World Military Draft

The sky was clear and cloudless, and golden sunlight spilled across the glittering sea, laying a layer of scattered silver gauze over the water.

The morning sunlight was somewhat cold, and the salty sea breeze only added to the desolate atmosphere. Yet the bustling crowd along the shore did not feel the slightest chill. Their eyes were fixed fervently on the sea.

The crowd was a rather peculiar mix. There were four- or five-year-old children with runny noses, as well as sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youths waving iron swords. Such a combination should have resulted in quarrels and chaos, but at this moment, there was only silence. Only their trembling bodies and ragged breathing proved that their hearts were not as calm as they appeared.

Suddenly, the sea was dyed red with blood. The waves surged and rolled, as if a monster from hell had crawled out of the depths. But instead of being afraid, these "Young Cadets" were delighted. Their thunderous cheers had already filled the entire shore.

The next moment, a handsome, bare-chested youth emerged from the seabed, actually carrying a gigantic Sea King dozens of meters long in his hands. Every step he took caused the ground to tremble and the seawater to surge.

"Wow! He defeated a Sea King bare-handed in the ocean! Big Brother Longinus is just too strong!"

"Idiot, it's not like this is the first time. What's so strange about it? What you should be paying attention to is that Big Brother Longinus has broken his own record again. He captured a Sea King in just three minutes!"

"I wonder when I'll be able to become as strong as Big Brother Longinus?"

"When you can dive into the deep sea every day without stopping to train your body like Big Brother Longinus, then you can start talking in your sleep!"

It wasn't only the seven- or eight-year-old brats. Even the sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youths were sincerely convinced by the twelve-year-old Longinus, all of them addressing him as big brother without the slightest embarrassment.

The youth named Longinus wore a gentle smile at the corners of his mouth. At first glance, he gave people the feeling that he was someone they could trust.

"Baki, carry this Sea King's meat over and distribute it to everyone!" Longinus leaped high into the air and plummeted like a meteor. With one punch, he struck the Sea King's body and instantly "cut" it into two perfectly even halves.

The youth whose name had been called stepped forward as if he had been injected with adrenaline. He held his head high and strode to the front, as though being assigned a task by Longinus was a tremendous honor. The surrounding "Young Cadets" looked at him with envy and jealousy.

"Big Brother Longinus, I promise I'll complete the task!" Baki walked up to half of the Sea King, skillfully pulled out an iron hook, and locked it into the Sea King's flesh. Then, together with the other "Young Cadets," he grabbed the rope and prepared to pull it back.

"Oh, right, Big Brother Longinus, this is today's newspaper. I almost forgot to give it to you." Baki awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, then took a carefully preserved newspaper from inside his clothes and handed it to Longinus.

"Thank you for the trouble," Longinus said with a smile.

"N-no... It's no trouble, no trouble at all!" Baki stammered, his face turning red. Then he ran back to the group and joined his friends in carrying the Sea King.

Smoke curled up along the seaside, and the enticing aroma stirred the hunger in people's bellies. But Longinus remained unmoved. Only after completing the final physical training did he drag his leaden body over to a reef and sit down. With one hand, he grabbed a mountain-sized piece of roasted meat for breakfast; with the other, he flipped through today's newspaper, absorbing information.

At that moment, Longinus's expression was indifferent. If Baki and the others saw him like this, they would be utterly incredulous. Could Big Brother Longinus, who wore a gentle smile at all times, actually have such an unknown side?

Longinus gently closed the newspaper in his hand. A hint of a smile finally bloomed across his indifferent face. "I've been in this world for three years. I finally know what kind of era I'm living in!"

Following Longinus's gaze, the newspaper's front page was completely occupied by two enormous headlines.

"Pirate King Roger Executed, the Age of Pirates Has Come to an End!"

"World Military Draft"

"To say that the Age of Pirates has come to an end is nothing more than the Navy and the Government's final fig leaf. They actually see things more clearly than anyone else. A rampaging Great Pirate Era is about to arrive. Otherwise, they wouldn't have begun the World Military Draft when the situation is supposedly so favorable!"

Longinus calmly continued devouring the roasted meat, while secretly pondering, Based on my guess, the island I'm currently on should be located in the initial section of the first half of the Grand Line. Although I don't know which of the seven routes it's on, this place lies within the tide of the Great Pirate Era's opening. It will soon become the center of the storm. The pirates who appear next won't be like those small-time pirates with bounties of ten or twenty million who occasionally came here to plunder over the past two years!

If I continue staying here, I may encounter a Great Pirate I can't defeat at any time. Besides, there are hardly any Sea Kings left in the surrounding waters. It seems it's time to leave this place!

Should I go with the flow and become a pirate, or eliminate corruption at its source and become a Marine? This isn't a particularly difficult choice for me.

With this body's talent and the power brought by my soul, all I lack is systematic guidance and instruction. After all, not everyone can be like Luffy, who had Garp lay the foundation for him as a child and then received guidance in Haki from Dark King Rayleigh after setting out to sea. For me, joining the Marines would allow my innate talent to be brought into play to the greatest extent. That's the first reason.

If I want to secure a place on this sea, there's no way I can give up the help that thing provides me. Since killing is unavoidable, I might as well choose the Marines, who can kill pirates openly while also giving me something to rely on. That's the second reason.

If I want to resolve the former owner of this body's lingering obsession, I'll also need to rely on the intelligence networks of the Marines and the Government. That's the third reason.

Besides, so-called factions are nothing more than the pursuit of benefits to me. If necessary, becoming a creature of darkness and creating a secret identity would be a fine choice as well. Longinus's gaze drifted. After all:

When you roam the martial world, how can you avoid taking a few blows? If you want to thrive, you can never have too many identities. — Lu Xun

"Big Brother Longinus, Big Brother Longinus, something's wrong... something's terribly wrong!" A blue-haired youth came running over in a panic, gasping for breath.

The cold lines of Longinus's face quickly softened, and he instantly switched personalities. "Fitz, what happened? Calm down and explain yourself clearly."

Perhaps because he had found someone to rely on, the anxious look on Fitz's face also settled down. But his trembling legs proved that the fear in his heart had not yet faded. "It's the Giant Rhinoceros Pirates! It's the Great Pirate Giant Rhinoceros Alex, whose bounty is thirty-seven million Beli!"