"Passat!"
The two remaining pirates paled at the sight. They exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and roared as they lunged at Nao from both sides.
They weren't fools. Seeing their comrade killed in a single blow, they immediately recognized they were facing a formidable opponent.
Years of sailing on the Grand Line had taught them one thing—when escape was impossible, your best shot at survival was to strike first, together, and hard.
Unfortunately for them, while their decision was tactically sound, they still fatally underestimated Nao's strength.
"Soru."
With a whisper, Nao's figure vanished before their eyes like a ghost. They blinked—too slow. A cold wind brushed against their backs.
Shunk!
Red blade to the left. White blade to the right. Both swords pierced through their backs simultaneously, driving through their chests.
A flick of the wrist. Internal organs shredded. When the blades withdrew, the pirates collapsed without a sound—eyes glazed, lifeless.
Nao didn't stop there. Calm and precise, he delivered a clean slash to each of their necks—just to be sure—before wiping his swords and sliding them back into their sheaths.
This was Nao's first official combat assessment—but far from his first real kill.
Back when he served under his father, a Captain at the 16th Marine Branch in the East Blue, Nao had already participated in multiple anti-pirate campaigns.
While his achievements weren't anything legendary, he had taken out dozens of pirates—including a few with million-berrie bounties.
And his habit of finishing the job? That was ingrained long ago. He was just dusting off an old skill.
"Stronger than East Blue pirates, no doubt."
Nao glanced at the corpses and stepped over them without pause. "But if they thought they could threaten me now, they were dreaming."
These three brutes were no weaklings. They were probably all wanted men. Just a few months ago, dealing with them would've taken serious effort.
Now? One move was all it took.
"Still… something about what they said felt off…"
He broke into a jog toward the burning building, recalling their strange reaction.
"They acted like they found prey—not enemies. And they were asking about my comrades?"
By all logic, the pirates on the island should've been the ones in hiding by now—forced into alleys, cornered by the recruits from the Elite Camp.
But based on what he'd just seen, it looked like the pirates were the ones on the offensive—actively hunting down isolated Marine rookies.
"Something's not right. What the hell are the others doing…?"
Nao's brow furrowed. Eyes fixed on the firelight ahead, he picked up the pace.
—No matter what, he needed to find someone he knew and figure out what was going on.
In a shadowy alley…
"Don't run, you little brats!"
"Get back here, you punks!"
The shouts echoed through the alley as thirty or so pirates charged forward, chasing down three fleeing figures in white uniforms.
They were three young Marine recruits.
At the center was a tall, graceful girl with waist-length blue hair—her striking features easily standing out, even in chaos. Flanking her were two short-haired girls, both looking equally battered.
All three were covered in blood, clearly having just survived a brutal fight. Their faces were pale and exhausted—their stamina nearly gone.
"Hah… I can't… I can't keep going…"
Rounding a corner, the girl on the right finally collapsed against the wall, gasping for breath.
"Shia, Monica… we're too slow now… no matter how far we run, they're gaining on us… maybe we should—"
"Send a distress signal? Let the instructors intervene?"
The blue-haired girl, Shia, slowed her steps and glanced back coldly. "That'll keep us alive. But the combat assessment will end. We won't be allowed to continue. Are you really ready for that?"
"Would that really be so bad?"
The other girl—Monica—forced a tired smile.
"We've already taken down plenty. If those reinforcements hadn't shown up out of nowhere, we'd have been done by now anyway."
"Yeah, Shia…" the first girl agreed weakly. "And we're definitely not the first to withdraw. Our ranking won't be that bad…"
"I'm not giving up."
Shia cut her off flatly.
"If I have to, I'll find somewhere to hide and rest for a few hours, then come back out swinging. But if you two want to leave, I won't stop you."
"I knew you'd say that… you're so damn stubborn." Monica sighed. "You really don't need to push yourself like this. If you'd just be a little more flexible—"
Shia's cold eyes met hers. Monica shut her mouth.
"Alright. We're going. Be careful, Shia."
The footsteps behind them were growing louder—the pirates were already pouring into the alley. Monica and the other girl didn't hesitate. They pulled out their Den Den Mushi, preparing to call for help.
The recruits of the Marine HQ Elite Camp were the best of the best. The higher-ups didn't want them to be pampered, so they were thrown into real, bloody battles—crucial trials on the path to becoming true soldiers.
But there were always safeguards.
In addition to Admiral Kuzan overseeing everything, over a dozen instructors from HQ were stationed throughout the city—hidden in the shadows, watching every recruit closely.
Normally, they wouldn't interfere, nor alert the pirates to their presence.
But the moment a recruit's life was truly in danger—or if they voluntarily requested help—they would move in immediately to extract them.
However, doing so meant an automatic withdrawal. Those rescued would lose their chance to continue the exam or earn further merit.
And for proud Marine elites, this was a bitter pill to swallow. Everyone wanted to climb higher—to capture more pirates, earn more accolades, rank higher in the results.
But…
Plans never survive contact with the enemy.
With the sudden appearance of a large wave of pirate reinforcements that night, many recruits—already exhausted from two days of fighting—had no choice but to call for help, despite their reluctance.
In the end, recruits like Shia—who kept fighting despite overwhelming odds—were the rare exceptions.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin