Marine Headquarters Test

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

A colossal fortress, like a mountain range, stood here. Two enormous black characters—"Justice"—were painted across its outer walls, solemn and imposing. The broad plaza before the fortress could hold a gathering of a hundred thousand people. Ships came and went through the bay harbor, warships lined the waters, and Marine flags flew high, proclaiming faith and strength!

This was Marine Headquarters, Marineford!

The colossal force that suppressed the seas!

At the top of that magnificent white fortress was the office of the Marines' highest commander, the Fleet Admiral.

Inside the office sat an old man whose face commanded respect without anger. He was tall and powerfully built, his steady eyes brimming with wisdom. One glance at him was enough to inspire deep fear. The comical frog glasses and the seagull perched atop his head with its feathers neatly groomed did not make him seem ridiculous at all. Instead, they made his thoughts impossible to read.

This was the highest commander of Marine Headquarters, the current Fleet Admiral, the Intellectual General, Sengoku the Buddha!

Only he was present in the spacious office. His companions were a goat and a seagull that would never leak secrets. As Fleet Admiral, there were many matters he could not let his subordinates know about and could only bear alone.

At that moment, Sengoku seemed to sense something and looked through the window toward the harbor. His wrinkled old face suddenly broke into a broad smile.

"Finally back, are you, Garp..."

"Iron Fist" Garp had gone to the Flower Capital on a secret mission. Though the mission itself had not gone smoothly, he had picked up a Rumble-Rumble Fruit User with a clean background on his way back, greatly relieving Sengoku!

The power of a Logia was undoubtedly terrifying. Elementalization gave them formidable combat power from the very beginning, placing them in an innately invincible position! Once they awakened later on, they would become even more unstoppable, just like the current Three Admirals!

A Logia user—and one who possessed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, a Devil Fruit that had vanished for centuries and was hailed as the strongest Logia—had joined the Marines. Sengoku was so excited that he clapped his hands and stomped his feet.

Furthermore, Garp's report on Ron's hard work and talent over the past month aboard the ship made Sengoku even happier. The Marines had gained another young tiger.

As for Garp's little report that Ron had no respect for rank or seniority and loved arguing with people...

Sengoku did not care in the slightest!

Compared with the current Three Admirals, one was extreme, one was lazy, and one simply could not be bothered. Ron was already practically perfect, all right?!

As long as he was loyal to the Marines and followed orders, even if Garp got so angry that he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, Sengoku could forgive him... He might even clap in delight and beat gongs in celebration!

Now that the Doghead Warship had safely brought Ron back to headquarters without incident, Sengoku finally let out a breath of relief.

But he quickly wiped the smile from his face and resumed his imposing demeanor.

"No, I can't be happy too soon!"

After serving as Fleet Admiral for so many years, Sengoku had seen it all. Exceptionally talented geniuses, after receiving focused training, either became arrogant and died at sea or stagnated and became ordinary.

Even a Logia was not guaranteed to reach the pinnacle.

After thinking for a moment, Sengoku took out a Den Den Mushi and said, "...Immediately notify Vice Admiral Tsuru, Vice Admiral Garp, and Instructor General Zephyr to come to my office for a meeting."

"Yes!"

After putting down the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku silently considered the matter.

"The situation on the seas has been stable these past few years. We have enough time to train Ron... But before that, we must make sure he is loyal to the Marines."

After all, he had been "picked up" through such a strange method... Sengoku could not help feeling concerned...

The philosophical question of whether power controlled people or people controlled power was another matter. What Sengoku saw in this incident was Ron's restless heart. He might have joined the Marines today for greater power, but who could guarantee that he would not abandon the Marines tomorrow for even greater power?

Even uncut jade needed polishing. But if the outside was gold and jade while the inside was rotten stuffing, there would be no saving it. Sengoku did not want the Marines to pour all their efforts into raising another Dragon.

Ron had always thought that the mountain-like warship Garp rode was already an enormous beast. But after stepping off the ship and seeing the towering, majestic structure before him, Ron finally realized just how laughable that earlier thought had been!

Compared to the grand, towering fortress of Marine Headquarters, Marineford, the Doghead Warship was tiny, like a kitten beside an elephant... And they were nothing more than fleas on that kitten.

Just one glance at such a massive structure was enough to fill anyone with fear and awe!

Marine Headquarters truly deserved its reputation as the strongest force on the seas!

The soldiers disembarked in orderly lines. Garp suddenly noticed Ron's astonished expression and swaggered over with a smug grin. "How about it? Stunned, huh? Pretty impressive, right?!"

Then he waved a hand and introduced it grandly.

"This! Is Marine Headquarters, Marineford, the force that suppresses the seas!"

"Uh... What are you so proud of?"

Ron came back to his senses and curled his lip disdainfully. "I was stunned because this fortress is so breathtakingly magnificent. What does that have to do with you? Did you build it?"

Garp: "..."

That was indeed a perfectly reasonable point, but something still felt off?

Traine, who had heard that from the side, raised an eyebrow... then gave Ron a thumbs-up!

Well done, kid!

Destroy that old bastard!

As first mate, Traine had plenty of moments when Garp made him cough up blood.

At that moment, an officer wearing a justice coat approached. He snapped his feet together and stood at attention, looking at Garp with burning admiration. "Vice Admiral Garp! Fleet Admiral Sengoku has summoned you. Please go to his office for a meeting immediately!"

To most people, the "Hero of the Marines," Garp, was merely a little careless by nature, with no other major flaws. But to those who knew him well—especially veteran soldiers of his generation—Garp was simply a complete "bastard," with no preservatives added!

"Got it. I'll head over right away..."

Garp was still mulling over Ron's earlier remark, so he merely waved dismissively. As he walked away, he called out, "Traine, I'll go over first. Take the lightning brat to the New Recruit Camp, and remember to bring me a copy of his test results."

"Understood!"

Watching Garp walk away, Ron rubbed his chin and asked curiously, "Major General Traine, what am I being tested for? Aren't I supposed to go straight to the Naval Academy for classes?"

Ron had learned some relevant information aboard the ship. He knew the Marines had both the "Naval Academy" and the "New Recruit Camp." The former Marine Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr commanded the New Recruit Camp, while the Naval Academy was merely overseen by a major general.

Because his information had been incomplete, he had assumed that the "New Recruit Camp" personally led by Zephyr was the legendary "Celestial Dragon school," while a commoner newcomer like himself could only attend the lower-ranking academy. The One Piece World was a semi-feudal society where World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, existed, and the gap between nobles and commoners was worlds apart.

Traine smiled slightly and explained.

"You've misunderstood, Ron... Although Marine Headquarters has two areas for training recruits, only the New Recruit Camp is an official institution."

"The Naval Academy is where young children from Marine families, as well as gifted children, study and train from an early age to build their foundations. At fifteen, they graduate from the academy and enter the New Recruit Camp. Once they pass training, they are assigned to different units according to their results."

"With your current age and strength, there's no need for you to build your foundation at the academy. You can enter the New Recruit Camp directly for training..."

After hearing the explanation, Ron suddenly understood.

No wonder I thought it was strange!

Kizaru had joined the Marines in his thirties and entered the New Recruit Camp too. Why would I be going to the Naval Academy?

It was all because he lacked knowledge. He had nearly ended up as an overage student in the kindergarten senior class.

As the strongest force in the One Piece World, the Marines did not consist solely of humans. All kinds of naturally gifted races could be seen here. There were members of the Longleg Tribe with their long legs and feet, members of the Longarm Tribe with bent arms and three joints, and even animals so intelligent they hardly seemed like animals at all. Dressed in Marine uniforms, they trained hard on the field, drenched in sweat.

The mountain that had just walked past in the distance was Vice Admiral Donald of the Marine Giant Unit. Even half of his palm was longer than Ron's entire body!

Following Major General Traine, Ron took in the wondrous sights along the way and soon arrived before a tall building inside the New Recruit Camp, located behind the fortress.

Traine stopped, confirmed their identities with the guards, and then said to Ron.

"Don't be nervous. Just show the same performance you usually do in training! The test results are only meant to determine what you currently lack and what you need to improve, so the instructors can organize things and arrange your training courses."

As the saying went, "all-around targeted instruction"—teaching according to aptitude!

For example, Smoker, who was also a Logia user, certainly would not waste time learning swordsmanship in the New Recruit Camp. Instead, he would study how to use and unleash his abilities.

The New Recruit Camp instructors would formulate targeted training according to the test results, allowing every soldier to receive the greatest possible amount of exercise and improvement!

What more was there to say? Ron had joined the Marines to become stronger! Even if the test did not allow him to participate, he would insist on taking it!

His eyes immediately lit up as he confidently pushed open the doors.

"Don't worry! I never let things fall apart when it matters most!"

When the new computer arrived, I was at the company and did not pay much attention to it. When I got home and looked at it, damn, it weighed 15.7 kilograms on its own. With a bunch of workout equipment adding several dozen more pounds, Dashu carried the computer on one shoulder and a canvas bag on the other all the way home. Then!!! The elevator was broken!!!! Dashu had to climb five floors carrying everything!!! Damn it, moving house was exhausting enough to kill me. That computer box was over a meter tall and dozens of centimeters wide, and I could only hook two fingers over the outer edge to hold it. Don't even ask how that felt.