In the Chief Instructor's office, Zephyr sat behind his desk, staring at the document in front of him. His brows furrowed as he looked from the report back to the soldier who had delivered it, his expression hovering somewhere between disbelief and amusement.
"Are you sure this isn't a mistake?" Zephyr asked, voice low and skeptical.
The young soldier swallowed hard and straightened his back. "N-No, sir! The data's been verified twice. It's accurate."
Zephyr leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "...Alright. You can go."
After the soldier left, Zephyr rubbed his temples, still processing the unbelievable numbers he'd just seen.
Recruit: Kane Uchiha. Age: 16. No Devil Fruit ability. Douriki score: 7,200.
All these details together were almost absurd.
"So this is the so-called 'promising recruit' Sengoku mentioned?" Zephyr muttered. "Promising? This isn't promise this is pure madness!"
He let out a humorless chuckle. Sengoku was probably playing a trick on him again. Ever since Zephyr's wife and child were killed by pirates, he had lost the will to keep teaching. The new recruits over the past few years had been... mediocre at best, and the pain in his heart had made him consider retiring from the Marines altogether. Sengoku had tried to convince him to stay, arguing that the Marines needed experienced instructors now more than ever. Out of respect for his old comrade and because he knew the truth of those words Zephyr had reluctantly stayed.
But this? This was ridiculous.
"That damn Sengoku must be getting a kick out of this," Zephyr grumbled.
In truth, Sengoku was innocent. When he'd mentioned Kane Uchiha, all he'd wanted was for Zephyr to pay special attention to an extraordinarily gifted recruit. He'd even downplayed the boy's potential to avoid sounding biased. How could he have known that Kane's results would be so monstrous?
Zephyr looked down at the photo attached to the report. The boy in the picture had calm violet eyes, a composed expression, and a faint hint of confidence.
"It's been years since I've seen talent like this... not since Borsalino and the others graduated," Zephyr murmured. His lips pressed into a firm line. "Maybe there's still hope for the Marines after all."
He stood up abruptly, determination lighting his face. "If this kid's really as gifted as the numbers say, I'll train him myself. His strength, his potential none of that can be wasted. And his character..." Zephyr's eyes narrowed slightly. "That, I'll make sure stays clean. I'll never let another Borsalino happen again."
With that thought, Zephyr grabbed his coat and headed straight for the Elite Training Camp.
Meanwhile, Kane Uchiha had just arrived there, completely unaware that a certain purple-haired instructor had already set his sights on him.
Because of his unprecedented score, Kane had been placed directly into the Elite Division, the most competitive group in the entire Marine Academy. As he walked through the camp grounds, he could feel countless eyes on him.
"Look, that's him! Kane Uchiha the one who scored 7,200!"
"Whoa, his eyes... are those real? What kind of ability is that?"
"He's... kind of handsome."
"Handsome? Please. Look at yourself first before dreaming."
"Shut up!"
The chatter followed him everywhere. Kane sighed, shaking his head helplessly. No matter which world he found himself in ninja or pirate there were always the same two types of people: the noisy ones and the fangirls.
"What's with that face?" came a teasing voice beside him. "Don't tell me all this attention's making you shy, you smug little show-off."
It was Gion. She had personally accompanied him to the camp, claiming she wanted to "see him off." In truth, she simply didn't trust some lovestruck recruit to make a move on him. Not that she'd ever admit it.
Kane gave her a side glance. "You're one to talk. If you hadn't pushed me into showing off back there, maybe I'd still have a chance to keep a low profile."
"Low profile?" Gion smirked. "Please. Gold shines whether it wants to or not. Talent can't hide, Kane. You should be proud, not grumpy."
They continued walking until they reached the dormitory building. Gion stopped and turned to him.
"Well, this is where I leave you," she said. "I've got to head back. Won't be seeing you for a while, so... don't miss me too much, little brother."
Kane rolled his eyes, smiling faintly. "Right, right. When I graduate, I'll treat you to dinner. My treat."
Gion's expression suddenly darkened. "Hold on. Did you forget something?"
Kane blinked. "Huh?"
"At the test," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Where were your hands?"
Kane froze. "Uh..." He could still remember the moment vividly the rush of battle, the excitement... and, yes, that brief, unintended contact. His cheeks warmed slightly.
Gion burst out laughing. "Oh, relax! You look like I'm about to have you court-martialed."
Before he could react, she reached out and playfully pinched his cheek.
"Got you."
Kane stepped back quickly, his ears burning as Gion doubled over in laughter.
"You really are a kid," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I thought someone like you wouldn't get flustered so easily."
When she finally caught her breath, Gion adjusted her uniform and stepped closer again, this time with a gentler expression. She straightened Kane's collar like she had during the test. He didn't say anything he understood what she was doing. Beneath her teasing and laughter, she was simply trying to make their parting a little easier.
Then, as if thinking aloud, she said softly, "When you graduate... if you make it to the rank of Commodore, I'll grant you one wish. Anything you want. How about that?"
Kane looked at her steadily, his violet eyes glinting with quiet confidence.
Gion gave a small laugh. "That's almost impossible, isn't it, Kane?" She paused, realizing how serious he looked. "You really think you can pull it off?"
Without a word, Kane stepped forward and pulled her into a brief embrace. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, "That's all? You call that a challenge?"
Her face flushed instantly, and she pushed him away in a panic. "Y-You little brat! Stop talking big!"
Before he could respond, she turned on her heel and hurried off, her embarrassed voice echoing down the corridor.
Kane stood there for a moment, watching her retreating figure. Then, a small smile curved his lips.
"Just wait and see, Gion," he murmured softly. "I'll hold you to that promise."