One Piece: Lost in the Tutorial #56

Soon enough, Blake found himself in the communication room, filled with transponder snails and projectors of all shapes and sizes, their eyes blinking as they monitored various channels and kept an eye on the surveillance footage. 

The marines manning the stations were focused on their tasks, oblivious to the tension in the air. 

Blake looked around, taking in the room's layout, before fixing his gaze on the commodore. "I want everyone out. Now," he instructed, his voice calm but commanding.

The commodore, having learned his lesson earlier, nodded without objection. "Everyone, clear out! No matter what you're doing, evacuate the premises until our guest concludes his business," he ordered, his voice firm. 

The marines stopped their work, confusion evident on their faces. 

"Take a break until then," The commodore added and that was all the marines needed to hear. They quickly rose from their stations, casting curious glances at Blake as they filed out of the room. 

With everyone gone, Blake was left alone with the commodore.

"There should be a mechanism to put the entire base on alert here..." Blake mused, glancing around the room with a calculating eye. "How do you activate it?" he asked, his gaze locking onto the commodore.

The commodore felt a flicker of confusion but kept his expression neutral. "There's a button below that desk," he replied, gesturing towards a sturdy desk in the corner of the room.

Blake deftly ran his fingers along the underside of the table until his touch found the concealed button. With a satisfied grin hidden beneath his mask, he turned back to the commodore. "You've done well. You may leave now," he said calmly, waving a dismissive hand.

The commodore nodded and began to turn away, but froze as the blaring alarm suddenly pierced the air. "What's happening?" he demanded, spinning back around to face Blake, only to find the intruder right in front of him.

Before the commodore could react, Blake swiftly closed the gap between them and delivered a powerful kick, sending the marine officer flying out of the door. The commodore's back slammed against the wall, leaving him dazed and disoriented as he watched Blake saunter out of the communication room.

With a mixture of shock and disbelief, the commodore observed as Blake produced a stick of dynamite from his jacket and casually lit it. "You... you're not with Cipher Pol," he stammered, his voice tinged with incredulity, as he witnessed Blake toss the explosive into the room.

Removing his mask, Blake grinned at the commodore's realization. "Nope, just a guy playing dress-up," he quipped, the explosion engulfing the communication room in a cacophony of chaos behind him, sealing off all means of communication with the outside world.

Blake’s words hung in the air, heavy with implication. "There’s no need to worry. I’m not here to spill blood," he reassured the commodore, his tone almost casual despite the chaos around them. 

"My friends and I will be leaving soon... as long as things go smoothly, there won't be any loss of life," he added with a nonchalant shrug, masking the underlying threat in his words.

The commodore furrowed his brow, a flicker of apprehension crossing his features. "Friends? You’re not alone?" he questioned, a subtle movement betraying his attempt to reach for his concealed knife.

Blake’s grin widened, his eyes glinting with mischief. "That’s right... my friends should be hitting the shore as we speak," he replied, his grip tightening on the commodore's arm as the man attempted to strike. 

"But you shouldn’t concern yourself with this anymore. I think you’ve earned a little nap," Blake declared, executing a swift headbutt that sent the commodore tumbling into unconsciousness.

With a casual ease, Blake hoisted the limp figure of the commodore over his shoulder. "Now then, I suppose it’s time to see the results of everyone’s training," he mused aloud, striding purposefully toward the exit of the base, his mind already calculating the next steps of their daring plan.

...

My eyes widened in surprise as I reached the shoreline and took in the chaos unfolding before me. The docks were a mess of floating debris and severed limbs, still writhing grotesquely. 

Marine soldiers' heads, victims of Law's devil fruit powers, spun through the air, screaming in panic and retching violently. The scene was like something straight out of hell. 

Law was in his element, using his devil fruit powers to terrorize the marines and defend our ship from cannon fire. But he wasn't the only one wreaking havoc. 

Sif was airborne, using Geppo to stay aloft, her oversized sword clenched tightly in her mouth. With every swing, she generated small hurricanes of flying slashes that sucked in any marine soldier unfortunate enough to be caught and spit them out in a mess of small cuts and wounds.

Double Six was fully utilizing his devil fruit power, levitating all manner of objects around him. He used them as shields to protect himself and others, or hurled them at the marines with enough force to send several soldiers flying. 

Although Shachi hadn’t yet mastered his devil fruit abilities to a satisfactory degree, he was still a force to be reckoned with. His body turned to liquid, and he melted the marines' weapons right before their eyes. There was nothing they could do to stop him. 

Although Penguin and Bepo lacked the flashiness and destructive power displayed by the others, they weren't holding anyone back. They used their fists to carve through the marines, employing many of the moves I had taught them and putting the martial arts principles I imparted upon them to good use.

Watching them fight, I couldn't help but smile."I wonder if this is how my teacher felt back then..." I muttered to myself, sitting down and observing the ongoing skirmish. 

After all, I had gone out of my way to ring the alarm in the communication room just for this. Training was essential, but there was no substitute for real battle experience. This was their chance to solidify their skills under pressure.

Seeing the fruits of their labor and the effectiveness of their training in real combat is the best reward for an aspiring warrior. Every punch, kick, and strategic maneuver they executed showed their growth. This skirmish wasn't just a fight; it was a reward and a test, and they were proving themselves admirably.

...

Soon enough, all the marines on the shoreline fell, and just like that, a marine base protected by over a hundred soldiers was in the hands of Blake and his crew. They had suffered only a few minor wounds in the process. Watching the last of the marines fall unconscious, Blake grinned broadly and approached his crewmates.

"You did well, everyone!" he commended, his pride evident. "Tie everyone up and scour the place for anyone who might be hiding," he instructed.

His crew nodded in agreement, exchanging glances as they dispersed to carry out Blake's orders. 

Law approached Blake with furrowed brows.

"What happened? Why did the base go on alert?" Law asked, his concern evident. "Did you fail to neutralize the communication room?" he pressed, watching Blake kneel beside Sif and scratch under her chin absentmindedly.

Blake looked up at Law with a grin. "Nope, the communication room is silent. I made sure of that," he assured, chuckling at Law's skeptical expression. "I triggered the alarms myself... forgot the signal we planned, so I improvised with the base's alarms," he explained casually, shrugging his shoulders.

Law shook his head with a mix of bemusement and disbelief. "Only you would pull a stunt like this..." he said, heaving a heavy sigh. "So what's our next move, captain-ya?" He asked, his eyes narrowing intently. 

Blake stopped patting Sif's fur and gave Law a blank look. "Eh? Why are you asking me that?" he asked with a hint of confusion in his tone. "You're the so-called brain of our crew... figure something out," he added nonchalantly, giving Law a dismissive wave. 

Law's eyes twitched in annoyance at Blake's casual attitude. "As far as I remember, this is your plan, captain-ya," he declared bluntly. "You'll have to see it through to the end," he firmly added, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

Blake couldn't help but look annoyed. "You're so petty... fine," He said with a sigh as he stood up. "Once we tie up everyone and put somewhere away from sight, we should head to the storage rooms, and see what we can get," he declared, trailing at the end of his sentence. 

"In the meantime... I've tied up the commodore and placed him in the training yard..." Blake continued, gesturing toward the main building. "Find him and take his head, we can use it as a gift to the vice admiral once he arrives... it should give us a chance to get the first hit," He concluded, his grin widening. 

Law paused, his surprise evident for a moment before he gathered his bearing and nodded. However, Law only managed to take two steps before Blake stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

Blake awkwardly cleared his throat. "Just so we're clear... I didn't mean for you to literally take the commodore's head..." he stated. "Use your devil fruit and separate his head without killing him..." 

Law gave Blake a look that suggested he was thoroughly offended. "Do I look stupid to you...?" 

Blake calmly shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't hurt to be careful, and besides..." he said, trailing at the end of his sentence. "You have been spending a lot of time with me and Double Six..." 

Law palmed his face and sighed. "A fact that I come to regret more and more every day..." he muttered, turning heel and leaving immediately while shaking his head.