One Piece: Marine's Justice

"What did you just say?!" Inside Building 1, in the Chief Instructor's office, Zephyr shot to his feet, shock written all over his face. He

"What did you just say?!"

Inside Building 1, in the Chief Instructor's office, Zephyr shot to his feet, shock written all over his face. He stared incredulously at the man in front of him. "Are you telling me that brat Cross sent hundreds of regular class students to the hospital?!"

"It's true, Zephyr-sensei. The exact numbers aren't in yet, but early estimates suggest over three hundred!" Shuzo nodded solemnly, face taut with seriousness.

"This bastard…"

The veins on Zephyr's forehead bulged as he raised a hand to his temple, overwhelmed with a throbbing headache.

This wasn't something that could be swept under the rug. With so many students injured, news would undoubtedly spread throughout all of Marineford by tomorrow, setting the entire island abuzz.

Shuzo, his brow furrowed and expression full of unease, asked hesitantly, "Zephyr-sensei… who is that guy, really? How can someone that young be this powerful?"

After all, the Marine Academy trained the Marine officers of the future. Even the regular students who didn't make it into the "Elite Class" were still highly trained and disciplined. And yet, this fifteen-year-old kid had taken down over three hundred of them barehanded? It was downright absurd!

"What good does it do to ask who he is now?" Zephyr shook his head in frustration, his voice sinking low. "Tell me, how bad are the injuries?"

"Thankfully, not too serious. Cross held back. At worst, most of them just have two or three broken ribs."

At that, a flicker of admiration flashed in Shuzo's eyes. For someone to take on hundreds alone and still control his strength enough to avoid any life-threatening injuries? That required terrifying discipline.

"Whew… at least the brat knows some restraint." Zephyr let out a breath of relief. "Where is Cross now?"

"According to Yukimura and Gasparde, he picked up food for twenty people from the mess hall and returned to his dorm, alone."

"Have someone bring him here for—ah, forget it. What's done is done. At least no one's going to say he got into the elite class through connections now." Zephyr had wanted to lecture the kid, but reconsidered almost immediately.

In truth, this mess was on him. He had planned to use Cross's strength to check the arrogance of the other students. What he hadn't expected was that Cross's temper would be just as wild as his power. And it hadn't even been a full day before things spiraled out of control.

"Wait… Sensei, you're just going to let this go?" Shuzo asked in disbelief.

"What do you expect me to do? Drag him here and scold him? Expel him outright?" Zephyr sighed heavily as he sank back into his seat.

"Uh—" Shuzo opened his mouth, then closed it, a bitter smile forming on his lips.

He understood clearly. Cross had merely defended his position, defeating 'challengers.' The only problem was… he had just defeated too many of them.

"Alright. Go finish tallying the injured. And tell the medics to treat those idiots properly, make sure there are no lasting effects." Zephyr waved him off, visibly drained.

"Yes, Sensei. I'll take care of it immediately." Shuzo straightened up, saluted, and exited the office.

"Sigh…"

Alone now in the silent office, Zephyr let out a long sigh.

Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi on his desk opened its eyes and let out a staticky brrzzt.

Click.

Raising a brow, Zephyr picked up the receiver. "Zephyr speaking."

"Zephyr, it's me, Kong. What the hell happened at the Marine Academy?"

The voice of Fleet Admiral Kong, also known as "Steel Bone" Kong, came through the line.

Unsurprisingly, news of hundreds of students being hospitalized had already reached the top brass.

"Fleet Admiral Kong, it's like this…"

Zephyr chuckled bitterly, then proceeded to recount the entire day's events.

After listening, Kong's reaction was a mix of exasperation and amusement. But, like Zephyr, he showed no intention of pursuing disciplinary action against Cross.

As Zephyr had just told Shuzo, while the situation had escalated, what came after was still manageable. Cross had exercised restraint, and even the worst injuries would heal within two weeks. No permanent damage, nothing truly serious.

Strength ruled the Marines. If you were weaker and got hurt, that was just your bad luck.

And so, on his very first day at the Marine Academy, Cross shook the entire institution by taking out over three hundred fellow students, earning instant fame across the academy and officially beginning his second life as a cadet.

Back on Earth, he'd never joined the military. He feared hardship, hated being bound by rules, and was never more than an academic underachiever.

Military school? Out of the question.

Yet now, in this new life, after being reincarnated… he'd not only enlisted, he'd enrolled in the Marines' top school.

And what truly blew his mind?

His first class turned out to be a culture lesson.

Naval history, navigation, ship command, soldier drills…

Cross stared blankly at the brick-thick stack of textbooks in his hands, dumbfounded.

He had thought that being reborn into a noble family and living the high life meant he could finally let loose. Instead, he'd had to start from square one; learning reading, math, etiquette, fashion, rhetoric, history…

Now, at the Marine Academy, it was more textbook learning, only this time, military theory.

At that moment, Cross felt a wild urge to toss the books aside and run off to be a bounty hunter.

Thankfully, as a student in the elite class, academics weren't the priority. A basic understanding sufficed. The real focus was power.

50-kilometer runs, 10,000 sword swings, weighted sparring, 10-kilometer swims, 100-kilogram underwater diving (excluding Devil Fruit users)… As Chief Instructor, Zephyr wasted no time putting the elite class through a grueling regimen of physical training, always finding new ways to push them to their limits.

All the while, Zephyr would relentlessly preach:

"No matter if you're a sniper, a swordsman, a martial artist, or a Devil Fruit user, a strong body is the foundation of strength!"

Annoying as his lectures were, you couldn't really argue with him.

Raw strength trumps all.

Only with a strong body could your power grow exponentially.

And when it came to physical talent, Cross was a freak of nature. No matter the challenge, he adapted quickly. Were it not for his young age, Zephyr worried that too much training might harm his development, he would've been pushed even harder.

Even so, at just fifteen, Cross already ranked first in physical training across the entire Marine Academy.

In addition to daily drills, elite class students could also choose specialized classes—martial arts, swordsmanship, marksmanship, depending on their preferences.

Cross tried out the swordsmanship class.

Two days in, he had a mock bout with his instructor using wooden swords, and beat the man black and blue, stunning everyone.

It quickly became apparent that no sword instructor at the academy could teach Cross anything anymore.

So, he moved on to martial arts. After learning several combat techniques, he sparred with the instructors, then proceeded to flatten seven or eight of them in a row.

And during one of those matches, he casually demonstrated Rokushiki techniques, leaving even Zephyr, who was observing nearby, utterly stunned.

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