5,000 slashes.
5,000 parries.
5,000 thrusts.
10,000 push-ups.
10,000 sit-ups.
5,000 weighted pull-ups.
And 5 kilometers of Moonwalk aerial walking.
This was Rosinante's daily limit during his final month of training. He pushed himself relentlessly, without the slightest hint of slack. This was the world of pirates, a world where the strong ruled and the weak were swallowed whole. If he didn't give it his all, forget becoming King of the Marines—he wouldn't even survive.
And Rosinante wasn't alone in his dedication. The others weren't wasting their time either.
Sakazuki trained by the ocean every day, honing his Magma Fist. Though he carried a longsword on his back now, he was coming to realize that its killing power couldn't compare to the overwhelming destructiveness of his Magma-Magma Fruit. Lately, he'd even developed a new single-target technique, Hellhound—which packed even more devastating force.
Borsalino, ever the crafty one, claimed he hated hard work and exhaustion. But after being defeated by Rosinante, his pride had taken a hit. While pretending to be lazy, he quietly began sneaking in sword training when no one was looking. And to be fair, the old guy actually had talent. Just a few days ago, he even dragged Rosinante aside with a mysterious grin to show off his new move: the Heavenly Cloud Sword.
It was a blade formed entirely from concentrated light, created through his Glint-Glint Fruit. According to Borsalino, the durability of this sword depended on how far he developed his Devil Fruit. As of now, his Heavenly Cloud Sword could rival the strength of a Grade 50 Skillful Blade. With further development, it might one day surpass that, reaching the level of a Grade 21 Great Blade, or even one of the legendary 12 Supreme Grade Blades.
As for the rest, guys like Buffalo and Wild Boar they were doubling their efforts on Six Powers training. Even Z had started to soften in demeanor. He wasn't as stern as before, occasionally revealing a glimmer of kindness. After all, he was a good man at heart. But during training, he had no choice but to be strict—otherwise, how else would the cadets respect him?
"Strict teachers produce elite students." That wasn't just a saying, it was a proven truth.
And just like that, the final month at the Marine Academy came to an end.
That day, Z gathered all the cadets once more.
"Rookies," he called out, his voice steady and firm, "first of all, congratulations on completing two full years of training here at the Marine Academy. Now, I have an important announcement. As per Academy regulations, each graduating class must complete a final assessment before officially graduating. Your performance will be recorded and included in your final evaluation, which will then be submitted to Marine Headquarters. You'll be awarded your initial rank based on those results."
The cadets straightened up instantly. Z's assistant stepped forward, handing him a thick stack of bounty posters.
Holding them up, Z continued, "Your graduation exam is simple: apprehend a pirate listed on these bounty posters. Your score will be based on the bounty amount. The higher the bounty, the better your grade. Now, step forward and choose your targets."
With that, he handed the stack to his aide and allowed the cadets to line up and select their missions one by one.
Sakazuki was first. Without hesitation, he chose the pirate with the highest bounty: the notorious Kuro, wanted for 76 million berries.
That was no small sum. This wasn't the Great Pirate Era yet, where bounties were deliberately inflated to curb piracy. In this era, bounty values were still modest—even some long-established pirates had bounties barely breaking 100 million.
Just consider that even Crocodile, a Logia user with the Sand-Sand Fruit, was only worth 81 million berries shortly after the Great Pirate Era began.
After Sakazuki, it was Borsalino's turn. True to form, he lazily browsed the stack and casually selected the third-highest bounty: Arrow, worth 60 million berries.
Then came the Marine Academy's third "monster"—Rosinante. He stepped forward, calmly scanning the posters, and picked the second-highest bounty: Boss Dars.
As the other cadets followed suit, Rosinante examined his chosen bounty sheet. The image showed a one-sword-style swordsman in loose martial robes, a bandana tied around his head, and a deep scar slashing diagonally across his face.
He looked every bit the hardened killer.
"A swordsman, huh?" Rosinante muttered to himself, eyes gleaming with anticipation. He'd been focusing on swordsmanship training recently, this was the perfect chance to put it to the test.
Just then, Z's aide spoke up. "Cadets, some of your targets are part of the same pirate crew. You're allowed to team up and take them down together."
That sparked immediate interest. The cadets quickly checked to see if their targets belonged to the same crews—and sure enough, many did.
One cadet named Flying Fish, who had decent skills, had chosen the second-in-command of the same crew Sakazuki's target led. He approached Sakazuki directly.
"Akainu, let's team up. I picked the Demon Pirates' second-in-command!"
"No need." Sakazuki replied flatly. "I don't work with anyone."
He was promptly rejected.
Someone else tried their luck with Borsalino. While Borsalino normally wouldn't care either way, seeing Sakazuki act so smug lit a competitive spark in him.
"These pirates are scary and all," he shrugged, "but I think I'll manage just fine on my own."
One by one, the cadets were turned away.
All eyes then shifted to Rosinante. As one of the Academy's star pupils, everyone was curious to see what he'd do.
That's when Wild Boar stepped forward, scratching his head and holding up his own bounty sheet. "Blue Eagle, I chose the second-in-command of the Quick Slash Pirates. Mind if we team up?"
He braced for rejection—after all, Akainu and Kizaru had both set the tone. If Rosinante accepted, wouldn't that be seen as a sign of weakness?
"To team up? That'd be great!" Rosinante grinned. "I could really use the help. Anyone else who picked someone from the Quick Slash Pirates, come join us! Let's do this together!"
The cadets stared at him in shock.
From their perspective, taking down an entire pirate crew solo would score far better than doing it as a team. A higher evaluation meant a better initial rank upon graduation. Why would someone like Rosinante give up that opportunity?
To them, anyone labeled a "monster" at the Academy had to be prideful—ambitious—hungry for glory. Why would Rosinante lower himself to fight in a group?
They couldn't understand it. If they had Rosinante's strength, they'd definitely go it alone, just like Sakazuki.
Even Wild Boar was caught off guard. He had assumed Rosinante was helping out just because of their friendship. Now he felt guilty, what if teaming up with him cost Rosinante a lower score?
"Blue Eagle," he said awkwardly, "you're not doing this just because we're friends, right? If so, you really don't have to. I can switch assignments. I don't want to be the reason you get a lower grade."
"Hold you back?" Rosinante laughed. "Boar, don't be ridiculous. Catching pirates isn't a game. One mistake and you're dead. I genuinely want to team up. No one survives out there alone. Without comrades, you won't get far on these seas."
He looked him straight in the eye and said, loud and clear:
"That's the truth."
(End of Chapter)
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