That, When the Marines Assign Old

Chapter 5: 005. That, when the Marines assigned old.

On the light screen panel before his eyes, the Gifted Abilities section displayed six grayed-out abilities at the very bottom.

[Breathing], [Medicine], [Taming], [Weapon Operation], [Precision], [Throwing].

January 10th.

One morning.

Closing the projected light screen panel, Mercer thought about the grayed-out abilities in the Gifted Abilities section that had only appeared but not yet truly manifested:

"Ten days to make the Throwing Gift manifest isn't too slow. But I still need to suppress that feeling of wanting to manifest it constantly."

The manifestation of a Gift requires truly learning the ability or skill, or for such an unusual possibility to have appeared in one's own experiences and history.

Manifestation and materialization both require some kind of catalyst, be it a flash of inspiration or painstaking practice and skill over time, but Mercer can interfere to some extent with whether a Gift truly materializes.

This is thanks to the "Light Orb" complementing and achieving perfect symbiosis with him.

This is something Mercer can truly do.

Gifted Abilities can be self-manifested through later learning, but in the current situation, even if they materialized, they would only be the lowest F-rank.

Even if a Gift doesn't materialize, the experience won't disappear; it will continue to accumulate.

It just lacks the characteristic attribute bonuses of a Gifted Ability.

He doesn't particularly need them right now.

Soul Crystal: [0]

It's also because he hasn't obtained any Soul Crystals, and the method of acquiring Soul Crystals...

For now, it's better to wait until he has accumulated enough Merit Points and do it all at once.

Especially for the [Precision] Gift, Mercer has strong reason to believe it's a [Type Two] Gift, one that cannot grow through later training.

Rather than a skill-based Gifted Ability, it's more like a talent, a probability, a special Concept-based Gift.

As for the other abilities, they are [Type One] Gifts, which can grow autonomously through training.

"For now, there's no need for these Gifts to truly materialize. Continuing to explore, accumulate, and increase my foundation is good. It's also possible that when they materialize on their own, they'll start at a higher point."

This is an instinctive feeling.

It also comes from the affirmation of the "Light Orb" in his sea of consciousness.

His life experiences and history are not set in stone; a moment of inspiration or a realization won't just vanish. Instead, it will continuously accumulate in his history.

It won't disappear; it will only become richer with age, like old wine.

In the snowy ground outside the treehouse.

Standing quietly beneath an old tree.

His breathing rose and fell, his abdomen expanding and contracting slowly, with an interval of over ten seconds between each inhale and exhale. His mind was empty, relying on instinct to continuously expand and retract his Observation Haki perception.

Externally, he perceived the vastness of nature and the immensity of heaven and earth.

Internally, he perceived the special sound emanating from himself, the unique fluctuation of life.

He didn't perceive anything special; all he felt was his heartbeat becoming increasingly slow, and everything around him growing quiet.

A unique perceptual perspective.

With each breath, it was as if he synchronized with the wind and snow of nature.

He entered a state of meditation.

At the window of the treehouse, Kureha, holding Bear Cub, quietly watched Mercer beneath the snowy tree. He looked as if he had merged with the snowy landscape, not out of place at all, as if he belonged there.

"That's strange. Why does this kid have that kind of mystical aura that circulates among swordsmen?"

"Is he having some kind of realization?"

Kureha wasn't a swordsman. In her words, she was just an ordinary medical personnel with a few self-defense skills.

Regarding those high-sounding concepts like "Unity of All Things," "Listening to the Voices of All Things," and "Mind Reading," she only held a scientific attitude of not believing rumors and not spreading them.

As she watched, at one moment, she saw Mercer open his eyes, shake his body, and even sneeze. At this point, Kureha shouted loudly:

"You know it's cold, and you're still standing out there? Get back inside."

Mercer grinned. He was long accustomed to Kureha's sharp tongue. He clenched his numb palms and walked over with his short legs.

Opening the door and letting some warmth escape, amidst Kureha's grumbling, he ran to the fireplace to warm himself.

Through a circle of iron railing, Mercer extended his hands, feeling the warmth of the flames.

The treehouse had a fireplace installed. With multiple modifications, and the tree itself still alive, it was quite miraculous.

In terms of vitality, it was quite impressive.

******

Afternoon.

Knock, knock, knock!

A knock echoed from the door.

Kureha wasn't on the first floor; she was in the drug development lab on the second.

That was where Kureha did her secretive research, things like longevity medicine, Lineage Factors, and all sorts of other stuff. Mercer usually didn't go up there.

If he went, he wouldn't understand anything anyway.

Seeing no response, the visitor outside knocked again.

At the desk.

Reading a book, Mercer sighed. His secluded treehouse, deep in the mountains, rarely had visitors. Except for that one quack doctor he'd met only once. The nickname "quack doctor" came from Kureha.

When the quack doctor came, he'd always be shouting.

"Who is it?"

Mercer's face showed caution, mixed with a hint of helplessness, as he spoke, "Who are you looking for?"

As he spoke, he got up and walked to the corner of the room where weapons were kept, picking up his axe. At the same time, he released his Observation Haki.

Just then, a burst of laughter came from outside. Mercer put his axe back, and a familiar voice rang out:

"Mercer, your grandpa's here. Hurry up and open the door."

A dark line appeared on his forehead. Mercer, speechless, went to open the door. A burly figure blocked the entrance, and the next second, Mercer felt the world spin.

A thick palm gripped Mercer's chest and abdomen, lifting him high. Then, another hand began to ruffle Mercer's hair.

"Are you trying to crush my head, you damn grandpa?"

As Mercer stared at him and spoke, listening to the childishly sharp tongue, Garp paused and awkwardly let go.

The awkwardness lasted only a moment before Garp's face darkened again. With a scowl, he cursed, "What did you just call me, you brat? Damn you?"

Mercer spread his hands to his sides with a helpless expression. "Doctor Doriel calls you that. I'm the damn grandson, and you're the damn grandpa. We're both damn."

Garp's mouth twitched. Just as he was about to speak, Kureha came down the stairs, giggling, "Did I say anything wrong? Just tell me if you're damn or not."

As Garp's eyes twitched violently, Kureha snatched Mercer from Garp's grasp and casually tossed him onto the ground, making Garp's eye twitch again.

"This kid is only two years old, can't you be gentler?"

Kureha glanced at Mercer, who was acting as if nothing had happened and was getting tea, and shrugged indifferently. "That kid's tough. What? You're worried about him now? Why weren't you gentler just now?"

The two of them bickered as soon as they met. Mercer brought over two cups of tea, first giving one to Kureha. As Garp looked on with a hint of jealousy, he handed the other cup to him.

Kureha drank her tea with a smile and looked at Garp, "First time being served tea by your grandson, does it taste good?"

Garp's eyebrows rose at the remark, and just as his lips began to curve into a smile, he heard Kureha continue, "This kid brings me tea every day."

Garp looked at Mercer's obedient behavior, then thought of Ace, the mischievous monkey he'd left on Corvo Mountain on Dawn Island. After some thought, he said, "Mercer, do you want to go to the East Blue? Your brother Ace wants to see you."

Kureha's expression changed slightly. She opened her mouth but said nothing. However, Mercer shook his head, surprising Garp. "My body is weak. Let's wait another year or two. I'm still young now, and the journey is long. I'm afraid I won't be able to endure it."

Garp nodded without much thought.

"That's true."

After all, two years ago, Mercer had looked like he was "about to die young."

Even now, his aura carried a strange weakness.

Garp nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Kureha's mouth twitched. "His body is weak?" This was the funniest thing she'd heard all year.

His body is weak, yet he can carry a fifteen-pound load and cross mountains without even panting?

His body is weak, yet he can hunt for himself? Even if it's just Bamboo Rats?

His body is weak, yet he can stay in the snow for such a long time?

So, Kureha rolled her eyes, reached out, and pinched the top of Mercer's skull. Then she asked Garp, "The seas have been restless lately. Do you have time to be wandering around here?"

Mercer's eyes flickered. He listened quietly. This was one of the few channels through which he could learn about current events.

Newspapers were edited.

Rumors from outside were often distorted.

But Garp, standing before him, would speak the "truth."

"Tch, what's there to worry about? The current situation on the seas is just like that. The Pirates are like fish and shrimp in the sea, desperately trying to reach the New World.

As for the New World, it's currently a structure of one superpower and many strong contenders. Roger, that scoundrel, kicked off the Great Pirate Era. Although there are more Pirates now, only the monsters who came down from that ship can truly stand at the apex.

Oh, right. There seems to be some recent development in the New World's Wano Country. I heard Kaido, that bastard, is going to war with the samurai or something.

The leader of those samurai seems to be from Roger's ship, named Kōzuki Oden or something. Well, just take this as gossip.

You can't just say this stuff out loud."

Kureha smiled and took a sip of tea. "Roger, huh? Gol D. Roger. He really was a troublesome kid.

Even after death, his influence is still so great."

"D, huh? Speaking of which, you're a D, he's a D, and little Mercer is also a D. What exactly is this D?" Kureha said, then shook her head listlessly. "Forget it, that stuff has nothing to do with me. I'm just an ordinary doctor."

Garp glanced at Mercer with a hint of silence, seeing the "curiosity" in Mercer's eyes. Although he hadn't spent much time with Mercer, he knew the kid was smart.

Kureha had mentioned that Mercer never cried or fussed as a child, was sensible, and exceptionally intelligent, a prodigy.

So.

"Mercer, can you tell Grandpa what you want to do when you grow up?"

Garp wasn't sure why he asked, "Do you want to be a Marine with Grandpa?"

Kureha's gaze shifted as well. As the saying goes, you can tell how a person will be at old age from their childhood.

This child is filial and values relationships, but he also learned a sharp tongue from somewhere. He seems to be somewhat indifferent to life, which is good for a doctor, but if he's like this at such a young age, his future is worrying.

And then there's that D-thing.

Maybe it would be better to let this kid go to East Blue with Garp, to meet his brother. Perhaps being with peers his age would do him some good.

She looked back at Garp. That guy is a scoundrel, clearly not the type to raise a child well.

She sighed.

At this moment, Mercer's voice rang out, cheerfully saying, "I want to study medicine. I want to learn Doctor Doriel's medical skills. I want to create an elixir of immortality. I want Doctor Doriel to live forever.

Oh, right. When I create the elixir, I'll reluctantly let Grandpa have some too."

Garp frowned, clenched his fist, and blew into it, chuckling, "You little brat, don't change the subject. I don't want to live forever."

With that, he punched Mercer on the head. A bump appeared on Mercer's head, and he huffed, "And you, you stinky brat, what do you mean 'reluctantly'? Am I, your grandfather, not as good as this old woman?"

At the same time, Kureha, whose lips had been curling up, darkened. Her smiling mouth froze, and she suddenly kicked upwards, hitting Garp's chin. With a dull thud, Garp's head smashed through the wooden ceiling.

He dangled limply in the living room, swaying.

Kureha, her face grim, smiled and said, "You scoundrel, watch your mouth. Otherwise, even if you're this kid's grandfather, I'll teach you an unforgettable lesson."

Garp's hands braced against the ceiling, and with a creak, he pulled his head out of the broken wood, landing on the ground with a helpless expression.

"Your temper is really fiery."

He rubbed his face, brushing off the wood chips, and said to Mercer, "Don't learn this, or you might not find a wife later."

"Then, do the Marines give wives, Grandpa?" Mercer asked, blinking.

Garp's face stiffened.

Mercer added, "I don't ask for much, just the most beautiful woman in the world. How about it, Grandpa?"

Garp's face turned dark, his mouth twitching violently. He gritted his teeth and said, "Marines don't assign wives, and there's no such thing as the most beautiful woman in the world. You'd better not become a Marine, I'm afraid I'll be beaten to death."

If he dared to say that Marines assigned wives, Tsuru would tear him apart.

Female Marines were under her jurisdiction.

Mercer grinned, "You should have said so earlier. Wasting my breath. I thought the Marines were great, but they don't even assign wives."

Garp's face turned green with anger, his lips trembling. Looking at Mercer's happy grin, revealing his teeth, his eyes became somewhat dazed, as if he saw a familiar figure.

He took a deep breath, sighed dejectedly, and waved his hand. "We'll talk about being a Marine later. I was just passing by today. Now that I've seen you and you're healthy, I'll come see you again next time.

Right, think about what I told you. That kid Ace is quite curious about you and really wants to meet you."

Just as Garp had arrived in a hurry, he finished speaking, drained his tea, patted his behind, and left in a hurry.

Kureha looked at the hole in the ceiling, then at Mercer, and helplessly went to get the patching tools. "Mistake. I wondered why that scoundrel left so quickly. So he didn't want to fix the ceiling for me."

Mercer grinned and handed Kureha the repair tools. Although he had no skill, helping out gave him a sense of participation.

Old words, new book, young sprout, please collect! Recommend! Follow! Invest!

Regarding Soul Crystals. Basic introduction below.

PS: [Soul Crystal]: Obtain Soul Crystals of different qualities through killing. Soul Crystals can be used to strengthen Attributes and Gifted Abilities. (Soul Crystals are refined and forged from the Origin of a life's spirit.)

* Soul Crystals can be fused/decomposed. * Same quality is a 5-tier progression (e.g., F- → F), subsequent quality increases by 10 tiers (e.g., F+ → E-).

5 F- rank Soul Crystals synthesize 1 F rank Soul Crystal.

5 F rank Soul Crystals synthesize 1 F+ rank Soul Crystal.

10 F+ rank Soul Crystals synthesize 1 E- rank Soul Crystal.

For example: 10,000 F- rank Soul Crystals can only synthesize 8 E rank Soul Crystals.

100 million F- rank Soul Crystals can synthesize approximately 1.2 C rank Soul Crystals.

PS: 10,000 F- rank Soul Crystals are refined from 10,000 F- rank lives.

PS: The Origin of a spirit is the foundation or essence of a life's existence. It represents the inherent potential and possibilities of each creature or thing. The Origin is the unique and potential core element of each life or thing.

PS: The quality of obtained Soul Crystals is directly proportional to strength.

PS: After killing a prey, Soul Crystals naturally precipitate from the prey's corpse.