The year-end assessment was approaching.
The assessment venue was arranged at Marineford's central plaza, the future battlefield of the Summit War.
On the morning of the assessment day, the grounds were already bustling with people, and on the high platform sat the high-ranking officers of the Headquarters.
Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, Gion, and other Headquarters Vice Admirals were among them.
Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru also arrived at the assessment site today.
Akainu sat in his seat, coldly observing the noisy crowd below, appearing somewhat out of place with his surroundings.
Logically, in the past, with his status and personality, he would never have attended a year-end assessment for new recruits. Ever since he became an Admiral, he had subtly emerged as the leader of the Navy's hawkish faction, his mind consumed by the execution of his own justice. His attendance rate was arguably the highest among the Admirals, making him a model worker for the Navy.
But even with his exceptional strength, he felt somewhat overwhelmed, for the number of pirates was simply too great. He knew that he alone could not eradicate all pirates.
This batch of new recruits might be the last group personally mentored by Teacher Zephyr. Despite not truly agreeing with Zephyr's "justice of not killing," Akainu absolutely acknowledged Zephyr's teaching prowess. Therefore, he also wanted to scout for a few outstanding prospects to join his ranks this time.
Especially a new recruit named Uchiha Chiga, whose name he had heard more than once, both from his subordinates and from the higher-ups.
Glancing at Kizaru and Aokiji on either side, he slowly spoke,
"I didn't expect you two to be here. It's just a new recruit assessment; are you very interested?"
Kizaru, also with his legs crossed, was leisurely trimming his nails with a nail clipper, saying lazily,
"Sitting in the office for too long, it's good to come out and liven things up."
The only one not crossing his legs was Aokiji. He rested his chin in his hand and said indifferently,
"Since both of you are here, there's no problem with me coming too, right?"
Akainu snorted, saying nothing more, but the temperature around him began to rise steadily. Aokiji sat quietly to Akainu's right, oblivious to the change in temperature.
From a distance, the space occupied by the two presented two distinct colors: one red and one blue.
Sengoku, sitting in the middle, naturally noticed the discord between the two. He frowned and lightly tapped the armrest of his chair a few times, at which point the two quieted down as if nothing had happened.
Sengoku sighed softly. He knew that the reason Akainu and Aokiji disliked each other was due to the Buster Call incident at Ohara.
It wasn't a big deal originally. Although Aokiji wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the matter, he was merely following orders. The problem arose when Akainu ordered the shelling of the ship full of civilians. Aokiji watched helplessly as that ship sank, and with his personality, he certainly couldn't just stand by.
On the way back, the two were constantly at loggerheads, almost coming to blows. It was Sengoku himself who intervened to temporarily quell the matter. After this incident, Akainu's actions earned the favor of the World Government and became important experience in his promotion to Admiral.
Later, Aokiji also became an Admiral. The two, both Admirals, bore different forms of justice, which further created this rift. If it couldn't be mended, it would surely cause trouble in the future.
But repairing such a rift was easier said than done. Thinking of this, Sengoku felt a headache.
The friction above did not affect the enthusiasm below. Not only the participating cadets came today, but many Headquarters officers and soldiers also came to watch, all discussing this assessment.
"Did you hear? The rewards for this assessment include a Great Grade Sword and even a Devil Fruit!"
"I heard! Devil Fruits are treasures of the sea, each worth hundreds of millions of Berries! I couldn't afford one even if I served the Navy my entire life!"
"Tell me about it! If I had known the reward for this assessment was a Devil Fruit, I would've joined the training camp just for fun!"
"Cut it out. Those who can enter the training camp are all geniuses. Those who enter the elite training camp are geniuses among geniuses. You think you can just waltz in?"
"Alright, stop talking nonsense. Do you know who the favorite to win this time is?"
"Uchiha Chiga, of course! I've heard that name so many times my ears are calloused!"
"That's not necessarily true. Because of this reward, many senior cadets who have already gone out for practical combat have rushed back to participate. No matter how strong Uchiha Chiga is, he's still a hothouse flower, lacking experience!"
"Senior cadets are also participating? Isn't that a bit unfair to those who just joined a year ago?"
"Who knows? The Headquarters agreed, so maybe the overall level of this batch of cadets is much higher."
"Heh, no matter who ultimately gets the reward, it has nothing to do with us. But it's still good to observe these geniuses and broaden our horizons."
"Indeed, the battles will definitely be spectacular!"
"The groups are out! The assessment is about to begin. Focus on the matches."
…
Chiga was wearing his favorite black robe with the Uchiha clan crest today. This assessment allowed participants to wear their most comfortable clothes.
He had already received information about his first opponent. After a glance at the information sheet in his hand, Chiga casually tossed the sheet into the trash can.
Bridge, seeing Chiga's action, leaned over and asked curiously,
"Chiga, who's your opponent?"
Chiga shrugged and said,
"Don't know them. Only know their name is Chris."
Bridge, seeing Chiga's nonchalant attitude, immediately started flattering him,
"As expected of you! You don't even care who your opponent is!"
Graves immediately added,
"Indeed, a certain someone was just holding that crumpled sheet, looking at it up and down more than ten times. I bet he even knows what color underwear the opponent is wearing today!"
Bridge's forehead steamed with anger as he glared fiercely at Graves, saying,
"What do you know, you idiot? This is called caution, caution, do you understand? You better pray you're not grouped with me. This time, I'm going to make you see what makes flowers so red!"
Ever since Chiga had given him a large bowl of "chicken soup for the soul" in the dormitory last time, Bridge had trained diligently and was currently in his beginner's inflated ego phase, refusing to acknowledge anyone but Chiga.
Graves raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile twisting his rugged face as he said disdainfully,
"Alright, I'll be waiting. I'll tell you this upfront: if you lose, you have to light my cigars for a year, and when you light them, you have to say, 'Boss, your humble servant is lighting it for you!'"
Bridge was equally unwilling to show weakness, stating that if Graves lost, he would have to do the same, and Graves would have to supply the cigars!