Probationary Status: The Marines' Secret

The next morning, Ron felt uncomfortable from being pressed against something. He turned over with his eyes closed. Then, with a "splat," he fell onto a stone slab.

The impact instantly woke him up. He opened his eyes and stared at the cold ground inches from his face. Recalling what happened last night, he suddenly mumbled, "That old bastard Garp... he wouldn't have just thrown me on the ground and left me, would he?"

Two Overload Lightning Fists in one day, plus the mental and physical strain of his fight with Shuzuo, had been a huge challenge for Ron. After the fight, he'd been completely exhausted and passed out.

So... I slept on the floor all night?

You got me there!

Thinking this viciously, Ron flipped over and got up. But when he saw his surroundings clearly, his face went blank.

"What the hell... what's going on?! Where is this?"

He was in a cramped prison cell less than ten square meters. The only light came from a torch on the wall. Steel cables crisscrossed the area, interspersed with gray stone slabs... If he wasn't mistaken, those things were Seastone.

What's more, Ron realized he wasn't outside the cell, but inside it.

I should be out there, not in here...

"This is Marine Headquarters' prison, specifically for criminals who aren't sent to Impel Down..."

An old voice came from outside. Ron turned his head and saw a robust, muscular old man with purple hair, whose physique was no less imposing than Garp's. He wore a Justice cloak over his shoulders and had his arms crossed... Notably, his right hand had been severed at the shoulder, and he now had a wooden prosthetic.

This was none other than the former Marine Admiral and current New Recruit Camp Chief Instructor, "Black Arm" Zephyr!

Ron was only surprised for a second by his appearance before his attention was drawn to someone else... In another cell behind Zephyr, Garp was staring at him with the look of a sworn enemy, tearing into a donut as if to vent his frustration.

Ron burst out laughing at the sight!

"Yo, isn't this Vice Admiral Garp? Are you here to experience life in the slammer?!"

"Hiss..."

Garp winced in pain, sucking in a breath through his teeth, but didn't reply. Instead, he sneered, cracking his knuckles with a series of pops.

Gordon's heart skipped a beat...

Ron swallowed, abandoning the idea of provoking Garp further. He then bowed to Zephyr and greeted him, "Instructor General Zephyr!"

"Mm, no need to be nervous, relax."

Zephyr pulled over a stool, sat down, lit a cigar, and took a puff. He spoke to Ron through the cell bars, "Do you know why you've been locked up?"

"Uh..."

Recalling what happened last night, Ron scratched his face and gave a silly laugh, "Ha, ha, ha, I have no idea what happened!"

"Stop playing dumb!"

Zephyr's face darkened instantly, and he roared, "Headquarters regulations state that in non-emergency situations, no one is allowed to engage in combat in unauthorized locations! Violators will be strictly punished!"

There's a rule like that?!

Ron stared at Zephyr in shock, his expression looking genuine. Then, his eyes widened, and he said to Garp in disbelief, "Vice Admiral Garp, you set me up?!"

"His salary is gone for this year!"

Zephyr waved his hand, blocking the verbal argument about to erupt between the two, and said, "Do you know what will happen to you?"

What will happen?

Garp, as a Vice Admiral of Headquarters and a Hero of the Marines, held a high position. Even he had his salary docked for a year. As a rookie, Ron was probably going to face...

"Are you going to expel me from the Marines?"

Ron stared at Zephyr in horror, pointing at himself.

No way?

I only joined yesterday?!

Seeing that Ron genuinely understood the gravity of the situation, Zephyr's anger subsided slightly. He snorted, "According to the rules, that's exactly right! However, you were never registered in the Headquarters' rookie roster, so you're considered an outsider. The Marines don't have the authority to dismiss you..."

I was never registered, so there's no dismissal.

Hearing this, Ron breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected the registration he'd overlooked to become such a crucial lifeline at this moment.

"However..."

Zephyr's tone shifted, causing Ron to immediately stand at attention. "Yes, I promise to complete the mission!"

Zephyr: "..."

I haven't even said anything yet?

What the hell are you promising?!

Wait...

What was I about to say?

His lips twitched twice, and Zephyr picked up his interrupted train of thought. "Considering you were unaware of this, Fleet Admiral has shown leniency outside of the rules and decided to keep you at Headquarters for observation... If you don't cause any more trouble and make amends for your actions, the gates of the Marines will still be open to you!"

"Do you understand?!"

After hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Ron's eyes as he thought rapidly.

Yes, this makes sense... The Marines believe in the theory of "nipping danger in the bud." Most pirates imprisoned in Impel Down's Level 6, the most dangerous level, aren't executed not only to display their power and deter other pirates, but also because if their Devil Fruit abilities were to spread and fall into the hands of other pirates, it would cause great upheaval on the seas.

If they were to expel a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user from the Marines and cast them back into the sea, once that person decided to become a pirate, the Marines would regret it immensely.

Furthermore, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit is incredibly powerful, known as the "strongest Logia"... This is indeed a serious issue, but compared to the future of a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, the Marines could afford to make concessions.

As the saying goes, "You give a peach, you get a plum in return," each taking what they need.

Grasping the key point, Ron put aside his unease and replied with a smile, "Understood!"

Ron left soon after. Since they had already decided on "probation," there was no point in detaining a "civilian."

After Ron was escorted away, Garp sat in the cell and looked at Zephyr.

"That kid's body... you noticed it too, right?"

"Yeah, that kind of self-healing ability, it's almost inhuman..."

Zephyr took a puff of his cigar, recalling what he had witnessed the previous night...

Hearing that Ron had burned his arm while developing a new move, and fearing he might be crippled like himself, Zephyr had rushed over with a medical team of dozens.

But before the doctors could even make a diagnosis, under the stunned gaze of everyone present, the charred, bloody scabs simply peeled off, revealing new, tender muscle and skin underneath.

Afterward, the Captain officer in charge of the afternoon test was quickly summoned for questioning. They confirmed that Ron had used the same move that afternoon. Although its power wasn't as great as at night, it had still severely injured his body. Only then did Garp and the others believe a certain fact.

Ron was born with a terrifying healing ability... it had nothing to do with his Rumble-Rumble Fruit!

In the afternoon, the Captain instructor in charge of the test thought Ron's injuries weren't serious, and since he recovered moments later, they believed there was no major issue and didn't report it separately.

But they were different from the others; they stood higher and saw more clearly!

Therefore, they could directly conclude that Ron's body was abnormal!

And...

"His body... it's like a black hole! Why?!"

Zephyr's smoking rate quickened slightly, and smoke swirled around him for a moment.

Last night, after confirming Ron was fine, the doctors prepared some nutrient solution and administered it to Ron to replenish his lost nutrients. However, as soon as the solution entered his bloodstream, Ron's muscles spasmed, and in the blink of an eye, it was digested and absorbed.

After several repeated attempts, Ron's aura visibly increased and strengthened. If his aura strength was 10 after being injured, it became 11 then, in... just half an hour!

Only when he let out an unconscious burp did his body stop its black hole-like absorption and return to normal.

...This was no longer explainable by mere excellence or talent; he was a monster!

What Ron didn't know was that even though the nutrients in the food of the One Piece World were extremely easy to absorb, they were still limited by the body.

His kind of incomprehensible, limitless absorption and consumption led to an astonishing growth rate, making him an anomaly!

To put it another way...

Others might have their bodies explode from being unable to contain more energy, breaking through their limits to achieve rebirth. But he seemed to have no upper limit from birth, constantly converting nutrients into nourishment.

This ability reminded Garp of something that happened decades ago...

"He fell from the sky. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit came from a Sky Island kingdom called Birka..."

On the ship, Garp had asked Ron about his past... Ron had presented himself as an adventurer who traveled everywhere. Later, a reverse current swept him and his ship to a Sky Island. After years of wandering, he finally obtained the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, but during a test of its abilities, he accidentally fell into the Blue Sea.

Reverse currents were rarely recorded at Headquarters, but they did exist. More often, they were undocumented and passed down through folklore. Therefore, there was no way to verify which specific reverse current had swept Ron to the Sky Island.

"That kingdom called Birka again?"

Zephyr frowned silently, clearly recalling something as well.

"But even with that thing, the effect seems a bit too exaggerated, doesn't it?"

Zephyr, being one of the few who knew, was close friends with Garp. He had even regretted more than once, wishing he had been the one to foolishly eat it instead of Garp. But even with that fruit, Garp hadn't been this monstrous back then.

"I don't know about that..."

Garp shrugged, biting into a donut.

"Didn't that bird-man say the medicinal effects could stack? He even wanted to trick us into going to Sky Island to avenge him... So maybe Ron foolishly ate a lot of it... But for now, that kid hasn't realized his peculiarity. He probably doesn't even know what he ate himself..."

At this point, Garp struggled to suppress a smile.

"After all, his body is already abnormal. Maybe he feels perfectly fine, thinking everything is normal..."

"Hahaha, is that so..."

Zephyr's lips curled. He flicked his cigar, watching the sparks scatter in the air, and slowly chuckled, "If the medicinal effects can indeed stack, then Ron's training needs to be adjusted accordingly... A year of effective medicinal power shouldn't be wasted."

Garp became unusually serious at this, looking at Zephyr earnestly.

"Then, I'll leave everything to you, Zephyr..."

"Nonsense! Stop worrying and go back to your jail cell!"

Zephyr sneered, flung his cloak over his shoulder, and strode out.