One piece : Armor of Justice

Quickly jumping to her feet, Sasha rolled off the bed and smoothed out the wrinkles on the cover.

She didn't know what time it was; these checks were set up more to annoy the cadets than for anything else.

It had been a month since she and Ricky were transferred from the main Headquarters of the Southern Blues to the cadet academy in Marineford.

They were transferred right after the first recruit check, and for Ricky and her, who had been training under Aramaki since they were ten, it was no surprise that they surpassed the vast majority of their age group.

Of course, to transfer, cadets had to sign new documents, which came with certain privileges. The advantage here was that she had a chance to become a counter admiral immediately after graduating from the academy!

They learned that unlike other naval academies, Marineford's cadet academy had a ranking system. Whoever took the top spot in their class could receive the rank of counter admiral, and those who made it into the top ten could earn the rank of captain.

Graduation in this academy was unconventional, and there was no ceremony.

At the end of each year, cadets were offered either to graduate and receive a commission according to their rank or to stay another year and strive for a higher rank. With each additional year a cadet stayed, the number of points earned decreased.

If a cadet did not fall into the top ten after three years, they were immediately expelled and reassigned at their instructor's discretion.

In a class of only fifty recruits, where each was the best of the best, the competition was fierce, especially for those in their third year.

Aside from the inherent difficulty of the program, because of the reassignment, Sasha and Ricky started later than the others, which led to their grades being lower than the rest of the recruits.

The last time she checked, she was ranked forty-fourth.

That's why she started sleeping mostly dressed and on top of the covers. These random bunk checks didn't add points but could deduct them.

Standing up, Sasha stood at attention.

Her gaze was directed forward, but she scanned the room with her peripheral vision.

All the recruits here were under twenty-five years old, but many were over twenty. The cadet holding the top spot was a man named Dies Drake. Apparently, he had served in the Marines for several years before an officer from the Northern Blues took notice of him. At twenty-four, he was one of the oldest cadets, but his abilities weren't solely due to his age.

Inherently competitive and very confident, he was her target.

After the bunk check was completed, the sergeant instructor shouted to the cadets that they had fifteen minutes to eat and gather on the training field.

Almost fully dressed, Sasha quickly put on her shirt, tied her boots, grabbed her sword, and reached the mess hall in less than two minutes.

The mess hall offered a wide range of dishes — from muffins to steaks, the chefs spared no effort.

As wonderful as it seemed, for most cadets, it was a trap.

Cadets were pushed to their limits daily. Whether it was sparring, shooting, weapons training, or simply working under the scorching sun, studying navigation, and learning carpentry — each day was tough.

In most cases, if a cadet truly indulged in the feast in the mess hall, they were sure to throw it up by lunchtime.

But she and Ricky weren't ordinary. After spending almost six years in various climatic zones of the archipelago, they had long learned how to eat without wasting a morsel.

Sitting down with a plate filled with fried eggs and a side of greens, she began to quickly devour her food.

Soon, Ricky joined her at the table, diving into his plate without a word.

Eating quickly, Sasha thought that despite all the hardships, at least Ricky was here.

She knew she surpassed the other cadets, but a lone lion could be defeated by a pack of hyenas.

Since they were little, Ricky had always been her number two, and it worked.

"Today we'll have hand-to-hand combat.»

Interrupting her thoughts, Ricky spoke, and Sasha frowned.

Since their enrollment in the academy, the chief instructor had primarily focused on hand-to-hand combat training. Sasha considered this beneath her dignity.

Yes, there were strong individuals who relied on their fists. Of the few of her peers, two did so.

But she was a noble swordsman, like her teacher.

And so, responding sharply, she asked, "How do you know?"

Ricky, always the one least burdened by tact, continued chewing as he said, "I heard others talking about it. Instructor Zephyr will be present personally, and those with Devil Fruit powers will be allowed to use their abilities."

Upon hearing this, Sasha punched the table, but carefully enough not to break it.

Protesting loudly, she said, "These minor details?! So, we can't use our swords?"

Continuing to eat, Ricky shrugged, "It seems not."

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