"Hit me hard?"
Bedoli almost burst out laughing when he heard this. "You? A woman? How hard could you even hit?" He sneered inwardly. "I've battled hardened pirates! They've attacked me with knives, guns, and fists—things that could really hurt. What could a mere sergeant do to me?"
With bold arrogance, Bedoli turned to face Tashigi and scoffed, "Go on, Sergeant! Don't hold back! Give it everything you've got!"
Tashigi took a small breath, her eyes narrowing slightly as she replied, "Oh, I won't be holding back. The young master told me to hit you hard. So... I will."
Bedoli smirked, but his confidence was quickly tested. He barely registered a blur of movement before—
Boom!
Bedoli's world turned upside down. It felt like an earthquake had struck his skull, rattling his senses. His vision swam, stars exploded in front of his eyes, and darkness soon swallowed him as he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Oh!" gasped the group of Marine recruits who had been watching nearby. Their jaws dropped in astonishment. "Did she just... knock him out?!"
Bedoli, the man who had seemed unstoppable moments ago, was now unconscious on the ground, felled by a single hit from the female Marine. The sight made the recruits' eyes widen, and they shared hushed whispers, their shock quickly turning to glee.
"Heh, serves him right! He thought he was invincible!"
"Yeah, who's the fool now? Pretending to be all high and mighty, only to be knocked out cold!"
Up in the stands, those watching the fight hadn't expected much—certainly not this. They thought it would be over quickly, but no one had imagined this kind of outcome. As the dust settled, Bedoli slowly regained consciousness, blinking at the seven or eight blurry figures in front of him until his vision finally cleared. His face throbbed painfully.
Instinctively, he raised a hand to touch his cheek, and winced at the sharp sting. His face was swollen beyond recognition. "Damn it," he muttered. "My handsome face!"
Tashigi stood before him, calm as ever, her hand still gripping the hilt of her sword. Bedoli stared, wide-eyed. The blow that had floored him was dealt not by the blade, but by the scabbard.
Humiliation washed over him like a wave. He hadn't just been hit—he had been struck with the sheath of a sword, and it had still been enough to knock him out.
Bedoli's temper flared, and he scrambled to his feet, sputtering, "You... you attacked me from behind!"
Tashigi scratched her head awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you so hard. But you were glaring at the young master. I couldn't help myself." She looked genuinely apologetic, but there was a subtle warning in her words.
"By the way," she added, her tone becoming slightly more assertive, "you said that if I hit you once within twenty strokes, I win, right? So... does that mean I won?"
Bedoli froze. The words he had arrogantly thrown out earlier now felt like a trap he'd set for himself. His pride screamed at him to deny it, but if he did, he'd be contradicting his own challenge.
Yet, his task from Sengoku was clear: Keep this female Marine out of the Academy at all costs. His mission was the only thing standing between him and a potentially devastating punishment for his past mistakes. If Tashigi passed...
No. He couldn't afford that.
"Sergeant Tashigi!" Bedoli declared, his voice booming with mock righteousness. "The rules are the rules. What I said earlier was simply to spare you unnecessary pain, but since you chose to fight dishonorably, this doesn't count as your victory!"
"Shameless!" someone shouted from the crowd.
The recruits who had been beaten by Bedoli earlier began to chime in, their frustration turning to laughter. "He's just making excuses! He's too embarrassed to admit he lost!"
"Such a coward!"
Their words stung Bedoli, but he forced a sneer, turning his attention back to Finn, Tashigi's young master. "You," he growled, "you think you can just stand there, huh? Well, I've got friends at the Marine Academy. Once you're there, they'll 'take care' of you!"
Finn simply smirked, finding the threat amusing. "Grandpa Sengoku, what do you think?" he asked. "Did Tashigi win?"
Sengoku sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Finn, rules are rules. Bedoli has to be beaten fair and square. What happened before doesn't count."
He gave a quick glance toward Garp, who watched the whole situation with a barely contained smirk. Sengoku gritted his teeth—he hated to admit it, but the old man was judging him.
Finn wasn't fazed. "Alright," he shrugged, turning to Tashigi. "Next time, hit him harder. Turn him into a pig."
Tashigi beamed, eager to please. "Yes, young master! I'll make sure he looks like a pig!"
Bedoli, now thoroughly humiliated and seething with rage, braced himself. "Enough games!" he snarled, charging at Tashigi with all his might.
In the crowd, Stolo Berry, Bedoli's supporter, felt a surge of hope. "This is it!" he thought. "Tashigi's going down for sure!"
But the moment Bedoli got within striking distance—
Boom!
A loud thud echoed through the training ground as Bedoli was sent flying backward once again, felled by a single blow from Tashigi's scabbard. Stolo Berry's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"What just happened?!" He blinked, trying to process the scene in front of him. Bedoli hadn't even managed to throw a punch.
Bedoli lay on the ground, defeated once more, the scabbard imprint still fresh on his face.
It was over.