Mistaken for a Scumbag

Although Smoker hailed from Loguetown, a place of great fame, it was located in the East Blue, known as the "Weakest Sea," with an average bounty of 3 million Beli. To him, a bounty of 20 million Beli already signified a major figure.

Yet, Wood possessed the ability to single-handedly defeat such a major figure even before entering the Naval Academy.

Back then, Wood was older than him, but likely not by much.

"I see, this Wood-niisan is a Devil Fruit user, just like me," Hina understood.

Hina, who was around Smoker's age, entered the Naval Academy through strength, while Smoker relied on determination and ambition.

Or rather, Hina relied on the power of the " Devil Fruit " she possessed.

Though Devil Fruit were considered powers cursed by the sea, their immense and incredible strength was undeniable.

It wasn't impossible for even a weak child or an elderly person, upon consuming a powerful Devil Fruit, to suddenly become a strong figure on the seas.

Furthermore, Devil Fruit were rare, fetching prices in the hundreds of millions or even billions of Beli in the black market.

Hina was a Paramecia Devil Fruit user of the "Cage-Cage Fruit," whose ability allowed her to create steel restraints to bind enemies, construct bars to block ships, or even forge iron spears for long-range attacks.

The Cage-Cage Fruit, a Paramecia fruit, wasn't exceptionally strong, but it wasn't weak either. After all, the same fruit could manifest different powers in the hands of different users.

The strength and direction of a Devil Fruit's power largely depended on the user's development and imagination.

However, it had to be said that Devil Fruit users, apart from their inability to swim, already possessed innate advantages over most ordinary people.

The current Hina was no exception. Despite being a young girl of tender age, she already possessed the strength to easily defeat most students at the Naval Academy.

It was a good thing for Devil Fruit users to join the Navy, which was why Hina became a student here. As one of the few female students in the Naval Academy, she was assigned to Gion's dormitory.

Given that Wood could defeat a pirate with a 20 million Beli bounty at such a young age, Hina naturally assumed that Wood, like her, was a gifted ability user.

However, as soon as the young girl voiced her guess, Gion, standing nearby, refuted it.

"No, this guy can't possibly be a Devil Fruit user. I've seen him fall into the water more than once during our year at the Naval Academy."

The three grunt marines who had beaten up Smoker were eventually taken away by the enforcement department, and their fate likely wouldn't be pleasant.

Not wanting further interaction with Gion, Wood unhappily led Smoker back to the dormitory.

Back in the dormitory, Smoker, while painfully applying medicine to his wounds, curiously asked Wood, "You and Gion-senpai must have a good relationship, right?

Otherwise, she wouldn't have helped you get the opportunity for officer training, and just now, she helped us out of a tight spot."

With most of the senior students having left the Naval Academy to report to their respective units, there weren't many seniors left at the academy.

So far, the only seniors Smoker had encountered were Wood and Gion.

However, in Smoker's eyes, Gion was the undisputed naval elite – powerful and gentle. Despite being a woman, her ability to instantly defeat three grunt marines filled him with admiration.

As for Wood, Smoker felt he was more of a "disgrace to the Navy" than a "naval elite."

Not only did he cheat a rookie like himself out of money, but he even threw a newcomer like himself into danger. He was truly the scum of scums.

Smoker still didn't believe the deeds of Wood that Gion-senpai had mentioned earlier, not one bit.

Rather than believing the scoundrel's outward appearance was merely a disguise by Wood, Smoker was more inclined to believe that this was Wood's true nature, or perhaps Wood from Maple Leaf Island and the current Wood were two entirely different people!

"My relationship with Gion? Don't joke around, would you? Didn't you see how she wanted to stab me with a knife earlier?

As my subordinate, don't say I didn't warn you: no matter how beautiful a woman in the Navy is, don't provoke her.

Especially that Gion. Nothing good ever happens when I run into her. If she didn't have so many fans and wasn't backed by someone, I would have already pinned her down and spanked her."

Hearing Wood's words, Smoker could only remain silent and continue applying his medicine. Although he wanted to respond, Wood was just bragging.

In Smoker's opinion, Wood-senpai was no match for Gion-senpai, the current No. 1 at the Naval Academy. Furthermore, Wood-senpai's attitude towards Gion-senpai earlier only proved how unconvincing his current words were.

Smoker didn't want to flatter Wood against his conscience, but he was afraid of getting beaten if he told the truth, so he decisively chose to shut up.

Bragging alone was boring. He had thought that taking a subordinate would lead to some flattery, but Smoker was simply not receptive.

A few days passed. Although Wood tried to submit his graduation application multiple times, his applications were, as expected, rejected.

Smoker and the others officially began their basic training, while Wood and his group started the so-called "enhanced training" for naval officers.

Compared to the basic training for naval cannon fodder, the officer training involved learning much more.

Courses included command, combat, martial arts, swordsmanship, and Six Powers.

Of course, an individual's energy was limited. Apart from combat command and practical combat, students at the Naval Academy could choose their own paths in martial arts, swordsmanship, and Six Powers.

Moreover, not everyone could master all aspects of the Six Powers.

And Wood finally understood why he had never seen Zephyr at the Naval Academy before. The reason was simple.

As a Navy Admiral, Zephyr had a certain prestige. Not every marine was qualified to be his student.

Only those elite marines who were retained and trained as naval officers were eligible to become his students.

Initially, thousands of people entered the Naval Academy in the same cohort as Wood, but now, less than a hundred remained.

"From today onwards, I will be your instructor for practical combat courses, and I will also be responsible for teaching you Six Powers, combat command, martial arts, and other subjects. You may address me as Teacher Zephyr."