As time passed, the warship drew closer and closer to the 153rd Branch.
"Where is Second Lieutenant Luo Ya?"
"The lieutenant is in the Training Room."
Fullbody arrived outside the Training Room. Through the window, he could see Second Lieutenant Luo Ya repeatedly pushing a massive barbell. Sweat dripped continuously onto the floor, even forming puddles.
"One ton!"
Seeing the weight of the plates, Fullbody swallowed hard. But his surprise was only just beginning.
"It's that guy!"
Pirate Hunter Zoro was also lifting a barbell of the same weight, his training intensity no less than Second Lieutenant Luo Ya's.
Were these two monsters?
Who knew how long they had trained? The two finally stopped lifting, drank huge cups of water, then sat cross-legged at the same time.
"Hm?"
Were they meditating?
They had gone from motion to stillness in just one minute.
Fullbody could not understand it.
But as he watched their violently heaving chests gradually calm, their breathing become steady, and their expressions grow increasingly peaceful—
He figured they might be practicing some kind of special cultivation.
I really want to join them!
At some point, Jango had come to stand beside him.
"Going in together?"
"Sure!"
The two moved carefully, trying their best not to make a sound for fear of disturbing them. However, Fullbody accidentally kicked a dumbbell.
"Clang, clang~~"
The dumbbell rolled away, making a huge racket.
Yet the two meditating men were not affected in the slightest.
Fullbody and Jango breathed sighs of relief and headed toward the Equipment Area. They wanted to grow stronger too, to keep up with Second Lieutenant Luo Ya.
Although Second Lieutenant Luo Ya did not demand much from them, watching him train desperately every day made it impossible for them to tolerate doing nothing themselves.
"Creak~~"
Isca also entered the Training Room, dressed in a neat set of sportswear. It looked like she had come for physical training as well.
They were not the only ones who wanted to become stronger.
Half an hour later, Luo Ya opened his eyes.
"Huh."
Seeing Fullbody and the others training silently, Luo Ya was somewhat surprised. After giving a slight nod, he walked to the equipment rack and picked out barbell plates.
Each barbell plate weighed one hundred kilograms.
He took ten plates, making exactly one ton, then threaded them together with a barbell bar and used it as a sword for training.
"Ha!"
Luo Ya swung the Barbell Sword with all his strength. The one-ton weight, combined with the momentum of his swing, nearly made it fly from his hands.
Now that had some kick!
Boom!!!
The ground shook violently.
Luo Ya turned his head and saw that Zoro had also made a Barbell Sword of the same weight. But he had failed to control it during his swing, and the tip slammed straight into the ground.
The young man's face darkened as he laboriously lifted the Barbell Sword. He did not consider reducing the weight at all and simply continued swinging it with difficulty.
Refusing to admit defeat, huh!
Luo Ya admired him.
In terms of strength alone, he was somewhat stronger than Zoro. But Zoro was only fifteen, right at the stage when his body was growing the fastest. It probably would not be long before he caught up.
His talent far surpassed Luo Ya's.
And that kid did not spare his body at all when training. His rate of improvement was absurdly fast, making Luo Ya feel like he would be overtaken if he let his guard down for even a moment.
Luo Ya felt immense pressure.
"If talent isn't enough, make up for it with training!"
Pressure was motivation too!
Before, he had had no competitors. The Marines around him all treated training with a good-enough attitude.
He could leave them behind in the blink of an eye.
That had made him a little full of himself, unable to recognize his own limits. Only when someone with both true talent and hard work appeared beside him did he realize how lax he had been.
How many truly strong people did not work hard?
He only seemed to improve quickly because he had a bit more time than others. But before those real monsters, that rate of progress was not worth mentioning.
I have to keep this kid by my side!
"Ha!"
Training, and more training!
In just a few days, the atmosphere aboard the warship had changed. The previously somewhat lazy Marines were now fired up, lifting iron whenever they had spare time.
A captain was the soul of a ship, and a captain's conduct influenced the atmosphere of the entire vessel. Even in the military, this was no exception.
Three days later, the warship arrived at Shells Town.
153rd Branch, Colonel's Office.
Luo Ya arrived with his two adjutants and Isca.
"Colonel Rhode, the mission was successfully completed!"
"Well done!"
Colonel Rhode's eyes were full of delight.
This time, Luo Ya had once again made a name for himself. Not only had he perfectly completed the cleanup mission, he had also wiped out the Buggy Pirates.
He had brought glory to the 153rd Branch!
Rhode picked up the latest newspaper and handed it to Luo Ya with a smile. "Take a look. You're a big shot now!"
"This is..."
Luo Ya flipped through the newspaper, and his vision went dark.
Trickster Luo Ya!
The newspaper covered the Moon Island Battle, describing in detail how, under his leadership, the Marines had used treasure to lure in pirates before gradually wiping out more than a dozen pirate crews, large and small.
After Black Hair, they had gone and given him another title: Trickster. They spared no praise for his unmatched cunning, making him seem like the smartest Navy Lieutenant in the East Blue.
Luo Ya could imagine that whether they were Marines from branches throughout the East Blue or pirates, they would all learn his name.
He had truly become famous throughout the East Blue!
But why was he called "Trickster"?!
Was that supposed to be praise?
Couldn't it have been something like Wise General or War God?!
"Heh heh."
Speechless, Luo Ya set down the newspaper, sat on the sofa, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a comfortable sip.
Colonel Rhode was handling official matters with Isca. With the cleanup mission complete, Isca would also be returning to the 32nd Branch.
Once the colonel finished, Luo Ya set down his teacup and asked, "Colonel, I've been busy for so long, and the new year is coming up. I should be able to take leave now, right?"
It was not that he wanted to rest. There were things he wanted to do. Ever since becoming an official Marine, he had inevitably been rushing from place to place.
He wanted to settle down during the New Year, bring little brother Zoro along to focus on training. Aside from exploring Haki, what mattered even more was tempering their bodies.
The physique was the foundation of everything!
He had never forgotten that point, and after meeting Zoro, he felt it even more deeply. That kid trained like a madman and was still ridiculously strong.
According to the kid himself, when he was ten, he had used stones weighing over two hundred jin as dumbbells.
Luo Ya had to admit it. He was jealous.
Damn it, so what if you're exceptionally gifted?!
"You don't have time for leave."
Unexpectedly, Colonel Rhode did not approve Luo Ya's request for leave. Instead, he had a mission for him.
Luo Ya's face immediately fell.
"Colonel, isn't that a little unfair?"
"Don't worry, it's a good assignment!"
Colonel Rhode chuckled and pulled out a large gift box filled with tasty snacks such as senbei.
"Next, go to Foosha Village in the Goa Kingdom. Represent the 153rd Branch and pay Vice Admiral Garp a visit."
"Garp?"
Luo Ya perked up at once.
"Colonel, do you know Hero Garp?"
"Of course I do."
Colonel Rhode's lips curled upward as he explained proudly, "When Mr. Garp first joined the Marines, he was a soldier at the 153rd Branch too. When I first joined the Marines, Vice Admiral Garp even trained us. What do you think?"
"Damn!"
Luo Ya could not stop himself from cursing.
He truly had not expected Garp to have such a connection to the 153rd Branch.
He had almost forgotten that Garp was a genuine commoner as well. If he wanted to join the Marines, the most likely place he would have gone was the nearest 153rd Branch.
"You're a Navy Lieutenant now. Watch your language in the future!"
Rhode scolded him irritably, then explained with a smile, "Vice Admiral Garp returns to the East Blue every year or two. His hometown is Foosha Village in the Goa Kingdom. He happened to come back this year, so behave yourself when you get there. Don't cause any trouble."
"Understood!"
Luo Ya nodded excitedly.
"Colonel, I love you!"
"Get lost!"