On the open ground by the lake, the firewood crackled and popped in the fire. Above, a G-5 Branch trainee hung upside down over the flames, his rear end sticking out. If he relaxed even a little, his butt would get burned.
"Help me, ahhhh!!!"
His shrill screams echoed through the jungle.
In the bushes some distance away, three other G-5 Branch trainees watched their comrade's plight, their pale faces filled with lingering fear.
Earlier, they had planned a dishonorable ambush on Black Hair, intending to show him the G-5 Branch's fighting style.
Turns out they were in way over their heads.
That wasn't a big deal; losing was losing.
Their G-5 Branch never forced things. If they could win, they'd fight; if they couldn't, they'd gang up. And if even a gang couldn't win, they'd run. Tactical flexibility was their motto.
But Black Hair's wickedness was beyond their imagination.
"Is that guy really a Marine?"
"He's too awful!"
"Damn it, grilling enemies is our G-5 Branch's specialty, isn't it?"
"Good thing we ran fast!"
"Stop dawdling! Quickly, think of a way to save him!"
Their comrade had been captured, yet they could only hide in the bushes, anxiously watching. This went against everything the G-5 Branch stood for.
They might not follow the rules, but they were absolutely Royal!
"Save our brother!"
"Save our brother!!!"
"Let's go together and fight Black Hair!"
"Ooooh!!!"
The three of them roared, leaping out of the bushes and charging towards Black Hair, who was calmly adding wood to the fire.
As the distance closed to five meters, their ankles tightened. All three of them fell headfirst to the ground as rope snares, that they didn't notice before, locked around their ankles.
Then, the ropes quickly snapped taut, and the three of them were hoisted upside down into the air.
"Ahhh, it's a trap!"
"We've been tricked!"
"Damn it, Black Hair, you're too despicable!"
The three were neatly suspended from a tree trunk, swinging back and forth in terror. Below them, the lake water shimmered, and a group of crocodiles had arrived, drawn by the commotion.
Watching the crocodiles thrash their tails and leap out of the water, their fanged jaws snapping, the three trainees' faces visibly turned green. They desperately strained their upper bodies upwards, performing frantic sit-ups.
"Help me, ahhhh!!!"
The G-5 Branch had been completely wiped out.
Their screams quickly attracted other trainees.
Seeing Roya calmly adding wood to the fire and the G-5 trainees' miserable state, the trainees hiding in the shadows all gulped.
Everyone knew the G-5 Branch was an unorthodox group of Marines, their actions unrestrained. They were more like pirates than Marines, and sometimes even committed atrocious acts against pirates.
Watching the G-5 Branch trainees suffer was quite satisfying.
But no matter how awful G-5 Marines were, it was directed at pirates. Black Hair's behavior at the moment was ten times worse than the G-5 Marines.
Although being grilled wouldn't kill anyone, and a few crocodile bites weren't fatal, the psychological trauma would definitely be unforgettable.
"Rescue them, or not?"
Many trainees struggled internally.
Beside the fire, Roya slightly raised his head. He could sense a lot of presences gathering in the surrounding forest. He chuckled.
He had chatted with Doll for a long time last night. After deciding not to go to the Headquarters New Recruit Camp, he had spent the whole night thinking about his future plans.
The regulation promotion process was stable, but the promotion speed was too slow, which didn't meet his expectations for himself. It also meant it would be difficult to enter the Marine Executives' system.
In that case, he had to find another way.
He was laying his cards on the table. He wouldn't pretend anymore!
Being blackened is still being known!
Who said being a Marine meant becoming an emissary of justice? As long as he didn't touch any fundamental principles, no one could do anything to him.
Sin and atrocious behavior were different.
He couldn't build a heroic image like Garp and gather people's hearts in the Marines. That would take a long time.
A radical approach was faster and more effective!
He would start with this Training Camp and give the Marines a little intensity!
"Black Hair, let them go!"
An emissary of justice had arrived as expected!
Roya stood up, a wicked smile curving his lips. He looked at the newcomer as if she were a delicious lamb.
It was a female Marine.
"State your name!"
"Marine Headquarters, Swallow!"
Swallow angrily rebuked, "Abusing enemies is not justice! Even if I'm not your opponent, I will stop you!"
"Good, commendable courage!"
Roya praised, instantly disappearing from the spot.
"Shave!"
"He disappeared? It's Shave!"
Swallow's eyes widened as she searched for Roya. The next moment, a large hand grabbed the back of her head.
Her body froze!
A moment later, there was one more person hanging above the lake.
"Help me, ahhhh!!!"
The girl's regretful screams were even more shrill than the others combined, startling even the crocodiles.
Soon, the incident at the lakeside reached the training grounds.
"Instructor Zefa, something bad has happened!"
"What is it?"
"Black Hair, Black Hair, he, he!"
"Speak slowly, don't be anxious."
The trainee took a deep breath and quickly relayed Roya's actions to Zefa. The tree trunks by the lake were almost running out of space.
"G-5, G-3, and G-7, three branches have been completely wiped out, and many trainees from other branches have also been hung up."
There were only 100 trainees in total, and in less than half a day, a quarter of them had been hung up. Yet, no one could defeat Black Hair. Even Gouka had been defeated by Black Hair again.
Black Hair was going crazy!
The only trainee who could probably deal with Black Hair was Peacock, who was ranked first, but Peacock was also in battle and didn't have time to bother with Black Hair.
"That kid..."
Zefa's face twitched. He had never seen such an arrogant student in his life. They were Marines, not pirates!
Wasn't that kid afraid of offending the entire Marine force?
"I'll go take a look!"
The smoke from the lakeside was very conspicuous; there was no need to lead the way.
When Zefa arrived, he saw Roya sitting by the lake, holding a fishing rod, leisurely fishing for crocodiles. On the tree trunks to his left and right hung rows of Marines, acting as bait to lure the crocodiles.
The scene was too horrible to look at.
"Hey, got one!"
Roya suddenly pulled up the rod. The bamboo fishing rod bent into an arc, incredibly tough with the reinforcement of Armament Haki.
"Splash!"
A huge crocodile, over ten meters long, was pulled out of the water!
Time to barbecue!
Roya skillfully cleaned the crocodile. After preparing the ingredients, he kicked the G-5 Marine, who was screaming on the grill, to the side and placed the crocodile on it to roast.
He caught sight of Zefa walking over not far away.
Roya turned his head, smiling and inviting, "Instructor Zefa, want some crocodile?"
"Thank you, I have no appetite."
Zefa's forehead was covered in black lines.
He remembered Roya. The Battle of Logue Town was still under investigation, and Garp had also mentioned this kid to him.
Now, he finally understood that this kid was probably more unconventional than Headquarters had imagined. He absolutely couldn't make sense of him.
"Roya!"
Zefa deliberated for a moment, not forcefully ordering Roya, but choosing to persuade, "Can you let them down first?"
"That won't do, Instructor Zefa. The punishment won't end until the evening. Before that, no one can let them down."
Roya said calmly, "Defeat comes with consequences. If they had lost to pirates, the consequences would only be worse. They wouldn't even have the chance to scream for mercy."
"Instructor Zefa, I think you know this better than me. Your arm wasn't cut off by another Marine, was it!"
"This Training Camp isn't a game. It's to make us tougher when we face pirates in the future -- not just physically, but with an indomitable spirit!"
"If they don't even have this much awareness..."
"They should take off their uniforms and go home to hide..."
"...so they don't embarrass themselves here."
Zefa was silent, his left hand gripping the empty right sleeve.
He had personally experienced the consequences of losing to pirates and never wanted to experience it a second time.
"I understand!"
Zefa didn't leave, but sat cross-legged next to Roya, his eyes fixed on the crocodile meat on the grill.
This kid wasn't even afraid of offending people, willingly playing the "villain." He, the instructor, was being a bit of an alarmist.
A few crocodile bites wouldn't kill anyone.
Roya was a little surprised. Head Instructor Zefa was quite open-minded. Since he was willing to sit down, it meant he had tacitly approved of his actions.
He had confidence now!
"Instructor Zefa, do you have an appetite now?"
"Stop talking nonsense and focus on grilling the meat!"
He wanted to see how much this kid could stir things up.
*
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[T/N:
Latest Chapter translated on Patreon - Chapter Access up to Ch 230
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 181 PS
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-> Naruto Paradise: An Evil Uchiha's Rise
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]