Life was gradually getting back on track.
Klein had begun spreading the word about his massage skills among the other cadets, even using Garp and Sengoku as walking advertisements to promote himself.
The results were excellent—after all, what hot-blooded young person didn't want to become stronger?
And once they experienced it, that massage… the pure relaxation from head to toe, the bliss that melted into every muscle—it was addictive. Return customers came in droves, and the technique quickly became a hit among the cadets. Many praised his massage hands as nothing short of miraculous.
He even—
Thanks to his handsome face, Klein attracted quite a few female cadets who willingly paid for his massage services, much to the envy of the others.
Jealous voices muttered in secret:
"Damn it! That guy Klein is getting all the good stuff!"
"I wish I could take his place!!"
"He's making money and also getting to…"
"That bastard! There are already so few female cadets, and now Klein's hogging all the benefits!!"
"Massage is great! We gotta learn massage!!"
"If you wouldn't mind, Godfather Klein, would you teach me the massage craft!?"
"..."
The only thing Klein found lacking was that the most beautiful woman among the cadets—the one with a perfect figure and academy-wide beauty queen status, Tsuru—had never come to him for business.
Truly a pity.
Meanwhile—
Klein never forgot to spar with one or two cadets every day, always placing a friendly bet. Each bout brought him 10,000 to 20,000 Berries.
Of course, from time to time, he'd "lose" on purpose—just to give his opponents the joy of victory. They'd get all fired up, energized like they'd just injected adrenaline, basking in the euphoria of a win.
It was all part of Klein's strategy. After all, if he won every time...
The gambling table would be empty in no time.
Between the massages and the wagers, he was just barely balancing his finances. But Klein was still uneasy deep down.
His sparring dummy in the Kendo Training Room was still at Bronze rank—above that were Silver and Gold.
The amount of EXP those higher ranks could yield was leagues apart, and Klein was salivating at the thought.
Every moment spent on Bronze felt like a loss.
Still, by keeping up with the Fourth Gear Limited-Time Packs every day, his in-game character's strength was steadily growing.
At the end of the month—
In the drill yard—
All cadets stood in neat formation. The instructor spoke: "Over the past month, many of you have shown noticeable progress in your physical training. I also know that you've been sparring often..."
As he spoke, his eyes flicked toward the corner where Klein stood. The gambling spars hadn't gone unnoticed.
But he hadn't stopped them—after all, a 10,000 Berries wager was harmless fun.
And it fired up healthy competition between cadets.
A way to encourage competitive spirit? No reason to intervene.
The instructor continued: "However..."
"I've noticed your spars lack efficiency. Your combat experience and techniques are still shallow and mundane."
"A month ago, I mentioned there would be a real test at the end of this period. Those who pass will get to learn advanced combat techniques!"
"..."
Hearing that, Klein's heart stirred. 'Could it be... Rokushiki?'
'If it's really Rokushiki, then I can't afford to keep hiding my strength...'
Rokushiki techniques were widely used across the Navy and CP organizations. They were practically mandatory for officer-level ranks.
They were a milestone—those who mastered them were no longer ordinary humans.
They were superhuman.
And Klein, who knew the plot inside and out, was well aware: many Rokushiki techniques served as foundations for mastering Haki later. If he could learn them early…
It wouldn't just help him train Haki more efficiently down the road—
He'd have no problem getting promoted to a Marine HQ Colonel. Even a branch colonel—two ranks below—would be a joke by comparison.
'My Rokushiki Skill Shards are nearly complete. I'll unlock it soon. And with my personal training, I'm sure I'll outpace the others in no time.' Confidence surged in Klein's chest.
Then he suddenly remembered—once the skill unlocked, there'd definitely be a special pack offer… and his financial burden would spike again.
Money was always a headache for Klein.
Right now, he was just a cadet—no real rank, no authority to capture pirates, no way to earn big money.
With power comes wealth.
The Navy, under the World Government, often got called "dogs of the WG" online, but the truth was—Navy officers wielded serious power.
Even a low-ranking officer rarely lacked money. And if you were corrupt... well, you'd be filthy rich.
The instructor continued: "Today's test includes strength, speed, reflexes—and most importantly, the Doriki Test!"
"Doriki Test?"
"That's right!" the instructor said. "It's the Navy's method of quantifying combat power. A Marine soldier wielding a spear is rated at Doriki 10..."
"Now, let's begin the test."
First up: strength.
Bench press, deadlifts, dumbbell curls—all used to measure physical power.
This time, Klein didn't hold back. If he wanted early access to Rokushiki training, he needed a superhuman level of physicality—and the instructor's approval.
Only then would he qualify to train in Rokushiki.
After all, these techniques weren't meant for the average Joe. They had brutal physical requirements.
Once Klein's strength test results came out, the entire yard of cadets stood frozen, jaws dropped in disbelief.
"Klein, that bastard—he scammed us!!"
"That guy's strength is top-tier among our class! He's been hiding it this whole time?! Too damn sneaky!!"
"Son of a—! I've lost over 100,000 Berries to Klein already!!"
"He tricked us! That's so infuriating!!"
"Dammit! Klein's been acting this whole time—he's a total fraud!"
"This guy's actual power ranks in the top ten of our whole class! And he pretended to be on our level?! He's been playing us like fools!!"
"..."
The yard exploded into curses and spittle. The cadets were trembling with rage, feeling utterly betrayed. Their eyes burned with fire.
The tension was thick enough to ignite. Klein felt it—his scalp tingled. Every step back to his place felt like he was walking with ten times the weight, clad in a full suit of armor.
When he finally rejoined the line, Garp punched him in the chest. His young, square-jawed face twisted with a mix of shock and frustration.
"You bastard, ponytail boy! You lied to all of us! You actually hid your strength?!"
"I'm challenging you to a spar—no backing out!"
Over the past month, Klein had spent over a million Berries on the game, nearly draining his entire stash.
But the payoff was glorious. He had unlocked the "King's Aptitude"—Conqueror's Haki.
His physical stats had more than doubled with his character's level-ups.
He was no longer bottom-tier cannon fodder. Now, he was among the elite cadets.
Even Sengoku was forced to look at him differently.
"Klein's been hiding his strength this whole time. He's almost caught up to Garp and me, yet he always played the weakling."
"Is his dream really just to 'get stronger'?"
He had serious doubts.
"But," Sengoku quickly calmed down, "that guy Klein doesn't have the heart of a true strongman. He spends all his time trying to make money. Someone like him will fall far behind me and Garp in a year or two."
Even if Klein was hiding his strength, he was no real threat—at least not yet.