"Borsalino, what did you just say?"
Z glared at him, eyes narrowing. Borsalino waved his hands innocently. "Eh? I didn't say anything~"
"Don't give me that crap! You think I didn't hear you? I'm telling you, Borsalino, you're way too reliant on your Devil Fruit. One day, that's going to cost you—big time!"
"Ara ara~ Scary Master-Z is being strict again~"
Borsalino replied in his usual half-hearted tone, completely unfazed. He was never one to overthink things or put himself through unnecessary hardships. He already had the Glint Glint Fruit, and it worked wonders for him. So why shouldn't he use it?
As long as he did a bit of physical training on the side, he'd be stronger than most. Though he looked lazy and nonchalant, Borsalino was actually extremely confident.
None of you can even touch light, so who are you to tell me I'm relying on my powers too much?
"You—!"
Z let out a frustrated sigh. Borsalino was shameless to a fault, and nothing he said seemed to get through. But as a Master, he had no choice—nagging and pushing his students, even the insufferable ones was part of his job.
"Fine, Borsalino. If you don't want to learn the Six Powers, then go do physical training instead. Since you're so dependent on your Devil Fruit, you'd better have the stamina and physical strength to back it up."
Z's voice was firm. Borsalino merely shrugged. "Thanks for the advice, Master-Z."
With that, he turned into light and zipped away to a tall tree behind the academy. No one knew where he got it, but soon he was reclining in the shade with a cup of tea, gently blowing the leaves in his cup, sipping without a care in the world.
Back on the training field with the troublemaker gone, Z continued explaining the remaining three of the Six Powers.
The next was Moonwalk—an advanced version of Shave. While Shave boosted ground speed by stomping the earth, Moonwalk allowed the user to kick against the air itself to remain airborne. The technique felt straight out of a martial arts fantasy novel, similar to the concept of "Leaping Clouds Step."
In One Piece, Moonwalk was practically a divine technique. Almost all Vice Admirals and higher could use it—though Borsalino, who could fly via his Devil Fruit, never bothered. In the manga, Sanji also learned Moonwalk during his two-year training on the Kamabakka Kingdom, calling it Sky Walk.
Besides Moonwalk, the next was Tempest Kick, a ranged kicking technique that unleashed a slicing air blade with incredible force.
The final technique: Finger Pistol. By focusing all physical power into one hardened finger, the user could strike faster and more lethally than a bullet—truly a technique of deadly precision.
"Listen up, rookies! These are the six moves." Z announced. "You can choose to learn them all or focus on the ones that suit your strengths. But before I start teaching you, we need to test your Power Levels. If your Power Level is too low, you will have to do physical training again until you're ready."
The cadets looked confused.
"Power Level? Master, what's that?"
"Power Level is a combat strength metric used by the Cipher Pol divisions under the World Government." Z explained. "It's not a perfect measurement, it only reflects the physical strength of the body. It doesn't account for technique, Devil Fruits, or Haki, which are vital in real combat. But as a reference for raw physical capability, it's quite reliable."
He waved toward a group of Marines who had been waiting nearby. They rolled over a large machine.
"This is a Power Level measuring device I requisitioned from the World Government." Z explained. "To give you a baseline: the average foot soldier scores around 10. To even start learning the Six Powers, you need at least 500 Power Level. That's the level Cipher Pol refers to as 'Superhuman.'"
"So here's how it works," he continued. "If your score is under 500, back to training. If you meet or exceed it, come see me to begin Six Powers training. Got it?"
"YES, MASTER!" the cadets roared in unison.
One by one, they lined up and stepped forward to test their Power Level.
"800! Qualified."
Next!
"1,200! Qualified."
Next!
"420! Not qualified."
Next!
And so it went. Those with higher scores passed easily. Others came up short. Then it was Sakazuki's turn.
"No Devil Fruit abilities." Z warned as Sakazuki stepped forward.
Sakazuki nodded silently and slammed a punch into the machine.
BOOM!
The number lit up: 4,800.
"Four thousand eight hundred?! Holy crap! No wonder they call him a monster!"
The cadets gaped at the reading in shock as Sakazuki adjusted his cap and walked over to Z.
"I want to learn Moonwalk and Shave."
"Approved." Z replied with a nod.
Unlike Borsalino, Sakazuki had no disdain for the Six Powers. His Magma-Magma Fruit gave him explosive power and deadly offense, but he lacked speed. Shave would cover that weakness. And since his magma couldn't let him fly, Moonwalk was essential for dealing with airborne foes.
The evaluations continued until only one cadet was left—Rosinante.
He stepped forward. "Master-Z, I want to learn the Six Powers too."
"You?" Z frowned. "Your Power Level's probably not high enough."
"Can I at least test it?" Rosinante asked, pointing at the machine.
"…Fine."
Rosinante clenched his fists and struck the machine with everything he had.
256.
Z barely glanced at the result. "That's it. All cadets who passed, come with me. The rest, back to training!"
As he turned to leave with the qualified group, a few of the unqualified Marines gathered around Rosinante to console him.
"Don't feel bad, Blue Eagle. That's already a great score, especially at your age. Even Akainu probably wasn't this strong when he was your age."
"Yeah! You've definitely got the potential to be a monster too. Unlike us, we'll probably cap out as Majors at best…"
They laughed bitterly.
Rosinante, however, smiled and spoke up. "Hey now, don't sell yourselves short. We're all Marines. Doesn't matter if you're a Fleet Admiral or a Major, we all serve to protect the people and bring peace to the seas. Even as a Major, you can still earn the people's love and respect."
"Damn right! Even a Major can be a hero. We joined the Marines to protect people, not chase rank. Just because we're not prodigies doesn't mean we should give up!"
"Yeah! Let's hit the gym and work our butts off! We've still got six months. If we train hard, we will earn the right to learn the Six Powers!"
"That's the spirit! Thanks, Blue Eagle!"
"Yeah, thank you, Blue Eagle!"
…
Rosinante blinked, overwhelmed by the enthusiasm.
Wait, what did I even say? All I did was remind them that we're all Marines… Did that really inspire them that much?
(End of Chapter)
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