Effort 200 Times Greater!

Navy 153rd Branch Fortress.

New Recruit Registration.

"Name?"

"Luo Ya."

"Age?"

"Seventeen."

"Why do you want to join the Navy?"

"To make something of myself!"

The lieutenant officer's pen paused over the paper. He looked up and sized up the young man before giving an almost imperceptible nod.

A very common reason.

But few people said it so bluntly.

He remembered the young man. About three months ago, the merchant ship his family had been traveling on had suffered a Pirate Raid. Only the young man had survived by luck, and afterward, he had stayed at the tavern in town doing odd jobs.

There were no major problems with his background.

The branch's requirements for recruiting new soldiers were not particularly strict. As long as they were not wanted criminals and were in good health, they qualified. Besides, the branch had suffered heavy losses and urgently needed fresh blood.

"Approved!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"Sergeant Morgue, take New Recruit Luo Ya around and familiarize him with the base."

"Yes, sir!"

Morgue answered at the top of his lungs.

Only then did Luo Ya notice the burly man standing to one side.

Morgue?

"Axe Emperor" Morgue!

Nearly three meters tall, with a massive build and a solemn, unsmiling face, he looked intimidating just standing there.

Luo Ya figured that with his scrawny frame, a light punch from the man would be enough to put him on the ground calling for an ambulance.

Before one possessed power beyond reason, size was an absolute advantage.

Hiss—!

Was this the oppressive aura of the "Axe Emperor"?

Morgue walked over to Luo Ya. Seemingly trying to appear friendlier, he forced out a smile uglier than a grimace.

It was pretty scary.

"New recruit, follow me."

"Yes, Sergeant Morgue!"

Luo Ya straightened his back, his attitude perfectly respectful.

Since he was here to be a soldier, he had to look the part.

Besides, Morgue had not yet turned into the future dictator, nor did he possess the power and authority he would have later.

After receiving his new recruit supplies, Luo Ya carried his bedding, bucket, and washbasin as he followed Morgue around, getting familiar with the fortress.

Two cylindrical defensive towers, four tall buildings for lodging and logistics, plus several open training grounds—that was Navy 153rd Branch.

Including logistics personnel, the entire branch had only a little over two hundred people. Of those, barely more than a hundred were officially enlisted Marines, and over half of them had been lost in battle.

It could only be described as shabby.

Yet that was reality.

The Navy's core forces were concentrated on the Grand Line, especially at Marine Headquarters, with the purpose of protecting Holy Land Mary Geoise.

As for the Navy stationed in the Four Seas, not only were their forces scattered across the seas, their combat strength was far inferior to that of the Grand Line Marines. They even struggled to defeat "Great Pirates" with bounties under twenty million.

Dormitories, cafeteria, recreation area...

After gaining a general understanding of the fortress layout, Morgue brought Luo Ya to the new recruit training ground.

Several dozen prospective recruits were undergoing Physical Training, but their morale was extremely low. Even their chants were weak and listless.

The effects of their defeat had only just begun.

Morgue clenched his fists, veins bulging along his arms. There was hatred for the Pirates, as well as unwillingness to accept his own helplessness.

Only after a long while did he loosen his fists.

"Starting tomorrow morning, you'll undergo basic training here. The afternoons are for chores. Someone will guide you through them."

Morgue explained the matters requiring attention.

New recruits were all assigned to the lowest-ranking miscellaneous duties. Aside from necessary training, their main work was logistics tasks such as cleaning.

In other words, they were errand boys.

Even the backs of their uniforms bore the character "Miscellaneous."

Hunting Pirates? Miscellaneous soldiers were not qualified for that.

Only after they could properly complete basic training such as Physical Training would they be promoted to Third Class Soldier. At that point, they would no longer be responsible for chores, but their novice protection period would also end.

They would have to go to the battlefield!

Luo Ya listened carefully to Morgue's explanation.

The recruits' training regimen was mostly Physical Training: two hundred push-ups, two hundred sit-ups, ten rounds of rope climbing, twenty laps of long-distance running around the Training Ground, and so on.

"I see. That's just one-tenth of the training volume for Marines at Headquarters."

Luo Ya had a clear understanding now.

He knew a fair bit about the training content for Marines at Marine Headquarters.

Before being transported here, Koby's absurd, cheat-like leap in strength had led him to shoot the breeze online with some particularly entertaining netizens. Among their discussions had been the Marine Headquarters training regimen.

Maybe that was why he had been transported here.

Sorry. He should not have run his mouth.

"Sergeant Morgue!"

Luo Ya faced Morgue and pointed at the recruits and training equipment on the field, his eyes shining. "Can I join the training now?"

"Now?"

Morgue was taken aback.

It was normal for new recruits to be excited after enlisting, but very few asked to begin formal training as soon as they arrived.

Interesting.

If he thought recruit training was easy, then he was seriously mistaken!

Normally, miscellaneous soldiers needed at least three to six months of training before they could properly complete basic training and be promoted to official Third Class Soldiers.

He wanted to achieve something right away?

First, he should ask whether the Pirates' blades and guns agreed!

Morgue was intrigued. He wanted to see Luo Ya's potential as well, so he said sternly, "You can, but I must warn you: once you join the training, you absolutely cannot quit halfway through. Understand?"

"Understood!"

Luo Ya took a deep breath and immediately ran into the Training Ground. He fell in behind the recruit formation and began running laps around the field.

Twenty laps in total!

The training ground track was a standard five hundred meters per lap. Twenty laps meant ten kilometers. Even though the average physical constitution in this world far surpassed that of Earth, completing it was no easy task.

"Huh, a new recruit?"

The recruits noticed Luo Ya. They were actually all miscellaneous soldiers too, but they had joined the branch two or three months earlier and were considered "veterans" among the recruits, nearly ready to graduate.

"Brothers, pick up the pace!"

"Got it!"

The recruits tacitly sped up, intending to turn up the intensity for the newcomer. It was one of their few sources of fun.

The training formation gradually accelerated. Luo Ya, already hanging at the very back of the group, watched helplessly as he fell behind.

The gap rapidly widened.

"A little initiation, huh."

Luo Ya was not surprised. He silently maintained his rhythm and kept running.

Wherever there were people, there was competition. Veterans picking on newcomers was common everywhere, and this did not even count as bullying. At most, they were just showing off.

If he could not keep up with the training, that meant he was useless!

The first lap was easy for Luo Ya.

By the third lap, sweat had appeared on his forehead.

By the fifth lap, the training formation had come up behind him. They had lapped him completely, and as they passed him, they began chanting.

"One! Two! Three~ Four!!!"

The chant resounded across the Training Ground, making Luo Ya's ears buzz.

The fifteenth lap!

The recruits had already completed their running training. They stood at the edge of the field for a brief rest, taking the opportunity to watch the newcomer make a fool of himself.

Luo Ya was the only one left on the track. He was moving as slowly as a crawling turtle, every step requiring all his strength.

"Huff~ Hah~ Huff~~"

Luo Ya panted heavily. His lungs felt as though they were on fire, burning with searing pain. His clothes had long been soaked through with sweat, clinging damply to his skin.

It was uncomfortable—painful, even!

His current body belonged to an ordinary seventeen-year-old. Though young and strong, following Marine standards from the very start put an enormous burden on his body.

His legs felt as heavy as lead, his vision gradually blurred, and he could vaguely hear taunts coming from nearby.

He ignored the distractions around him.

At that moment, Luo Ya had only one thought in his mind.

Run!

This was not merely a training session. It concerned his future, whether he could replicate Koby's miracle.

Thud!

All of a sudden, Luo Ya's head spun. Then his knees gave out, and his thin body crashed face-first into the sand.

"The newcomer can't hold on anymore!"

The watching recruits immediately perked up.

Under normal circumstances, new recruits were not pushed too hard. Being able to run ten laps during their first long-distance session was already quite good, and the Instructor would not be too demanding of them.

There had to be an adjustment period.

They had all gone through it this way, their training load gradually increasing until they could keep up with the training intensity of official Marines. But even after training for several months, they would be drenched in sweat after finishing twenty laps.

The newcomer managing to run fifteen laps in one go had already exceeded their expectations.

"Huh, look!"

Just as everyone thought the newcomer could not continue and needed a break, he propped himself up with both hands and slowly climbed to his feet.

He kept running!

The mocking smiles gradually vanished.

"This guy isn't bad!"

Someone muttered, and the others nodded in agreement.

He really was not bad.

"Sergeant Morgue, what's his name?"

"Luo Ya?"

"Ah, I remember now. He's the bartender who works at the Food Tavern!"

"Damn it, I'm so jealous!"

"Being handsome would be one thing, but he actually gets to spend every day with Mrs. Lilyca!"

"Brothers, let's turn up the intensity for the newcomer in the next training session!"

"Absolutely!"

In this world of backward information, going to a tavern for a drink during one's free time was practically everyone's greatest hobby.

And Mrs. Lilyca, the gentle and beautiful tavern owner, was the dream woman of countless Marines. So when it came to Luo Ya, who lived at the tavern...

Heh heh.

They had to let the newcomer learn how cruel society could be!

Toward evening, the dormitory building.

Morgue carried the completely drained Luo Ya into the dormitory and tossed him onto a bed, startling the other new recruits in the room.

It was only his first day!

Once Morgue left, his roommates immediately crowded around. One of them held a broom handle and cautiously poked Luo Ya's butt.

"Hey?"

"Cut it out."

Luo Ya lay sprawled over his bedding and wiggled his perky backside in protest.

The basic Physical Training that the recruits could finish in half a day had taken him an entire day. At that moment, his soul was practically drifting out through the top of his head.

This was fucking exhausting!

"Whew."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their beds.

As long as he was not dead, it was fine. They did not want to have to collect someone's corpse on their first day after joining the Navy.

Time passed bit by bit. The excited recruits gradually fell asleep amid their boasting, looking forward to tomorrow.

Soon, the room was filled with snoring.

Late at night, close to midnight.

Luo Ya suddenly opened his eyes and sprang upright from his bed. He glanced around at his snoring roommates, then went alone to the balcony, his lips moving slightly.

"The World!"

The surrounding space stretched outward, rapidly forming a void-like independent world, as though he had arrived in the starry expanse of the universe.

Next, a series of training facilities materialized in the void—sand pits, a track, climbing ropes, and more.

It was exactly the same as the new recruit training ground!

Just as I expected!

Luo Ya perked up and dragged his exhausted body into the training ground.

This special independent space was a power he had awakened after crossing over. It could record and replicate external environments.

Too bad it can only simulate things related to training.

After three months of exploration, Luo Ya had gained a preliminary understanding of the "World's" functions. Put simply, it was a purely training-focused space.

It had absolutely nothing to do with a certain Stand.

The "World" would replicate the "training processes" he had undergone. That was why he had desperately completed the basic training during the day.

It seemed rather useless.

But time inside the "World" was completely frozen. No matter how long he stayed here, not even a moment would pass outside.

In other words, he could put in extra training inside the "World," giving himself more training time than others and shedding more sweat to improve his strength.

That was the true power of the "World"!

However, maintaining the "World" required mental energy.

When he had first crossed over three months ago, the "World" could only last for an hour. Now, it could last for roughly three hours.

Luo Ya firmly believed that as long as he kept growing stronger, the "World's" duration would continue to increase, allowing him to achieve the miracle of working 200 times harder than everyone else!

Put in 200 times the effort!

If even Koby can do it, there's no reason I can't!

I want to become a Marine Admiral too!

Hard work was the most likely—and currently the only—path for him to rise above the rest. If an opportunity was placed before him and he still slacked off, he would despise himself!

Luo Ya started running.

Forward!