A Marine Admiral had personally tried to recruit an insignificant nobody like him. Even as someone who had crossed into another world, Wood couldn't help feeling flattered.
There were several major factions in Pirate World: the Marines, pirates, the Revolutionary Army, bounty hunters, and the like.
After witnessing what real pirates were like in Pirate World, Wood had already given up on becoming one of them.
The Revolutionary Army hadn't risen to prominence yet. Its leader, Monkey D. Dragon, might even still be over at Marine Headquarters.
Wood had originally planned to become a bounty hunter, but his experience going to sea alone during his previous life simulation was still fresh in his mind...
When watching the anime, people tended to see the Marines as villains because the story was told from the protagonist's perspective as a pirate.
But was that really the case? Clearly not.
Only after experiencing it firsthand could you understand that pirates like Luffy were exceedingly rare in this world.
Most pirates were as vicious and evil as everyone believed. Perhaps the World Government, which the Marines served, and the Celestial Dragons above it weren't exactly good people.
But there was no denying that without the Marines keeping the pirates in check, the world would only descend further into chaos.
Having completed his first life simulation, with the second task set to end in the next few days, Wood had roughly two options for his future.
The first was to lay low on the island for a few more years, build up his strength, and then go to sea.
The other was to wait for the Marine warship that would otherwise have passed him by, and join the Marines when it arrived.
He had already planned to join the Marines, and now a Marine Admiral had personally come to recruit him. Wood wasn't about to refuse such an offer, so after a brief moment of hesitation, he accepted Zephyr's invitation to join the Marines.
Both Zephyr and Wood were quite pleased with the outcome.
Wood was happy because being personally recruited by a Marine Admiral would obviously come with far better treatment than offering himself up to the Marines.
Connections mattered in every world. Just look at that Straw Hat who was always going on about becoming King of the Pirates: practically the whole sea was made up of his friends and relatives.
The reason he could get away with doing whatever he wanted and never die wasn't just his protagonist's plot armor. The guy also had an impressive network.
Zephyr was equally pleased that Wood had agreed to join the Marines. At last, he had found someone he was satisfied with while recruiting new soldiers.
He had thought he would need to spend quite a bit of time persuading Wood. After all, Wood's actions had made it clear that he had a deep attachment to Maple Leaf Island and its people.
But Wood had agreed so readily. It seemed the sense of justice he held onto might be even stronger than Zephyr had imagined.
The Marines couldn't stay on Maple Leaf Island for long. Zephyr, as an admiral of Marine Headquarters, especially couldn't remain for an extended period in a small place like this.
After his fierce battle with Iron Arm Cook, Wood would need at least ten days to half a month in bed, even with the absurdly fast recovery typical of people in Pirate World.
"Mr. Zephyr, can't you stay a little longer? Wood's injuries are so serious. Can he handle the rough journey at sea?
"Why not let him recover on the island first, then have him report to Marine Headquarters? You could send a warship back for him later. That would also give him time to say a proper goodbye to everyone."
Seeing Wood, his left arm and leg wrapped in bandages, being roughly carried onto the warship, Stia couldn't hide her worry and heartache.
In Stia's eyes, Zephyr and the others were just a ship full of men. They didn't know the first thing about looking after someone. And with Wood injured, she couldn't help worrying about him.
"Please don't worry, ma'am. We have the finest ship's doctor on board. Your son will receive even better care on the ship."
Hearing Stia's words, Rear Admiral Kadaru's expression twitched, but he patiently reassured her all the same.
Send another warship? Did this woman think Marine warships grew on trees? Or did she think her son was a Marine Admiral?
Even he, a rear admiral at Marine Headquarters, might not be able to get Headquarters to send a warship all the way out just to pick him up if he wanted to go there. And Wood wasn't even a recruit yet. How could he possibly receive that kind of treatment?
Of course, Kadaru kept those thoughts to himself and didn't say them aloud.
He knew that his immediate superior, Admiral Zephyr, thought highly of the boy from Maple Leaf Island. He had even personally recruited him and specifically instructed them to take good care of Wood.
There was no denying that having powerful connections could be a very good thing.
There were only so many rooms aboard a Marine warship. Aside from officers with rank, who had their own rooms, most Marines had to share cabins with several others.
But since Wood was injured, and because Zephyr wanted to look after him, he had managed to get a private room just like the officers aboard the ship.
Unfortunately, that also meant Wood's reputation was already in tatters the moment he boarded.
Wherever they were, people disliked those with special connections. Unless you were the one receiving special treatment, human nature meant most people would resent someone like that.
And now, in the eyes of most of the Marines, Wood was exactly that kind of favored insider.
By the time Kadaru and the others reached Maple Leaf Island, Zephyr had already defeated the rest of the Iron Arm Pirates.
Naturally, all the Marines, including Kadaru, assumed that Admiral Zephyr was responsible for everything.
As for Wood's contribution, Zephyr didn't go out of his way to explain it to the Marines aboard the ship.
The reason was simple: Zephyr himself was the ship's highest-ranking officer. He had neither reason nor obligation to report anything to the others.
He was also worried that praising Wood too much would make the boy arrogant and complacent. After all, Wood was still just a kid, and it was only natural that too much adulation might go to his head.
So Zephyr's silence and special treatment had led most of the Marines aboard the warship to believe Wood was a privileged kid who had gotten in through connections.
The Marines who had already been serving at Marine Headquarters were one thing. They knew Admiral Zephyr and understood what kind of man he was.
But the new recruits gathered from across the sea were now feeling rather resentful.
They were all new recruits, so why did they have to cram ten or more into a cabin while Wood got one all to himself?
When Zephyr had recruited them, he had been incredibly picky and dismissive. So why was Wood, a half-crippled brat, being treated so well?
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