Just when Mole was about to give up and leave, Zefa said slowly, "I will discuss these matters with Warring States."
This voice sounded like music to Mole's ears, and he saluted in surprise: "Yes, thank you, teacher!" Then he ran to the cabin like the wind, eager to exchange the photo in Loya's hand.
...
Along the way, the warship sailed into the windless belt and stopped in the bay of a medium-sized island.
This is an island that has never been marked on a map. It has been used by the Navy as a training ground for recruits for decades.
Because the magnetic field of this island is very weak, except for the permanent pointer, the nautical compass will not point here at all, making it sufficiently concealed. Moreover, there are many native and powerful creatures on the island, in addition to the beasts that the Navy has rushed in to stock up, making it a perfect place for recruits to test their mettle.
Ordinary recruits from the four seas naturally do not need to be assessed, but as recruits of the headquarters, the future elite of the Navy, this trial of blood and fire is indispensable.
The island is lush with vegetation. Looking from the simple port, one can only see green leaves and two fiery red crabs strolling on the beach, creating a peaceful and quiet scene.
But the occasional vicious roar from the depths of the island proves that it is not as peaceful as it seems.
Many recruits swallowed hard and looked at each other.
"Hey, shouldn't we be going to the island?"
"It should be... I heard from the seniors that this island is full of beasts that eat people."
Hearing this, the others grew even more nervous.
"Well...it's scary!"
The people on the surrounding warships were lined up neatly, waiting for Zefa to issue an order. He nodded to Mole and ordered the messengers to inform the ships and prepare for the assessment.
The instructor of the seventh team, where Loya was, stood at the front and shouted loudly: "Next, there will be an elite assessment! Now, I will explain the rules again!"
"Your mission is to hunt down the creatures on this island and earn points. The time limit is three days. Only the top three scorers can hope to join the elite camp. The creatures on the island vary in strength, and the points awarded will also vary. Even if you step on a crab to death, you will still earn points."
The major general instructor pointed at the crabs on the beach and made a rare joke, but it didn't have the intended effect. The recruits remained uneasy and nervous.
Seeing that no one responded, the major general instructor cleared his throat and continued.
"This assessment is an individual battle, but team formations are allowed. After forming a team, as long as multiple people participate in the attack, the points will be divided equally among everyone. Additionally, there are surveillance phone bugs everywhere on the island, so don't take any chances. Your every move is under our watch."
"Everyone should collect smoke bombs for help before leaving. Although there are many surveillance phone bugs on the island, even in the sky, if you encounter a powerful creature you cannot handle, the phone bug won't be able to inform us of your location. In case of an emergency, you can use this to call for help and tell us where you are."
"Just remember, anyone who uses the distress signal will receive zero points!"
"And..." the major general instructor said solemnly, "this does not mean you are all safe. If you encounter a powerful beast that you cannot resist, it's possible to be torn to pieces in an instant. Therefore, I wish everyone good luck!"
After finishing his speech, the major general instructor looked at Zefa, who nodded for him to continue, and then he shouted: "Now, come and collect your life-saving charms, you bastards! All weapons you carry must be turned in; you can only use the standard weapons we provide, along with an extra day's worth of dry food!"
Some recruits trembled, while others were eager to try. They queued up in an orderly manner to receive their equipment.
Loya thought for a moment, took a dagger and a bag of gunpowder, but did not take a gun. The Navy officer distributing the equipment gave him a surprised look and asked, "I understand taking a dagger, but why not take a gun if you're taking gunpowder?" Most recruits chose to take a gun for extra protection in the face of danger.
Loya shrugged and explained, "My strength is no longer enough to use guns, and in case of injury or rain, gunpowder is useful for igniting a fire and disinfecting. By the way, uncle, is this bag waterproof?"
The Navy officer nodded and smiled, saying, "Have ambition! Don't worry, the bag is made from sea animal skin. If you tie the rope around the opening tightly, it won't get wet even if soaked in water."
"That's great, thank you, uncle."
Loya waved, took the smoke bombs and dry food, and left the warship.
If you ask him why he is not seasick, it's because he has been jumping up and down on the ice cubes in place, his feet never touching the deck.
...
"Loya, let's go together!"
"Yeah, we'll be fine if you're with us."
As soon as Loya got off the boat, the recruits who were familiar with him gathered around, their words pleading as they hoped to form a team with him. Their tone was pitiful, lacking any sense of reason.
This is the world of One Piece, where there's no belief that "the stronger the ability, the greater the responsibility." After all, in this sea, strength is respected, and now, facing unknown dangers, seeking the protection of the strong and showing a natural demeanor is courting death.
No matter how good they had been to each other before, at this moment, in this serious elite assessment, acting like that was akin to courting death.
Loya looked at his colleagues with a headache, then glanced behind him. The big men on the warship had left the deck and gone to the surveillance center. It was impossible to find someone to relieve him from this situation.
So he sighed resignedly, spread his hands, and said, "Okay, but only for one day. After that, you must familiarize yourselves with this island and be able to hunt independently. Everyone knows it's not necessary to stick together. Maybe you'll get a ticket to the elite camp."
This was indeed the case. Among the recruits, there were a few who did not want to join the elite battalion. After hearing what Loya said, they gritted their teeth and agreed.
They are recruits to the headquarters and the future elite of the Navy. If they are timid now, how will they fight pirates in the future?
Seeing that everyone agreed, Loya raised his fist: "Yo Xi, then let's go!"
"Yes!"
...
On a warship, in a spacious room, the monitoring center for this assessment was bustling. Almost all the admirals were gathered together.
The surrounding walls were covered with images projected by videophone bugs, and dozens of Navy officers were running around with notebooks to record the recruits' scores.
Zefa sat at the head of the conference table, looking over the recruits' information.
Suddenly, he raised his head and said helplessly to the person across the table, "Are you that free, Kuzan?"
"A la la, yes. But I have to thank you, teacher, or else the Warring States Marshal would have already transferred me to perform a mission." Kuzan took off the blindfold in front of him and replied, "Anyway, that kid calls me teacher too. Since my disciple is participating in the actual combat assessment, I had to come see it."
It was only now that Zefa realized Kuzan had boarded another warship as early as Marineford and had accompanied them all the way here.
As Kuzan said, this was really thanks to Zefa.
To help Loya grow faster, Zefa and the Warring States had discussed this for a long time, which led to Warring States allowing Kuzan to teach Loya every day. This had given Kuzan a very comfortable month, and now he had nothing to do with the actual combat assessment.
Zefa couldn't help but regret his decision. Wasn't this giving Kuzan a perfect excuse to be lazy?