Boom!
The air in front of him erupted with an explosion.
Rosha’s whipping leg struck Hammor’s chest, and a large spray of blood burst from his open mouth.
The silver hair wrapped around his leg released, and Hammor shot out of the ring like an arrow.
Crash!
Amidst the flying debris, another hole appeared in the wall of the 177th branch.
“He won! Haha, I knew that kid would win!”
Daws’s laughter was the first to echo across the training field.
“Well done, Rosha!”
Chef Denno gave a thumbs up and then turned to the watching soldiers, shouting:
“What are you all standing around for? Get the food from the ship’s kitchen and bring it here, along with my utensils! After such an intense battle, the kid must be starving by now!”
“Brother Rosha!”
Hibari broke free from Denno’s grasp and ran quickly toward the platform.
“This kid performed even better than I expected.”
Seeing Rosha’s victory, Rear Admiral Adilla breathed a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face.
Honestly, he almost rushed onto the platform to stop the fight between Rosha and Hammor earlier.
If an ordinary person had their eyes suddenly blinded by lime, they would lose their composure and panic.
With an opponent nearby, ready to deliver a fatal blow, very few could stay calm and composed.
Especially not a twelve-year-old boy like Rosha.
But to Adilla’s surprise, after a brief moment of panic, Rosha took only a second or two to regain his composure. He stood up from his kneeling position, and raised his arms to block Hammor’s powerful kicks, and even though he was pushed back a few steps, he managed to stabilize himself.
In the final moment, using his silver hair to bind Hammor’s kicking leg, Rosha delivered a decisive kick, ending the battle cleanly.
His reaction speed, adaptability, and an acute sense of danger all indicated that Rosha was a born combat genius!
“Admiral Sakazuki’s eye for talent is truly remarkable. We’ve found a real gem here.”
Rear Admiral Adilla smiled as he looked at Akainu.
Suddenly, he scratched his head and turned to look at Rosha on the platform again.
“Wait, did I miss something?”
His gaze fixed on Rosha’s flowing silver hair, and his expression became more intriguing.
“Did his hair just move on its own? Is it a Devil Fruit power or…?”
“A natural ability, a manifestation of the Life Return technique,” Akainu clarified Adilla’s doubt.
“A natural talent? So this kid was born with the ability to use Life Return?”
Adilla’s expression turned incredulous as he slumped onto the stone steps.
“I spent ten years mastering the Navy’s Six Powers, only to barely grasp Life Return, and I was praised by Teacher Zephyr for it. But this kid…”
On the platform.
Daws was examining Rosha’s eyes.
“Are you okay, Brother Rosha?”
Hibari asked nervously, her face concerned as she looked at Rosha’s injuries.
“I’m fine, Hibari. Don’t worry. These are just surface wounds. They look worse than they are.”
After an hour-long battle, Rosha felt utterly exhausted.
As he relaxed, the aches and pains spread throughout his body.
After Daws’s simple treatment, his eyes no longer stung as much.
As for the eight burly men left on the platform, they had collapsed in fear when Rosha kicked their leader off.
“I’m all sticky and want to take a bath, then have a big meal and a good sleep,” Rosha muttered weakly.
“You’re thinking about a bath when you’re all cut up? Aren’t you afraid of infections? Stay here, and I’ll get some alcohol to clean your wounds. Yeah, they’re mostly surface cuts, no muscle or tendon damage, so no need for stitches. With your constitution, a simple bandage should have you healed in three to five days.”
“Don’t worry, Hibari. Your beloved won’t die. Stop crying.”
Daws’s teasing words made both youths blush.
As Daws stood and asked a branch officer for the location of the infirmary, Rosha glanced at Hibari, who was inspecting his wounds.
A hint of adolescent emotion stirred within him.
“Kid! Ready for a feast?”
A boisterous voice snapped Rosha out of his thoughts. Looking up, he saw Chef Denno carrying a large pot and a ladle, leading a group of soldiers with a pile of ingredients.
“Uncle Denno!” Rosha called out joyfully.
“Today, you better finish all this food!”
“Yeah! I love your cooking, Uncle Denno. No matter how much, I can eat it all!”
In the distance, Rear Admiral Adilla seemed to recover from his daze and discussed Rosha’s promotion with Akainu.
“Brother, since Rosha is your subordinate, he’s directly under the Navy Headquarters. If we promote him, I think he can be made a Headquarters Lieutenant. It’s still a six-rank jump, not breaking any rules.”
“Given Rosha’s potential and strength, with some training, he’ll easily meet the standards for that rank. Even if we report this to Headquarters, there shouldn’t be any objections.”
“What do you think?”
Adilla smiled.
“Don’t give him too high a rank. What he needs now is training, not rank. His mindset is also not mature.”
Akainu’s eyes reflected the image of Rosha eating heartily, with Hibari by his side, smiling and handing him food.
Hibari’s cheerful smile made Akainu frown.
“I understand.”
Adilla nodded, agreeing with Akainu’s judgment.
Immediately, he signaled for the branch soldiers to take away the groaning recruits and then walked over to Rosha with a bright smile.
“Mmm, it smells good. Can I have some?”
Adilla pointed at the pile of food on the platform.
“This is for the injured. You’re not injured, so no way!” Before Rosha could respond, the chubby chef Denno’s face darkened, bluntly rejecting Adilla’s request.
“Oh, Uncle Denno, don’t be so heartless.” Adilla chuckled, pointing at Rosha. “I’m here to present him with an award.”
Adilla looked seriously at Rosha. “New recruit Rosha, listen up. From now on, you are appointed as a Lieutenant of the 177th Branch in the North Blue.”
“Given your age and combat experience, the branch has decided that you won’t have to take on the regular duties of your rank for now. But from now on, you’ll undergo the strictest training.”
“Are you ready?”
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