Unconvinced

Louis was not a native of this world. It was truly hard to believe that such a thing as transmigration could exist, and that he had ended up in a fantasy world he had been quite fond of in his daily life. It was far too astonishing, and he could only explain it with the theory that parallel worlds were infinite, making it unsurprising that one identical to the One Piece manga world he had read existed. Regardless, that was irrelevant; the important thing was the transmigration itself.

Louis had arrived three years ago. That year, this body was nine years old, the only son of a wealthy merchant family. It was precisely when pirates ransacked their home and destroyed his family that he arrived. He did not know if the original owner was lucky or unlucky—having lived nine years of a wealthy life before dying—but Louis himself was quite unfortunate, suddenly thrust from a carefree modern life into a precarious existence drifting on the sea.

As a child, Louis had not failed to consider using modern ideas to make some money, but unfortunately, the savagery of this world exceeded his expectations. Any random street thug was enough to leave him with nowhere to run and no way to hide. Doing business? He couldn't even snatch a hot meal while begging; such was the law of the jungle.

Louis had resigned himself to his fate. Being a beggar was fine, too. This body was indeed well-formed, and Dylan's words were no joke. When a nation is about to fall, monsters appear; the original order of this world had been maintained for too long, and all sorts of demons and ghosts were now jumping out. The identity of a beggar also served to protect him; no big shot would pay attention to a little beggar on the street.

The turning point came more than a year after arriving in this world. After understanding the composition of this world and learning the names of the three great pirates on the sea, Louis knew his location. He began to exercise his body, for here, the best way to change one's destiny was to become a powerhouse.

Then he met Wade and Dylan. This was the first good thing he had encountered since coming to this world.

Wade was five years older than him, and Dylan was three years older. They were also orphans struggling to survive in the city, but they were unwilling to spend their lives drifting like this. They were also training their bodies. By chance, the three of them met, became familiar, and then became good friends.

It was truly difficult for one person to survive, but it was much better with three, especially since Wade was the oldest. Constant exercise meant his physique was no worse than an average adult's, and life finally had some direction.

Then they were discovered by Cipher Pol. Regardless of whether they agreed, they were taken directly to the training camp, beginning their training life as candidate intelligence officers.

Physical strength, combat, languages, etiquette, customs, geography, history, mathematics, navigation, interrogation, infiltration, assassination, reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance, anti-interrogation, and more.

As an intelligence officer, there was a great deal to master. Of course, for Louis, the most important thing was naturally the Six Powers, the techniques that could truly allow one to transcend the mundane and reach a superhuman realm.

Unfortunately, this South Sea Training Camp was only meant to cultivate ordinary Cipher Pol spies. Normal trainees were not taught the Six Powers; only the most outstanding trainees had the chance to obtain the training method for one of the Six Powers.

Louis was one of the outstanding trainees. Although he was the youngest, he trained desperately, and with a little built-in cheat, he eventually learned one of the Six Powers. He chose Tekkai; saving his life was the most important thing.

After training ended came the graduation exam. Only trainees who completed the exam could join the Cipher Pol series. The failures, of course, could only sink to the bottom of the sea. Don't even think about running away; as reserve intelligence officers, the government's tight control over them was no weaker than that over official agents. Things like Vivre Cards meant they had nowhere to run even if they wanted to.

The large ship that came to pick them up did not stop for a moment, sailing directly toward the training camp located in a hidden sea area.

When they arrived at the training camp, the final deadline had not yet arrived. The time limit for the graduation mission was three months. After all, the mission covered the entire South Sea, and the time spent just traveling back and forth was significant. The actual execution of the mission might take even longer, so three months was not that long.

It could only be said that the speed at which the three of them completed the mission was a bit too fast. Facing a massive force that could easily crush them, they completed the mission in two months without even suffering a single injury. It could be said they were very outstanding.

After spending a few days idling in the training camp, most of the trainees who had completed their missions returned. Except for a few who were still on their way back, the others would not be coming back. The outcome of failing a mission was only death. Exceeding the time limit without completing the mission meant death. Even if the mission was completed, failing to return within the specified time meant death. Of those who participated in the graduation mission, less than one-third would successfully graduate in the end.

On the day the three months ended, Louis and his two companions arrived at the training camp's port. There were many others with them. Everyone stood silently on the port, watching the few large ships rushing toward them on the sea. These were the ones racing against time to return.

When most of the ships were still some distance from the port, the bell symbolizing the end of time began to toll. Only one ship docked before the bell finished ringing. Several limp figures climbed off, collapsing onto the ground and gasping for air. As for the remaining ships, their speed slowed abruptly. When they finally docked, the instructors on board threw down a few corpses that were still somewhat warm.

The exam was over.

The next day, before dawn, amidst the shrill alarm, Louis got up out of habit. He poured a bucket of cold water onto Dylan, who was on the opposite bed. Dylan didn't even have time to complain; he threw on his clothes in a few quick motions, met up with Wade from the dormitory next door, and the three of them quickly arrived at the training ground.

Everyone assembled. There were indeed far fewer people, and the phalanx had shrunk significantly.

A row of dark-faced instructors wore extremely cold expressions. Leading them was a middle-aged man with bulging muscles and a massive frame, holding a folder in his hand.

"Training duration: one year. Number of trainees: 1,381."

The lead instructor began, "The number of people who participated in the graduation assessment was 656. The number of people who completed the mission and successfully graduated is 209. Congratulations to you all; you are the lucky ones who survived and can join Cipher Pol as glorious intelligence officers."

"..."

There was silence below; no one spoke.

The instructor continued, "Every year, the South Sea Training Camp delivers a large number of outstanding talents to the entire Cipher Pol series, making an indelible contribution to the stability of the world. I hope that after you enter Cipher Pol, you will not forget what you learned here."

For most people, their training ended here. From then on, what they would rely on to survive their missions were the skills they had learned in this place.

"Alright, next, I will announce the assignments for everyone."

The training camp was quite conscientious; they even provided job placement.

"CP1, John, Jack, Donny, Prin..."

"CP2, ..."

"CP5, ..., Dylan, ..."

"CP8, ..., Louis."

Having announced the assignments for over two hundred people in one breath, the instructor licked his lips. There was no hierarchy between CP1 and CP8; there were only differences in functions. The assignments were largely matched based on individual aptitudes. Making the best use of everything was the first priority of the assignments.

"And then, there are the last two people remaining."

The instructor's eyes turned toward the two who had not been called by name: Wade, who stood beside Louis without looking aside, and a man on the other side of the line with a look of joy on his face. "The old rule applies, but there is one exception this year."

The old rule was that the first place in the training camp would receive a direct recommendation to enter the top tier of the Cipher Pol series, the qualification for CP9.

"CP9, Frank."

The instructor read the name as if he were indifferent, then focused his eyes on Wade, a satisfied smile appearing at the corner of his mouth as he said in a deep voice,

And then the exception is

"Wade, CP0!"

"Hoo!"

The instructor's words were like a gust of wind, instantly blowing away everyone's reason. The heavy breathing on the previously quiet training ground gathered into a breeze.

The exception was that this year's first place would enter CP0, and the spot for CP9 would be taken by the second place.

"Instructor!"

Louis suddenly raised his hand.

"Speak."

The instructor frowned slightly.

"I am unconvinced."

That was what Louis said.