You Have to Hustle Even at Work

Lunchtime.

Luo Ya buried his head and tore into a huge chunk of bone-in meat. The food in his stomach had long since been burned away by the morning's training, and he desperately needed to replenish his energy.

He wolfed it down for quite a while. Only after the hunger-induced palpitations gradually faded did Luo Ya slow his eating.

"Today seemed quite a bit easier!"

Luo Ya felt his muscles trembling.

If yesterday's muscles had been devastated by brutal abuse, then today's muscles were like a wronged little girl after the fact, softly sobbing, "Waaah..."

He had not reached his limit yet.

With the "world" healing his fatigue and injuries, he did not need to consider his body's limits. As long as he could ensure a supply of calories and nutrition, he could abuse himself as much as he wanted.

Hehehe~~

Sorry, muscle girls!

Luo Ya's smile gradually became unrestrained.

Suddenly, someone stopped beside him.

"Your name is Luo Ya, right?"

"Hm?"

Luo Ya looked up and sized the other person up.

He was also a recruit.

The man looked to be around twenty. He had rare pink hair, a somewhat frivolous face, a thin build, and very dark skin.

He looked extremely punchable.

And a little familiar.

The pink-haired man flamboyantly flicked up the end of his hair and introduced himself in a pretentious, refined manner. "My name is Fullbody. I'm your partner."

"Oh."

Luo Ya nodded in realization.

Morgue had mentioned it to him yesterday. Chore soldiers usually worked in pairs, with an experienced hand guiding a newcomer so they could familiarize themselves with the work faster.

This must have been what he meant.

A glint caught his eye.

Luo Ya narrowed his eyes, his attention drawn to what the man wore on his right hand: a ring-shaped Iron Fist Gauntlet made of steel.

He remembered now!

"Iron Fist" Fullbody!

This guy was the Marine captain from the Baratie arc who had tried and failed to show off in front of a beautiful woman, then got furious and was beaten senseless by Sanji. Later on, he became Hina's subordinate.

He was not particularly capable, but he had done fairly well for himself.

"How crude."

Fullbody looked at Luo Ya's atrocious table manners with utter disdain. Fortunately, they would only be partners for one month. At the end of the month, he would pass the branch's assessment and become an official Marine.

In truth, he could already complete the basic training excellently. It was just that the assessment date was fixed, so there was no use rushing it.

It was time to get to work.

"Are you done eating?"

"Wait, I'm grabbing some more!"

Luo Ya hurried to the buffet area and picked up two more chunks of bone-in meat before returning to Fullbody, thoroughly satisfied.

How could he work without eating his fill?

"Let's go."

"..."

Fullbody's eye twitched.

Was this guy some kind of bottomless pit?

"Follow me!"

The area they were responsible for cleaning was the top floor and rooftop of the defensive Tower. Everything, including the restroom, had to be scrubbed spotless.

Fullbody skillfully took out cleaning tools from the supply room: brooms, rags, buckets, mops, and more.

"Hey, rookie. First, follow me through the job once and familiarize yourself with the process. We'll split up the work tomorrow."

"Got it."

Luo Ya took the broom.

Heh, it was just cleaning. Even a dog could do it.

Sweep first, then mop.

In the corridor, Fullbody vigorously scrubbed the floor tiles with his mop, his work ethic unbelievably serious. "Listen carefully. The corridors are key areas. You have to clean them until there isn't a speck of dust!"

"Hm?"

Luo Ya followed along, mopping in puzzlement.

This guy did not look like the hardworking type at all, but he was unexpectedly serious.

You really could not judge a book by its cover!

The corridor was broad. Working side by side, it took them nearly ten minutes to reach the end. When Luo Ya looked back, he was immediately startled.

The area he had cleaned looked clean on the surface, but Fullbody's half of the floor was gleaming brightly—bright enough to be used as a mirror.

One half sparkled, while the other was dull and gray.

The contrast was glaring.

Fullbody crouched down and wiped a finger across the floor Luo Ya had cleaned. Seeing the dust on his fingertip, his face immediately darkened.

He suddenly grabbed Luo Ya by the collar and roared with bloodshot eyes, "You bastard rookie, are you looking down on cleaning?"

"Absolutely not!"

Luo Ya shook his head hard.

Was this guy a germaphobe or something?

If he remembered correctly, this guy had indeed been a clean freak when he first appeared in the story. He cared deeply about his appearance.

And he loved showing off.

Also, this guy was really strong!

Fullbody fumed for a while before releasing Luo Ya's collar. He said coldly, "I'll demonstrate it one more time. Remember this well. This place is a battlefield. Even the slightest oversight could lead to total defeat."

"Understood!"

Luo Ya swallowed.

No wonder he could become a Marine captain. He even had to compete when doing chores. Clearly, Luo Ya's own efforts were still far from enough.

Damn, he was suddenly fired up!

Do it!

Mop until the floor reflected light!

"Harder, put more force into it! Don't let dust look down on us!"

"Yes!"

"Wash the mop clean. Don't be stingy—use more soapy water! Treat it like you'd treat a lover!"

"Understood!"

"Don't overlook the cobwebs in the corners either!"

"Yeah!!!"

Five in the afternoon.

Colonel's Office.

After finishing the work at hand, Colonel Rhode relaxed, and suddenly felt a long-overdue urge to use the restroom.

When he pushed open his office door and saw the spotless, gleaming corridor, he could not help but freeze.

"Not bad."

It had been a long time since he had seen the inside of the fortress cleaned so thoroughly. It even made him reluctant to step on the floor, afraid that he might dirty it.

Colonel Rhode rubbed the soles of his not-so-dirty shoes together before leaving his office. As he walked through the impeccably clean corridor, even his pent-up mood felt much lighter.

Huh, even the lights had been wiped clean.

"Good, very good."

Colonel Rhode nodded repeatedly in satisfaction, a smile gradually appearing on his face.

He did not know which recruit had cleaned this place, but he had to commend him properly at the next meeting. If the branch were kept this clean every day, its overall atmosphere would surely improve!

When he arrived at the restroom, the floors and walls were even more dazzling than he could have imagined. Even the yellowed grime that had been entrenched in the urinals for years had vanished without a trace.

"Hiss—"

Seeing his reflection in the urinal wall, Colonel Rhode instinctively raised a hand and smoothed his hair, as though he were looking into a mirror.

Nice!

There was something else that delighted him: the restroom no longer had its familiar foul stench. Instead, a faint scent of soap hung in the air.

"Inhale~~~~"

Colonel Rhode closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Phew~~

Comfortable!

A commendation, he absolutely had to give a commendation!

He had to praise him in front of everyone!

With such a diligent, outstanding soldier, what future did the 153rd Branch have to worry about!

"Ugh, I can't hold it anymore."

After admiring the restroom for a while, Colonel Rhode pulled open the small stall door. A blinding flash of light entered his eyes, making it hard for him to keep them open.

"This is..."

Looking at the gleaming, sparkling toilet, so clean that it made him want to lick it to see what it tasted like—the toilet's Puls version—Colonel Rhode swallowed hard and carefully took off his pants before sitting down.

Time passed bit by bit.

Ten minutes later.

Colonel Rhode's face was red as he gritted his teeth and pulled up his pants.

"Fuck, I can't shit!"

Sitting on that thing made him feel way too guilty!

He had to find another restroom!