Gion had gone back.
This time, she hadn't even greeted Tsuru after returning—she'd rushed straight off the ship to find Kaito. Of course, that was something she would never admit to Kaito.
When Kaito got back to the dorm and opened the door, he was met with three pairs of eyes staring straight at him.
"Back already, Boss Kaito!"
"Who was that beauty in uniform just now? Mind sharing some details with us?"
"Yeah, seriously! What a sight! Those female recruits don't even come close!"
"..."
Kaito casually explained who Gion was, which instantly caused another uproar from the trio.
"What?! A Vice Admiral? No way—she looks so young!"
"Whoa, Kaito knows a babe like that? No wonder you're the man!"
"Boss Kaito, what's your relationship with her? Should we start calling her sister-in-law next time we see her?"
"Boss, have a cigar—I've got a friend who wants to know if sister-in-law has any sisters or cousins?"
Kaito stared speechlessly at the overly flattering Glefos. Then, suddenly struck by a funny idea, he nodded with a serious face and said:
"Actually, she really does have an older sister. Not only is she high-ranking, but she's also single."
"Nani?!" Glefos practically started drooling. He immediately dove under his bed and dragged out a massive box of cigars, making Breach's eyes go wide.
He shoved the whole box into Kaito's hands, rubbed his palms together, and scooted up beside him, asking,
"So… Boss Kaito, I mean, my friend has been single for years. He's really desperate for a soulmate connection. Do you think you could introduce them? I swear! If it works out, I'll give you a whole box of my private stash!"
Kaito clapped a hand on his shoulder and solemnly said,
"Relax! Leave it to me."
"Boss Kaito!" Glefos was practically in tears, nearly calling him "Dad" on the spot.
Breach walked over and chimed in too,
"Glefos, actually I have a sister. Maybe she and your friend—"
"Scram! Go look in a mirror first!" Glefos cut him off, eyeing Breach's stubby limbs and giant shovel-sized hands with undisguised disgust.
"Tch! What kind of taste is that?" Breach muttered, clearly wounded. He sulked back to his bed and flopped onto it, silent. He couldn't win a fight anyway.
Binz, meanwhile, didn't say much. He was currently twisting and wriggling in front of a potted cactus. The scene was... kind of painful to watch.
As he moved, the cactus began to swell and grow sharper spines. This was the power of Binz's Fruit, which allowed him to control nearby plants and accelerate their growth.
However, it seemed the ability required these weird body movements to activate—the faster he twisted, the stronger the power. Kaito had no idea if every Grow-Grow Fruit user had to dance like that to activate it, but he couldn't help wondering: what if a super introverted shut-in ate the fruit? In front of a crowd, they might rather die than ever use their powers.
Binz, now drenched in sweat, finally stopped moving and sat down to rest.
Kaito walked over and asked,
"Binz, feeling confident? You've been training harder than anyone. If you place in the top ranks, what reward would you want?"
Binz thought for a moment, then answered,
"Honestly, I'm not that confident. With you around there are really only two spots left. But... if I do manage to earn one of them, I'd like a Sword."
A Sword? Kaito remembered in one of the movies Binz had a sword with a green hilt strapped to his back. Could that have been something he got from a trial like this?
Maybe Binz actually stood a good chance this time. Kaito patted him on the shoulder.
"Believe in yourself. I really think you'll rank high."
Binz stood up, surprised and touched by Kaito's confidence in him. He quickly bowed in thanks.
Kaito told him to relax. Among his three roommates, Binz was the most earnest one. Thankfully, the others weren't bullies. Even Glefos—who looked like a total brute—only ever roughed up Breach, and even that was usually Breach's own fault.
Once Binz was reassured, Kaito turned to the other two.
"You guys need to step up too. After graduation, we might end up on the same ship."
Breach and Glefos looked confused and pointed at themselves. Since joining the training camp, one had been obsessed with smoking cigars, and the other obsessed with sneaking cigars. Compared to Kaito and Binz, they hadn't really focused on improving.
Kaito suspected that aside from himself, the strongest guy in their dorm might actually be the usually quiet Binz.
"The seas aren't as safe as they used to be. There are more pirates than ever, and the Navy's casualties keep rising year after year. If we can get assigned to the same ship after graduation, we can watch each other's backs. I don't want to see any of our names pop up on a memorial plaque one day."
That was heavy. The room went quiet. Even Binz seemed deep in thought.
After a while, the one who usually joked around the most—Breach—spoke up first.
"I get it, Boss Kaito. Thanks. From now on, I'll train hard... and cut back on cigars."
Glefos shot him a look: "What cigars? Haven't all of them been mine??"
After glaring at him, Glefos spoke up too.
"Don't worry, Boss Kaito. I know I probably can't catch up to you in raw strength, but I've got a real talent for handling firearms. If I can serve on your ship as a gunner one day, that'd be more than enough for me."
In his heart, Glefos always assumed Kaito's future rank would be Vice Admiral or higher, with a ship of his own being a given.
Binz didn't say anything, but he nodded firmly.
Kaito was pleased with everyone's responses. If they couldn't understand the stakes after this, then they'd have no one but themselves to blame when the sea swallowed them up.
He also firmly believed he'd one day have his own warship. When that time came, the first people to board with him had to be his own—and not just anyone. They needed to have real skill. And in terms of both camaraderie and strength, his current roommates were solid picks.
Stretching out his hand, Kaito looked at the others and said,
"Good. From now on, we work hard—no slacking off."
All three of them placed their hands on his, shouting in unison:
"Work hard! Don't let Boss Kaito leave us behind!"
Kaito looked at the three of them, stunned for a moment. Then they all grinned sheepishly.
"Well, you're just way too strong. If we can just keep up with you, we'd be kings of the whole training camp!"
Kaito couldn't help but burst out laughing, and the others joined in. The dorm echoed with laughter that spilled out into the night.
By now, it was late, and some of the other dorms were already trying to sleep. Someone yelled out angrily,
"Dammit! Are you horny or what? It's the middle of the night—some of us are trying to sleep!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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