The graduation day for the first batch of the Elite Navy Expansiram had finally arrived.

  Smoker stared bnkly at the graduatio arras.

  To his surprise, he, Hina, Gasparade, Esther, and four others—seven in total—were exempt from taking the test and allowed to graduate directly.

  Holding the dot, Smoker went to find Zephyr.

  “Zephyr-sensei, what’s going on here?! How did we get graded without even taking the test?”

  He had been looking forward to showing off his skills and maybe rubbing it in a bit.

  Why was his ce to shine—or rather, to crush some weaklings—being taken away?!

  Zephyr, lounging in his office chair and flipping through a neer, replied dismissively, “What’s there to test with you lot? If even you ’t pass, the entire program would be a joke! Do you want the first expansion batch to bee a ughingstock?”

  Smoker spped the results sheet onto the desk in protest.

  “Fine, . But why is Hina ranked higher than me?”

  Acc to the instructors, Hina was ranked first, with Smoker in sed.

  L his voice spiratorially, he added, “Between us... I could easily take her down.”

  Zephyr’s eyes shifted from the neer to Smoker, his lips curving into a sly smile.

  “How about this—you two pete based on the graduatio criteria?”

  “bat, strategy, unication, intelligence, w, cultural knowledge, firearm maintenance, ship navigation, administrative regutions...”

  “I set it all up for you.”

  Smoker hesitated, his bravado crumbling. “Uh… never mind. If she’s ranked higher, she’s ranked higher.”

  Zephyr snorted. “Hmph. Thought so!”

  He tinued, “Rex. The top position is still yours. You and Hina are being groomed for different roles anyway.”

  Smoker looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  Zephyr, as if remembering something, pulled out a stack of files from his desk drawer.

  “By the way, the tests will take about two months to .”

  “You’ll have some free time. Take care of these targets in the meantime.”

  Smoker took the files and flipped through them carefully. They were wanted posters and dossiers.

  “‘Bright Pirates’... Captain ‘Bright Burial Lamp,’ bounty 200 million berries, Paramecia-type Light-Light Fruit. Major officer ‘Tracker Cody,’ bounty 50 million berries, Zoan-type Dog-Dog Fruit: odel.”

  “‘Fold Pirates’... Captain ‘Untouchable Titan,’ bounty 130 million berries, Paramecia-type Distance-Distance Fruit. What kind of ability is that?”

  Smoker read further into Titan’s profile. The ability was detailed in full:

  “Distance-Distance Fruit allows the user to extend or shorten the distaween themselves and a target at will, up to 10 times. Effective range is suspected to be ten nautical miles... iing.”

  “This one’s uoo, the ‘Glide Pirates’... Captain Fly Squirrel, bounty 74 million berries, Zoan-type Mouse-Mouse Fruit: Flying Squirrel Model.”

  “Their entire crew specializes in gliders and hot air balloons… Hmm, an aerial unit?”

  “But their non-batah rate is ridiculously high…”

  “And there’s more…”

  The stack tained over twenty wanted posters, involving more than ten pirate crews.

  The bounties varied widely, as did the pirates’ abilities. Most were ordinary Zoan users or wielders of ckluster Paramecia powers.

  In addition, the dossiers included their current locations—spread across the first half of the Grand Line—and even their pnned routes.

  Smoker couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity.

  These idiots were clearly being monitored by intelligence operatives. They didn’t stand a ce.

  "Finished reading?"

  Zephyr pulled out another dot, scribbled on it swiftly, and pced a Den Den Mushi with a special insignia in front of Smoker.

  "Take this file. Whether you need ships or persohe logistics team will support you."

  "If you need intel, use this Den Den Mushi to tact the intelligence division. But listen carefully—don’t lose it! If you do, you might spend the rest of your life rotting in Impel Down!"

  "And one more thing: recover as many Devil Fruits as you , but keep it absolutely fidential!"

  Smoker accepted the file and the Den Den Mushi, his expressioical.

  "Zephyr-sensei, is this some task from Admiral Sengoku that you're just passing off to me?"

  Zephyr smmed the desk and barked, trying to mask his guilt, "What?! How dare you tarnish my good h baseless accusations! Catg pirates isn’t passing the buck—it’s training for you! A blessing for your career!"

  "Anyway… that's enough chatter. Off you go now, don’t waste my time!"

  Realizing he’d been dismissed, Smoker clicked his tongue a relutly.

  “Ten pirate crews, huh? Looks like I’ll be busy for a while.”

  Two months passed quickly.

  The students fiheir tests, and Smoker rushed back to headquarters.

  Despite the exhausting work, it had been a fruitful venture.

  He defeated pirates by the shipload, with their collective bouotaling over a billion berries. Not to mention the hidden treasures he’d quietly pocketed, including 20 Devil Fruits.

  The graduation ceremony was held iraining grounds.

  In attendance were the successful graduates, students who had been reassigo desk roles due to injuries, and a solemn row of bd-white photos orating the fallen.

  Zephyr announced:

  "Out of the 237 students enrolled in the first Elite Navy Expansiram, only a few were reassigned due to severe injuries or disabilities.

  None quit or defected. Of the 173 who ehe rigorous final tests, all passed and graduated successfully!"

  The following medal ceremony, though less grand than those for Admiral didates, was still solemn and momentous.

  Zephyr personally awarded each student their rank, all of which were at least the rank of Major.

  Among them:

  10 graduates received the rank of el, granting them and of their own ships. If statio one of the Navy’s bases in the Four Seas, they could immediately serve as base anders.32 graduates were promoted to Lieutenant el, seg high-ranking positions in the bases.The remaining 129 students earhe rank of Major, as anything below this rank couldn’t pass the rigorous tests.But two individuals stood out the most—Smoker and Hina.

  Thanks to his accumuted achievements and the glory of his two-month mission, Smoker romoted from el to Rear Admiral.

  Only then did Smoker realize that Zephyr’s so-called "passing the buck" had been more than just ziness—it had been a calcuted move.

  Hina, oher hand, had built an impressive resume over the years alongside Smoker. With her natural Devil Fruit powers, mastery of Haki, and exceptional all-around skills, she romoted to odore.

  It was rare in the Navy to see officers ehe admiralty ranks immediately upon graduation.

  The final agenda was the annou of assigs.

  Among the 173 graduates, Hina and 130 others were sent to reinforce various branches and bases.

  The remaining 43, led by Smoker, were assigo the newly established Navy G-12 branch.