With Zephyr's command, over a hundred elite Navy recruits surged forward.
"For Justice!"
Their battle cry shook the heavens, brimming with youthful vigor and passion.
The heavy stomping of their feet made the ground tremble slightly.
Leading the charge were three monstrous figures.
Sakazuki took the lead, his steps as steady as a mountain even while carrying an iron block as massive as a hill.
Borsalino kept his hands in his pockets, appearing slow and lazy, yet he mysteriously maintained pace beside Sakazuki, wearing an annoyingly smug expression.
Kuzan followed silently behind the two, his gaze focused and his breathing steady.
About fifty meters behind them was Kane, gritting his teeth.
"Damn it... these guys... are real monsters!"
His newly enhanced physique allowed Kane to barely keep up with the three ahead.
But the thousand-kilogram load was mercilessly draining every ounce of his strength; the muscles in his calves were already cramping.
He could clearly feel that sharp gaze from the high platform, fixed intently on him.
Zephyr was observing him, scrutinizing him, perhaps even waiting to see when he would collapse.
"No... I absolutely cannot fall here!"
Kane bit his tongue until it bled, using the pain to jolt his fading consciousness.
"I am the man who will... become the Navy King!"
He stared fixedly at Sakazuki's straight back ahead, squeezing out the last shred of strength from his body.
One lap...
Two laps...
By the fourth lap, Kane's pace visibly slowed. He slipped back through the ranks, overtaken by more and more people.
His steps grew unsteady, his consciousness began to blur, and each step felt like he was about to kneel and collapse.
"Reaching my limit... In this high-stakes game, am I going to be carried off right from the start?"
Just as he teetered on the edge of his limits, a dull thud sounded from the side ahead.
"Thump!"
A Cadet's eyes rolled back, foam spewing from his mouth as he collapsed straight to the ground under the crushing weight.
The Cadets around him merely glanced over before immediately looking away, gritting their teeth and continuing to run forward.
"Don't mind him! This is the Elite Camp's selection!"
"Stop and you'll be eliminated!"
Navy training was brutal; survival of the fittest was the only law here.
On the high platform, Zephyr's eyes behind his sunglasses watched it all coldly.
This was the Navy. This was the Grand Line. Harsh reality would weed out all the unqualified.
If they couldn't even endure this much hardship, they'd only be marching to their deaths in the New World.
However.
A figure suddenly screeched to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust.
It was Kane.
Looking at the fallen recruit, his eyes instantly lit up—
Under the gaze of hundreds of eyes, he stopped beside the unconscious Cadet, crouched down to unbuckle the Cadet's weighted vest, then pinched the Cadet's philtrum.
"Hey! Wake up! You!"
Kane's voice was loud, filled with urgency and concern.
"Think of your family! Think of the oath you took when you joined the Navy! Are you really going to fall here like a coward?!"
His voice echoed across the training ground, causing many cadets who had been diligently running to subconsciously slow their pace and cast complicated glances his way.
At the front of the formation, Sakazuki's footsteps paused almost imperceptibly. He glanced back, his frown deepening.
"Idiot."
Borsalino adjusted his sunglasses, the playful curve of his lips growing more pronounced. "My, my... what an extraordinary rookie."
Kuzan's brow furrowed tightly, a flicker of struggle and compassion flashing in his eyes, but he ultimately clenched his fists and chose to continue forward.
On the high platform, Zephyr's face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"KAINE!!!"
He gripped the railing and roared with fury, "What are you doing! Who gave you permission to stop! Do you want to be eliminated along with him?!"
Kane seemed not to hear Zephyr's angry shouts.
Seeing the cadet slowly regain consciousness, he immediately shoved his own canteen into the other's hands.
"Drink! Then get up!"
The cadet was bewildered by Kane's actions, but seeing the sincere and fervent look in Kane's eyes, a surge of passion rushed to his head.
He grabbed the canteen and gulped down several mouthfuls, roaring as he struggled to rise from the ground.
And at that very moment.
A system notification sounded in Kane's mind.
[Ding! Host's violation detected!]
[Openly defying training camp iron rules, disrupting test order (base score: 120).]
[Calculating impact coefficient...]
[Triggered "Witness Coefficient"!]
[Witness: Zephyr (Navy Admiral Level), Violation Value acquisition x5!]
[Witnesses: Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan (Future Admiral Level potential), coefficient additional x3!]
[Witnesses: Numerous officers, elite recruits, coefficient additional x1.5!]
[Final calculation: Congratulations to host for obtaining Violation Value x2700!]
Jackpot!
Kane was ecstatic internally, but maintained a righteous and solemn expression outwardly. He helped the cadet to his feet, then sharply turned and saluted perfectly toward Zephyr on the distant high platform!
"Report, Head Instructor! I cannot turn a blind eye to a comrade about to fall behind!"
"Because we are the Navy! Behind us are millions of civilians who need protection!"
"If we can easily abandon even those beside us, how can we talk about protecting this world!"
"This is my Justice!"
This impassioned "declaration of Justice" completely changed the way the surrounding cadets looked at Kane.
From initial confusion and mockery... it gradually transformed into awe, and even a trace of admiration!
On the high platform, Zephuki was left speechless by Kane's words for a long moment, his chest heaving violently.
Abandon comrades?
This was indeed not something the Navy should do.
But... this is a selection test! You bastard!!!
Zephyr felt his fists hardening, his temples throbbing.
As for the instigator Kane, after shouting those words, he maintained that "for Justice" tragic expression, while internally roaring madly.
"System! Add points! All into physical strength!"
[Command received... proceeding with physical enhancement...]
[Consumed 100 Violation Value, Physical Strength +1 (Current Physical Strength: 50).]
[Consumed 200 Violation Value, Physical Strength +1 (Current Physical Strength: 51).]
...
"Wait a minute!" Kane was taken aback. "System, what's going on? Why did the cost for attribute points increase?"
[The higher the attribute value, the exponentially greater the energy required for enhancement.]
So that's how it is.
Kane instantly understood—it made perfect sense. Otherwise, with unlimited point allocation, wouldn't he be able to punch Kaido tomorrow and kick Im the day after?
"Keep adding! Add until it's no longer possible!"
[Enhancing Physique...]
[...600 Violation Points consumed, Physique +1 (Current Physique: 55).]
[Violation Points Balance: 630]
BOOM!!!
A surge of warmth dozens of times more powerful than before instantly swept through his entire body!
If the previous enhancements were like a trickling stream, this one was a raging tidal wave!
He even had the illusion that he could now kill a Sea King with a single punch!
Kane turned to the Cadet who was still in a daze and flashed a smile so bright it was almost blinding.
"Keep up! Don't fall behind!"
With that, under the astonished gazes of everyone, Kane's legs forcefully pushed off the ground!
BANG!!!
A terrifying, muffled sound echoed.
The hard rocky ground beneath Kane's feet instantly shattered, exploding into a spiderweb-like crater two meters in diameter!
In the next moment, his figure transformed into a golden lightning bolt, dragging a long afterimage as he shot forward!
His speed was so immense that it whipped up a gust of wind, sending the surrounding recruits stumbling.
"Nani?!"
On the high platform, Zephyr's sunglasses nearly slipped off.
This explosive power... how could a recruit possibly possess it?!
Has this kid been hiding his strength all along?!
All the recruits stood with their mouths agape, staring dumbfounded at the golden afterimage.
"So... so fast!"
"You've got to be kidding me! Wasn't he at his limit?!"
"He's still carrying a thousand kilograms of weight! Hey!!"
Accelerate! Accelerate! Accelerate again!!
Under hundreds of disbelieving stares, Kane's figure continuously overtook one recruit after another!
In just half a lap.
Kane had already closed in on the leading group.
"Hmm?" Kuzan, who had been maintaining his own pace, suddenly felt a gust of wind sweep past him.
He whipped his head around, only to catch a glimpse of a golden figure flashing by, instantly leaving him more than ten meters behind!
"Ara ara... such astonishing explosive power... Is that 'Shave'? No! This is purely... raw physical strength!"
Beneath his sunglasses, Borsalino's eyes snapped wide open, shedding his usual lazy demeanor and replacing it with unprecedented seriousness.
"Truly remarkable~ At this speed, he's already on par with headquarters officers, isn't he?"
At the very front, Sakazuki felt the hurricane-like gust sweep past him, the cigar in his mouth falling to the ground with a thud.
He stared at the golden figure racing ahead, leaving him far behind, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock.
That fool he had dismissed... possessed physical prowess even more terrifying than his own?!
Impossible!
Under the watchful eyes of the entire crowd, Kane crossed the finish line.
He stopped in front of Zephyr's platform and slowly removed his weighted vest.
THUD!!!
The thousand kilograms of steel crashed to the ground, the loud impact striking hard in everyone's hearts.
Kane's breathing was slightly labored, steam rising from his body, but his back remained straight and unwavering.
He raised his head, looking at Chief Instructor Zephyr whose expression kept shifting, straightened his still disheveled collar, snapped to attention, and gave a flawless naval salute.
Then, he revealed an incredibly sunny, sincere, and radiant smile.
"Reporting, Chief Instructor! Cadet Kane, mission accomplished, test completed!"
"All for Justice!"
The entire place fell silent.
Zephyr stared at the blond-haired youth standing under the sunlight, his face practically screaming "praise me," and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He had a premonition.
This elite training camp was probably going to be turned upside down.