Kane Uchiha spent three quiet days in his assigned quarters, settling into life at Marine Headquarters. During that time, he even shared dinner with Gion once.
By sheer coincidence, they ran into Gaji again the same pitiful man who had been making a fool of himself before. When he saw his "goddess" dining with another man, his world seemed to crumble. Convinced they were being overly affectionate, Gaji froze mid-bite, then stormed out of the restaurant in tears, leaving his untouched meal behind.
Kane could only sigh. At this point, he was used to it. Gion herself didn't seem to care, so why should he?
Three days later, early in the morning, Gion came knocking on his door with news. "It's time," she said. "The training camp officially starts today. Come with me to register."
When Kane arrived at the training grounds, he found the place buzzing with activity. Dozens of new recruits were already there, filling the open courtyard. In the middle stood a large machine a fist-strength tester, similar to the ones Kane had seen back on Blue Star. But here in this world, it served a very different purpose: to measure a Marine's Douriki, or combat power level.
The supervising officer hadn't arrived yet, and the recruits had grouped up in small clusters, whispering anxiously among themselves. Everyone knew how important this test was. This was the Marine Headquarters' elite training program just qualifying for it was a major achievement. Failing here meant being sent home in disgrace.
Still, the test was fair. No connections, no favoritism only strength. Anyone who hit the required threshold could enter. But it was also merciless. Many of these recruits weren't first-timers; they'd trained hard for years, yet still couldn't break through that invisible wall.
As the murmur of conversation grew around them, Gion turned to Kane and explained, "When it's your turn, you'll hit the soft pad on that machine with everything you've got. The screen will show your Douriki value. You need at least 300 to pass."
Kane nodded confidently. "That shouldn't be a problem."
But Gion shook her head and looked him straight in the eyes, her tone serious. "Kane, this test isn't just a formality for you. The camp's chief instructor is none other than former Admiral Zephyr 'Black Arm' Zephyr himself. Most of today's top officers, including the current admirals, were once his students. Fleet Admiral Sengoku personally recommended you to him. So you have to give this everything you've got. Don't let him or Sengoku down."
Kane's eyes softened. He hadn't forgotten how much Sengoku had done for him since his arrival. The man had treated him with genuine trust, and Kane wasn't the type to take that for granted. This time, he'd show them what he was capable of.
"Don't worry, Gion," Kane said with a grin. "You'll see soon enough."
She smiled faintly and bent down to adjust his collar and sleeves, brushing off a speck of dust. "You still get shy, huh? You'd better look sharp when you make your debut. Everyone will be watching."
Kane rolled his eyes playfully, then smirked. In a flash, he caught her wrist, gave it a light squeeze, and before she could react, he used Shunshin the Body Flicker Technique to vanish.
"Cheeky brat!" Gion called out with a laugh, swinging a mock punch into the air. "If you embarrass me later, I'll make you regret it!"
Appearing among the crowd of recruits, Kane blended in as though nothing had happened.
Moments later, the testing officer arrived. The chatter died down immediately as the man barked out a few short instructions and announced the start of the test.
"Each of you will have two attempts. I'll call your names. Step forward when I do."
The first recruit stepped up, visibly nervous. His first punch registered 280. Not bad, but still below passing. He inhaled deeply, steadied himself, and tried again. This time 318. The officer nodded. "Passed."
That small victory instantly boosted morale. Cheers rippled through the ranks, and one by one, more recruits stepped up. Some barely scraped past the line, others fell short, but overall, the tension began to ease.
Kane observed quietly until two particular names caught his attention Binz and Ain. Both delivered impressive results: Binz scored 410, while Ain landed a solid 520. Their power stood out compared to most recruits.
But what truly intrigued Kane wasn't their numbers it was their names. Binz and Ain... He remembered them from the One Piece Film: Z timeline. They were Zephyr's final students, the ones who eventually followed him when he left the Marines.
If that was true, then the event that would one day shatter Zephyr's faith the "Whitebeard Jr. Massacre" was destined to happen during this very generation's sea training.
Kane's gaze sharpened. He wasn't worried. By the time that happened, he'd be far beyond the level of an ordinary Marine recruit. Preventing that tragedy would be nothing more than a simple task for him. Still, it didn't hurt to be prepared.
As the test went on, one by one, the recruits took their turns until only Kane remained.
The officer glanced down at his clipboard, then looked up at the young man standing alone in the testing area. Everyone knew the first and last participants were the ones people remembered most. It was a lot of pressure but Kane didn't seem nervous at all. His expression was calm, even bored.
The officer nodded to himself. So this was the boy Sengoku had personally instructed him to keep an eye on.
In fact, Kane's placement as the final participant wasn't coincidence it was deliberate. Sengoku wanted him to stand out, to catch the attention of Zephyr and the other high-ranking officers. With the Marines stretched thin in these turbulent times, Sengoku needed exceptional talent to rise fast. Kane was that talent.
The officer straightened up, cleared his throat, and called out the last name on the list.
"Kane Uchiha!"
Kane stepped forward, his voice crisp and confident.
"Here!"