One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

Wildgrass stepped onto the green grass and reached out his hand to Parmel.

As he approached, everyone saw that the thick grass stalks on the ground, which were feeding on the carcasses of wild beasts, seemed to come alive, twisting and writhing to make way for the wild shepherd, like stars surrounding the moon.

Moreover, Sera then noticed that the ends of those gurgling, thick grass stems did not lead to the ground, but were connected to the toes and insteps of the man named Huang Mu, sending all the rolling essence into his body.

As the gurgling swallowing sounds continued, Zoro and the others sensed that the Wild Sheep's life force was becoming increasingly vigorous.

Sera licked her lips with difficulty and retreated behind Zoro and the others, looking at Aramu with some fear.

It turns out that the strange green grass that instantly drained the mammoths was actually manipulated by the man in front of them.

Seeing Aramaki's outstretched hand, Pamel gripped the Murakumo Cutter tightly, his arm muscles bulging, but he had no intention of showing the Murakumo Cutter to Aramaki.

He looked at Huang Mu with a scrutinizing gaze and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

"I told you I'm a new recruit, don't you understand?" Huang Mu scratched his head, looking a bit exasperated.

"Nonsense! How could a monster like you be a recruit? And where did you come from? I've never heard of you before, when did someone like you appear in the world?" Bepo's Observation Haki was also quite strong, so he could naturally sense the terrifying nature of the man in front of him.

His white fur stood on end, sensing a tremendous danger.

This feeling of palpitations was something no wild beast on the island could give him.

"If you don't believe me, then forget it."

Aramaki's gaze swept over Pamel, Bepo, and Zoro, finally settling on Yamato, where he let out a gasp of surprise.

"It's truly unbelievable that Kaido's daughter would join the Marines. So, was it your own choice, or were you coerced by that kid Rorschach?"

"None of your business! If you want to fight, then fight; if you don't, then get out of the way!"

"Sound of an arrow!"

Yamato showed no mercy. With a flick of his wrist, the black spiked club slung over his shoulder whipped up a gust of wind and swung it at Aramaki in front of him.

Strands of black and red lightning appeared on the thick rod, emanating a terrifying aura that made one's heart tremble.

With a single strike, a clear, massive dent appeared in the air in front of Yamato, as if space itself had been compressed by the spiked club she swung, unleashing a massive shockwave that, like a thick laser beam, blasted towards Aramaki opposite her.

"An attack imbued with Conqueror's Haki, as expected of Kaido's bloodline."

Aramaki seemed unwilling to take Yamato's Overlord's Narakabe head-on, so he moved his feet and took two steps back.

The dozens of thick, python-like grass stalks on the surrounding grass suddenly sprang up, intertwining and coiling in front of him to form a huge green shield.

"boom!"

The shockwave, filled with black and red lightning, slammed into the giant green shield, crushing the shield made of interwoven grass stems into countless fragments.

Green fragments and plant sap fell in a flurry.

Yamato's eyes narrowed; he still wanted to pursue.

Suddenly, the vast grassland beneath their feet cracked and bulged.

Giant, python-like tree roots burst forth from the cracked grass, spreading and growing wildly under everyone's watchful eyes.

In just a few breaths, the tree roots that had squeezed out of the ground grew into a lush, towering grove of giant trees right before their eyes and behind Huang Mu.

Seeing this, Zoro and his companions immediately went into battle mode without saying a word.

With three swords in hand, Zoro exudes a ghostly aura, his domineering presence covering his longswords.

Bepo's body swelled up, transforming into a giant white bear over eight meters tall, covered in pink dragon scales, with its hands turning into enormous dragon claws.

Palmer raised Murakumogiri, poised to unleash his strongest technique, Olympus Impact, which he had created himself.

On the spiked club in Yamato's hand, black and red lightning flashed, and fangs grew from his gaping mouth. His whole body began to transform into the beast-human form of the Great Mouth God.

"That's more like it. How can you select any outstanding soldiers by fighting a bunch of mindless beasts? Saying that getting two purple wooden plaques makes you a lieutenant general, pfft, the standard for a lieutenant general is just too trashy, isn't it?"

Huang Mu grinned, and his three-meter-tall body suddenly began to swell, his skin becoming rough, like tree bark.

Just then, a cold voice rang in everyone's ears, and also reached Huang Mu's ears, whose body was constantly expanding.

"Alright, the Vermeer trial selection is over. You can come out now."

"Lieutenant General!" Bepo was startled and looked up at the sky, where he could vaguely see the Kirin floating above Vermeeru, heading towards G1.

Upon receiving Rorschach's order, Bepo, Palmer, and the others did not hesitate and disengaged from their fighting stance.

Zoro also sheathed his three longswords and gave Aramaki a deep look.

Yamato snorted coldly, slung his spiked club over his shoulder, and followed Zoro and the others as they retreated from Vermeer Island.

"Hmph, boring."

Seeing everyone leave, Huang Mu muttered something, and his expanding body rapidly shrank, returning to human form in the blink of an eye. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, put it in his mouth, lit it, and then walked out with his hands in his pockets, swaying unsteadily.

He heard sounds that no one else could hear.

"Aramaki, teach that brat a lesson during the Admiral selection later. Make sure he loses face in front of the whole world. Hmph, he actually dared to cooperate with that jerk Morgans and stage a live broadcast. He's going to expose all the Navy's secrets. And the Five Elders, just for those two hundred billion Berries, they let the Navy run rampant. Aren't they afraid that if the Navy's budget is too high, they'll end up raising a tiger that will eventually turn against them?"

"I know, he's just a kid in his teens. I want to see if his achievements are just gilded by the Warring States period or if he really got lucky and killed the Golden Lion and Whitebeard."

Huang Mu murmured to himself, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Just wait, I'll show Brother Sakazuki that I'm his most capable henchman, not some teenager."

G1 Island.

Seeing Rorschach disembark from the Kirin, Palmer, Bepo, and the others quickly surrounded him.

Sera, still shaken, glanced back. Seeing no sign of Huang Mu, she breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Luo Xia, lowering her voice to ask softly, "Lieutenant General Luo Xia, did you see that strange man? Who... is he?"

Zoro also looked at Rorschach.

Luo Xia curled his lip and said indifferently, "Never mind him. That guy might be the third admiral in the Navy."

His voice was carried by the air, reaching the ears of the people around him at just the right moment, so much so that even the video Den Den Mushi couldn't catch what he said.

"What?! A third admiral?"

Rorschach's words were like a thunderbolt, startling Pamel and Bepo so much that their eyes widened in shock.

Zoro, Sera, and the others were also greatly shocked.

Yamato remained relatively calm, but turned his head with interest to look at Aramaki, who had walked out of Wilmaeu Island alone, and muttered, "Is he also going to become a Marine Admiral? Does that mean if I defeat him, I can replace him and take the position of Marine Admiral?"

Zoro frowned slightly: "So he's here to compete for the position of Marine Admiral. No wonder he has that terrifying aura."

He looked at Luo Xia, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong with that guy? Why is his life force even more vigorous and exaggerated than yours, Luo Xia? Could he also be a Zoan-type Mythical Beast user?"

Palmer and Bepo were also curious about this, and they both looked at Rorschach.

Luo Xia shook his head. "No, he is not a Mythical Zoan type ability user."

"What? No? How is that possible? If it's not a mythical beast, how could its vitality be so strong..."

“It’s a Logia-type Forest-Forest Fruit.” Rorschach interrupted Zoro’s shock. “Your senses are correct. This guy’s vitality is indeed abnormally strong. The Forest-Forest Fruit grants him vitality like that of nature itself. Not only is his own vitality strong, but he can also absorb and steal the life energy of other creatures. So, if you ever face this guy, remember, never try to wear him down. You have to finish him off quickly, or he’ll drag you down to your death.”

"A quick victory? Is that really possible? That guy is at the general level, and his basic strength is probably monstrous, right?"

Zoro and the others shook their heads and smiled wryly at Rorschach's suggestion.

"Alright, everyone come here. Take the tokens you got on the island and exchange them for military ranks."

Luo Xia clapped his hands, signaling everyone to go to the concert platform that had been set up in front.

"We have no use for this, you can have it."

Zoro, Sera, and the others pulled out a handful of colorful wooden plaques from their pockets and handed them to Pamel and Bepo.

The two shook their heads repeatedly, "We don't need it. We already have enough purple wooden plaques; we are fully qualified to be promoted to lieutenant general."

Bepo's eyes shone with undisguised joy.

He never imagined that he would catch up with Rorschach so quickly and become a vice admiral, a pillar of the navy.

This is a vice admiral; above that, there's only the rank of naval governor.

No matter where this rank is placed, it would be equivalent to that of a high-ranking general at the base commander level.

“What about them? They should need it, right?” Sera looked at Penn, Tashigi, and Deckardban beside her.

When Sera presented him with a large handful of wooden plaques, Penn quickly waved his hand to refuse.

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Zoro, but I don't need it. My strength is far from sufficient to become a vice admiral. I am already extremely fortunate to have become a major admiral."

Tashigi blushed slightly, glanced at Rorschach with some shame, and shook her head, saying, "I don't need it either. My strength is still too poor. I haven't even managed to get the rank of colonel. I've let down the lieutenant general's trust."

Ban shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.

Even Boss Bepo didn't want it, so how could he dare to?

Seeing Sera looking at the wooden plaques with such regret, Rorschach couldn't help but pat Zoro's shoulder and joke, "Since it's such a waste, why don't you just take these plaques and exchange them for a lieutenant general or a major general position?"

Zoro and Sera both remained silent for a while before shaking their heads.

Zoro said, "If it were before, I might have accepted becoming a Marine. But now, I only want to fulfill my master's wish and establish the Bounty Hunter Guild headquarters in the New World where pirates roam. I want to become the world's greatest swordsman and the King of Bounty Hunters, and make the Bounty Hunter Guild open in every corner of the world."

Zoro calmly uttered a bold statement that shook everyone around him.

"The world's greatest swordsman." Tashigi stared blankly at Zoro's rugged profile, deeply moved by Zoro's dream.

Tashigi, who was extremely familiar with famous swords, had already noticed that Zoro was carrying three great swords!

She had been searching for a rare and precious sword like the Great Sword for several years without success, until Luo Xia gifted her a Sakura Ten.

The green-haired man in front of them actually had three guns in his hand.

One of them is the national treasure of Wano Country, the black sword Shusui.

Tashigi had heard that this sword was given to Zoro by Vice Admiral Rorschach.

"I was just kidding. It's fine if I don't want to be in the navy, since we're allies anyway, aren't we?"

Rorschach smiled.

He didn't really intend for Zoro and the others to join the Navy.

Eggs cannot be put in one basket.

Zoro is able to lead the Bounty Hunters Guild forward, and with his potential, he will definitely become a powerful ally of Rorschach in the future.

On the elevated concert stage, Gates began shouting excitedly at the top of his lungs again:

"Viewers in front of the screen, let's all stand up and give these brave, skilled, and fearless naval warriors the warmest applause! Thank you for bringing us one thrilling and exciting battle after another! And thank you for your future contributions to upholding justice and protecting the weak!"