In the days that followed, Dragon, burdened by the twin labels of "Garp's son" and "Logia user," seemed to fade into the background of the Navy School.
During the day, he trained alone without drawing attention to himself.
At night, he returned quietly to the dormitory, listening to Aokiji and Aramaki argue as they always did, before turning toward the wall in silence.
Within the school, only two people still paid him any real attention.
Zephyr's concern was open and straightforward.
Dragon was the son of his comrade Garp, and his talent was undeniable.
Whether emotionally or logically, Zephyr could not simply ignore him.
Lloyd's attention, however, was far more subtle.
He watched Dragon closely, observing every change in his behavior, patiently waiting for the right moment to act.
Yet ever since that incident, Dragon had become unusually restrained.
He trained with extreme seriousness every single day, pouring all his focus into strengthening himself, as if deliberately suppressing every other thought.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, another year had gone by, and Lloyd's days at the Navy School were drawing to a close.
Marine Headquarters had always placed great importance on this particular batch of students, especially when it came to the future arrangements of Lloyd and the others.
Before anything else could be decided, however, a graduation examination had to be conducted.
The Navy's high command wanted to see for themselves just how far the so-called monsters of this generation had grown.
The structure of the exam was simple, divided into two parts, a written test and practical combat.
Naturally, the written portion was largely ceremonial.
It accounted for only a small fraction of the final score, and as long as a student's theoretical knowledge was not disastrously poor, it would have little effect on the outcome.
Practical combat was the true focus.
The exam would take the form of a tournament.
Graduating students would be divided into groups, drawing lots to determine their opponents.
Their final rankings would directly influence their post-graduation assignments.
The highest reward was brutally straightforward.
A direct promotion to Rear Admiral.
For the vast majority of students, this was an almost irresistibly tempting prize.
Yet the moment they thought of Lloyd and the other elites from the same batch, their enthusiasm was quickly dampened.
Especially Lloyd.
In more than a year, no one truly knew how much stronger he had become.
Even Kizaru, Akainu, and Kuma were already considered untouchable existences in the eyes of ordinary students.
Yet during daily training, it often took at least two people working together just to barely contend with Lloyd.
Although they had all entered the school at the same time, three years later the gap between them had not narrowed in the slightest.
Instead, it had expanded into a vast chasm that felt impossible to cross.
So when the announcement of the graduation exam spread, the entire school was filled with anxiety.
Everyone shared the same silent fear.
"What if I draw Lloyd or one of them?"
This was not cowardice.
The difference in strength was simply too overwhelming, far beyond what passion or shouting slogans could overcome.
However, Zephyr soon announced a decision that instantly eased those worries.
Lloyd, Kizaru, and Akainu would not be included in the draw for the graduation exam.
Their assessments would be handled separately by Marine Headquarters.
Although there were still four other standout figures among the graduates, this news was an enormous relief.
Compared to the three Logia powerhouses, Kuma was usually quiet and mild-mannered, giving off an honest and gentle impression.
Because of this, Momonga, Huoshaoshan, and the others subconsciously felt that even if they faced Kuma, they were not completely without hope.
As for the remaining three, including Lucia, their strength fell within a range most students could understand.
On top of that, they were all strikingly beautiful, so many male students even thought that drawing them was not such a bad outcome.
At the very least, it would be pleasant to watch.
With the graduation exam arrangements finalized, the remaining days before the test were filled with frantic training.
Every student pushed themselves desperately, unwilling to leave any regrets behind.
The scene felt strangely familiar to Lloyd.
He recalled his time on Earth, back when he was in college.
In the days leading up to final exams, he and his roommates would cram relentlessly, staying up late to review everything at once.
Their dormitory had even developed a tradition.
On the night before an exam, they would pray to "Lloyd," because the sound of his name resembled the word "Lord."
College exams were never about getting high scores, only about passing.
Now, however, Lloyd was no longer an average student struggling to scrape by.
He was a genuine top performer, someone who consistently stood at the peak.
As a result, he felt no anxiety at all.
He continued his training steadily, eating and resting as usual, his routine completely undisturbed.
On the day of the exam, under Zephyr's leadership, all the students of the Navy School were brought to the venue prepared by Marine Headquarters.
Only when Lloyd arrived did he realize where they were.
The so-called exam site was none other than the vast open plaza of Marineford, the same battlefield once seen during the great war.
At the execution platform where the three Admirals had once stood, Fleet Admiral Kong now sat in the central seat.
Garp, Tsuru, and many other high-ranking Navy officials were gathered nearby.
After Zephyr finished explaining the exam rules once more, a soldier approached, saluted sharply, and said,
"Admiral Zephyr, please proceed to the spectator stands."
Zephyr nodded.
After the soldier withdrew, he turned to Lloyd, Akainu, and Kizaru.
"The three of you are already Rear Admirals," Zephyr said calmly.
"During the other students' exams, you will observe from above with me."
The moment those words were spoken, the students below erupted into quiet shock.
Yet when they thought it through, it made perfect sense.
Only officers of Rear Admiral rank or higher were qualified to sit in the spectator stands today.
The situation of Lloyd and the other two was simply too special.
They had already reached Rear Admiral rank while still being students, and living alongside them every day had made others forget that fact.
Only now did everyone truly feel the crushing gap created by strength and status.
Under countless complicated gazes, Lloyd and the other two followed Zephyr toward the high platform.
The seats placed there were identical to those once occupied by the three Admirals during the Marineford War.
Lloyd's seat, along with those of Akainu and Kizaru, was deliberately set apart, perhaps because the three were still technically examinees.
Akainu and Kizaru took their seats on either side, tacitly leaving the center position empty.
Without hesitation, Lloyd sat down in the middle.
The three of them adopted nearly identical postures, sitting cross-legged with one calf resting across the opposite knee, their bearing calm and composed.
As soon as they settled into place, students from the same batch and younger trainees below felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
Nearby, the senior officers were also quietly observing them.
Tsuru leaned slightly toward Sengoku and spoke in a low voice.
"Sengoku, which of the three do you think will become an Admiral first?"
Sengoku paused, then smiled wryly.
"Tsuru, you're speaking as if it's already inevitable."
Tsuru shook her head, her expression serious.
"It's only a matter of time."
After a brief silence, Sengoku sighed.
"Then… Lloyd, I suppose."
"Same," Tsuru replied.
As she spoke, her gaze shifted once more to Lloyd.
At that moment, Lloyd lifted his head and met her eyes, his expression calm and unreadable.
Just then, the referee stepped into the center of the plaza and announced through an amplified Den Den Mushi,
"The graduation exam begins!"