In the original story, Lucci had once mentioned a specific concept.
That was... anyone who could reach a Doriki of 500 could be called a "superhuman."
Once a person possessed that level of strength, they were no longer someone who could be defeated by ordinary people simply by relying on superior numbers.
While this definition wasn't officially proposed by the Marine, the organization generally accepted it in practice.
And now, what was they seeing?
Among these recruits—those who had failed the previous assessment and were now taking the makeup exam—the worst of them had a Doriki of around 350, and a small number had even exceeded 400.
Just how strong were the Marines formally serving in the 16th Branch?
Were there a significant number of them who had already reached the superhuman level?
The Marines under Gion's command were starting to have an existential crisis.
"Do you think it would be feasible to send the Marines from my direct unit to Sean's side for training in batches?" Gion asked the Commodore beside her, unable to hide her shock at the scene.
The Commodore's eyes lit up immediately. Not only was it feasible, it was a fantastic idea!
"Vice Admiral, I believe that if we split them into three batches, we could complete the rotation training as quickly as possible without interfering with our missions."
"Mm. I'll discuss this with Sean later," Gion nodded, continuing to watch the assessment.
Half an hour later.
The Doriki testing phase concluded. Among the hundred or so recruits, the worst score was exactly 300—not a single point more or less.
The best score, however, reached 550, which left everyone stunned.
Interestingly, neither of these two were from the group that had been eliminated last time; they were Usopp and Zoro.
Sean wasn't surprised by Zoro's result. Once that guy committed to something, he was ruthless. He spent every waking moment training, maintaining a brutal intensity that few could match. Coupled with his naturally strong foundation and the steady supply of meat jerky from Sean, reaching over 500 Doriki wasn't surprising.
Usopp, however, caught Sean off guard.
He had actually passed, and he had landed exactly on 300. Not a point more.
Now, that was interesting.
When he first arrived, his physical condition wasn't strong; he was barely different from an average person. His training intensity and duration weren't nearly as exaggerated as Zoro's.
How did he manage to hit the 300 Doriki mark in three months?
Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong!
Wait...
At that moment, Sean noticed the guy seemed to be hiding something in his pocket. Looking closer, he realized...
Good grief, he was cheating.
Suddenly, Sean understood how he had passed the Doriki test. Although he had caught him, Sean didn't intend to expose him. Being able to cheat without anyone else noticing was a skill in itself.
However, the next assessment item was the Six Powers.
Sean wanted to see just how Usopp planned to bluff his way through that...
Soon, the Doriki testers were cleared from the training ground. The second round of the assessment began.
Just like last time, the second round tested the Six Powers. As long as a recruit could demonstrate a single technique, they would pass.
One by one, the recruits stepped forward in order of their ID numbers to showcase the Rokushiki techniques they had learned.
Once again, the Marines under Gion were blinded by the spectacle.
Most of them could actually use two different techniques?
Regardless of whether they were proficient, the fact that they could execute them at all was absurd.
However, for Sean and the veterans of the 16th Branch, this was perfectly normal. After all, during the first assessment three months ago, most of those who were eliminated had only been a step away from passing.
Now, after three more months of eating meat jerky and undergoing training from the instructors, being able to use two or even three techniques was nothing unusual. Though, they might only be able to perform the move without yet having the skill to apply it effectively in actual combat.
Soon, it was Zoro's turn.
He executed a flawless Soru and then just stood there, motionless.
This left everyone puzzled. Why would a powerhouse with over 500 Doriki only demonstrate a single Rokushiki technique?
The Marine recording the scores looked at Zoro and asked, "Are you finished?"
"Yeah, I'm done."
"Uh, don't you want to demonstrate a few more?"
"No need. I only learned Soru. The other moves don't suit me."
The Marine was completely dumbfounded. The Six Powers were such incredible skills, and this guy was claiming that only Soru suited him, so he didn't want to learn the other five?
Was he just showing off?
In reality, Zoro wasn't pretending. Especially when it came to Shigan...
Seriously, you want a three-sword style swordsman to learn Finger Pistol? What, am I supposed to fight with dainty pinkies out? Where would I even find the time to use my fingers for that when I'm holding swords?
As for Rankyaku, he was a swordsman. Wouldn't it be better to use a swordsman's slash? Why bother with a Rankyaku that had less offensive power?
It was the same for the other techniques; Zoro genuinely had no interest in learning them. In his mind, only Soru provided any real utility to his fighting style.
The recording Marine opened his mouth to speak but eventually said nothing, silently noted the result, and announced that Zoro had passed. After all, the passing requirement was only one technique.
Next, it was Usopp's turn. Sean's interest peaked instantly.
After the first round, Sean was certain that Usopp couldn't have possibly learned any of the Six Powers. So, how was he planning to deceive everyone this time?
"Recruit, which technique are you demonstrating?"
"Tekkai!"
"Very well. I'll help you test the strength of your Tekkai in a moment."
"That won't be necessary. Your strength isn't enough to showcase the hardness of my Tekkai!"
"What...?"
The Marine recording the scores was baffled. This kid was way too arrogant. He only had 300 Doriki in the first round, yet he was talking this big?
But in the next instant, the Marine's eyes bulged.
Not just him—everyone on the training ground was stunned.
No one knew how Usopp had managed it, but suddenly...
A massive iron hammer appeared in his hand, and written on the hammer was "10t."
He tossed the hammer high into the air and let out a loud shout.
"Tekkai!"
A few seconds later, the hammer spun a dozen times in the air and plummeted back down, slamming violently into Usopp's protruding chest.
'CLANG!!!'
'BOOM!!!'
A dull, metallic impact echoed across the field.
Usopp's body didn't budge an inch. Instead, the massive iron hammer was repelled, flying three meters away and hitting the ground with another thunderous crash.
Dust billowed everywhere. The sheer power of the hammer's descent was evident.
At this moment, whether it was the Marines of the 16th Branch or Gion's subordinates, everyone was speechless.
This was beyond ridiculous.
"Vice Admiral, can Tekkai actually reach that level?" the Commodore asked.
Hearing this, Gion could only scream internally in disbelief.
"Even I can't pull that off, alright?"
"If it were Armament Haki, maybe there'd be a chance, but relying solely on Tekkai while remaining completely motionless..."
"Forget about me; even if Garp showed up, he might not be able to do it!"
However, Sean, who had witnessed the same scene, almost burst out laughing.
Others might not know what was going on with Usopp's hammer, but as someone who had read the original story, how could Sean not know?
As for the thunderous crash and the clouds of dust that filled the air... the guy had probably planned it all in advance. He likely snuck into the training ground and buried some explosives before the exam started.
"Well? Did I pass?"
Tilting his signature long nose up, Usopp asked the Marine recording the scores.
"This... P-Passed!!"
How could he not pass after withstanding a ten-ton hammer? Looking at the massive crater hammered into the ground, there was no doubt about the weight of that hammer!
They had assumed this guy was the weakest of the bunch, but... with this level of Tekkai, probably no one in the entire branch—except Rear Admiral Sean and Captain Lucci—could break through his defense.
"Wait! Where's the hammer?"
The Marine recording the scores looked around, suddenly bewildered. Where had such a massive hammer vanished to?
'''
Three hours later, all evaluations, including the third round of rank challenges, had concluded.
Except for Zoro, who secured a promotion to Lieutenant, no one else succeeded. After all, the gap in strength was simply too wide; otherwise, they wouldn't have been the ones eliminated three months ago.
As for Usopp, he simply waived his right to challenge.
He was joking—if he actually had to fight, his cover would be blown immediately. As long as he passed the exam, he could leave that hellish training camp, right?
Feeling pleased with himself, he was heading back to the Marine dorms for a nap when he was stopped midway.
It was a tall woman wearing a mask that obscured her features. Though her face was hidden, everyone in the branch knew who she was, as Sean had announced it three days prior.
"Usopp, Rear Admiral Sean asked me to give this to you!"
After handing a document to Usopp, Robin turned and left.
Usopp took the document with a puzzled expression, but as soon as he saw the contents, he completely lost it.
It was a list—a repair bill for the training ground! Every single item was clearly detailed. And the total amount written at the bottom was...
1.8 million Belly!
He knew exactly what this meant. Sean had seen through his tricks and was demanding compensation. But...
'Hiss...'
1.8 million Belly? Usopp could swear that in his entire life, he had never seen that much money.
Reading further, there were a few more lines:
'The aforementioned amount must be paid within three days. Failure to do so will result in an immediate referral to a military court for the intentional destruction of base facilities. In the worst-case scenario, transfer to Impel Down is a possibility.'
'Alternatively, for those unable to pay, the debt may be wiped clean by signing a commitment to serve voluntarily for a minimum of ten years.'
At that moment, Usopp felt his world collapsing.
While 1.8 million Belly wasn't an astronomical sum in this world, the problem was that he simply didn't have it. Even if he tried to find a way, setting aside whether Sean would even let him leave the 16th Branch, the three-day time limit made it impossible.
Even traveling to the nearest island would take over a day round-trip!
Finally... after spending a sleepless night searching for a solution and finding none...
Usopp signed his name... humiliated, on the commitment to serve for at least ten years.