Garp Returns Home

As time passed, the warship drew closer and closer to the 153rd Branch.

"Where is Second Lieutenant Luo Ya?"

"The second lieutenant is in the training room."

Fullbody arrived outside the training room. Through the window, he could see Second Lieutenant Luo Ya holding an enormous barbell and pressing it again and again. Sweat continuously dripped onto the floor, even forming a small puddle.

"One Ton!"

Seeing the weight of the barbell plates, Fullbody swallowed hard, but his shock had only just begun.

"It's that guy!"

Pirate Hunter Zoro was also lifting a barbell of the same weight, and his training intensity was no less than Second Lieutenant Luo Ya's.

Were these two monsters?

After who knew how long, the two finally stopped pressing the barbells. After downing a huge cup of water, they sat cross-legged at the same time.

"Hm?"

Were they meditating?

They had gone from motion to stillness in just a minute.

Fullbody couldn't understand it.

But as he watched their violently heaving chests gradually settle, their breathing become steady, and their expressions grow calmer and calmer—

He figured they might be practicing some special kind of cultivation.

I really want to join them!

Jango had appeared beside him at some point.

"Going in together?"

"Sure!"

The two moved as carefully as possible, trying not to make a sound for fear of disturbing them. However, Fullbody accidentally kicked a dumbbell.

"Clang, clang~~"

The dumbbell rolled away, making an incredibly loud noise.

Yet the two meditating men were not affected in the slightest.

Fullbody and Jango breathed a sigh of relief and headed toward the Equipment Area. They wanted to become 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 them unable to tolerate doing nothing themselves.

"Creak~~"

Isca also entered the training room. She wore a neat set of athletic clothes and looked like she was here for Physical Training as well.

They were not the only ones who wanted to grow stronger.

Half an hour later, Luo Ya opened his eyes.

"Huh."

Seeing Fullbody and the others quietly training, Luo Ya was a little surprised. After giving a slight nod, he went to the equipment rack and picked up barbell plates.

Each barbell plate weighed 100 kilograms.

He took ten plates, making exactly one ton, then strung them together with a barbell bar and used it as a sword for training.

"Ha!"

Luo Ya swung the Barbell Sword with force. The one-ton weight, combined with the momentum of the swing, nearly made him lose his grip.

Now that had some kick!

Boom!!!

The ground suddenly shook.

Luo Ya turned his head and saw that Zoro had also made a Barbell Sword of the same weight. However, he had failed to control it during his swing, and the tip of the Barbell Sword had smashed 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 kept 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, at the stage when his body was growing fastest. It probably would not take long before he caught up.

His talent was far greater than Luo Ya's.

And the kid trained with absolutely no regard for his body. His improvement was insanely fast, giving Luo Ya the feeling that 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!

Back then, he had no competitors. The sailors around him all treated training with a "good enough is enough" attitude.

He could leave them behind in the blink of an eye.

That had made him a little full of himself, unable to see his own limits clearly. Only when a player with both genuine talent and diligence appeared beside him did he realize how lax he had become.

How many true powerhouses didn't work hard?

He merely had more time than others, which made his improvement seem fast. But before those true monsters, that rate of improvement was nowhere near enough.

I have to keep this kid by my side!

"Ha!"

Training—more training!

In just a few days, the atmosphere aboard the warship had changed. The previously somewhat lazy sailors were now fired up, lifting iron whenever they had nothing to do.

A captain was the soul of a ship, and a captain's style 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 two adjutants and Isca.

"Colonel Rhode, the mission has been successfully completed!"

"Well done!"

Colonel Rhode's eyes were filled with delight.

This time, Luo Ya had made a huge splash again. Not only had he perfectly completed the cleanup mission, he had also wiped out the Buggy Pirates.

He had brought honor 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 had published an account of the Moon Island Battle, detailing how the Navy, under his leadership, 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 given him another title—Trickster. They spared no praise for his unparalleled wisdom and strategy, practically declaring him the smartest Navy Lieutenant in East Blue.

Luo Ya could imagine that both the Navy from branches all across East Blue and the pirates would come to know his name.

He had truly become famous throughout East Blue!

But why "Trickster"?!

Was that supposed to be praise?

Couldn't it have been something like Wise General or War God instead?!

"Heh heh."

Speechless, Luo Ya put down the newspaper, sat on the sofa, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a satisfied sip.

Colonel Rhode was handling official handover matters with Isca. With the cleanup mission completed, Isca would also be returning to the 32nd Branch.

After the colonel finished up, 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 simply things he wanted to do. Ever since becoming an official sailor, he had been constantly running around.

He wanted to use the New Year period to settle down and focus on training with little brother Zoro. Besides exploring Haki, the more important thing was tempering their bodies.

Physical strength was the foundation of everything!

He had never forgotten that. After meeting Zoro, he felt it even more deeply. That kid trained like crazy and was still absurdly strong.

In the kid's own words, when he was ten, he had already used boulders weighing more than two hundred jin as dumbbells.

Luo Ya had to admit it—he was jealous.

Damn it, so what if you're freakishly talented?!

"You don't have time for leave."

Unexpectedly, Colonel Rhode did not approve Luo Ya's request for leave. Instead, he had another mission for him.

Luo Ya's face immediately fell.

"Colonel, that's not very fair, is it?"

"Don't worry, it's a good assignment!"

Rhode chuckled and pulled out a large gift box filled with delicious snacks like senbei.

"Next, head to Foosha Village in the Goa Kingdom and represent the 153rd Branch in paying Vice Admiral Garp a visit."

"Garp?"

Luo Ya perked up at once.

"Colonel, you know Hero Garp?"

"Of course I know him."

Colonel Rhode's lips curled upward as he explained with considerable pride, "When Mr. Garp first joined the Navy, he was a sailor from the 153rd Branch too. When I had just joined the Navy, Vice Admiral Garp even gave us guidance. What do you think?"

"Damn!"

Luo Ya couldn't stop himself from swearing.

He had never expected Garp to have such a connection to the 153rd Branch.

He had nearly forgotten that Garp was also born a genuine commoner. If he wanted to join the Navy, the most likely thing was that he would go to the nearest 153rd Branch.

"You're a Navy Lieutenant now. Watch your language from now on!"

Rhode reprimanded him irritably, then explained with a smile, "Vice Admiral Garp returns to East Blue every year or two. His hometown is Foosha Village in the Goa Kingdom, and he happened to return this year. You'd better behave yourself over there. Don't cause any trouble."

"Understood!"

Luo Ya nodded excitedly.

"Colonel, I love you to death!"

"Get lost!"