One Piece Shadow Army - Chapter 72
### Chapter 72: Approaching the Start
On a nearby building, a nondescript Marine officer was recording the battle scores of Curls and Veroch on his report board. Next to him stood a handsome Marine Captain.
“Kahn, I heard he was one of your recruits. What do you think of him?”
Kahn chose his words carefully, “Sharlor Curls has a high aptitude for swordsmanship and an exceptional grasp of learning. He’s a very rare talent.”
“You were his drill instructor during his recruit training. Do you have any other evaluations of him?” the recording officer asked.
“Other evaluations have already been provided. If his personality hasn’t changed, that’s all,” Kahn replied calmly. His sensitive position as a Revolutionary Army spy meant that showing too much familiarity with Curls could lead to repercussions for Curls if Kahn were ever exposed. Thus, his distant attitude upon their landing yesterday was both a hint for Mode and Dasqi and a way to maintain appearances with Curls.
“Are you sure there’s nothing else?” the recording officer pressed.
“That’s all,” Kahn affirmed seriously.
…
After Veroch was taken away for medical treatment, the excitement gradually died down. However, the impact of Curls defeating Veroch with a single strike was far from over.
“Major, your belongings,” Dasqi said, quickly handing Curls his Marine coat and silver pocket watch after the battle.
“Curls, do you need to go to the infirmary?” Mode asked, catching up with them.
“No need, it’s just a minor issue,” Curls replied, shaking his head and taking his belongings from Dasqi.
Mode was speechless. Half of Curls’ face was covered in blood, and he called it a minor issue?
“Thank you, Major,” Dasqi said, bowing at a ninety-degree angle after handing back Curls’ items.
“No need. I just wanted to test my strength through battle. Helping you was incidental,” Curls said indifferently, giving Dasqi a brief glance before turning to leave.
“Thank you anyway,” Dasqi continued to bow. She knew Curls was a man with a cold exterior but a warm heart, who didn’t like being thanked. It was just like the first time they encountered pirates during recruit training.
Curls, uninterested in Dasqi’s thoughts, walked on, contemplating the gains from his battle. The biggest gain was, of course, reaching the level of cutting steel. He had also witnessed firsthand the strength of a New World Marine Captain, a far cry from those in the East Blue, and the power of a rare ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit…
Upon reaching the dormitory, Curls realized his head injury needed treatment and headed to the infirmary.
In front of the dormitory, some Marines, unaware of the earlier events, wondered why Curls was bleeding and whispered among themselves.
“Hey, what’s up with that young guy?”
“Probably got beaten up. He looks pretty weak.”
“I think I’ve seen him before. He’s from the East Blue, but this place is filled with elite Marines from various branches. It’s normal to get into conflicts and get hurt.”
Ignoring these comments, Curls confirmed the location of the infirmary and continued on.
“I heard several Marines directly reserved for the elite training camp this year are Devil Fruit users, including Veroch from the G5 branch. His strength is said to be terrifying.”
“I know, Veroch’s temper is bad. He even injured a few Marines here for the selection.”
“His Devil Fruit is a rare ancient Zoan-type. I think he’ll be the strongest in this year’s training camp.”
Shortly after, news of Veroch’s defeat by the East Blue rising star spread through the dormitory, causing shock and discussion.
“Did you hear? Veroch from the G5 branch was defeated.”
“Veroch? With that rare ancient Zoan-type? How could he be beaten?”
“I was there. The one who beat Veroch is the young, handsome Marine from the East Blue who arrived yesterday. The fight was intense… In the end, Curls drew his sword and instantly defeated Veroch.”
Instant defeat! An ancient Zoan-type?
Hearing this, the gathered Marines couldn’t help but swallow in disbelief. They recalled seeing Curls earlier and were momentarily stunned. They had assumed the handsome young Marine was weak, but Curls turned out to be incredibly strong!
“By the way, doesn’t Veroch have a brother? I heard he’s a Vice Admiral. Will he come after Curls for this?”
“You mean Vice Admiral Vergo from the G5 branch? He’s a gentlemanly Marine. I doubt he’d cause trouble for Curls over this.”
“Why is Vergo a Vice Admiral while his brother Veroch is still a Captain?” (Note 1)
“I heard they were separated as kids and only reunited recently. Veroch was just an ordinary guard in a kingdom on the Grand Line until he joined the Marines a few years ago.”
…
At Marine Headquarters, in a conference room within one of the upper floors of the tower, high-ranking Marines were discussing this year’s elite training camp.
Tap, tap, tap!
Outside the conference room, a Marine Captain knocked on the door.
The meeting paused.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku looked toward the door and asked, “What is it?”
The adjutant reported, “Sir, there was a challenge between Veroch and Sharlor Curls, both reserved for the elite training camp.”
Hearing the names of these Devil Fruit users, Sengoku showed interest. “Tell us.”
“Yes, sir.” The adjutant opened the report and began reading, “At first, they fought using their physical skills… In the end, Sharlor Curls used a powerful sword technique to defeat Veroch.”
The adjutant closed the report, and the room fell silent.
Crack, crack!
“Ha ha ha, interesting! I had high hopes for Sharlor Curls. His progress is impressive,” Garp said, breaking the silence with laughter and continuing to eat his donuts.
Other Vice Admirals began sharing their opinions.
“Didn’t expect a rare ancient Zoan-type to be defeated. This Curls…”
“A powerful sword, huh? Seems this young man’s swordsmanship has reached the level of cutting steel…”
“I checked his file. He’s only been learning the sword for a year and is already approaching the level of a master swordsman. Truly gifted!”
…
Zephyr listened to the Vice Admirals’ comments and became interested in this young Marine named Sharlor Curls. He pulled out Curls’ file from the documents before him.
Name: Sharlor Curls
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Years in the Marines: 1
Rank: Marine Headquarters Major
Special: Devil Fruit user, Shadow-Shadow Fruit
Skills: Swordsmanship
Zephyr was surprised by Curls’ talent and strength. An 18-year-old Marine Headquarters Major! Truly a rising star. At 18, Zephyr had just begun participating in actual combat.
Zephyr sighed, reflecting on how times had changed, then looked at the evaluation column.
Evaluation: Rapidly growing strength (Smoker), cold personality, rebellious, often disobeys orders, recommended for observation and discipline (Kahn)
Seeing Smoker’s name, Zephyr sighed inwardly, hoping this young Marine, Curls, wouldn’t become another maverick who disobeyed superiors.
…
Time passed quickly at Marine Headquarters. The day of the training camp selection was drawing near.
Four days, three days, two days, one day…
On the night before the formal assessment, all Marines preparing for the elite training camp were resting, gathering their energy for the next day’s evaluation.
Except for Curls.
Thanks to the benefits of his Shadow-Shadow Fruit, he meditated and trained until 3 a.m. every night, and tonight was no different.
This had long become a habit.
After meditating and consolidating his swordsmanship at the level of cutting steel, Curls went to sleep, ready for the assessment the next day.
Although he had a reserved spot, he still had to record the preliminary assessment.
The next morning, headquarters officers led all the Marines recommended by their branches to the assessment site.
On the way, aside from those with reserved spots and those particularly confident in their abilities, most of the Marines felt a mix of excitement and nervousness, unsure if they would pass.
Mode and Dasqi were among those whose emotions were in turmoil.
Before long, the officers led the group to a spacious room filled with various testing equipment.
The initial screening for the elite training camp began!
…
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