Ryuya didn't take Akainu's words to heart. After all, Akainu was just a defeated subordinate.
What would Akainu think if he knew that the person he looked down on was the mysterious figure who had defeated him with a single move?
Thinking this, Ryuya brushed his black, choppy hair and returned to his room.
In the blink of an eye, the first day of the Promotion Ceremony arrived.
Ryuya had slept well the night before. As he walked out of his room, he saw that the main training ground was packed with people!
"Hey, don't you know where to stand?"
Kalifa's voice came from behind Ryuya.
Ryuya looked at Kalifa. Today's Kalifa felt slightly different to Ryuya.
But Ryuya couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different.
"Yeah, they only arranged my accommodation, nothing else."
"Then stand next to me. But don't get any ideas. I won't forget how you tricked me yesterday. If I get the chance, I'll show you what I'm capable of!"
However, for some reason, Kalifa's eyes seemed to be darting around as she said these words.
When Ryuya followed behind Kalifa and reached the front of a line,
he saw Sengoku and Garp standing side by side at the highest point of Marineford!
They looked down at the assembled Navy soldiers, and after delivering a bunch of meaningless platitudes, they finally announced the start of the Promotion Ceremony.
As Sengoku turned to leave, he glanced at Ryuya below.
Because Ryuya was the only one who wasn't wearing a Navy uniform, he stood out.
Garp noticed Sengoku's gaze and followed it, seeing Ryuya standing next to Kalifa.
Garp joked, "Youth is good. This young man is so handsome. No wonder he's so popular with the ladies."
Sengoku, expressionless, said to Garp, "Garp, what level do you think this guy can reach?"
"I saw his fight with Kalifa yesterday afternoon. Although his Devil Fruit ability is quite strange, it doesn't enhance his combat strength much. At best, he's probably a Vice Admiral level."
Sengoku nodded, then shook his head. "I think he can become an Admiral!"
Garp, hearing Sengoku's words, instinctively repeated them, then exclaimed in shock, "What! Admiral! You're too optimistic about him!"
"Want to make a bet? If you lose, you can't steal my senbei anymore! And you can't be lazy!"
Garp thought for a moment, then said, "Bet, but if you lose, your senbei will be mine from now on!"
Sengoku's lips subtly curved upwards when he saw Garp agree.
Garp didn't know that among Ryuya's heads was the head of the Brute-Force Fruit user, Evry!
This meant that Ryuya must have other, incredibly powerful means.
Plus, Sengoku also liked Ryuya's talent. If possible, he wanted to recruit Ryuya into the Doves.
The Doves, a faction within the Navy, had its counterparts: the Hawks led by Akainu and the Neutrals led by Kizaru, also known as the Slacker Faction.
The Doves, as the name suggests, were more moderate, their methods not as ruthless, and each member had their own sense of justice.
The Hawks believed that the Navy was justice, and pirates were evil. They would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
The Neutrals were neutral, doing whatever work came their way, driven by their salary.
Of course, there were also individual differences within each faction.
"The First Challenge"
Ryuya received his battle order at the main training ground.
He had a bye, which meant he could directly enter the next round without any fighting.
Kalifa, standing next to him, smiled. "Good luck. But it's better if you lose later."
"Because the later I lose, the stronger I am, and then it won't be so embarrassing for you that you lost to me, right?"
Seeing Ryuya so bluntly stating her thoughts, Kalifa felt a mix of shame and anger!
"You look so gentle and handsome, why are you so sarcastic? Humph, I'm not talking to you anymore!"
Kalifa turned and walked away, giving Ryuya a look that said, "Come and comfort me."
However, Ryuya didn't bother with Kalifa and went back to sleep.
This made Kalifa even more angry!
For the next few days, Ryuya continued to have byes, making him feel like someone was manipulating things behind the scenes.
But Ryuya didn't care. He was actually enjoying the ease of it all.
He spent his days sleeping or watching others compete. He was having a good time.
Finally, on the sixth day in Marineford, Ryuya faced his first opponent, a Captain named Smoker!
The training ground was packed with people.
Many Navy soldiers had already heard of Ryuya's existence. The source of this content ɪs NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt
But many of them had only heard about him, they hadn't seen him fight.
So, this time, many soldiers came to watch, forming a crowd three or four layers deep, making it impossible to get through!
Kalifa, at this moment, appeared from somewhere.
She reminded Ryuya, "Ryuya, Smoker is a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, the Moku Moku no Mi Fruit. He's won six days in a row, and he's very strong!"
Ryuya didn't thank her for her kind reminder, and his reaction was so indifferent, making Kalifa feel a little hurt.
"Humph, if you don't believe me, then fine. I'll see how you get defeated by Smoker!"
Of course, she was just saying that.
Unconsciously, even Kalifa herself didn't know that she was paying more and more attention to Ryuya's every move!
Even Ryuya himself hadn't expected Smoker to be his first opponent in Marineford.
Smoker had won six days in a row, and with his Moku Moku no Mi Fruit ability, he was practically unbeatable against those in his class.
But would that be enough against Ryuya?
"The Clash of Powers"
Ryuya slowly walked into the training ground.
He looked at Smoker, who was holding a Nanashaku Jitte, with a cigar in his mouth and white hair slicked back, and said calmly, "Pleased to meet you!"
"Pleased to meet you!"
At this moment, a voice echoed through the training ground. It was Hina, Smoker's friend, cheering him on. "Hina is here to cheer you on! Don't lose!"
Ryuya followed the sound and looked at the girl with pink hair. But at that moment, Smoker turned into smoke and charged towards Ryuya!
"Losing focus during a fight is a big taboo!"
As he finished speaking, Smoker raised his Nanashaku Jitte, which he was holding, and stabbed towards Ryuya...
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