"Black Hair is here!!!"
The announcement was like a sudden clap of thunder.
Almost instantly, the dorms of the Four Seas officers buzzed with hurried footsteps. Heads popped out of windows like curious prairie dogs, all stretching to get a glimpse of the scene below.
Their excitement was comparable to seeing a stunning beauty stroll by.
"Is that Black Hair?"
Every pair of eyes locked onto the black-haired young man standing in the middle of the gathering crowd.
For days, the East Blue officers had been the victims of constant teasing and bullying. Frankly, it had become tiresome. They desperately craved a change.
And Black Hair represented that change.
"You'll be sorry for this!"
"When Black Hair returns, he'll make you all regret it!"
"Just you wait, you won't be laughing for long!"
"Black Hair's strength is 266. Are you scared yet?"
Every day, as the East Blue officers suffered their defeats, they would brag about Black Hair, insisting that East Blue could only rise again when he arrived.
He was practically their only hope.
The officers from the other three Seas treated it all as a joke, eagerly waiting for Black Hair to show up so they could crush him and extinguish East Blue's last bit of hope.
A strength of 266 was impressive, but they had plenty of officers with similar or higher strength, exceeding 250.
As for Black Hair's accomplishments...
"He defeated a notorious pirate with a 20 million bounty?"
"Pfft... Hahahaha, are you trying to make us laugh? What kind of 'notorious' pirate has a bounty of only 20 million?"
"You can find pirates like that all over North Blue."
Unlike peaceful East Blue, the other three Seas were incredibly chaotic. Pirates were everywhere, and bounties were generally much higher.
The average bounty for a pirate in East Blue was just 3 million, while in North Blue it was over 10 million.
Even if pirates with a 20 million bounty weren't exactly rare, they were common. Bounties could easily go over 40 million.
The difference was significant.
Therefore, the three Seas didn't take Black Hair seriously at all.
---
Down in the plaza, a tense atmosphere had settled.
"Taking on a hundred people? He's really full of himself!"
The officers smirked. The rumors were true; he was arrogant. They just didn't know how much skill he actually had.
"I'll go teach him a lesson!"
A massive, muscular giant, easily over three meters tall, wearing a helmet with bull horns, stepped forward with a sneer. He cracked his knuckles, the joints popping loudly.
Black Hair said he'd fight a hundred people, but if they all ganged up on him, it would be a disgrace.
They were all Marines, and competition was normal, but the methods had to be fair. Bullying the weak wasn't honorable, even though they had been teasing East Blue, it had been one-on-one duels.
The giant looked down, spreading his arms wide.
"North Blue, Man-Bull!"
"And by the way, my strength is 268!"
A strength of 268!
The East Blue officers, who had been excited by Roya's arrival, now felt a wave of nervousness. Man-Bull's strength was higher than Roya's!
No, it doesn't matter!
It's been weeks since the last strength test. Black Hair must have gotten much stronger. He can definitely win.
"Go get him, Man-Bull!"
"Show the ace of East Blue what real power looks like!"
"Haha, don't be too rough!"
The North Blue officers cheered loudly, egging him on.
Man-Bull grinned, enjoying the praise. "Gah gah gah gah, compared to that fool you just kicked--"
Bam!
A combat boot slammed into Man-Bull's face.
Man-Bull stumbled backward, a clear shoe print now imprinted on his distorted face. Then, he fell flat on his back.
Thump!
Dust billowed around him.
The noisy plaza fell silent.
All the officers stared in stunned disbelief at the unconscious Man-Bull. They couldn't believe that someone so powerful could be taken down with a single kick. The North Blue officers, who had been cheering him on, were the most shocked.
Man-Bull was one of their top fighters!
Roya slowly lowered his foot, tapping his ear impatiently.
"Chirp chirp, so noisy."
"I still have 99 more of you to deal with."
"Can you hurry up?"
"Or just come at me all at once!"
The officers' expressions darkened. Ganging up was out of the question, but being looked down upon like this stung.
"Get out of the way!"
"South Blue, Steel Wall, strength 264!"
Though his strength was lower than Man-Bull's, Steel Wall believed Man-Bull had been careless, allowing Black Hair to land a lucky shot.
Clang!
Steel Wall held a thick shield in each hand, banging them together, creating a dull, heavy sound.
He wore incredibly strong, heavy armor!
His gaze, focused on Roya, peered through the small opening in his helmet.
"You won't break through my defense!"
"..."
Roya shook his head slightly and rose onto his toes.
Using both feet to exert force is common sense, but Moon Walk broke that common sense.
With only a little support, one could instantly maximize foot force through speed and explosive power. After mastering it, one could even use the air currents stirred up by the stepping to take to the air.
Applying this technique to combat allowed one to unleash even more powerful kicking techniques, capable of shattering steel!
Looking at his opponent in a defensive stance, Roya slowly raised his right foot, his toes radiating an undetectable energy.
"Speed is power!"
"Moon Walk - Piercing Spear!"
His right foot, clad in his combat boot, transformed into a pitch-black spear, flashing forward like lightning. The instant it touched the thick shield...
Crack!
Cracks spread across the steel shield. The next second, the shield shattered and exploded, the remaining force of the kick slamming into Steel Wall's stomach!
"Puh!"
Steel Wall's cheeks puffed out, his eyes bloodshot, his body arched backward. Then, he flew through the air like a shooting star.
Boom!!!
The outer wall of the dormitory building exploded!
"Eh?!!!"
The officers' eyes bulged, jaws dropped in utter disbelief.
He shattered steel with a kick!
Roya smirked and glanced around. This time, no one met his gaze. The provocative, contemptuous expressions were gone. They all looked away.
Taking a deep breath, gathering his strength!
"Who's next!!!"
The challenge echoed through the plaza!
The surrounding officers were frustrated, hesitant to step forward. They wanted to fight, but they doubted they could win.
He was far beyond the level of the Four Seas.
With such strength, he could probably be among the elite troops at Headquarters.
For a long moment, no one moved.
"We in East Blue might be weak, but we aren't afraid of a fight. But you don't even have the guts to challenge me. That's really disappointing."
Roya shrugged, feigning boredom. Then, as if remembering his earlier promise to fight a hundred, he put on an innocent face and beckoned to the crowd.
"Or why don't you all come at me at once?"
"Come on, don't be shy."
"Come and hit me!!!"
Arrogant! Overbearing!
The officers' eyes burned with anger, fists clenched tight.
They had never seen someone so arrogant!
If they continued to swallow their anger, the three Seas would lose all their honor!
"I can't take it anymore!"
An officer charged into the arena!
"A-tah!"
He was sent flying back, blood spurting out faster than he'd arrived.
"Bastard, beat him to death!"
"Everyone, attack him!"
More and more officers lost their cool and rushed into the arena to surround Roya.
The East Blue officers couldn't stand by either. Win or lose, they all joined the fight.
"Brothers, we can't let those jerks gang up on Black Hair!"
"Cover Black Hair!"
"Let's show them the spirit of East Blue!"
The area below the dormitory was in complete chaos.