One Piece: Marine's Justice

"How... how is that possible?!" Smoker's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched helplessly; Cross's jitte pierced his abdomen with terrifyi

"How... how is that possible?!"

Smoker's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched helplessly; Cross's jitte pierced his abdomen with terrifying speed. He didn't even have time to react.

The searing pain hit him instantly. His consciousness slipped before he could process it, and his body was hurled backward by a powerful force, faster than he had charged in, slamming into the center of the ring with a thunderous crash.

BOOM——!

A deafening rumble shook the arena, dust and debris shooting into the air as stone fragments burst out in all directions like shrapnel.

Then, from above, Cross descended lightly, landing on the edge of the shattered ring. He beamed, casually waving to his classmates below.

"The winner: Cross!"

Zephyr rose from his seat, shaking his head, and declared the result in a loud voice.

"One after another... they rely far too much on their Devil Fruit powers."

Moments later, as the dust cleared, the broken platform revealed a crater at its center. At the bottom lay Smoker, eyes rolled back and completely unconscious.

"Y-You've gotta be kidding me?!"

"Smoker lost just like that?!"

"That guy Cross... is he even human?!"

"Hina is in shock! He beat Smoker that easily? That's a monster right there!"

"..."

The elite class students were left dumbstruck, eyes practically bulging from their sockets. Their faces bore utter disbelief.

Smoker, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, the top student at the Naval Academy, had lost. Just like that?!

"Levy! Take Smoker to the infirmary!" Zephyr called out, waving at an instructor standing to the side.

"Don't worry, Zephyr-sensei, I held back." Cross spoke from the stage, his tone calm.

In truth, even Cross hadn't expected that once Logia intangibility was neutralized, Smoker would fall so quickly and so hard.

The instructor named Levy cast Cross a complicated glance, then rushed into the ring. He hoisted Smoker onto his back and dashed off toward the academy medical wing.

Zephyr looked around at the ruined platform and sighed heavily.

"Well... with the ring wrecked like this, I guess today's lesson ends here."

"Class dismissed!"

The news that Cross had defeated Smoker spread like wildfire. Within hours, the entire Marine Academy knew.

A student who could easily take down a Logia-type user? Cross's strength sent shockwaves through the student body.

Of course, some argued that in a fair fight, under normal circumstances, Smoker would've defeated Cross, especially since Cross lacked any Seastone weaponry. A Logia user wasn't supposed to go down that easily.

Still, debate didn't change the facts: Smoker lost. And he lost fair and square.

With that, many at the academy began to view Cross in a whole new light. He was now regarded as the strongest student in this year's elite class.

Those with insider knowledge even dug up his past, learning that Cross had fought in the Battle of Carocal Island, and played a pivotal role during the Navy's campaign to crush the Impaler Pirates.

That sealed it.

No one questioned anymore why Cross had been admitted to the Marine Academy, or why he was placed directly into the elite class.

But Cross himself didn't care for the outside chatter.

Because at that very moment, he was standing in front of Zephyr, seeking something far more important:

Power.

"You want to learn Haki?"

Inside the office building of Dormitory 1, Zephyr stared at Cross, visibly surprised.

He hadn't expected that the boy would come to him right after class, and to ask to learn Haki, a power that surpassed even the Rokushiki techniques.

This wasn't something anyone could pick up lightly.

"Yes, Zephyr-sensei," Cross said gravely. "Without Haki, I'll always be at a disadvantage against Logia and special Paramecia users. I'm not just a Devil Fruit user, I'm also a swordsman. I can't rely on Seastone weapons as a crutch."

His eyes darkened slightly as he recalled how both Doflamingo and Oli Baka had used Armament Haki to completely overwhelm him.

"You're only fifteen. There's no need to rush your strength. It's more important to build a solid foundation first," Zephyr replied, frowning.

During academy training, Zephyr always emphasized fundamentals.

Physical conditioning alone took up an enormous amount of time. Then cadets had to specialize, whether in hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, or marksmanship, and also handle academic studies.

Teaching Haki on top of that?

It was simply spreading the students too thin.

"Zephyr-sensei," Cross said steadily, "the academy's curriculum doesn't help me much anymore. And I've already fought Haki users more than once. I know I need it."

He paused, then added:

"I was born with Observation Haki. During my battle with Doflamingo in the North Blue, I even awakened Conqueror's Haki. Of the three types of Haki, the only one I still lack is Armament Haki."

"You're naturally gifted with Observation Haki… and you've awakened Conqueror's Haki?!" Zephyr's pupils shrank as he stared at Cross in shock.

Cross's file did mention he could use Observation Haki, but it said nothing about him being born with it. And certainly nothing about Conqueror's Haki.

The truth was, during the incident in the Lvneel Kingdom, the massive group of people knocked out by Conqueror's Haki had been attributed to Doflamingo. No one knew that it was a clash between Doflamingo's and Cross's Conqueror's Haki that caused it. So the records made no mention of it at all.

"In the North Blue, I had no teacher. I had to figure out how to use Observation Haki entirely on my own. Even just for that, I need your guidance."

Cross's tone was calm, but resolute. "I came to the Marine Academy specifically to learn Haki from within the Navy."

As the saying goes: a single line of true instruction is worth more than a thousand hollow lessons. With the right teacher, his progress would be faster, and far safer, than fumbling through near-death experiences on the battlefield.

Otherwise, the only way to master Haki would be to fight stronger and stronger pirates, risking his life each time.

Zephyr was silent for a moment. Then he sighed and said:

"Very well. Since you insist, I'll teach you both Armament and Observation Haki. As for Conqueror's Haki… I'll ask Sengoku to make time and instruct you personally."

After all, there were very few in the Navy who possessed Conqueror's Haki. The only suitable instructor was Admiral Sengoku. Even Zephyr himself lacked the qualification.

"Thank you, Zephyr-sensei!" Cross bowed gratefully, a smile breaking across his face.

He was never worried about his talent, what he feared were the unnecessary detours. If someone could teach him directly, he could avoid wasting time or running into dangers he wasn't ready for.

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