Boar came charging toward the arena panting heavily, Rosinante still fast asleep on his back. The man wasn't showing the slightest sign of waking up.
"Blue Eagle, what's going on here?"
Z frowned at the sleeping figure and asked sharply.
Boar quickly replied, "Blue Eagle was up all night training. He just fell asleep a little while ago!"
"And the match?"
Z's brow furrowed even deeper.
Boar scratched his head. "Before he nodded off he just said, 'When the match starts, carry me to the ring.' That's all."
Boom—crack!
"Huh?"
Just then, the soundproof room Rosinante had set up around himself shattered, and the noise of the crowd surged in. The sudden clamor startled him awake. He rubbed his eyes, looked around and instantly snapped to attention.
"Master-Z!"
"You're finally up. Are you still fighting Borsalino or not?"
Hearing that, Rosinante stood up and shouted, "Of course I'm fighting! No way I'm backing down now! But uh… Master, any chance I could get some food first? I'm starving!"
"You're always full of demands."
Z shot him a glare, but Boar chuckled and pulled two pieces of grilled Sea King meat from a large bag nearby. Rosinante's eyes lit up instantly. He hadn't eaten in a full day and night, and he was absolutely famished.
He wasted no time. A few big bites later, both chunks of meat were gone. Feeling much better, Rosinante stretched, then hopped onto the ring.
"Yo, Borsalino. Hope I didn't keep you waiting."
He loosened up with a few warm-up moves. Borsalino squinted at him, smiling lazily.
"Little bro, I hear you came up with some kind of ultimate technique. Pretty scary, huh?"
"I did. So you'd better be careful. Kizaru!"
Whoosh!
Rosinante vanished from sight, appearing behind Borsalino in an instant. A punch shot toward his back—boom! Light exploded outward as Borsalino disappeared just as fast, reappearing in mid-air.
"Woah~ You almost got me there!"
"Cut the crap, Tempest Kick Slash!"
Slash!
A sharp air blade tore through the sky, slicing clean through Borsalino's body—but it passed harmlessly through his light-formed frame. Not even a scratch.
"You're so mean, little bro. You cut me in half~!"
He smirked, then crossed his arms. Thumb and forefinger formed the shape of a bird's beak as dozens of light bullets erupted toward Rosinante.
Piu! Piu! Piu!
"Paper Art: Flow!"
Rosinante reacted instantly, activating his custom variation of Paper Art. His body moved like a swimming fish, weaving gracefully between the blasts and dodging most of the attack.
But not all.
A few beams clipped him. With no other choice, Rosinante braced himself. "Iron Body: Steel!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three blasts hit squarely, shredding his uniform and drawing blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Not bad, old man. That's whatever is more accurate than I thought."
"You cheeky brat!"
With a flash, Borsalino teleported right in front of him, lips curled in a smirk.
"Little bro, ever experienced a light-speed kick?"
Wham!
"Iron Body: Jade!"
Rosinante just barely managed to activate his defense in time. Thankfully, Borsalino wasn't yet at his future Admiral-level strength, so the kick didn't break through completely—it only sent Rosinante flying.
Skidding across the wooden floor, Rosinante's feet dug deep grooves into the surface before he came to a halt.
"Shave! Finger Pistol Barrage!"
He launched forward again, thrusting his finger like a machine gun. Dozens of rapid-fire strikes rained down on Borsalino, only for them to pass through harmlessly, turning into scattered sparks of light.
"Hey hey~ Little bro, you're putting in a lot of effort. But I think it's time to end this."
Borsalino floated into the air, fingers once again forming that familiar pose.
"Little bro, I'm warning you—if you don't dodge this, I'll blast the whole arena to pieces~"
Piu! Piu! Piu!
A barrage of dense laser blasts rained down, shattering the wooden stage in an instant. His goal was clear—leave Rosinante with nowhere to stand.
"Hey! That's cheating, Borsalino! You blew up the entire ring!"
From below, the other cadets shouted angrily. But Borsalino didn't care. Winning was what mattered. As far as he was concerned, it was over.
Then suddenly…
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Look, it's Moonwalk! Blue Eagle is using Moonwalk! He's flying!"
Through the smoke, Rosinante shot into the air, stepping through the sky as he approached Borsalino. He snapped his fingers.
"Room."
With a sharp crack, a soundproof sphere materialized midair, instantly engulfing Borsalino. Right now, Rosinante had just enough stamina to maintain a sphere with a 30-meter radius.
"Heh… Little bro, flight's not your strong suit. You're way outmatched."
Borsalino started forming the stance again.
Snap.
"Silence Extinction."
"What…?!"
Suddenly, Borsalino froze. His face went pale.
He couldn't use his Devil Fruit.
At all.
His mind reeled, completely stunned.
"Old man, ever been on the receiving end of an overhead scissor kick?"
Rosinante launched upward, then flipped over in the air, his heel crashing down like a meteor.
BOOM!
Borsalino plummeted from the sky and slammed hard into the ground.
"Phew…"
Rosinante staggered. That technique had drained nearly everything he had. Silence Extinction consumed a massive amount of stamina—at his current level, he could only suppress someone like Borsalino for about three seconds.
But three seconds…was more than enough.
Step. Step. Step.
Using Moonwalk, Rosinante gently descended to the ground. Borsalino lay flat on his back, completely down.
Z stepped forward, glanced once at Borsalino, then raised his voice.
"Winner of this match: Blue Eagle!"
"Woooaaahhh!"
The entire Marine Academy erupted.
Rosinante had defeated Borsalino.
It meant that even ordinary cadets stood a chance against monsters. Rosinante wasn't just a hero, he was their pride.
No one was cheering louder than Boar. He had been a vital part of Rosinante's success. Without him as a sparring partner, that technique may never have been tested, let alone completed.
Z looked one last time at the dazed Borsalino before turning silently and walking back toward the main building.
This lesson, at least, had probably gotten through.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host. You have completed the mission: Defeat Borsalino (Kizaru).
Reward: One Giant's Belt.
Rosinante heard the system's notification, but he didn't claim the reward right away. Instead, he walked over to where Borsalino lay and offered him a hand.
"Old man, how long do you plan on playing dead?"
Borsalino blinked at him, momentarily stunned. Then he sighed and took the hand.
"Hey~ I think you broke my spine. I'll probably need bed rest for a whole month~"
(End of Chapter)
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