Admiral Rampaging Bear was just as overjoyed. He threw his head back and laughed. "Wahahaha—good, good!"
"Nothing better than having lots of Marine talent!"
"I just hope they grow up fast so they can share the burden of hunting pirates with me!"
"New pirates these days—each one fiercer than the last!"
The one burned deepest into his memory was that comet-like rookie, Rocks.
For now, as the Marines' only sitting Admiral, any mission of real importance…could only be handed to him.
They couldn't just—send the Marine Fleet Admiral out personally, unless things were dire.
That was exactly why Oharden wanted to retire. But with Marine talent in short supply, he could only pin his hopes on Kong—hoping Kong would grow quickly and take over,so he could retire early…and enjoy his twilight years!
The baby-faced, white-haired Oharden's eyes flashed as a grin climbed his face. "Are the Marines finally about to enter a historic blaze of glory?"
"With geniuses like these—and two at once—the next Fleet Admiral's job will be much easier!"
Envy!Envy so strong it could turn a man purple!
Why was his side stuck with only that iron lump, that iron blockhead, Rampaging Bear?
These years…bitter!
He'd been yearning for retirement for twenty or thirty years now; he didn't want to be Fleet Admiral for even one more day.
All three Marine top brass were delighted. Who could've guessed…there'd be a second trainee awakening Conqueror's Haki—the disposition of a king.
Instructor Carter couldn't close his smile. "Hahaha—two trainees with a king's disposition, plus the monstrously gifted Klein—this class…"
"is absolutely the most talented generation in Marine Academy history!"
"Geniuses one after another!"
A once-in-a-millennium lineup—and he was here for it!
Fate—what a marvelous thing!
Sweet—From here on, his name would be carved into the Marine Academy's history…
As the most, most, most ridiculously awesome instructor since the academy's founding!
Kekekeke—
Thinking of Klein, Instructor Carter sighed in his heart. "I thought Klein was the likeliest to awaken Conqueror's Haki. Didn't expect Garp and Sengoku to pop first."
"Life comes at you fast!"
"I just don't know if Klein will get overtaken by Garp and Sengoku down the line. With a king's disposition, there's a massive chance to reach the very summit of the seas!"
"With this kid's talent, being outpaced by two fellow trainees with a king's disposition would be a real shame…"
Suddenly—an even more powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Klein. His eyes flashed with a shocking crimson light, and the sheer force of it seemed to bleach heaven and earth.
Everything around them lost its color; even time and space felt frozen.
Dust caught in moonlight stopped midair.
Klein's surge of Conqueror's Haki smashed through Garp's like a blade through bamboo. Garp's shoulders jolted; his pupils blew wide.
It felt like a sledgehammer had slammed into his skull—dizzying, disorienting!
"B-bro—bro, he unleashed the same pressure—and it's stronger than mine and Sengoku's! He practically crushed my aura in an instant!"
Beside him, Sengoku's hands and feet went cold. The moment the pressure swept over him, it was like plunging into an ice cellar.
He trembled head to toe.
His heart clenched tight, seized by raw terror and danger.
Sengoku turned toward Klein. "What on earth is this power? Why does it make you feel a kind of fear you've never known, from the bottom of your heart??"
"Klein—has he already mastered this power?"
He didn't understand…but Klein's aura was clearly stronger—and cleaner in effect.
And it looked like he could control it freely—something they hadn't had a clue about.
Was this guy… faking being weak a few months ago?
In that instant of being overwhelmed by Haki—
it felt like a mountain landed on his back, crushing the breath out of him.
Cold sweat poured off him in sheets.
"You thought only you two had it? What you've got, I've got. What you don't have? I've still got it!" Klein's lips curled as he folded his arms.
"If I'm your big bro for a day, I'm your big bro for life!"
Confidence and swagger burned across his handsome face—and a streak of sheer domineering.
'I'm the big bro. No way I'm letting you two "little brothers" steal the spotlight or the momentum.'
Don't think you're the only ones with Conqueror's Haki.
Who are you looking down on?
'Your big bro is destined to become the legendary man of the seas!'
Only one party was truly hurt by all this: Zephyr—already long passed out on the ground…
Zephyr: 'Will somebody speak up for me, please!'
'Three blasts of Conqueror's Haki in one day—who understands that pain!?'
'Folks! I was just here to spectate! Next thing I know, I'm knocked out cold and taking a nap!'
Watching from afar, the Marine top brass were shocked all over again—beyond words.
Klein's Conqueror's Haki was a shell smashing into still water—
Boom—!
A towering plume, a surging tide—leaving the three of them tingling from head to toe.
"Gulp—" Instructor Carter felt like he was dreaming. He swallowed hard,
then pinched his thigh as hard as he could.
"Hiss—!"
It hurt!
"I'm not dreaming!!"
Instructor Carter flushed with giddy excitement, practically manic as he shared the news with the other two. "Klein's got a king's disposition too—he's awakened Conqueror's Haki!"
"Three!"
"This class has three Conqueror's Haki awakenings!!"
"Unprecedented!!"
"Truly unprecedented!!!"
Three awakenings in a single class—this was the kind of thing…he wouldn't even dare dream about!
And yet—it was happening right in front of his eyes. Unbelievable.
Overjoyed, Instructor Carter grabbed Rampaging Bear by the shoulders and shook him, his grin blooming like a flower and wrinkling his whole face. "Rampaging Bear, hurry and tell me it's real—that I'm not dreaming!"
Right now, Admiral Rampaging Bear just stared, slack-jawed.
He stood there as if struck by lightning. Even without the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he was numb all over.
"Three Conqueror's Haki users… what kind of monsters are these trainees??"
"If they grow to maturity, the next generation will be the Marines' most glorious era!!"
"The Marines' time is coming!!"
Conqueror's Haki shows up in maybe one in a million. In the Marines, it's even rarer.
And yet…
all three of these trainees had awakened it!
Having it is one thing. Awakening it is another.
Off to the side, Fleet Admiral Oharden was practically teary-eyed, sour at heart. "Why!?"
"Why didn't we have this many prodigies in my era, huh!?"
"If our generation had talents like these, would it ever have fallen to me to be Fleet Admiral—handling Marine affairs and bearing the pressure of the Five Elders?"
"It's too hard!!"
Sour inside, but Oharden didn't show it one bit. Stroking his white beard, he grinned from ear to ear:
"Hahaha—excellent! And have you noticed? Klein's Conqueror's Haki is clearly a level or two stronger than the newly awakened Garp's!"
"He can even control it beautifully!"
"Good, good, good—"
"With that talent, Admiral material for sure!"
That part thrilled him even more—it meant Klein was already 'proficient.'
That kind of control—at that age—was rare.
Instructor Carter's eyes shone like a white-hot bulb in the night. "Klein is only eighteen. With his monstrous capacity to learn—and a king's disposition—he's a straight-up monster!"
"And with Garp and Sengoku too, our Marines will build an unprecedented glory over the coming decades!"
Geniuses are one-in-a-million; ones like these three are one-in-ten-million.
Three at once.
Instructor Carter's heart was about to pound right out of his throat.
But then—his face darkened, a sickly green creeping in as his gut tightened. "Uh-oh—"
"I made more than a little money off Klein's Demonic Flame Kick earlier. If he finds out…"
With how much Klein loves money, he might actually treat me like an enemy!
That kid treats cash like life itself!
If he learns I raked it in hand over fist—how's he supposed to take that?
If it were me, I wouldn't. And Klein? Even less so.
"No, no…"
"Before he notices, maybe I should go talk to him—cut him in?"
The very thought made his heart ache. Asking him to part with money hurt worse than slicing meat off his own side.
But thinking it through—he had to pay up.
For a monster talent like Klein—fine. He'd give the kid that face.
Oharden nodded, pleased. "Agreed. But keep the three Conqueror's Haki awakenings under wraps for now."
"At least until they've grown—best not to let too many people know."
If only…he'd been born later!
He felt a twinge of melancholy, a bit out of sorts. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at that 'iron blockhead' Rampaging Bear.
Day in and day out—lifting iron, chugging protein shakes. Did he have any idea how hard it was for him to be Fleet Admiral??
In those years of lean Marine talent—sigh—
Say any more and it's tears!
Then he looked back at the three promising seedlings before him.
Comparisons will kill you!
"In the future, with three tiger-like Admirals under Kong, what kind of swagger will a Marine Fleet Admiral have!"
Oharden only regretted one thing—being born in the wrong era!
Meanwhile, Zephyr was still face-down on the ground, completely ignored. No need for the Clear-Clear Fruit—he'd already become a 'transparent man,' blessed with the power of invisibility.
How wonderful!