Spin, Jump, I Close My Eyes

At dusk, Tower rooftop.

Looking down from the top, all of Shells Town lay spread out below.

Luo Ya was bare-chested as he gave the cleaned Marine shirt a hard shake, then hung it on the clothesline, hoping it would dry in the wind.

"Phew~~"

All of today's work was done.

It felt damn good!

Luo Ya wiped the sweat from his face and smiled with satisfaction. After working himself drenched in sweat all afternoon, he felt thoroughly fulfilled in both body and mind.

There was still half an hour until dinner, so he could rest for a bit. Keeping his nerves wound too tightly did him no good.

At a time like this, if only he could—

"Catch!"

It was as though heaven had heard his thoughts. A smooth, snow-white cigarette appeared before his eyes, more seductive than a woman in a dark alley.

(⊙ω⊙)?

Luo Ya blinked, the corners of his mouth rising beyond his control. He hurriedly took the cigarette, and the way he looked at Fullbody changed.

It was like he had found a long-lost blood brother. Back when he was in college in his previous life, he might even have called him "godfather"!

"Di Ge, where'd you get these?"

"Heh heh, newbie, don't compare a man like me to yourself."

Fullbody smugly lifted his chin. After lighting one for himself, he tossed the lighter to Luo Ya and leisurely squatted in the corner.

Smoking was forbidden during recruit training, and everything they brought with them was confiscated upon entering camp. Getting cigarettes was no easy matter.

But with money, anything could be arranged.

The two bare-chested men squatted in the corner, blissfully puffing away. Compared to Marines, they looked more like prisoners freshly released from labor reform.

"Luo Ya, you did very well today."

"I learned it all from Di Ge!"

Luo Ya modestly waved a hand.

And it was true.

This guy really did have a serious cleanliness obsession. His meticulous attitude toward work was more earnest than going on a date with a girlfriend. He even scrubbed toilets until they were clean enough to lick.

He was obviously from a wealthy family!

And working alongside him was, in Luo Ya's opinion, no less grueling than the morning's training. Not only did it consume enormous physical strength, but facing the super boss-level toilet was also a trial of the mind.

His nose was fucking close to losing its sense of smell.

Fullbody studied Luo Ya.

When they had first met at noon, he had been rather disgusted by Luo Ya's crude eating habits. He preferred partners with elegant manners.

But after spending the afternoon together, his opinion of Luo Ya had completely changed.

Young, driven, uncomplaining, and willing to endure hardship.

And besides, people who loved cleanliness were good people!

When he had first enlisted, he had also cleaned alongside veterans. Their perfunctory attitude toward cleaning had nearly driven him berserk.

Luo Ya's seriousness greatly pleased him.

"There's still some time. Come here, I'll teach you something new."

Extinguishing his cigarette, Fullbody walked to the middle of the open rooftop. As if he had stepped onto a stage beneath countless gazes, his entire being shone with energy.

"Luo Ya, you're a fine lad, but if you want to thrive in high society someday, elegant words and manners are absolutely essential, just like having beautiful handwriting."

Fullbody revealed a mysterious smile. His right hand covered his sailor cap, his legs bent, and he supported himself on his toes.

"And dancing is the best way to improve one's bearing."

Crotch Grab!

Leg Kick!

Arm Swing!

Spin, jump, close your eyes~~

One difficult movement followed another.

Luo Ya's eyes widened into circles.

The crisp, seamless transitions and mesmerizing sense of rhythm made Luo Ya feel, for a moment, as if he were watching a professional performance.

Elegant!

Too elegant!

At that moment, he could say with absolute certainty that this guy's dancing was among the very best in the world. Becoming a Marine was a complete waste of his talent.

Fullbody spun around and faced Luo Ya with a dazzling flourish.

He crooked a finger.

"Luo Ya, come on!"

"I—"

Luo Ya had just wanted to refuse. He liked watching pretty girls dance, but he himself knew nothing about dancing. Even if he wanted to dance, he would not know where to start.

Yet his body began swaying along with Fullbody's rhythm.

Spin, jump, close your eyes~~

Fuck!

He had been hit by an illusion!

Night fell.

The island's power supply was limited and could not provide the branch with round-the-clock lighting. Combined with the branch's relatively mild training regimen, nighttime was their time to rest.

The Marines had all returned to their dormitories.

New recruit dormitory.

Having washed up, the recruits comfortably lay down on their beds.

"Huh, Luo Ya still isn't back?"

"Didn't see him."

"That bastard was really arrogant during training today!"

"Hmph, and he still didn't finish his training!"

"He's probably doing extra training at the training ground."

"He totally deserves it!"

The recruits sneered and mocked him.

During the morning's basic training, starting with the long-distance run, Luo Ya had refused to do things normally and ran a full twenty laps.

For all the other training exercises, he had also used the veterans' standards. But for recruits, there simply was not enough time in a single morning to complete that much training.

Because he had increased the workload on his own, Luo Ya had completed only a little over half of every training exercise. Among the six recruits, he was the only one who had failed to finish his assigned training.

According to branch rules, if someone failed to complete their morning training, they had to make it up at night.

He really deserved it.

"Hey, want to play cards?"

"Sure, sure!"

"Huh? Where'd you get cards?"

"Hehe, I hid them in my ass."

New recruit training ground.

In the dim sandy field, a figure could vaguely be seen rising and falling again and again.

"156, 157, 158..."

Bare-chested, Luo Ya clasped his hands behind his head and did sit-ups over and over. His sweat-soaked back was covered in dirt and sand.

After dinner, he had not returned to the dormitory to rest. Instead, he had come to the training ground to make up for the training he had failed to complete during the day.

He intended to train himself according to the standards of a full-fledged Marine. If he could not finish in the morning, then he would work overtime at night until he had completed every exercise.

That was the bottom line he had set for himself.

No phone, no computer.

There was nothing to do in the dormitory except bullshit with the others and bury his head in sleep early.

Going to bed that early—was he trying to live like an old man?

He might as well train more outside!

Hard work might not always bring results, but the sweat he shed would never betray him, especially in this perilous world.

"199, 200!"

Luo Ya relaxed and sprawled across the sand.

Another exercise completed!

"Catch my breath!"

Five minutes later, Luo Ya headed toward the rope-climbing area.

Rope climbing was one of the key training exercises.

When fighting at sea, if a warship pulled alongside an enemy vessel, ropes were one of the best ways to board it.

If someone unfortunately fell into the water during battle, they would also need ropes to climb back aboard.

If he wanted to stay alive, he had to train more.

Late at night.

Luo Ya dragged his exhausted body back to the dormitory, limping as he went. He had fallen several times while climbing ropes and had nearly killed himself.

"Drrr, drrr~~"

The dormitory was filled with thunderous snoring and a foot odor so dense it felt tangible, making it nearly impossible for him to keep his eyes open.

Fuck, who didn't wash their feet?!

Covering his nose and mouth, Luo Ya headed to the balcony.

"The World!"

Domain Expansion!

Upon entering The World training ground, his body and mind immediately calmed down.

He liked staying in this tranquil environment. It was as though he were the only person left in the whole world, free to do whatever he wanted without concern.

For example—

Two and a half hours later, Luo Ya lay sprawled in the center of the training ground like a puddle of mud. Every muscle in his body felt detached from his control, twitching reflexively.

Then he saw someone.

"Di Ge?"

At some unknown point, a not-too-large stage had appeared beside the training ground. Fullbody stood at its center, balanced on his toes with one hand pressed against his hat.

As though he sensed Luo Ya's gaze, Fullbody began to move.

Crotch Grab, Leg Kick, Arm Swing!

And Glide Step~~

Fuck, The World had recorded the dance lesson from earlier too!

Luo Ya silently got up and put on his pants.

When alone, it was hard not to let his true nature loose. Ahem, ahem. He was actually afraid of damaging his clothes during training—

No need to worry. It's an illusion!

Luo Ya comforted himself, then frowned as he watched Fullbody dance, falling into deep thought.

As everyone knew, in the world of Pirates, you could go without living, but you could never go without putting on a show. Singing, dancing, and rap were essential skills for everyone.

There was no one else around anyway.

No, this was flexibility training.

Crotch Grab!

Glide Step!

Spin, jump, I close my eyes~~