Cringing Out of My Skin

The night grew late.

Mo Xingchen returned to Dragon's small courtyard. Opening the door, he saw Dragon sitting in the living room reading a book. Stepping closer, he had to admit that this kid was truly diligent, still studying military knowledge late into the night.

"You're back, Brother Mo."

Dragon looked up and greeted him as he entered.

"Sorry, Dragon. I had a few drinks with Kuzan and the others, so I'm back a bit late. Here... a little gift for you!"

"Thanks, Brother!" Dragon happily took it with both hands and thanked him.

"Mm... no problem. It's getting too late, so let's skip training today. Don't stay up too late reading, get some rest early. I'm going to sleep now."

"Mm, got it."

The next morning, Mo Xingchen got up early, grabbed the hat he had bought yesterday, and knocked on Garp's door.

"Xingchen, have you eaten? Want to join me?"

As soon as he entered the house, Garp invited him to have breakfast. Mo Xingchen didn't stand on ceremony; he sat down and started eating. While eating, he handed over the bag in his hand.

"Mm... not yet... This is... a hat I bought for you while I was out shopping yesterday... Here... try it on."

Hearing there was a gift, Garp beamed with joy. He took it, unwrapped the box, and upon seeing it was a dog-head hat, put it on with delight.

"Yo-hahahaha! I'm very satisfied! If that brat Dragon were as sensible as you, that would be great!"

"That kid... he's actually quite good."

"Mm, let's eat first. Once we're done, I'll take you to meet my old friends. Later on, if you happen to make any mistakes, you'll need them to help you out."

After finishing breakfast, Garp, wearing his dog-head hat, walked out with Mo Xingchen toward the headquarters office building. Before long, they arrived in front of an office door. Garp pushed the door open and walked in.

"Yo-hahahaha! Little Tsuru, what do you think of my hat!"

Vice Admiral Tsuru, who was busy working, put down the documents in her hand and glanced at Garp. Her mouth twitched in clear disdain, and she then began to size up Mo Xingchen, who was following behind Garp.

Garp walked casually to the sofa and plopped down. Mo Xingchen followed behind, closed the door, and turned around to find Vice Admiral Tsuru looking at him. He straightened his back and saluted.

"Reporting to Vice Admiral Tsuru, I am Vice Admiral Garp's Communications Soldier, Mo Xingchen, holding the rank of Captain!"

"Oh~ so you're the recruit who defeated Kuzan. Garp has mentioned you. Mm~ a very spirited young man, not bad!"

Vice Admiral Tsuru put down the official documents in her hand, stood up, and walked over to sit on the sofa. She began to fiddle with the tea set while gesturing for Mo Xingchen to come over.

"Come sit, don't be so formal. Although you are currently only a Captain, Garp values you highly—he has the mindset of taking you on as a disciple. Plus, your own strength is not weak, so I cannot treat you like an ordinary recruit."

Mo Xingchen was the type to climb up the pole as soon as it was offered, so he sat down without hesitation and said with a grin:

"Hehe, Sister Tsuru, you're making me blush! Uncle Garp has praised you to me so many times!"

"That old dog who can't speak a word of sense is praising me? It's more likely he was bad-mouthing me."

Vice Admiral Tsuru poured some hot tea, looking entirely unconvinced.

"Really, he praised how young, beautiful, and resourceful you are. He said that whenever he and Admiral Sengoku do something stupid, you're always the one covering for them!"

Mo Xingchen spoke with a straight face. The sincerity in his eyes, paired with his handsome features, made Vice Admiral Tsuru burst into laughter.

"You smooth-talking kid. I'm old now; what's this about being young and beautiful? Honestly... I'll just call you Xingchen from now on, like Garp does."

Although Vice Admiral Tsuru said that, the smile on her face made it clear to anyone with eyes that she was very fond of this powerful, polite, and charming young man.

Just then, the office door opened again, and two burly men walked in.

"You brat! I just walked in and heard you slandering me! What do you have to say for yourself?"

It turned out to be the two Admirals, Sengoku and Zephyr. Mo Xingchen stood up and saluted, looking incredibly awkward. He hadn't expected that trying to pay a compliment would lead to this. His toes were practically digging a hole in the floorboards.

"Admiral Sengoku, Admiral Zephyr!"

"Hahahahahaha..."

The four high-ranking Marines watched Mo Xingchen's red, embarrassed face and laughed without a shred of mercy. Finally, Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke up.

"Alright, Sengoku, stop teasing Xingchen. If you laugh him right out of the Navy, Garp is going to beat you up."

Everyone burst into laughter again. Mo Xingchen thought to himself, These four middle-aged and elderly people have no sense of honor, teaming up to bully a pure, good youth like me. I was careless, I didn't dodge!

"Alright, alright, Xingchen, take a seat." Zephyr smoothed things over, then turned to Garp to start a new grievance. "You old geezer, I spent all day yesterday looking for you and couldn't catch you. Graduation is coming up soon; you have to let Xingchen join the next Training Camp."

"Yo-hahahahaha, look at that, the old guy is getting impatient! Zephyr, it's not that I don't want Xingchen in your Training Camp, it's just that his strength is already at the level of a Headquarters Vice Admiral. You know as well as I do that once you reach this level, you can't improve through training alone. Instead of wasting two years in the Training Camp, it's more useful for him to gain real experience by my side." Garp laughed and said smugly.

"But the Training Camp isn't just about improving strength; it's about building camaraderie with fellow soldiers. With those bonds, Xingchen's path to promotion will be much smoother."

Zephyr was genuinely looking out for Mo Xingchen. He truly liked this promising talent and wanted to mentor him properly, so he spoke with visible anxiety.

The other three understood the subtext of Zephyr's words. The Elite Training Camp was indeed a huge help for promotions. Almost everyone who came out of it ended up with the rank of Rear Admiral or higher. As they say, there are three great bonds in life: having been classmates, having served in the trenches together, and... well, you get the idea. Just imagine, your future classmates would be Rear Admirals, Vice Admirals, or even Admirals! Hiss... that network of connections.

Besides, the Navy was such a massive organization that interests were intertwined in every aspect. There were factions, and at this point in time, the seeds were already being sown: the Dove faction led by Sengoku, the Hawks led by Kong, and some neutral parties who didn't lean either way—though they lacked a leader. If you didn't have the support of a faction behind you, even if you became an Admiral, you would have no say within the Navy and no one to command.

Look at Fujitora and Ryokugyu, who were recruited during the draft after Sengoku retired. They were called Admirals, but in reality, they were just enforcers for the Navy. Fujitora wasn't even given a full fleet of regular soldiers, let alone any high-ranking officers or a base of operations. In the end, Sakazuki even forbade him from returning to the new Marine Headquarters and barred him from internal meetings. It was as if everything within the Navy had nothing to do with him!

And Ryokugyu? He ended up acting as a glorified security guard for the Celestial Dragons at Mary Geoise. Look at that treatment, that lack of influence! If only Gion and Kake had been a bit more capable, those two wouldn't have even been needed!