One Piece: sign-in to Ryujin Jakka

Seeing the situation unfold, Kalifa glared sharply at Tashigi and quickly warned,

"Roman, Smoker's weapon is made of Seastone! Don't let it touch you, no matter what!"

But her warning came just a moment too late.

Smoker's Nanashaku Jitte had already struck down, slamming heavily against Roman's body.

Boom!

Roman's body was flung backward—but the moment it flew through the air, it shattered like mist.

An illusion.

Smoker's eyes narrowed instantly—he had fallen for it.

Thankfully, his combat instincts were still sharp. Without hesitation, he swung his jitte backward.

Boom!

Another illusion crumbled into nothing.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a sharp voice rang out from the side—Tashigi again.

"Smoker! Above you!"

"Armament Haki: Imbuement!"

Roman's illusion dropped down from above with the force of Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. His fist, coated in Armament Haki, came crashing down on Smoker with overwhelming force.

The moment the Haki hit, Smoker's Logia ability was rendered completely useless.

Even though the Armament Haki used by the illusion was only at an intermediate level, it was more than enough to deal with Smoker!

And it wasn't over yet.

Before Smoker could recover from the stunning blow, another illusion appeared behind him. With the same Armament Haki-coated punch, it smashed into his back with brutal force!

Thud!

Smoker stumbled forward uncontrollably.

Before he could catch his balance, a third illusion had already appeared in front of him. This time, the Armament Haki was focused on the knee—crack!—driving straight into Smoker's abdomen!

"Urgh!!"

A mouthful of blood erupted from Smoker's mouth as pain overwhelmed him.

And all of this had happened in less than a single second.

The illusions vanished instantly, and Roman's true body calmly stepped forward from the shadows.

He now stood in front of the kneeling Smoker, looking down with calm, serene eyes.

"You've lost," he said softly.

The entire training ground had gone dead silent.

All around, the marines stared blankly, mouths agape, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

"Smoker… he's a Logia-type Devil Fruit user!"

"And he didn't even get a chance to use his abilities before being completely defeated?!"

"He's way too strong!"

"Those illusions are terrifying! They're too unpredictable. You can't defend against something you can't even find!"

"Mirage-like movements… impossible to guard against!"

Whispers and murmurs exploded among the onlookers.

Tashigi stood there, frozen in disbelief.

"Smoker actually lost… Just like that?! That's not possible!"

Her eyes fixated on Roman as if trying to engrave his image into her memory.

Meanwhile, Kalifa broke out into a loud laugh, clearly delighted.

"See that? Roman's amazing!" she said, almost showing off, raising her eyebrows toward Tashigi.

She didn't even realize it herself, just how happy she was in that moment.

It wasn't until the soldiers finally broke out of their stunned silence that the roars began.

"Roman! Roman! Roman!"

"Roman! Roman! Roman!"

"Roman! Roman! Roman!"

The entire Marineford could hear the thunderous chants echoing across the training grounds!

Elsewhere, on another training field, Akainu had just defeated Vice Admiral Dogman.

Hearing the cheers, Akainu turned his gaze toward Roman's arena. His face was as cold and stern as ever.

"Hmph… A flashy clown who likes to show off. Just a captain. Let's see if they're still cheering when you face me."

Back in the training field, Roman offered a hand toward Smoker.

"You alright?"

Smoker grinned through the pain.

"I'm fine. I was just too weak. Next time, I'll be the one to win!"

"Let's both keep growing stronger."

Roman's soft smile lit up the surroundings, and the marines erupted in cheers again.

But for some reason… Kalifa's heart felt a pang of sadness.

He can smile like that for others… so why is he always so cold to me?

Biting her lip, Kalifa fell deeper into her swirling thoughts.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, three more days had gone by.

In those three days, Roman used his Illusion Fruit to toy with his opponents again and again. None of them could even figure out which body was real.

He defeated them easily, again and again. Each one was defeated, left in confusion and disbelief.

His overwhelming strength, paired with that gentle smile, made his popularity explode like wildfire.

Some even said his fame now surpassed the three admiral candidates—the "monsters" of the Marine elites.

—

Inside Sengoku's office—

Garp sat beside him, happily munching on rice crackers, much to Sengoku's increasing frustration.

"Garp, do you really love my rice crackers that much?"

"Of course! If I lose the bet, I won't get to eat any more of it. Gotta stock up now!"

"Honestly, I feel like even if you do lose, you'd still eat it anyway."

"Hahaha! You really do know me well, Sengoku!"

"But seriously—are you really planning to pair Akainu against Roman in the next round? That match decides the admiral candidate!"

"I know what you're thinking, Garp," Sengoku said seriously, "But after watching Roman these past few days, I'm convinced—his ideals align with ours, the Dove Faction."

"Even if we can't bring him fully into our faction, I'd much rather see him rise than let Akainu climb any higher."

The Marines were anything but a united front.

Internal faction struggles were as complex as they were intense.

Sengoku had already made a two-pronged plan.

Plan A: If Roman loses to Akainu, extend him an olive branch and bring his immense talent into the Dove Faction.

Plan B: If Roman wins, strike an agreement, join forces, and work together for peace across the seas.

Garp understood Sengoku's intentions. But what still puzzled him was—

Why did Sengoku believe so firmly… that Roman could actually defeat Akainu?

Once the match list was finalized, it was publicly posted.

Everyone who saw it was in shock.

"Hey, hey! Did you hear? Roman's going up against Akainu!"

"No way… You serious?!"

"Yeah, it's true. It's already been made public!"

"I remember Akainu said before—if he ran into Roman, he'd make him suffer!"

"Totally something Akainu would say. That guy has seriously got no mercy."

Compared to the kind, charismatic Roman, Akainu's brutal, no-nonsense ways made him unpopular with most.

In front of the match list, Akainu stared at the names.

Clenching both fists, his aura radiated with unabated intensity.

"Roman… don't embarrass yourself too badly tomorrow. The Marines have no room for outsiders."

From beside him, a calm voice answered—

"Well… let's wait until tomorrow to find out, shall we?"

Roman had appeared next to him, smiling as he spoke.

Akainu snorted coldly and walked off without another word.

A storm was approaching. The clash between the two was now… inevitable