The instructor took out a Den Den Mushi on the spot and started contacting former students. The first one he called was Kong.
"Moshi moshi, this is Instructor Carter."
"Instructor? Why are you calling me? Are you arranging for me to teach a class?"
"No no no—" The instructor couldn't suppress his grin. "I've just mastered an incredibly powerful new technique. Interested in learning it?"
"Only 50 million Berries!!"
On the other end, Kong sounded surprised. "Instructor, what kind of move costs that much!?"
"Relax, it's absolutely worth every Berry! Come by Marine Headquarters when you have time and see for yourself!"
Once the call ended, Instructor Carter's grin grew wider.
"Klein, huh... Just because you've learned Rokushiki, don't think you can act cocky in front of your instructor. There's still plenty for you to learn, kid!"
'Old ginger's still got more kick!'
Without wasting time, he began dialing more numbers.
As a senior instructor at the Marine Academy with several graduating classes under his belt, Carter's network was way bigger than Klein's.
Charging 50 million Berries a pop, he'd make back his investment and more in no time. And no doubt, there'd be more than one buyer.
"Jieh jieh jieh jieh—"
"A total win! Not only will I rake in cash, I even got a high-level combat technique for free!"
"Jieh jieh jieh jieh—"
Carter was so excited he went home and spent three hundred rounds 'sparring' with his wife, who looked at him with new admiration—as if she'd received a blessing from the heavens after a long drought.
But then, he suddenly thought of something.
"Klein... That brat accidentally came up with such a powerful move. That level of talent..."
"With that kind of gift, keeping him in school is a waste. Maybe we should make an exception and let him graduate early."
As a Marine Academy instructor, his duty was to teach students. But someone like Klein—a monster of a student…
He'd already mastered Rokushiki so quickly, and on top of that, wielded swordsmanship at the Breath of All Things level. That alone would put him at a high-ranking Colonel level straight into Marine Headquarters.
"That kid… the only thing left to teach him is Haki. But maybe it's too early?"
The Marine Academy didn't even offer full Haki training. If a student could master Rokushiki before graduation, they were already considered a genius.
Haki was usually something only Marines in the New World or HQ were granted access to.
For now, what Klein needed most was a solid foundation. As long as that was set, learning Haki would come naturally.
Time passed quickly—over two weeks flew by.
During that time, Klein successfully unlocked the final move of Rokushiki, Rankyaku, and even leveled up his Tekkai by one rank.
It became the second skill after Conqueror's Haki to reach Level 2.
Of course, all of it was paid for with cold, hard cash—his bank account took several hits.
Late at night, in the dorms—
"Garp, how's training going these past two weeks? Want a rematch?" Klein asked as he massaged Garp's shoulders.
Half-asleep from the comfort, Garp suddenly snapped awake. He turned and scanned Klein up and down. "Klein, you outta cash?"
"Was it that obvious?"
"It's written all over your face—especially your forehead."
Garp's face suddenly turned grim. "You think just because you beat me last time, you can do it again!?"
Back when he challenged the ponytail guy, the brat couldn't run away fast enough.
Now the sun must be rising from the west—he was asking for a spar!
Clearly doesn't take my 'Iron Fists' seriously anymore!
"You pick the time!" Garp barked. He was curious to see how far he'd come in the past couple weeks.
Plus, it was time to show Klein the power of his Iron Fists!
From the side, Sengoku stayed silent. 'That guy Garp, just needed a little push. I wonder how much strength Klein's still hiding this time…'
Klein smirked. "Alright then—three days from now. I need time to warm up!"
And sell more tickets.
Garp's brow twitched, anger boiling. "You damn ponytail freak—are you treating our duel like some circus act!?"
"I'm gonna crush you!!"
Klein didn't reply, just kept smiling. He knew Garp wanted payback, but let's hope the poor guy didn't end up more traumatized.
In the academy's private training chamber, the instructor had already been waiting for a while.
Dressed in a Rear Admiral's uniform, a black suit beneath a white Marine 'Justice' cloak, Kong walked in with his head held high.
"Instructor, let's see what kind of high-level technique you think is worth 50 million Berries."
"Heheh—" Carter grinned. "Relax, you won't be disappointed. Now get your 50 million ready!"
Over the past two weeks, he'd fully grasped the basics of the Demonic Flame Kick.
He was confident Kong would be amazed!
"Kong, watch closely!" Carter shouted as he began spinning like a top.
Kong looked puzzled at first—but within moments, his eyes widened.
"Wait... is your leg on fire!?"
Spinning rapidly, Carter came to a halt. His right leg was glowing red-hot and blazing.
"That's right. This move is called Demonic Flame Kick!"
"Its power is on par with Rankyaku from Rokushiki!"
With explosive strength, he kicked a steel training dummy.
The steel humanoid dummy bent from the impact, and where the leg had hit, there were clear signs of melting.
"The power… is incredible!" Kong's eyes gleamed. "With the heat generated in the leg, even if the enemy blocks the impact, they might not be able to stop the burn."
Carter retracted his leg and stood tall, looking proud.
"Kong, just 50 million Berries, and this move is all yours!"
"I'm in!" Kong didn't hesitate. He mostly fought with his fists, but in close combat, legwork was essential too.
If he could master Demonic Flame Kick, it would expand his arsenal.
And make him stronger!
50 million Berries wasn't a small sum, but for a Marine officer like Kong, it was doable.
After teaching the technique, Carter asked,
"Kong, how many days can you stay at HQ this time?"
"Four or five. I need to escort some pirates to Impel Down and wait for orders."
"Interested in watching a spar between our most talented cadets—Klein and Garp?"
He'd already heard about their upcoming match.
"You mean that student with Admiral potential, the one who mastered Breath of All Things?!" Kong's eyes lit up.
"Three days from now. I'll contact you via Den Den Mushi."
Zephyr stood stiffly at the door of the combat hall, forcing himself to announce: Thıs content belongs to 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑~𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖾~𝖓𝖊𝖙
"Anyone who wants to spectate must buy a ticket—5K per person!"
He had no choice but to obey Klein's orders and act as ticket seller to pay off his debt.
Kong was stunned. "Instructor, since when do student spars require admission fees?"
He'd never seen this in the Marine Academy before.
Usually spars were either private or open for all to watch.
"Ahem…" Carter coughed awkwardly. "Klein's just a little… money-minded. Don't worry, you think he'd dare charge me, his instructor?"
They soon approached the entrance.
Only to be blocked by Zephyr.
"Instructor, you don't have a ticket."
Carter's forehead twitched. He'd just said that, and here came the slap in the face.
"You… You're Zephyr, right?"
"You do know I'm an instructor, right?" Carter's tone turned cold.
Zephyr wiped sweat from his brow.
"Instructor, Klein told me to sell tickets. If anyone sneaks in without paying, he'll dock my pay!"
"You might not care about a few thousand Berries, but I do! The deeper I fall into debt, the faster it snowballs..."
Somehow, he already owed Klein several hundred thousand Berries.
Those massages really were heaven.
Even Sengoku and Garp got them—how can I be the only one in the dorm to miss out!?
The debt pressure was crushing.
Carter looked at this dumb, stubborn cadet in front of him and scowled as he fished out 10,000 Berries.
After all, he'd just made millions with zero investment.
Practically feeding a dog.
Next to him, Kong frowned, looking serious and slightly displeased.
"Instructor Carter, it seems Klein has an… unusual fondness for money."