One Piece: sign-in to Ryujin Jakka

As Roman's voice fell, he released his grip on Kalifa's ankle.

However, in that very instant, Kalifa used Shave (Soru) to appear behind him, her finger extended, ruthlessly aiming for Roman's back!

"Don't touch me again! Finger Pistol (Shigan)!"

Roman sighed. Now he understood just how bad the girl's temper truly was.

With a slight tilt of his head, Roman dodged Kalifa's attack effortlessly.

At the same time, a phantom figure identical to Roman appeared behind Kalifa, quickly restraining her.

Kalifa's pupils shrank, her mind catching up to the situation. She gasped, "You're a Devil Fruit user!"

"You attacked without even knowing your opponent's abilities? You really are foolish."

Kalifa's anger flared at Roman's words. "Then do you know my ability?!" she snapped. "Golden Hour!"

With that, Kalifa's hands burst forth with a large amount of bubbles, and anything these bubbles touched became slick and smooth. Taking advantage of this, she slipped out of the phantom's hold, kicked the phantom to pieces, and used a powerful push off from the ground to launch herself toward Roman's back.

"You're too careless! Finger Pistol!"

Her figure flickered as she thrust her index finger forward with explosive force. This time, her Finger Pistol was far more powerful than before.

Kalifa had completely forgotten that they were merely in a training ground, and that she was only testing her strength. Now, she was using her full power, aiming straight at Roman's head!

Stab!

As Kalifa's finger pierced Roman's head, her mind snapped back into focus.

Her pupils contracted in disbelief. She immediately pulled her finger back, staring in shock at the sight before her.

She had expected Roman to react—after all, his reflexes had been quick enough just moments ago!

Thud~

Roman collapsed to the ground, his body going limp like a puddle of mud.

It was as though the scene was reminding everyone that Roman had—because of Kalifa—died.

More and more people gathered around, and murmurs began to spread.

Kalifa rushed to Roman's side, calling out frantically, "Hey, hey, get up! Don't scare me! I didn't mean it! Wake up!"

She kneeled beside him, tears streaming down her face.

"What just happened?"

"Did Kalifa kill him?!"

"Kill him? In the training arena?!"

"It seems so… but something feels off…"

"Something feels off? What do you mean?"

"Why didn't any blood come out when he was stabbed in the back of the head?"

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, and some louder voices drifted to Kalifa's ears.

She froze.

"No blood?!"

She quickly looked at the back of Roman's head.

In that instant, Roman's body on the ground shattered like the phantom illusion she had kicked earlier.

As Roman's body dissipated into the air, three more phantoms of Roman appeared around Kalifa, surrounding her completely.

The crowd was utterly stunned.

"Is this a Devil Fruit ability?"

"It looks like one!"

"What kind of Devil Fruit ability is this? It seems incredibly powerful!"

"These three aren't the real body, right? So where's the real one?"

"Shave (Soru)!"

In that moment, Roman used Shave to appear atop a training dummy.

"Fivefold Phantom Illusions!" He declared.

This was a move Roman had named himself. The "Fivefold Phantom Illusions" referred to the number of illusions created when activating this ability.

Kalifa knelt on the ground, looking up at Roman, her teeth clenched as she asked, "When did you make those phantoms?"

"Right from the beginning of the battle."

"So I've been played with since the start?" Kalifa gritted her teeth.

Roman smiled slightly and said nothing, only dispelling the phantoms. He looked at Kalifa and said, "Next time, don't be so impulsive. I'm here for the Promotion Tournament, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku can vouch for that."

"You said it was your first time at Marineford, so why did you use the Marine Six Styles (Rokushiki) Shave (Soru)?"

Kalifa's sharp mind caught the technique Roman had used to get on top of the dummy.

"I saw you do it earlier, so I learned it."

Roman's words made everyone around him freeze in shock.

"Learned it just by watching once?!"

"That talent is insane!"

"That's the Six Styles! Most people can't even get the basics down, and he learned it just by watching?!"

Many in the crowd were skeptical, thinking Roman was boasting.

But Roman had indeed used Shave earlier!

That meant his talent was truly extraordinary!

Kalifa slowly stood up, her gaze hidden behind her glasses, staring at Roman with intensity, as if trying to memorize his face.

"I won't let you off. I hope you don't lose too quickly tomorrow."

After those words, Kalifa quickly left the crowd.

She was too embarrassed to stay any longer. After all, she was the one who had started the fight, and Roman had completely outplayed her. As a woman, she couldn't help but harbor resentment.

Roman watched as Kalifa disappeared into the distance but didn't linger.

He jumped off the training dummy, ready to head back to his room for some rest. As for whether Kalifa would change her bad habits and attitude, that wasn't something Roman cared about.

However, just as he was about to leave the crowd, a man dressed in a crimson red suit, wearing a "Justice" cloak and military baseball cap, appeared in front of him.

Roman immediately recognized the man.

It was Akainu!

"Why aren't you wearing a uniform here in Marineford?!" Akainu's voice was stern as he glared at Roman.

"I'm here for the Promotion Tournament. It's my first time here, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku can vouch for that." Roman repeated his earlier statement.

"Ah, so you're the one he mentioned…" Akainu's voice was cold. "If you think you can win with just those fruit abilities and freshly learned Six Styles, you have no chance."

"I don't know why Fleet Admiral Sengoku would allow someone as weak as you to join this tournament."

With those words, Akainu walked past Roman without even sparing him a glance, muttering, "Just don't let me meet you in the first round. If I do, I'll show you what the true meaning of 'Justice' is!"