One Piece: Starting with God Valley, intercepting the Dark-Dark Fruit

"I lost."

After saying that, Lucia turned and left. Xiong looked down and saw a sword mark that stretched diagonally from his shoulder to his waist. It was from a sword aura that had just descended from the sky.

Both were injured, but they had both held back. Lucia conceded defeat because she believed that the bear was definitely stronger than her in terms of stamina.

Furthermore, Kuma could use his Devil Fruit powers to dispel fatigue and pain, so she felt there was no need to continue fighting.

On the high platform, Giger's figure had already disappeared from the chair.

Lucia walked with her head down when suddenly a dark vortex appeared before her. She paused, then murmured...

"cousin......"

Chapter 89 The General Examiner!

Giger looked at Lucia's still-bleeding arm and said softly,

"Does it hurt? Why don't you let Xiong help you remove it?"

Lucia shook her head and said,

"It's alright, this kind of injury will heal with rest, and... I don't want any man other than the young master to touch me."

Giger frowned, reached out and gently flicked Lucia's smooth forehead, and said,

"What's the big deal? Besides, we're still wearing clothes. Come with me!"

Without waiting for Lucia's response, Giger reached out and scooped her up in a princess carry, then vanished in a flash.

At this moment, Xiong had already used his ability to eject a painful bubble from his body. Suddenly, Giger appeared in front of him, holding a flushed-faced Lucia.

Gigg first released the Dark Bible to absorb the bear's pain bubbles, then put Lucia down and smiled at the bear, saying...

"I'll have to trouble you again, Xiong. My cousin is a bit stubborn."

Lucia wanted to say something more, but Giger stopped her with a look. He pressed Lucia's shoulders to make her face him, while Xiong reached out and lightly touched Lucia's back. Pain bubbles popped out and were then absorbed by Giger using the Dark Bible.

Seeing that Lucia looked much more relaxed, Giger smiled slightly and said to the bear,

"Thanks, Bear."

Xiong scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said...

"Big brother, I was just thinking of doing that, but Lucia walked too fast..."

"Hey, she's so silly, Xiong is the only one who makes things easier for me."

Lucia pouted after hearing this, a rare sight of her making such an adorable expression. Giger couldn't resist pinching her nose and saying...

"Alright, Bear, your abilities can't heal injuries. You two should hurry up and get your wounds bandaged, especially Lucia. It's not nice for a girl to have scars."

Both Xiong and Lucia nodded obediently. After watching the two of them being surrounded by a group of nurses, Jig used Kamui again to return to his position.

Marshal Kong glanced back at Jig, who raised his hand and smiled.

"I'm sorry, Marshal Kong, I just had to take care of a few things."

Kong, who was usually known for his seriousness, was much more amiable towards Giger. He nodded and said...

"It's alright, you did a great job just now. We in the navy are all about helping each other."

Giger smiled and responded. He looked around but couldn't find Zephyr, so he looked at Kizaru and Akainu and asked where Zephyr was.

Kizaru spread his hands and said,

"I don't know where the old man went. He left just as you went downstairs."

Akainu also said he didn't see it.

As they were talking, Sora suddenly stood up and walked to the front of the platform, speaking into the megaphone Den Den Mushi.

"Both trainees performed exceptionally well. I have decided to award Major General Bartholomew Big Bear the rank of Brigadier General Lucia!"

As a result, both Xiong and Lucia were promoted one rank, which was a huge leap for them at their original levels.

However, none of the generals present raised any objections; judging from the performance of the two men just now, the reward was considered reasonable.

The trainees below applauded excitedly, but Lucia and Xiong, the two involved parties, remained the most composed, as they didn't really care about rank.

After Kong finished speaking, he paused, turned to look at Giger and the other two, and continued,

"Next, we'll announce the afternoon's exam content. Zig, Sakazuki, and Borsalino will all face only one opponent, and that is... Admiral Zephyr!"

"!?"

These words caused an uproar, and even Giger himself looked surprised.

He originally thought that each of the three of them would be assigned a lieutenant general, but he didn't expect that the headquarters would think so highly of them and directly appoint them as generals.

Although there is only one rank between an admiral and a vice admiral, the difference in strength is like heaven and earth. It can be said that apart from the special case of Garp among the vice admirals, even if all the vice admirals in the headquarters were tied together, they might not be able to defeat an admiral.

Externally, the admiral is the face of the navy and the absolute force in combat.

Upon hearing this news, Kizaru's face immediately fell, and he complained.

"Why is it an old man?! Why isn't it Vice Admiral Garp or Admiral Sengoku?"

Akainu remained silent, straightening his white naval cap, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

The reporters below went wild, raising their camera Den Den Mushi (snail phone) and snapping away at Giger and his two companions on the platform.

The fact that the students' graduation exam is being conducted personally by a high-ranking general is definitely going to be explosive news.

The students watching grew increasingly excited. Aokiji clenched his fist and exclaimed excitedly,

"That's awesome! We're finally going to see Senior Giger go all out!"

Uncharacteristically, Aramu didn't argue with Aokiji after hearing this. Instead, he crossed his arms and said...

"Hmph! I just hope Sakazuki and Borsalino don't drag Giggs down!"

Long kept his head down and remained silent; no one knew what he was thinking.

Jessica, however, looked at Ginny with a resentful expression and said...

"What are those officers thinking! The general is so strong, what if he hurts Giger... what will they do?"

Ginny, with a bossy air, patted Jessica on the shoulder and said,

"Don't worry, you're just a mere general. Brother Jig is the strongest!"

"..."

By afternoon, the testing site was packed with people. Many soldiers from headquarters who weren't on duty had come over, eager to witness the general's prowess.

In the minds of ordinary soldiers, generals are invincible, and although they are soldiers of headquarters, very few have actually seen a general take action.

That makes sense. Once you encounter a battle that requires the participation of a general, the opponent is definitely not someone to be trifled with. If you also encounter someone with strong Conqueror's Haki, ordinary soldiers will be knocked unconscious at the start, and the unlucky ones will die directly in the aftermath of the battle.

No matter what world you're in, the fate of cannon fodder is always this tragic.

Giggs, Kizaru, and Akainu had arrived on the field. After a while, Zephyr, wearing a Marine cloak, finally appeared, and a shout immediately rang out from the surrounding area.

Even though Zephyr has been semi-retired for the past few years, his reputation in the Navy remains incredibly high.

He slowly walked to the opposite side of Giger and the other two, and flung off his navy cloak. The move was indeed cool. Giger couldn't help but regret that he hadn't worn his own navy cloak as well.

Kizaru kept pursing his lips and muttering,

"That old man is quite the show-off..."

Only Akainu didn't pay attention to this; he had already started warming up.

Zefa smiled slightly at the three people opposite him and said,

"Today, let your teacher test the results of your three years of training!"

Chapter 90 Yellow, Black, and Red VS Zephyr

Giger loosened his collar and glanced at Kizaru and Akainu, who both responded with glances.

Then, darkness, magma, and flashes of light—three nature-based abilities—exploded together.

Gigg's body surface shimmered with flowing darkness, while Kizaru's entire body shimmered with dazzling golden light. Hot magma dripped from Akainu's body, leaving dark marks on the ground.

Zefa smiled slightly, bent his arms, and Armament Haki instantly enveloped them. Compared to the imposing presence of Gig and the other two, his actions appeared simple and unpretentious.

After a brief silence, Giger's gaze sharpened, and he exerted force with his feet, appearing in front of Zefa as if by teleportation. This speed alone was something that the previous students could not match.

Giger kicked out from mid-air, and Zefa immediately blocked it with his forearm. With a loud bang, the ground beneath their feet exploded, leaving everyone present dumbfounded.

"Ok?"

Zephyr frowned slightly. He felt his forearm being twisted by an invisible force. If it weren't for his high level of Armament Haki, anyone else would probably have had their arm twisted off.

With muscles bulging on his arms, Zephyr was about to retaliate when a golden flash streaked across the sky. Kizaru, with his signature smile on his face, delivered a light-speed kick.

However, what appeared to be an incredibly fast light-speed kick to onlookers was instantly caught by Zephyr, who even commented on it.

"Borsalino, with the speed boost from the Glint-Glint Fruit, is this all your kicking can do?"

Kizaru's smile vanished instantly. Without a word, he drew his Ame-no-Murakumo sword, wanting Zephyr to test his swordsmanship again. Just then, Akainu, dragging a massive, magma-formed arm, charged over like a heavy tank.

"Big fire!!"