Pirates' Magic Odyssey: Unveiling Eight Skills At The Beginning - Chapter 11

In the year 1511 of the Sea Sphere Calendar, spring arrived.

This year was destined to be recorded in the history of the Navy’s development.

On the massive training ground specially designated by the Navy Headquarters, hundreds of Navy cadets were running around the field.

A middle-aged man with purple hair was leading the way, occasionally glancing back at the cadets and shouting loudly, “Did you all skip breakfast? You’re running so weakly! Hurry up and catch up!”

With these words, the middle-aged man suddenly sped up.

He wore a Navy cape over his shoulders and had his upper body bare, revealing muscles all over. Having been through countless battles, his body still bore the scars of old injuries which added to his imposing aura.

The Navy Fleet Admiral, black-armed Zeff.

Twenty-three years ago, after Zeff’s family fell victim to pirates’ revenge and perished, he stepped down from the frontlines and became the chief instructor of the Navy Academy. He was responsible for training the new generation of Navy personnel.

After running 42 kilometers in a row, Zeff’s face showed no signs of fatigue whereas the Navy cadets behind him were completely exhausted.

Except for a few cadets who managed to maintain steady breathing without much difficulty, most of them were leaning over and gasping heavily with their hands on their knees.

Running at a pace of four minutes per kilometer was a dual test of both physical fitness and endurance for any Navy cadet.

The cadets felt their heart rates skyrocketing, their hearts pounding chaotically, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans poured down freely.

Zeff’s gaze swept across, intentionally pausing for a few seconds on those outstanding cadets.

“Smoker, Tashigi, Drake, Daddy Masterson, Jonathan.”

“It seems these are the promising candidates among the newcomers this year. The others are somewhat lacking.”

Just as Zeff was about to proceed with the next stage of training, he noticed that Warring States General and Captain Garp had arrived together.

Sengoku, Garp, and Zeff had all been students of the Navy Academy during the same period. They were comrades who fought side by side on the battlefield. Zeff quickly set aside his current task and walked up to them.

“What wind blew you two big shots from the Navy here today?” he joked.

Pretending not to hear Zeff’s teasing tone, Garp and the group of old friends were used to such banter and didn’t take it to heart.

Garp pushed Yang Ming forward and said, “Zeff, today I want to recommend my disciple for admission to the Navy Academy.”

Upon hearing this, Zeff frowned.

“Isn’t that against the rules?”

“The Navy Academy has a limited number of annual admissions. This year’s quota has already been filled, and this kid is too young. Even if he enters the Navy Academy, he might not withstand the training.”

Zeff shook his head repeatedly, firm in his stance.

“Laws are static, individuals are dynamic.”

At this moment, Fleet Admiral Sengoku spoke up.

“Zeff, sometimes you’re too rigid in your ways and don’t know how to be flexible.”

“I understand your dilemma, so I’ve decided to let Yang Ming challenge one of the cadets. If he can defeat his opponent, I’ll use my authority as Fleet Admiral to allow him to enter the Navy Academy.”

Zeff’s eyebrows knitted into a furrow.

If it were only Garp, Zeff might be able to refuse.

But with Sengoku’s words added, Zeff understood Garp’s determination.

Zeff looked at Yang Ming with deep meaning, seeing his black hair and black eyes, his well-defined facial features. He was taken aback, feeling as if he had glimpsed a young Garp from his own youth.

“Could it be that this brat Garp is secretly his son?”

Zeff speculated inwardly, increasingly feeling that this might be the truth.

There’s just no way around it; it’s just that Dragon and Garp don’t resemble each other at all, aren’t they?

Zeff took a deep breath, raised a forefinger, and said with a serious tone, “I’m fundamentally in agreement with this matter, but I have one requirement: I must be the one to choose the cadet Yang Ming challenges.”

Sengoku raised an eyebrow. Having worked with Zeff for many years, he knew about his stubborn character. He guessed that Zeff would choose a powerful cadet for Yang Ming to face, making it difficult for Garp to refuse. 

That way, Zeff could stick to his principles while saving face for both of them, leaving only Yang Ming in an unfortunate position.

Sengoku subconsciously glanced at Garp. Seeing that he didn’t object and instead seemed full of confidence, Sengoku couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “Could this kid have some special qualities?”

Sengoku understood that Garp never did things without certainty.

Now, even Sengoku found himself looking forward to this battle a bit more.

Zeff led Yang Ming toward the cadets of this year’s class, scanning the surroundings. He loudly declared, “Brats, I’m sure you’ve all heard it just now. The kid by my side is going to challenge one of you!”

“He’s just a kid, at least seven years younger than all of you. If he wins, you’ll become a disgrace to all the previous Navy cadets!”

“I’m asking you, do you want to become that disgrace?”

Zeff’s words instantly stirred up a thousand waves.

The young cadets were at an age of youthful enthusiasm, and even though they knew Zeff was provoking them, they couldn’t help but flush red with excitement. One of them roared, “Don’t want to!”

Hundreds of cadets echoed in unison, their voices deafening, their momentum immense.

Zeff originally thought that scaring Yang Ming a bit could make him retreat.

But when he glanced at the corner of his eye, he didn’t see any panic on Yang Ming’s face. Instead, Yang Ming’s lips slightly curved upwards, and his eyes blazed with fervent fighting spirit. Clearly, he was itching for a challenge.

“This kid, why does he even have Garp’s temperament? Could he really be Garp’s illegitimate child?”

Zeff muttered to himself, while his gaze scanned through the group of newcomers.

Those who couldn’t endure the 42-kilometer run just now had been immediately filtered out.

Smoker, who consumed the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, possessed elemental transformation ability and was the strongest among the group, not in Zeff’s considerations.

Zeff could already imagine that if he selected Smoker as Yang Ming’s opponent, Garp would probably show up tomorrow to dismantle his Navy Academy.

Tashigi was a girl, so she wasn’t suitable.

Daddy Masterson had a carefree appearance, he’d probably slack off.

And what was Jonathan still thinking about at this moment?

Finally, Zeff’s gaze fixed on Drake.

Drake had an arrogant demeanor, one could tell he was a troublemaker.

If Yang Ming won, that would help Zeff teach Drake a lesson.

If Drake won, being among the top in strength but not overly powerful, he could conveniently reject Garp’s request.

No matter what, Zeff would come out victorious.

What a clever move!

“Drake, step forward!”

With Zeff’s command, Drake stepped out of the formation with excitement.

Drake had a green eye, a hooked nose, thin lips, and a scar in the shape of an ‘X’ on his chin. He had a tall figure and was playing with a small knife in his hand. His expression was wild and untamed, with a hint of cruelty in the smile that played on his lips as he stared intently at the young man opposite him.

“Kid, I don’t care what kind of background you have. Let me tell you, I hate guys like you with backgrounds the most.”

“So, let me give you a piece of advice. Surrender now and save yourself the trouble. Otherwise, when I knock you to the ground, you won’t even have a place to cry.”

Yang Ming’s expression turned cold, without wasting words. He simply raised his middle finger toward Drake.

A single middle finger was more impactful than a thousand words.

Drake’s face darkened, and he suddenly exerted force in his legs. His whole body rushed forward, the small knife in his hand aiming directly for the face he found repulsive.

Yang Ming’s slender fingers had already gripped the hilt of the blade, and he drew it out of its sheath with force.

“Clang!”

The clash of the blades sparked a bright light.

Yang Ming’s blade gleamed cold and sharp, not the same as the one from the Dadan’s family.

Last time, when Yang Ming had attached flames to the blade, the weapon couldn’t withstand the stress of battle and had cracked. This current sword was a Navy standard weapon, forged with great refinement, its hardness solid enough to endure flames.

“Is this the extent of your strength?”

Yang Ming’s arm suddenly exerted force, and that power flowed through the blade into Drake’s hand which made his hand numb and unable to grip the hilt. The small knife slipped from his hand, spinning through the air and landing on the ground nearby with a “ding.”

“Such strength!”

Drake was secretly astonished.

Though he had been careless just now, he never expected that the boy before him possessed such monstrous strength. It had already surpassed the strength of many ordinary adults.

The Liuku Immortal Thieves’ techniques, with sufficiently nutritious food, could extract enormous energy, enhancing physical qualities.

The One Piece world was vastly different from Yang Ming’s previous life, with food here containing far more nutrients.

Especially during the time when Garp hunted and killed a young Sea King for Yang Ming to eat, the nutrients contained in Sea King’s flesh exceeded common imagination. Through intense dietary supplements, Yang Ming had enhanced his physical qualities madly just to lead his current performance.

After Yang Ming’s blade pushed back Drake’s weapon, he sensed the odd glances from his fellow cadets. Those gazes were like a row of sharp knife points stabbing into his heart, making him feel both embarrassed and frustrated.

Suddenly, Drake drew a Navy standard longsword from his waist, his voice cold as he shouted, “Kid, someone as weak as you should just go home quietly, don’t you think?”

This time, Drake discarded his disdain, holding the hilt of the sword in both hands and striking aggressively, as if he wanted to cut Yang Ming in half.

Yang Ming knew that despite his strength surpassing many ordinary adults, he was still far from students as exceptional as Drake. He immediately chose to evade his fierce attack and kept dodging.

Looking up, Yang Ming met Drake’s fierce gaze, his expression calm as he said, “Drake, you’re mistaken!”

“The powerless possess no rights nor options.”

“Hence, we must strive for power in order to utilize our strength for the defense of those who are vulnerable!”