Branch: We Are Unworthy

East Blue, Sakura Island

Marine Branch 155

A Marine recruit at the recruitment office was yawning in boredom. It wasn't yet the season for large-scale enlistment, and this was the East Blue—not many people came to join the Marines.

The desk in front of him was tapped. Annoyed at the interruption, the Marine soldier looked up, ready to snap, but when he saw a pair of purple eyes with strange patterns, a chill of fear gripped his heart, and the words died in his throat.

The newcomer was naturally Uchiha Senga. Seeing the Marine hesitate, he took the initiative to ask.

"Hello, this is the Marine Recruitment Office, right? I'm here to enlist."

"Ah, yes, yes."

Snapping out of it, the Marine wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quickly replied, then began asking for Senga's information.

"Name."

"Uchiha Senga."

"Age."

"Sixteen."

The Marine soldier shot Senga a surprised glance, thinking how young he was.

"Reason for joining the Marines."

"Just following my interest."

"Uh... honest!"

"Any special abilities?"

"Hmm... I can fly, breathe fire, summon lightning, control gravity and repulsion force, open space doors... a lot, really."

Hearing this long list of abilities, the Marine soldier looked at Senga with open suspicion. If it had been anyone else, he'd have scowled by now, but those eyes of Senga's had left too strong an impression.

Seeing the soldier's expression, Senga figured he thought he was bluffing. So he casually unleashed a few ninjutsu, then used Universal Pull to lift the entire branch building into the sky before gently setting it back down.

"Now, can I join the Marines?" Senga turned to the soldier, who was frozen stiff, tongue lolling out like a ridiculous statue.

Inside the Marine base, chaos had already erupted.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"He's an Ability User—a terrifying one! Get out there and see!"

"This is bad. An enemy of this level is beyond us."

"For justice! We can't back down! Charge out!"

A flurry of hurried footsteps rang out as every Marine in the base rushed to the entrance, nervously scanning for the intruder.

By then, the recruiting Marine had come to his senses. Seeing the commotion, he realized it was a misunderstanding caused by Senga's ability. Suppressing his shock, he hurried forward, snapped to attention, and saluted a burly Marine officer.

"Reporting, Colonel Rhode! No enemy attack! That disturbance was caused by the enlistee, Uchiha Senga!"

The moment he finished, the Marines erupted in murmurs.

"What? Caused by someone enlisting?"

"New recruits are this terrifying now??"

"Scared me to death. Thank goodness it's not pirates—I thought I was about to sacrifice myself for justice!"

Colonel Rhode looked at Uchiha Senga, who stood quietly off to one side. His face twitched. (Tianlai Novel Network)

"I understand. Dismissed."

He then walked up to Senga, steadied his nerves, and asked, "Hello, I'm the highest-ranking officer here, Colonel Rhode. Are you the enlistee, Uchiha Senga?"

Rhode's tone was cautious. After all, Senga's earlier feat of lifting and gently setting down the entire building had genuinely shaken him. He knew that with power like that, there was likely nothing in the entire East Blue that could stand against him.

"Yes, I'm Uchiha Senga. I came here to join the Marines." Senga replied with a smile.

Confirmed, and with Senga's attitude seeming fairly agreeable, Rhode's tense heart eased slightly, then surged with elation.

A talent like this—he knew he couldn't keep him. Senga was born for the Grand Line. This East Blue Marine branch wasn't worthy of him.

But he could recommend him to Marine Headquarters! Recommending a talent like this could earn him enough merit to jump several ranks!

When he looked at Senga again, Rhode's eyes were full of fervor.

Uncomfortable under Rhode's gaze, Senga raised a hand and opened a Door-Door Space, tossing out Brand's corpse, a pirate flag, and a large black sphere onto the ground.

"This is?" Rhode looked at Senga in confusion.

"That black mass is the corpses of the Brand Pirate Group's crew. The one that still looks vaguely human is the captain. I dealt with them on the way here."

Rhode sucked in a sharp breath. He knew the Brand Pirate Group—a crew that had returned from the Grand Line. Headquarters had sent a warning just a few days ago and was preparing to send reinforcements, because Brand's strength would cause massive destruction in the East Blue.

But now, this Brand, who had escaped from the Grand Line, had been reduced to a charred human-shaped corpse in front of him, and the rest of the crew couldn't even keep their human form!

Truly terrifying! Rhode gained a whole new appreciation for Uchiha Senga's strength.

"Then please enter the base first, and we can talk slowly. To be honest, someone with your level of strength probably won't stay here long."

When Rhode spoke again, his tone had taken on a fawning edge. He knew that an Uchiha Senga with this kind of power, if sent to headquarters, would definitely enter the elite training camp there. Once he graduated from that camp, he'd become an officer at headquarters, with a rank higher than Rhode's own—and at a height Rhode could never reach in a lifetime. So he didn't dare show the slightest negligence, whether in terms of strength or status.

Senga smiled and nodded, then walked into the base first.

Watching Senga's back and thinking of his youthful face, Rhode couldn't help sighing inwardly: Why is the gap between people so huge?