplified by Enel from Skypiea, known as "Mantra" among the locals. Enel's Kenbunshoku Haki could cover an entire island, almost like a radar.
The third type was the long-range Kenbunshoku Haki used for sniping, as seen with Van Augur and Usopp.
The fourth type was the ability to hear the "Voice of All Things," a rare gift possessed by figures like the Pirate King, Roger.
Of course, these advanced forms of Kenbunshoku Haki were not the norm. Ordinary Kenbunshoku Haki was typically limited to sensing danger and prompting the body to react.
Having just awakened Kenbunshoku Haki, Wood wasn't sure which type his would evolve into, or even if it would develop into one of them at all.
Nevertheless, the awakening of Kenbunshoku Haki was an unexpected boon. For a swordsman, Kenbunshoku Haki was even more valuable than Busoshoku Haki.
"Kengō-level swordsmanship, combined with Soru and Geppo from the Rokushiki techniques, and now my awakened Kenbunshoku Haki... With my current strength, I could easily serve as a Marine Captain at any branch."
A year had passed, and the basic courses at the naval academy had concluded. Under normal circumstances, ordinary recruits would be officially assigned to the Marines after completing these courses, becoming standard soldiers.
However, among these recruits, those with exceptional grades or outstanding talents in specific areas would be retained for advanced training at the naval academy.
These elite recruits would undergo even more rigorous training, including learning the Rokushiki techniques, as they were being groomed not as cannon fodder, but as future junior officers in the Marines.