Chatting about this and that along the way, Garp got a read on Mo Xingchen's personality. He was a little lazy, like Borsalino, but he did not lack a sense of justice. At last, they arrived at the Marine branch in Loguetown.
"Kid, let this old man measure your mettle!"
At the branch training ground, Garp tossed aside his Marine cape and stood there carelessly.
Mo Xingchen also wanted to see exactly what level his combat strength had reached. Of course, he knew he definitely could not beat Garp in his prime, but he could lose the fight without losing face. He said disdainfully:
"Uncle, then you'd better be careful. These fists of mine are as big as sandbowls and really powerful. If I accidentally hurt you, don't try to scam me!"
The moment he finished speaking, Mo Xingchen stomped hard on the floor. Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the ground where he had just stood, but he had vanished.
There was only a sharp hum. The next second, Mo Xingchen appeared before Garp as if he had teleported and threw a straight punch.
Fist Bone · Iron Fist
Their fists collided, and a visible blast of air erupted outward. The watching soldiers had their eyes filled with sand and dust, while several who stood closer were blown more than ten meters away.
Within the dust cloud, a smaller figure circled a towering one, launching a fierce assault with fists, elbows, kicks, and knee strikes. Yet every attack was blocked by the taller figure's fists.
In the end, the burly figure threw a charging straight punch, blasting the other person out of the dust cloud. He flew backward to the edge of the training ground. After landing, his feet slid across the ground for a distance before he finally stopped against the surrounding wall. Only then did the soldiers see clearly that Mo Xingchen had his arms crossed before his face, his fists and arms flushed red.
"Heh, Uncle, my... punches weren't light, were they? If you're... hurting, don't... hold it in!"
Mo Xingchen braced himself against the wall behind him, his legs trembling as he forced himself upright and stubbornly said:
"Yo ho ho ho ho! Kid, you're still far from it. Can you walk? Come to the office with me."
Garp accepted the coat a soldier handed him and turned toward the Office Building.
Mo Xingchen leaned against the wall and recovered for a while before slowly shuffling toward the building with wobbling legs and a grimace. That damned middle-aged guy's fists are really hard! But if I don't cry out in pain, then I haven't lost! I'm not like little kids such as Ace and Luffy, who cry whenever they get beaten up. Hmph, how embarrassing!
Only after Mo Xingchen disappeared into the building did the soldiers on the training ground erupt.
"Wow! That young man is seriously fierce! He traded blows with Vice Admiral Garp and didn't even cough up blood in the end!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"That's incredible! Looks like our Marines are about to produce another Monster Vice Admiral!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"I've decided! Starting today, he's my idol!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"Fuck, brothers, get him!"
"Exactly... huh?"
Ignoring the soldiers' horseplay below, Mo Xingchen collapsed onto the sofa the moment he entered the office. He stared at the tea set on the table, considered it for a moment, then got up and began boiling water.
"Not bad, you've got good instincts. At your age, you already have the strength of an average Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters. But compared to seasoned veteran Vice Admirals and those other two Monsters, your stamina is still lacking.
"You can look for a Zoan Devil Fruit. That would quickly improve your stamina. Otherwise, you can only take the time to properly train your physique."
Garp spoke while eating rice crackers.
Mo Xingchen thought about it. I'm fucking cultivating immortality already. Devil Fruits? Even dogs wouldn't eat that crap. He said solemnly:
"I don't want to leave myself with a weakness. I'd rather train slowly."
"Mm, that works too. Then you have two choices. First, you can follow my warship from now on. I can give you the rank of captain, and you can slowly accumulate military merit. I'll also teach you how to improve your strength.
"Second, I can send you to Zephyr's Elite Training Camp at Marine Headquarters for two years. You'll learn some things there too. With your strength, once you graduate, barring any surprises, you'll start at least as a lieutenant commander. After a few more years of missions, becoming a flag officer will be a sure thing. Which do you choose?"
Mo Xingchen saw that the water had boiled. He first poured Garp a cup of tea, then poured one for himself. Holding the hot tea in both hands, he fell into deep thought.
The Marines' Elite Training Camp. Got it! It was basically a military academy. Go in and get polished up, then come out with impeccable credentials and rapid promotions.
As for the Marine Six Styles and Haki, after sparring with Garp just now, he understood that Armament Haki did not actually turn people pitch-black. That was merely something that bastard Oda had deliberately drawn so readers could see it clearly. He was just a manga artist. What the hell did he know about pirates?
Put simply, Armament Haki used the energy within one's body and coated the surface of the skin with it for defense. It had no color! To put it even more simply, it was like the True Qi body-protection technique in martial arts novels. I've already begun cultivating immortality—wasn't that better than martial arts qigong?
Observation Haki? Was it any use compared to my divine sense scanning?
Conqueror's Haki? Wasn't that just Mental Pressure? Nothing more than a plain little cultivation trick.
Marine Six Styles: Shave? No need to mention it. My movement techniques were better than that.
Iron Body? Even dogs wouldn't use that crap. Why think about it?
Geppo... hmm. Later, I'd be able to fly on a sword, and eventually, I could even fly directly on qi. But right now, I was just a weak little Qi Refinement cultivator and could not use those techniques. Since I wasn't going to eat a Devil Fruit, this ability to remain airborne was still necessary to learn. Still, it should be easy enough to master.
Rankyaku and Finger Pistol? Tch, flashy nonsense. When the time came, I could just project True Qi outward. Rankyaku tongue, Rankyaku spit—anything would do.
Kami-e... hmm, not bad. It was a technique for redirecting force. The advanced version, Seimei Kikan, was a little interesting. It was somewhat like internal observation and Golden Core storage in the Cultivation System, and it also allowed perfect control over one's body.
So, all things considered, I only needed to learn Geppo, Kami-e, and Seimei Kikan. There was no reason Zephyr could teach those while Garp could not. Maybe Zephyr did not even know Seimei Kikan.
Besides, I was never aiming for promotion or wealth in the first place. Whether I attended military academy did not matter for shit. It would also save me from encountering brain-dead Celestial Dragons during missions. If I could not hold back and killed one, I would not be afraid, but it would be a real pain in the ass.
If I followed Vice Admiral Garp and became a low-ranking officer, there would be a superior above me to handle anything that came up. Perfect for slacking off!
Mo Xingchen then set his cup down heavily. As if he had made a life-or-death decision, he declared fiercely:
"Living, I'm Vice Admiral Garp's soldier. Dead, I'm Vice Admiral Garp's ghost soldier!"
Pfft.
Garp sprayed a mouthful of hot tea directly onto Mo Xingchen's face.
"Yo ho ho ho ho! You're an interesting brat. Fine, then. But let me make this clear first: my highest authorization only goes as far as captain. Don't complain that it's too low."
"Hehe, sir, you know me. I don't care about rank at all."
Mo Xingchen wiped the tea from his face and replied with a fawning grin.
"Get lost and rest! Send out the notice: we return to headquarters tomorrow morning to report in!"
"Got it!"
Before you continue