One Piece: New Century Hextech Warriors

ga-

Seagulls soared across the clear sky, and a few rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds onto the sea, like giant pillars connecting the sky and the sea.

"It's so beautiful, this must be the Dali Garden phenomenon... no, isn't it called the Darwin phenomenon? No, that's not right either..."

Sith stood on the dock, muttering to himself, his thoughts wandering.

However, he quickly focused his attention on the sea a few kilometers away, where there was a giant island.

The island's harbor is filled with a dense array of large warships. The island is dotted with buildings, one after another, with four huge towers standing on four stone pillars, firmly guarding the towering giant building in the middle. The words "Navy" are written on the left and right sides of the building's entrance, inspiring awe at first glance.

It was Marineford, the headquarters of the Navy!

Sith was placed on a small island by the headquarters staff, directly opposite Marineford. He and the other elite trainees would depart from there, cross the sea, and arrive at headquarters to begin their training.

"If we turn against the Navy in the future, from where should we attack headquarters?"

Just as a bold idea formed in Sith's mind, a smug voice came from beside him:

"Hehe, is this your first time here? If you're nervous, you can go back. After all, you shouldn't have come here in the first place."

He turned his head and saw that it was Smoker.

Smoker, as always, had a cigar in his mouth, looking nonchalant, but there was a hint of displeasure in his eyes as he looked at Sith.

In fact, he wasn't the only one like this; the dozens of other naval personnel selected for the elite class were the same.

The reason is simple: Sith is not only the youngest student since the elite class was established, but he is also only a lieutenant colonel!

Rumors circulated that Sith had gotten close to Garp, who was also a friend of Zephyr, so Garp made an exception and allowed Sith to use his connections.

These naval officers are all elite colonels, and they can't stand this kind of favoritism!

Smoker knew that Sith's strength was unfathomable, but what bothered him was that Sith and Tina seemed to be too close. Not long ago, when he called Tina to chat, Tina actually told him not to call, afraid that Sith would misunderstand.

The feeling of having your green plum stolen is so painful!

Sith wasn't bothered by Smoker's sarcasm, and chuckled lightly:

"Colonel Smoker, this is indeed my first time here."

"Speaking of nervousness, Colonel Smoker seems to be smoking his cigar upside down?"

Smoker held the cigarette butt out, with the lit part in his mouth, displaying a masterful reverse smoking technique.

"ah?!"

Smoker suddenly realized what was happening and quickly adjusted the position of his cigarette.

That's the downside of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit; it makes him almost imperceptible to temperature, so he didn't even notice when he accidentally drew the wrong one!

Sith smiled slightly, too lazy to pay him any more attention.

He could tell that Smoker was nervous. This guy was only in his early twenties, and it was impossible for him not to feel pressured to participate in the elite class set up by the legendary general.

Smoker, having embarrassed himself in front of the Sith, was pondering how to get back at them when a vice admiral strode over.

"Line up!"

His voice was booming, and he looked somewhat like Garp. Sith recognized him as Lieutenant General Steeles of the headquarters.

Without wasting words with the crowd, Sterles went straight to the point:

"Next, each of you will sail a single-person sailboat to headquarters. Swimming and using abilities like Moonwalk are not allowed."

"Rankings are based on arrival time; the bottom 50% can go back immediately! Those who fell into the water from the ship can also go back!"

These words caused an uproar. Half of them were going to be eliminated right away?!

Sith wasn't surprised. Zephyr was the one who had trained three admirals. Although headquarters had sent them invitations, Zephyr would definitely make some choices.

Sterles pulled out a pocket watch the size of a fist and said indifferently:

"I'll be acting as referee on the boat next to us later, and as referee, I can guarantee you three things—"

"First, never act impulsively!"

"Secondly, we must ensure that no wrongdoing goes unpunished!"

Third, the referee must be absolutely fair and impartial!

With a serious expression, Stalin finished speaking and roared:

"Set off!"

Dozens of elite class trainees immediately sprinted towards the single-person sailboat that was already moored on the shore.

Sith quickly untied the mooring rope and began to sail, but he was inwardly wondering:

"That simple?"

That's Zephyr. The introductory test might be easy, but it's unlikely that the introductory test will be easy.

Considering the rule that falling into the water meant failure, he vaguely felt that Zefa might have other plans.

Marineford Port

An old man, standing as tall as an iron tower, stood on the shore, his arms, thicker than his thighs, folded over his shoulders, silently watching the fleet of ships speeding towards them.

The marines standing beside him held their breath, not daring to breathe, as if they were standing next to a super battleship with its cannons pointed at them, not people.

There's no way around it; anyone standing next to Zephyr would feel immense pressure.

"Oh dear~ Professor Zephyr, isn't this too harsh on them~"

Behind Zefa, a middle-aged man in a yellow striped suit walked slowly, looking listless, like a corporate slave who had just finished a night shift.

Upon seeing him, the marines on guard duty became even more nervous.

Marine Admiral "Kizaru" Borsalino!

Zefa didn't turn around; his voice, like muffled thunder, rang out:

"You brat, you still haven't broken your old habit of being late!"

Borsalino scratched his head and flicked the dandruff off his fingertips.

"Sorry, Professor Zephyr, Akainu and Aokiji haven't been around lately, and there's been a lot going on at headquarters. I was working until 5 a.m. yesterday!"

Upon hearing this, Zephyr's expression softened slightly:

"5 a.m.? That must be hard work."

Borsalino chuckled.

"Um, actually it's 5 PM..."

boom!

A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from Zephyr, reminding Borsalino of the brutal beating he had received years ago, and he quickly changed the subject:

"The teacher is still so scary~ By the way, can the test begin now?"

Zefa was too lazy to scold him anymore.

Please.

If this kid weren't already an admiral and had to save face, he would have already made Kizaru recall his mentor's "love".

Borsalino grinned lewdly.

"Hehe, Baygabank's new toy is pretty scary, hopefully they'll be prepared~"

As the head of the naval science unit, he didn't go to all this trouble to come here today just to watch those rookies perform.

He wanted to use these beginner tests for newbies to help Begabank test how well the new toy worked!

On the sea, Smoker maneuvered the sails while muttering to himself:

"The sea is so quiet."

He was initially worried that Zefa might be up to something, but halfway through the journey, he still hadn't noticed anything unusual.

"Colonel Smoker, talking nonsense can get you into trouble."

The Sith's ship was right behind him, and he couldn't help but grumble with a dark expression.

The last guy who exclaimed "It's so quiet!" was quickly riddled with bullets!

Smoker smiled smugly:

"Let me remind you of something from my experience: you won't get first place if you're too timid!"

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, aiming it at the sea surface at the stern of the boat.

hum-

A huge plume of white smoke shot out and into the sea, and the powerful recoil propelled Smoker's ship away with a "whoosh," like someone having diarrhea.

The rules don't say you can't use Devil Fruits!

"I hate these ability users the most."

Sith clicked his tongue, pondering whether to unleash a shockwave with Ripple Fist to smash Smoker's ship.

The rules also don't say that you can't fight each other!

Suddenly his body swayed, and the once calm sea began to surge.

"There's something down there!"

Sith, equipped with the [Professional Killer], discovered a huge red inverted triangle beneath the sea surface, indicating the presence of hostile creatures.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when the sea suddenly exploded as if boiling, with more than a dozen white columns of water shooting into the sky.

Upon closer inspection, Sith quickly realized that it wasn't a water column, but rather more than a dozen tentacles covered in suckers!

"Octopus sea monster?"

He remembered that there seemed to be a giant octopus under Fishman Island, which looked very similar to the one in front of him.

More than a dozen tentacles danced nimbly on the sea, and in an instant, several sailboats were smashed, and the people on board fell into the water and struggled.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have eaten takoyaki last night!"

"Using this suction cup must be really fun..."

The participants were amazed and frantically steered their sailboats to avoid the flying tentacles.

However, this Leviathan seemed quite clever, ignoring those it had knocked into the water and focusing instead on dealing with the guys still on the ship.

Sith understood; this Leviathan was being manipulated. It seemed this was the real test!

However, this challenge was nothing to him. With the enhanced senses from [Professional Assassin LV2], he could easily predict the direction from which the tentacles would attack and calmly navigate the small boat through the tentacles, just when he was about to escape the encirclement of the tentacles.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Several more tentacles emerged from the sea. Unlike the previous white tentacles, these tentacles were completely black and emitted a luster only weapons possess.

The tentacles pointed high into the sky, but did not continue to fly and attack the Sith and his companions; their tips emitted specks of golden light.

"Buhou!"

Seeing the golden light blazing to its extreme, Sith quickly steered the helm sharply to left, deviating from the course.

Whoosh!

He had just turned the boat around when a tentacle shot out a golden laser that struck the sea surface where he had just been standing.

The bubbling of water rising from the sea surface indicates that the laser contained terrifying temperatures.

"A mechanical sea monster?!"

Sith finally realized that it was that old man Begabank's thing!

He remembered that there were many mechanical sea monsters near Egghead Island later, and now it seems that Vegabank has already made experimental prototypes.

Just as Sith was dodging the laser shots using [Professional Assassin], Smoker roared at the tentacles in front of him:

"asshole!"

As he watched a laser beam hurtle towards him, his body instantly turned into smoke. The laser beam passed through the smoke and fell into the sea. Smoker even used the laser to light a cigarette and took a deep drag.

"Whether you're alive or made of machine, don't even think about hitting me!"

Smoker laughed arrogantly, using the smoke to further increase the speed of the sailboat.

On the distant shore, Zefa nodded and said in a deep voice:

"These two little guys are alright."

He glanced at Sith and Smoker, then at the dozen or so naval captains who had fallen into the water, and muttered a low praise.

Those qualified to come here are already elites, but Zephyr wants more than just "elite".

He's looking for a "monster"!

Currently, Sith and Smoker are the two guys who best meet his expectations, especially Sith.

Zeffa was somewhat surprised to receive Garp's letter of recommendation, as he knew very well how discerning his old friend was.

Expecting Garp to praise a junior is less likely than expecting him to praise a bag of rice crackers.

However, Zephyr was still somewhat uneasy. The entry requirement for his elite class was at least a colonel. It wasn't that he was prejudiced against the poor, but it was too dangerous for officers below the rank of colonel to participate in the test, let alone an officer from the "weakest sea". It wasn't until Sengoku personally approved the Sith to join that Zephyr reluctantly agreed.

Now it seems fortunate that he agreed. Uriel Sith's performance is on par with that "mad dog" Smoker, and he is definitely qualified to learn from him!

Borsalino pulled a banana out of nowhere, took a small bite, and commented:

"The game is pretty much over, I'd like to get off work early and go home to watch TV."

The dozens of trainees had already been divided into three teams.

The third group consisted of the unfortunate souls who had been knocked into the sea by the mechanical octopus, and Steerez was directing a rescue ship to pull them ashore.

The second group had the most people, scattered sparsely across the sea. Most of them were far behind and were about to be eliminated, falling into the bottom 50%.

As for the first tier, there are only two people—

Sith and Smoker!

However, Smoker's ship was still several tens of meters ahead of the Sith's. After all, the Sith had to rely on "professional assassins" to avoid laser attacks, while Smoker didn't need to dodge at all. He could just turn the lasers into elements and be done with it, so his speed was naturally much faster.

"Haha, Sith, you'd better just sit back and enjoy the waves crashing against my backside!"

Smoker's loud laughter came from ahead, which greatly displeased Sith.

He promised Tina he would beat this guy, how could he only get second place?

Whoosh whoosh!

Several more lasers flew in, and this time the Sith couldn't dodge them. A black hole was burned into the sail by the laser, and the speed immediately slowed down.

The other ships quickly caught up, and at this rate, he wouldn't be able to beat Smoker, or even the others.

"You're lovesick, aren't you!"

Sith instantly turned red-hot, too lazy to hold back any longer. Seeing a mechanical tentacle flying towards him, he steered his ship straight at it.

Boom!

The tentacles struck his sailboat hard, sending debris flying everywhere, and Sith's body fell into the water.

"Oh dear, what a pity!"

Borsalino sighed softly as he witnessed this scene.

Zefa frowned slightly; this scene was also beyond his expectations.

He had high hopes for Sith, but the kid still failed at the last minute.

Oh well, the Sith are still young anyway. Since they lost this time, they can try again next year.

"Is the kid alright?"

When Smoker saw Sith fall into the water, his heart tightened, and he almost jumped in to save him, but then he remembered that he couldn't swim and had to give up.

"The rescue boat has arrived, everything should be alright!"

Seeing that Steeles had already rushed over with the rescue boat, he had no choice but to keep his head down and keep moving forward.

Under the sea.

A mechanical octopus, tens of meters long, lies in the deep sea, its two mechanical eyes, larger than cannonballs, glowing red.

Suddenly, a notification sounded in the mechanical octopus's mind:

[Unidentified object detected approaching]

It was an experimental subject recently created by Begabank. It had no self-awareness and could only act mechanically according to pre-programmed instructions. When it saw a dark shadow approaching, it sent out a tentacle to wrap around it.

"I've found you."

The shadowy figure found the mechanical octopus, grinned, and a few bubbles rose to the surface.

It was Uriel Sith!

As the tentacles were about to entangle him, Sith silently activated his runes.

The Goliath Giant

[The power of blunt force]

【Purgatory Dragon Soul】

boom!

A giant over twenty meters tall appeared in the deep sea, stretched out its muscular hands, grabbed the tentacles tightly, and pulled hard.

Crackling sounds!

The massive mechanical tentacles, like fragile weeds, instantly shattered, flashing with electricity as their internal parts splashed into the seawater.

The mechanical octopus also sensed something was wrong and quickly mobilized several other tentacles to attack the giant.

"Get out of my way!"

Sith's eyes widened in fury. The tentacles were no match for the giant's body. After binding Sith, they were quickly freed and hung limply in the sea.

After dealing with a few tentacles, Sith swam up to the mechanical octopus.

hum-

Flames coiled around the giant's fists, the seawater surged wildly, and huge bubbles rose up.

If the mechanical octopus had a recording function, people would see a demon appearing in the sea!

Sith aimed carefully and placed his fists at the octopus's two eyes.

"Break it!"

Boom—

"What happened?!"

Smoker had just stepped ashore when he suddenly saw the sea surface burst open, as if something had exploded violently underwater.

The dozen or so tentacles that had been baring their fangs and claws just moments before suddenly froze, then drooped limply, splashing up large sprays of water.

With a thud, Borsalino dropped the banana from his hand to the ground.

Zefa took off his sunglasses, and his once calm heart was now stirred with waves similar to those on the distant sea.

"Could it be?"

Zefa muttered to himself, his fists clenched, his face full of excitement.

It seems that someone destroyed the mechanical sea monster!

wow-

The water broke open, and Sith emerged from the sea onto the shore, looking utterly exhausted.

"It's even more tiring than fighting Tina."

He muttered something under his breath and shook the water droplets off his blond hair.

Although he is not a Devil Fruit user, transforming into a giant and blasting a mechanical octopus in the deep sea is still a bit beyond his capabilities.

Smoker stared at him in disbelief, as if he were looking at a sea monster that had just emerged from the water.

"Did you do this?"

He asked, his lips trembling.

Sith laughed and asked in return:

"Or did you do it?"

Smoker quickly pressed on:

"Did you do it on purpose or by accident?"

Deep down, he hoped that Sith would explain that the mechanical octopus was destroyed by chance, rather than that Sith deliberately jumped into the sea to solve the problem.

If Sith did this on his own initiative, then his reputation as a "mad dog" will become a joke from now on, and this kid's strength is far beyond what I can compare to!

Sith reached out his wet hand and gently patted his face, laughing:

"It was intentional, an accident."

After saying that, he ignored Smoker and walked towards Zephyr.

Smoker wanted to ask more questions, but suddenly his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

Damn, this guy got seawater on him!