Jealousy Distorts My Appearance

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.

"The Black Cat Pirates have appeared again!"

Early that morning, the atmosphere at the 153rd Branch was extremely oppressive.

The Black Cat Pirates had raided another village near the branch, yet the branch had no way to stop them.

By the time Colonel Rhode arrived with his men, the Black Cat Pirates had long vanished without a trace. They had not even caught sight of the Pirate ship's tail, leaving behind only a devastated town.

Fortunately, when the villagers saw the pirates coming, they had hidden in the mountains well in advance.

At the new recruit training ground.

Luo Ya jogged at an exceptionally steady pace, passing the other recruits from his batch and quickly leaving them behind.

The others groaned miserably.

"Damn it, how many laps has he lapped us by?"

"Two—no, three!"

"Doesn't that guy ever get tired?"

"Forget it. Let's just take it slow."

In just over half a month, they were still in the adjustment phase, while Luo Ya could already complete the basic training with ease and was clearly about to catch up with the veterans' progress.

Did he have to work that hard?!

Lately, whenever the Instructor looked at them, there was a hint of disdain in his eyes—just like when their parents had looked at them as children.

It was agonizing!

It was not only the new recruits who felt the pressure. The veterans felt even more pressure; being outdone by a newcomer did not feel good.

That afternoon, after finishing their miscellaneous chores, Luo Ya and Fullbody hid on the rooftop, puffing away at cigarettes and enjoying the most leisurely time of the day.

Fullbody stared at Luo Ya for so long that Luo Ya began to feel uneasy.

"What?"

"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"

"Am I?"

Luo Ya paused.

This was nothing.

Even counting the extra training he did in the "World," his total training load was only twice that of a regular Marine.

He was still nowhere near his goal of two hundred times.

Koby had joined the Marines at sixteen, risen to the rank of Chief Petty Officer in half a year, and even mastered Soru of the Six Styles. That was a secret technique that ordinary physiques could not use.

Not to mention those monsters with astonishing physical talent. Even without systematic training, they were ten or a hundred times stronger than him.

A body that could withstand bullets—was that scary or what?

Luo Ya did not think he was working all that hard. If anything, he felt it was far from enough. His body was that of an ordinary person; aside from training diligently, what else could he do?

A Devil Fruit?

With his current capabilities, unless he got incredibly lucky and picked one up, there was no way he could obtain one through other means.

Fullbody patted Luo Ya on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Luo Ya, I'm worried you'll train your body into the ground!"

"Thanks. Don't worry, I know my limits."

Luo Ya smiled and thanked him.

Without the "World" to back him up, training like this really could have broken his body. He understood the importance of balancing work and rest.

But time waited for no one.

The "World" was his greatest aid in becoming stronger, and also his only advantage over others. If he could not make full use of it, he would definitely blame himself in the future.

The conversation grew slightly heavy.

Fullbody stood up and leaned against the low wall, looking down at the training ground below. Then he suddenly asked, "You'll take the new recruit assessment at the end of the month, right?"

"Of course."

Luo Ya did not hide it.

That was indeed his plan. The sooner he became a regular Marine, the sooner he could access more training programs.

Such as hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and marksmanship.

And actual combat!

Physical Training was only the foundation. Combat was the best way for a person to transform.

Fullbody sighed. After half a month together, he had come to regard Luo Ya as a friend, and he could see that Luo Ya was unwilling to remain in this ordinary branch.

Given Luo Ya's level of effort, even if his talent was slightly lacking, it was only a matter of time before he made a name for himself. He might even enter Marine Headquarters in the future.

But the current situation was truly terrible.

"Luo Ya, if I were you, I'd put off becoming an official Marine for as long as possible."

"You mean the Black Cat Pirates?"

"That's right."

"..."

Luo Ya fell silent.

The Black Cat Pirates had entrenched themselves in the waters under the 153rd Branch's jurisdiction, and their momentum was only growing. Their captain, Kuro, even carried a bounty as high as 16 million Beli.

Across the entire East Blue, there were only a handful of Great Pirates with bounties exceeding 15 million Beli.

It wasn't that the branch didn't want to subjugate Kuro—it simply couldn't. Even Colonel Rhode, the base chief, was no match for Kuro.

Yet the Marines' duty meant that the 153rd Branch had to fight the Black Cat Pirates, even if it meant repeating the last tragedy!

Therefore, once he became an official Marine, he could face the Black Cat Pirates at any moment. With the strength of an ordinary Marine, the odds of death were extremely high.

Luo Ya understood Fullbody's unspoken meaning perfectly.

The later he became an official Marine, the less likely he would be to confront the Black Cat Pirates.

For one thing, the Black Cat Pirates might leave the waters under the 153rd Branch's jurisdiction to seize greater territory, perhaps even enter the Grand Line.

For another, as Captain Kuro's reputation continued to rise, Marine Headquarters might send powerful forces to subjugate him.

But the problem was that Captain Kuro's bounty had to reach at least 20 million Beli before it would draw Marine Headquarters' attention.

20 million was the line!

"Di Ge, I won't stop!"

Luo Ya's gaze gradually turned fierce.

Ever since transmigrating into this world, he had constantly recalled everything he knew about East Blue. There was one thing he remembered with absolute clarity.

Kuro would not leave East Blue.

Moreover, within two years at most, Kuro would attack a Warship from the 153rd Branch and slaughter every Marine aboard by himself, leaving only Morgue alive in order to carry out his retirement plan.

If he slacked off and lay flat over the next two years, failing to grow stronger than Kuro, then he would most likely become one of the Marines Kuro killed.

Even if he somehow survived, he would still have to face Morgue's dark rule.

Running away was useless!

As long as he was a Marine of the 153rd Branch, he was destined to face this trial. The only way to survive was to become stronger as quickly as possible—stronger than Kuro!

Before joining the branch, he had considered whether he should go to another Marine base. However, the sailing conditions in this world were abysmal, and he simply couldn't leave this island.

Sailing around the nearby waters was fine, but if he wanted to travel far, he needed to apply to the government. Otherwise, he could easily be mistaken for a pirate!

He didn't want to become a pirate. Not only was that kind of life unstable, but pirates were also scorned by the world. What social standing could they possibly have?

Besides, even if he went to another branch, he still wouldn't be able to avoid danger.

Krieg, the "Overlord of East Blue," Arlong the "Fish-Man," and Buggy the "Clown."

These Great Pirates, each with a bounty exceeding 15 million Beli, were scattered throughout East Blue. None of them was inferior to Kuro. As long as he wanted to make something of himself, he would inevitably have to face them.

After a long silence.

Luo Ya sensed that something was off. Frowning, he asked, "What about you? Aren't you taking the graduation assessment too? You're not worried?"

"I told you, I'm different from you."

Fullbody smiled as he wagged a finger, boasting with a solemn expression, "I have Connections. Before long, I'll be transferred to Marine Headquarters."

"..."

Damn, this bastard really deserved to die!

Jealousy twisted Luo Ya's face beyond recognition.

He had trained like his life depended on it just to get to Marine Headquarters. Headquarters was where one began to rise through the ranks—what future could there possibly be in East Blue?

Yet this bastard could go to Marine Headquarters without doing anything at all.

People with Connections were the worst!

After showing off in front of Luo Ya, Fullbody felt delighted, as refreshed as if he had eaten a cup of ice cream in the middle of summer.

"Come on, don't sulk. Here, I'll teach you how to dance!"

"Teach me how to dance?"

Black aura radiated from Luo Ya's entire body.

"Heh, hehehe!"

"Fullbody, you bastard, have you gotten so full of yourself that you think you're untouchable? Don't underestimate me—I'm not the same person I was half a month ago!"

"Let's have a dance battle!"

"The loser washes the other guy's underwear!"

"Today, I'll show you what real dance skills are!"

Half an hour later.

Luo Ya Orz