As soon as Zephyr finished speaking, the atmosphere on the training field turned restless and tense.
Instructor "Iron Jaw" stepped forward, his booming voice echoing across the grounds:
"Now, we begin the first test—Doriki power! When your name is called, step up in order! Anyone below 80 Doriki goes straight to the Prep Class!"
The line for testing formed quickly.
"Hank!"
A burly recruit—clearly the ace type in his old branch—stepped up first. He took a deep breath and threw his strongest punch.
"125 Doriki! Qualified!"
He let out a breath of relief, but didn't look particularly happy. That score was solid, but nothing special.
The next few passed without trouble, most scoring between 100 and 150.
Soon, a frail-looking guy used everything he had and only hit "79." Amid sympathetic looks, he was mercilessly escorted to the Prep Class area.
Just as things were starting to feel heavy and quiet, a loud name was called.
"T. Bone!"
A tall, straight-as-a-ruler young man with intense, honest eyes stepped out.
Rain looked at his overly gaunt face. This guy… looks kind of familiar, he thought. Pretty sure he had a name and minor role in the original manga… But I can't remember. That's what you get for being a dude. Someone like Hina, though, I remember clearly.
While Rain was silently commenting, T. Bone had already taken up a textbook-perfect Marine fighting stance. With a loud shout, he punched out.
"420 Doriki! Excellent!"
The number drew a roar from the crowd. It was the highest score so far—nearly triple the average. T. Bone ignored the awe around him, simply saluted and quietly returned to formation.
"Rosinante!"
A blond boy stumbled forward, almost tripping over his own left foot and drawing a wave of laughter. Face flushed red with nerves, he squeezed his eyes shut and swung wildly with everything he had.
"221 Doriki! Qualified!"
Even Rosinante looked stunned at the unexpectedly high score. He bowed repeatedly, flustered, and hurried back to his spot.
"Hina!"
Though young, Hina already carried a distinct older-sister aura as she walked up with poised elegance, slipping off her coat.
Instead of punching, she turned her body and drove a sharp, powerful high-heel kick right into the center of the target!
"310 Doriki! Excellent!"
Gasps filled the field again, and a new kind of respect turned toward the strong, sharp woman.
But the real shock was only just beginning.
"Smoker!"
When his name was called, Smoker spat out his cigar and walked forward slowly. He didn't look at anyone. The lazy arrogance on his face vanished the moment he stepped up, replaced by a razor-sharp focus.
The punch Rain had landed in the cell last night had shaken his entire worldview. He desperately needed a crushing show of force to reassert himself as the strongest—and to silently display his "true" power to the monster hiding in the back.
He stepped up to the machine, assuming a standard Marine fighting stance.
"Oh? That troublemaker's actually serious?" The instructors were a little surprised.
Smoker drew in a long breath, coiling every fiber of strength from his waist upward, and unleashed everything in one punch.
Boom—!
The tester boomed violently, the numbers on the display shooting up at insane speed before finally stopping at a figure that made everyone suck in a sharp breath.
"602 Doriki! A monster!"
Even a few instructors couldn't hide their shock. The recruits exploded in whispers.
"You've got to be kidding! A recruit hit that kind of number?"
"T. Bone's record got broken that fast?"
"I heard he's a Logia user. Guess Devil Fruits really do boost the body like crazy…"
It was true. For someone in their teens, the body still hadn't reached its natural peak. For top-tier Devil Fruit users like Smoker, the fruit's power passively strengthened the body year after year, giving them a physical starting line far beyond their peers.
As the crowd roared with awe, Smoker's face remained completely serious. He slowly drew his fist back and snapped his head around, hawk-like eyes locking unmistakably onto Rain in the back row, full of challenge.
As if to say: See that? This is my real power. Last night was just a fluke.
While he basked in the mix of fear and jealousy around him, several more nobodies went by—then the final name was called.
"Rain!"
Coming right after Smoker's explosive showing, the next few recruits had been utterly forgettable.
So Rain's appearance drew almost no attention—except from Smoker, whose glare was glued to him.
Rain walked up calmly, just like any other recruit. He took a deep breath, then with a loud shout, threw what looked like his "full-strength" punch.
The numbers on the tester ticked up slowly, then stopped cleanly at a number that dropped the entire field into silence.
"101 Doriki."
After a brief pause, a few suppressed snickers broke out in the ranks.
"What the hell was that? Last one up and I thought he'd be some hidden ace."
"Well, he was a last-minute addition. Just keeping up is probably enough for him."
While the recruits whispered, Smoker's expression turned even uglier than it had in the confinement cell.
He stared at the "101" on the display, eyes bulging like bronze bells, as if he could force another zero onto the end by staring hard enough.
"101? Are you freaking kidding me?!" Smoker felt his worldview disintegrating.
"That punch he planted in my gut last night… there's no way that was just 101! That hit—if it wasn't over a thousand, it wasn't far off! This guy… this guy is definitely acting!"
He snapped his head around, staring at Rain's calmly retreating back like he was looking at a monster.
"How is that even possible… how can someone control their power that precisely?! What is he playing at?!"
Standing not far away, Hina instantly picked up on Smoker's strange reaction. She shot the "101 Doriki transfer student" a thoughtful look, then glanced back at Smoker's stunned expression. A playful curl tugged at her lips as the suspicion in her eyes deepened.
Perfect, Rain thought, utterly calm inside, even a little amused. Pulling back 99% of my strength in the last instant before impact is way harder than blowing up that cheap machine. Prep Class is obviously off the table now. Step one… complete.