Chapter 14: Real Combat Training
South Blue, Castro Island.
A ruined fishing village twisted in the firelight, the sky half-swallowed by thick, black smoke.
"Bwahahaha! Hand over everything of value!"
The captain of the "Bone-Crusher" pirates, "Bone-Crusher" Baro, with a bounty of 80,000,000 Beri, kicked over an old man who was kneeling and begging for mercy. He cackled, raising a blood-stained iron hook.
"You old fool! You keep crying, and I'll carve your granddaughter's eyes out!"
Behind him, dozens of his men laughed wildly. Some were hauling away stolen nets and food, others were dragging screaming women. The rest were taking torches to the thatch-roofed huts, cheering as the flames devoured the wooden beams.
"St-stop... we're just fishermen, we don't have any money..." the old man sobbed, clutching Baro's leg.
"You're pissing me off!" Baro's eyes turned cold. He raised his hook high!
FWOOSH—!
A black shadow tore through the night, and the wind howled.
Baro's hook swung down, striking nothing but air.
"Huh?"
He froze, his hand still in the air.
The next second, a strong arm was supporting the old man. A black-haired boy in a Marine uniform was standing there, his eyes like ice.
"...Pirates. You're truly disgusting creatures."
Baro's pupils shrank. "A... a Marine?!"
Roy spoke calmly. "It's alright, old man. Get to safety."
Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished.
"Where'd he go?!"
"Up there!"
Roy had reappeared in mid-air, holding two flintlock pistols he'd swiped from the pirates.
"BANG! BANG!"
Two shots, two perfect headshots. Blood sprayed in the firelight.
"You bastard! Kill him!" Baro roared. His crew charged, firing a hail of bullets at Roy.
But the bullets passed straight through his afterimages.
FWOOSH!
Roy appeared behind a pirate with a cutlass.
"Warp: Shigan (Finger Pistol)."
CRACK!
The pirate's neck snapped, his eyes wide as he collapsed.
"Damn it! He's a Devil Fruit user!"
"Spread out! Don't let him pick us off!"
The pirates panicked, but Roy was a ghost. Every warp was followed by a body dropping.
"Tempest Kick: Warp-Flash!"
His legs drew a fluid arc in the air. The slashing wave of compressed air ricocheted three times, cutting through the weapons and bodies of ten pirates in a shower of sparks!
"H-How... how is this happening..."
Cold sweat beaded on Baro's forehead, his iron hook trembling. "What... what is this monster..."
Roy landed, his gaze fixed on the pirate captain. "People like you don't even deserve a trial."
In the distance, Zephyr was watching with the new class of recruits.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
The new recruits' eyes were wide, watching the boy who looked like a god of war descending on the battlefield.
"One guy... is wiping out an entire pirate crew?!"
"Those kicks and gunshots... he's doing it while teleporting?!"
"It's... it's like he's dancing..."
Zephyr stood on the sidelines, his eyes gleaming.
"He's integrated Tempest Kick and Shigan into his warp-rhythm... He even created a ricochet technique... The kid is forging his own path."
Baro's face was white. He finally roared, "Don't you underestimate me!!!"
His arms suddenly coated in a faint, dark sheen of Armament Haki. "I am 'Bone-Crusher' Baro!!"
Roy, his expression unchanged, slowly raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.
"Bone-Crusher?"
He drew his fist back. The air around it began to distort. When he punched, the shockwave instantly appeared in front of Baro!
"Warp: Impact Cannon!"
"BOOM—!!!"
A formless shockwave shattered Baro's iron hook, slammed into his face, and smashed his entire body into the ground, blasting a ten-meter crater.
When the dust settled, Baro's eyes were lifeless, his teeth scattered at the bottom of the crater. He was nothing but a paste, deader than dead.
The village fell silent.
Zephyr stood on a half-destroyed roof, watching as the black-haired boy walked calmly back toward the shore.
Roy, his Haki still clinging to his fist, spoke to the air.
"Mission complete."
The words had barely faded when a wave of excited shouts erupted.
"Senior Roy! Can you teach me that move?!"
"That was so cool! How did you do the ricochet kick?!"
"Senior! Can I have your autograph?!"
The new recruits swarmed him, their eyes shining with hero-worship.
Roy, who had been trying to maintain a cold expression, felt a vein pulse in his temple as they crowded him. "...Don't push."
"Senior Roy! How do you combine Shigan and your warp?!"
"That last punch was insane!"
"Please teach us!"
Roy was getting a headache. He was about to tell them to back off when a large hand landed on his shoulder.
"Quiet!"
Zephyr's voice boomed.
"You want to learn? Finish my basic training drills first!"
The recruits instantly deflated. "Aww... basic training..."
Roy let out a breath of relief and looked at his instructor.
Zephyr just grinned. "Don't look at me like that. This is just the beginning."
"Yes, Instructor."
The setting sun dyed the sea red. The warship slowly pulled away from the South Blue.
Roy stood at the bow, his hair blowing in the wind, staring at the distant island.
"What's on your mind?"
Zephyr walked up, handing him a cup of hot tea.
Roy took it. "That village... The survivors. They'll probably just get hit by pirates again."
Zephyr was silent for a moment. "The pirates will never stop. All we can do is save as many as we can."
Roy gripped the cup, his voice firm. "Just saving them isn't enough."
Zephyr raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Roy looked up, his dark eyes cold. "Pirates... need to be completely annihilated."
Zephyr stared, then burst out laughing, a proud glint in his eye. "Bwahahaha! That's the spirit! That's the ruthlessness you need!"
His laughter faded, and his tone became serious. "Roy. I've taught you just about everything I can."
Roy looked up, surprised. "Instructor?"
Zephyr stared at the horizon. "At your level, you can't learn anything more in the boot camp. It's time for you to go out and get real experience."
He turned, a smile on his face. "Of course, with your skills, even if you find someone you can't beat, you can always run. Bwahahaha!"
Roy nodded. "Instructor, can I choose where I go?"
Zephyr's eyebrow shot up. "Oh? Where to?"
Roy's eyes burned. "Where the pirates are."
Zephyr laughed again. "I knew you'd say that!"
He pretended to think. "Hmm... In that case, I'm assigning you to the G-3 Base!"
"G-3?"
Zephyr's eyes narrowed. "That old bastard Garp is 'stationed' there... though he's probably just sleeping."
He straightened up. "The G-3 Base is on the border between the first half of the Grand Line, 'Paradise,' and the 'New World.' The quantity and quality of pirates there will be more than enough of a challenge for you. And... with Garp there, I won't have to worry as much."
Roy nodded. "Understood."
Night fell. Zephyr took a fine pocket watch from his coat and pressed it into Roy's hand. "Take this. A graduation present."
Roy opened it. Inside was a miniature sea chart, its needle pointing permanently toward Marineford.
Zephyr snorted, his voice rough. "If you get lost, use this to come back! And don't make me wait!"
Roy gripped the watch tightly and gave a deep bow. "Sir!"
Zephyr turned away, his voice low. "Brat... don't you dare embarrass me at G-3!"
Roy smiled, noticing his instructor's ears were a little red.
"Instructor... thank you."
Zephyr just waved him off, his back still straight. "Hmph. Enough talk! Go pack your gear! You leave in the morning!"