Impossible!
In the audience, Sengoku leaned forward, eyes wide in disbelief. He had seen it all, clearly this time. Tashigi's sword never even left its sheath. Yet, the sheer speed and precision of her attack were undeniable.
Fast.
One moment, Tashigi had casually held the scabbard, and in the blink of an eye, it had landed squarely on Bedori's face, swelling it instantly. This kind of swordsmanship—impossible!
Who could have taught her such precise, flawless technique? His mind raced to a single possible explanation.
Bogart.
Garp's trusted lieutenant. Sengoku's suspicion deepened as he glared at Garp, who sat next to him, gloating with that smug grin.
He grabbed Garp's collar. "You old fool! You knew all along! You secretly had Bogart train her just to rub it in my face!"
Garp scoffed, pushing Sengoku back. "You're full of it! I didn't know a thing. My grandson outwitted you, and now you're trying to shift the blame? Get outta here with that nonsense!"
Sengoku huffed, he didn't believe a word of it. Without expert guidance, there was no way Tashigi could have mastered such sophisticated swordplay. Not a chance.
"Tashigi! The assessment isn't over yet. Keep going. Beat him into a pig's head!" Finn's voice cut through the murmurs, casually commanding the fight to continue.
"Oh! Yes, young master!" Tashigi nodded enthusiastically, and with renewed determination, she raised her scabbard again.
Bedori, disoriented, could only see blurry duplicates of Tashigi. And each one of those phantom Tashigis raised a scabbard to strike.
Slap!
Another hit landed, swelling Bedori's already misshapen face even further.
Tashigi bent down, inspecting his face seriously. "Hmm... doesn't quite look like a pig's head yet..."
Slap! Slap! Slap!
The rhythmic strikes of her scabbard echoed across the field as Bedori's face puffed up more with each hit. The once-arrogant marine had been reduced to a swollen, pitiful mess.
From the sidelines, the group of marine recruits that Bedori had terrorized earlier cheered with glee. They couldn't hold back their satisfaction.
"Serves him right!"
"That'll teach him to act tough!"
The examiner finally intervened, shouting, "The assessment is over! Challenger Tashigi wins!"
Tashigi, hearing the announcement, rushed over to Finn, her excitement palpable. Without thinking, she threw herself into Finn's arms. Finn, caught off guard, spun her around instinctively, his surprise quickly melting into a grin.
On the ground, Bedori stirred, his swollen face barely able to move. Through a blur of pain and humiliation, he saw Finn and Tashigi spinning together in celebration.
Pfft— The sight made Bedori choke on his own rage. I'm lying here, beaten to a pulp, and you two are dancing?
He could only manage a pathetic grunt before passing out from a mixture of fury and exhaustion.
Finn, setting Tashigi down, turned toward Sengoku. "Grandpa Sengoku, has Tashigi officially passed?"
Before Sengoku could respond, Garp's booming voice rang out. "Does he have the face to say no?!"
Sengoku, glaring at Garp, begrudgingly admitted defeat. "Passed," he announced through gritted teeth.
He had never felt so irritated. If I had just agreed earlier, I could've saved myself this embarrassment. Not only did I lose the opportunity for Finn's pork buns, but now I've got no leverage left for that warship either.
It truly felt like a case of stealing the chicken and losing the rice.
The next day, Finn and Tashigi made their way to the Marine Academy.
"Elementary Class 3... Elementary Class 3..." Finn muttered, scanning the signs to find their destination.
The Marine Academy wasn't like any normal school. Each class had its own specialized training ground, fully equipped with different facilities.
"There it is! I found it!" Tashigi pointed excitedly as they arrived at the training area.
But both stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what was in front of them.
"Master... are we sure this is the right place?" Tashigi asked, bewildered.
Finn stared at the scene before them. "Is this really Elementary Class 3? This looks more like... kindergarten."
Before them, a group of tiny, half-sized children were squatting in formation. Their small faces were drenched in sweat, each with a brick precariously balanced on the back of their outstretched hands.
They were struggling, but not one of them dared to drop the brick or slack off.
What is this? Child abuse? Finn thought as he walked over to them, completely confused by what he was seeing.
He knelt in front of the nearest child. "Hey, what's going on here? Who's the twisted jerk that's making you do this?"
The child looked up with a serious expression, speaking with the voice of an adult. "Kid, are you new here?"
Kid? Finn blinked. Did this little brat just call me 'kid'?
In a flash, Finn flicked the child's forehead, sending him yelping in pain. "Agh!"
Another kid nearby panicked, "Hughes, are you crazy? If you drop that brick, we're finished!"
Hughes, the kid Finn had flicked, immediately controlled his rage and forced himself to stay still.
Finn was intrigued. What's going on? They're acting like they're scared of someone...
He decided to push further. With another sharp flick, Finn struck Hughes again.
Slap!
"Agh! You're asking for it!" Hughes snapped, but held himself back.
"You really don't want to hit me back, huh?" Finn taunted.
Finally, Hughes growled, "Just you wait! The instructor will be here soon, and you're going to pay for this!"
Finn raised an eyebrow. "Instructor? Oh right, I'm looking for Elementary Class 3. Is this it?"
Hughes, still holding back his frustration, sneered. "You idiot! This IS Elementary Class 3!"
Slap!
Hughes earned himself another flick to the forehead.
"You're telling me all of you are students here?" Finn asked, trying to piece things together. They didn't look like ordinary children.
"You got a problem with that? We're all in our twenties at least!" Hughes spat, nursing his sore forehead.
Finn narrowed his eyes. If that's true, then these guys must've been transformed by a Devil Fruit user.
He thought for a moment. In the Marines, there's only one person who fits that description...
A sudden, commanding voice broke through his thoughts. "You two newcomers! Apologize to your classmates immediately, and prepare for punishment!"
Finn turned to see the source of the voice.
There, standing at the entrance, was a woman with long, soft sea-blue hair, a delicate face, and a stern expression. She wore a blue cloak and carried herself with authority. The X-shaped scar on her right leg stood out.
Finn's eyes widened.
Ain?
How had she become their instructor?