Transmigrating into One Piece: The Peerless King

In stark contrast, Zhao Hai noticed that the boys around him, like Gary, were filled with anticipation and nervousness, seemingly oblivious to the agonizing wait.

……

"Hey, hey, hey... Hai, it's almost our turn, what are you daydreaming about?"

Gary's anxious voice pulled Zhao Hai back to reality.

"Oh, I know."

Zhao Hai realized what was happening, looked around, and found that there were indeed only a few scattered people left in the queue.

Although there weren't many people in the queue, the surrounding area was crowded with people who stood there for a long time without leaving.

Some people wore joy on their faces, some frowned, and some clenched their fists and secretly cheered themselves on...

It's like a grand face-painting convention, with each person displaying a different face.

"Next up, Gary!"

Suddenly, a rough voice rang out, drawing Zhao Hai's attention to the fighting arena next to the naval academy gate.

Zhao Hai stared with interest at Gary, who looked tense in the arena.

Although Zhao Hai and Gary were acquaintances, Zhao Hai had never seen Gary's skills before, so he was still a little curious.

Gary was, after all, the chef partner that Zhao Hai had chosen.

"Your name is Gary? Use all your strength to fight me!"

The naval soldier fighting Gary simply said a few words and then stood there calmly, waiting for Gary's attack.

"Damn it! You're just a lowly navy soldier trying to show off in front of these newbies. I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget."

Zhao Hai was extremely displeased when he saw that the naval soldier was just a lowly sailor who dared to act like a peerless master, especially towards his new friend Gary.

Please give me your guidance!

Gary calmed his excitement slightly and bowed slightly to the naval soldier.

Having prepared for attack, Gary stared directly at the naval soldier.

"Let's get started!"

Seeing that Gary was just posing but not attacking for a long time, the naval soldier seemed to be getting impatient with Gary's dawdling and urged him on.

No sooner said than done, Gary made his move.

Like a falcon hunting its prey, it swept towards the naval soldier with an almost insane speed.

Although Gary's current speed seems as slow as a snail in Zhao Hai's eyes, it is somewhat unbelievable to ordinary naval soldiers.

Even some privates are only about as fast as Gary.

"It seems Gary has been preparing for today's Naval Academy selection for a long time and has put in a lot of effort."

Seeing that Gary was just a young boy, and a powerless one at that, yet his speed and strength rivaled those of a Navy Private First Class, Zhao Hai could imagine that this small body must be carrying an indomitable spirit.

It must have been through day after day, year after year of training that he has achieved the strength that far surpasses that of his peers.

"bump!"

Just as Zhao Hai was processing this information, Gary's fist struck the naval soldier's chest, causing the soldier to let out a muffled groan.

Distracted by the muffled groan, Zhao Hai once again focused his attention on the arena.

The naval soldier, who had been so nonchalant just moments before, now stared intently at Gary, a hint of malice flashing in his eyes.

Looking at Gary's thin frame, the naval soldier initially thought he was an insignificant nobody, but unexpectedly, he was punched by someone he wasn't careful with.

Although the punch wasn't very powerful and didn't really hurt him, he couldn't bear the embarrassment. If his fellow marines found out that he had been beaten up by a mere recruit, where would he put his face? So at this moment, he was genuinely furious and embarrassed.

Although we dare not go too far here, it is essential to teach them a lesson.

"Kid, I didn't expect you to have some skills. I'll have to get serious now."

The naval soldier straightened his expression, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Gary, and began to take things seriously.

But as soon as the naval soldier finished speaking, he felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face.

Because just as he finished saying he was going to get serious, Gary, with the force of a tiger descending a mountain, firmly pinned the naval soldier to the ground, and—

He was still completely unable to move!

"Gary, you're through!"

Finally, the examiner announced Gary's test results.

Moreover, as Gary walked over, he patted Gary on the shoulder with an undisguised look of admiration, which made the naval soldier, who was still lying on the ground and unable to react for a long time, feel a pang of heartache.

"The last one, the Caribbean!"

The examiner was probably pleased to discover that Gary was a boy with great fighting talent, and he became more enthusiastic when facing Zhao Hai in the end.

"Gary doesn't seem like an unknown navy officer. How come I've never heard of him in the anime? Could it be that he had a tragic fate and died young before he could make a name for himself?"

As Zhao Hai slowly walked toward the arena, he was secretly pondering and exploring the fate of Gary, a navy officer who might die young.

"Kid! You've gone too far. This is where you're supposed to be tested."

Suddenly, Zhao Hai, who was deep in thought, was disturbed by a strong sound wave. He looked up and looked around blankly.

He stared at the naval soldier who had called him with a curious expression, as if to say, "What do you want from me?"

Seeing Zhao Hai's "innocent" expression, the naval soldier couldn't help but twitch his lips violently. "Is this kid a fool? This is the Naval Academy's grandest freshman selection, and this kid is looking completely bewildered, like he's in the wrong place or the wrong scene. What's with this infuriating expression?"

"Soldier, could you please report what happened?"

Even the chief examiner, who was sitting firmly on his throne, noticed the scene of Zhao Hai not moving for a long time and questioned the naval soldier who was fighting with Zhao Hai.

"Reporting to the Colonel, there's been a slight mishap, but it'll be fine soon."

After the naval soldier reported the situation to the examiner, he did not hesitate any longer and said loudly to Zhao Hai, "Candidate Caribbean Hai, please return to your examination area. The examination will begin soon."

"Uh--"

Upon hearing what the naval soldier said, Zhao Hai instantly realized that he was indeed participating in the selection of new generation members for some naval academy.

Zhao Hai scanned the surrounding area again, looked at his feet, then at the naval soldier who had spoken to him, and at another naval soldier and a boy glaring angrily at him not far behind.

"Uh—, I'm sorry!"

It was only now that Zhao Hai finally realized he had gone to the assessment area next door. He patted his head and waved to the navy and the boy behind him.

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Tragic Naval Soldier

Although he said he was embarrassed, Zhao Hai didn't show it on his face at all.

Zhao Hai found this pointless and, unable to understand it, stopped thinking about it and slowly walked towards his assessment site.

With the chief examiner's command, the various assessment venues began their respective competitions.

But as the other contestants began their matches, Zhao Hai noticed that his examiner, a naval soldier, always looked uneasy and hesitant to attack. He couldn't help but urge him, "Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here?"

"Ok?"

"Isn't this the navy soldier who was easily defeated by that kid Gary with just a few punches and kicks?"

Upon closer inspection, Zhao Hai discovered that his examiner was none other than the same guy who had examined Gary earlier.

Seeing the pitiful expressions on the naval soldiers' faces, Zhao Hai offered words of comfort: "Don't be nervous, it will be over soon."

"Kid, stop being so arrogant!"

The naval soldier, recovering from his earlier defeat, instantly flew into a rage upon hearing Zhao Hai's words.

Adding to the fact that he had just been inexplicably defeated by Gary, his anger was now burning even more fiercely, threatening to engulf the heavens.

Unfortunately, he was facing Zhao Hai, a peerless genius who far surpassed the average lieutenant-level naval officer. His anger could only remain anger and could not change the outcome.

So even though the competition hasn't started yet, the outcome couldn't be clearer.

Faced with the naval soldiers' reprimands, Zhao Hai's expression did not change in the slightest. Would an adult pay attention to a baby's crying?

In the world of One Piece, strength is everything. It transcends time and age; strength is the most enduring mark of every living being in this world.

"Kid, let me teach you a lesson."

The naval soldier shouted and launched a preemptive attack on Zhao Hai.

Having learned a painful lesson from Gary earlier, he was determined to strike first and prevent Zhao Hai from having any chance to retaliate. Moreover, he desperately needed a victory to soothe his wounded heart, even if the opponent was a "weak" teenager.

Perhaps if he encountered any other examiner, he might still be able to use this to soothe his wounded pride.

But fate is such a strange thing. Even with a probability of being swept away by the tide, it can still happen to meet you in such an incredible way, just like two celestial bodies in the universe that are billions of miles apart but still attract each other.

Seeing the excited expression on the naval soldier's face, Zhao Hai had no interest whatsoever. After all, while the naval soldier's strength was indeed impressive for most people taking the test, it was still far from enough for Zhao Hai.

Even his lazy posture remained unchanged; he simply stood there casually, waiting for the naval soldiers to charge.

"Take this!"

"Noisy!"

Hearing the naval soldier's roar as he approached, Zhao Hai grew impatient, muttered something under his breath, and slapped him across the face.

The naval soldier watched helplessly as Zhao Hai's palm approached, wanting to stop and dodge immediately, but found there was no way to avoid it, and could only stare blankly.

"Snapped……"

As expected, Zhao Hai's slap landed on the naval soldier's face.

"bump!"

Unable to withstand the force of Zhao Hai's slap, the naval soldier was sent flying by the blow, crashing heavily onto an open space ten meters away.

"Uh--"

"Didn't I try my best to control my strength? How come this navy soldier is still so weak? It seems I should try not to fight in the future. If I accidentally kill someone, it will be hard to explain."

Looking at the naval soldier he had slapped away, and then at his own right hand, which was abruptly suspended in the air, Zhao Hai did not retract it for a long time.

At this moment, everyone, from the teenagers taking the exam to the naval soldiers around them, as well as those who were still talking and hadn't left, and even the chief examiner who had been sitting firmly on his seat, were all drawn to the sound of Zhao Hai's slap. They all stared blankly at Zhao Hai and the naval soldier who had been slapped to the ground unconscious.

In an instant, the lively scene that was comparable to a festival became extremely quiet.

You could even clearly hear the "thump...thump..." sound of everyone's heartbeat around the playground.