"The winner of the seventh ring, Contestant No. 30—Mundo!"
Following the referee's announcement, Fenric secured yet another victory.
However, instead of stepping down immediately, he walked over to the opponent he had just defeated and extended a hand.
"You alright?"
"Huh? Senior Mundo, I'm fine. Thank you for showing mercy," the young man replied, visibly moved by Fenric's gesture.
Although he had been eliminated, it was hard to resent someone like Mundo.
"That's good."
Fenric helped the man up before turning to leave the arena.
As soon as he stepped off the ring, Smoker rushed over excitedly.
"Senior Mundo, you're amazing! That's your nineteenth win today!"
Smoker now resembled a devoted fan, thoroughly impressed by Mundo's (Fenric's) image as the benevolent and righteous figure.
Fenric simply smiled, unfazed by the praise.
Most of those nineteen wins had been against ordinary opponents—nothing to brag about.
"The next match: Contestant No. 76, Bray, versus Contestant No. 55, Kate!"
Two young men stepped into the arena. The match ended quickly.
Contestant No. 55, Kate, knew actual martial arts—Tai Chi.
He used a technique called "Tai Chi Push" and effortlessly sent Bray flying out of the ring.
Clearly, this wasn't something native to the One Piece world.
"That Kate guy is incredible—another clean win!"
"Yeah! That's two eliminations now!"
"His moves look slow, but they pack a serious punch. Really weird stuff."
The crowd buzzed with chatter.
Fenric's eyes gleamed. He was almost certain—this "Tai Chi" Kate was like him: a Samsara player.
Just like the few others he had already identified.
Still, he didn't concern himself with them.
As long as they didn't provoke him or interfere with his plan to hunt down the Celestial Dragons, he wouldn't bother.
Of course, if one of them ended up as his opponent by random draw—well, that couldn't be helped.
Sunset.
"Today's assessment ends here! Be back here tomorrow at 7:00 sharp!"
With a booming declaration from a vice admiral, the day's trials came to an end.
The recruits shuffled off toward the mess hall.
Those who had been eliminated looked dejected, appetite lost.
Even those still in the running were uneasy. The assessment would continue tomorrow, and no one felt truly safe.
Only the genuinely strong—or overconfident—remained unbothered.
Five days passed in a flash.
Over the course of those five days, several recruits managed to stand out and cause quite a stir.
The top three most popular figures were: the blind man "Issho," the gentle and kind "Senior Mundo," and the Navy captain known as "Momonga."
The three of them had eliminated countless opponents—and still, none had shown their full strength.
Even after five days, no one knew for sure who among them was the strongest.
Some believed the blind man Issho had bottomless depths.
Others were convinced that Mundo, the kind senior, was truly unmatched.
Momonga had plenty of support too, especially since he was a disciple of the former admiral Zephyr. He'd entered the assessment to prove himself.
Besides those three, a few other notable names emerged.
There was the axe-wielding "Pillard," the mysterious expert "Kate," and the battle-hardened "Banamen," known as the King of Fights.
From over 200,000 participants, fewer than a hundred now remained.
Today was the final day of the assessment.
It was rumored that the top three candidates would be personally received by a true noble.
Day Six.
Early in the morning, the square was packed with recruits eager to witness the final outcome.
"Look! It's Senior Mundo!"
"Get out of the way! Don't block Senior Mundo's path, you idiots!"
As Fenric appeared, waves of chatter erupted all around him.
Fenric kept up his act of "benevolence and righteousness," smiling warmly and nodding politely to anyone who looked his way, friend or stranger alike.
"Ah! He smiled at me!"
"As expected of the 'Gentle Senior'—so noble and kind."
"After this, he'll surely become a senior general!"
Fenric's face remained composed, but internally he was screaming curses!
Who the hell gave me that ridiculous nickname?!
And worse—it had actually caught on among the recruits!
Gentle Senior?
Just wait until the Celestial Dragons appear. Then you'll see just how 'gentle' I really am!
"Senior Mundo, look! It's Vice Admiral Garp! He's coming this way!" Smoker suddenly exclaimed.
Fenric immediately snapped to attention along with the others.
As Garp approached, Fenric and all the nearby recruits saluted in unison.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
It was standard protocol for low-ranking Navy members to salute high-ranking officers.
Garp ignored the others and walked straight up to Fenric. He looked him up and down, then grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
"Kid, do well today. I made a bet with Sengoku that if you take first place, I'll personally train you—ha ha ha!"
With that, Garp turned and walked away.
Watching his powerful figure retreat, Fenric let out a breath.
That old man...
For a moment, Fenric had worried that his cover was blown!
To his surprise, Garp had only come to encourage him—and hint that he was interested in taking him on as a disciple.
Fenric couldn't help but laugh wryly.
Would Garp still be so eager if he knew I planned to kill the Celestial Dragons?
"Senior Mundo, Vice Admiral Garp wants to take you as his student!" Smoker exclaimed, both envious and excited.
The nearby recruits all stared in envy, wishing they were in Fenric's place.
Fenric sighed inwardly. Garp was far too unpredictable.
"It's not that easy. I have to win first place," he replied casually.
"Then go for it, Senior Mundo! I believe in you!"