Potential to Become a Punching Bag

Among the new generation of flag officers, the most famous were the three "monster" vice admirals—the future Three Admirals: "Blue Pheasant" Kuzan, "Red Dog" Sakazuki, and "Yellow Monkey" Borsalino.

In terms of factions, Sengoku and Garp belonged to the same camp, which included Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Tsuru and Kuzan.

Vice Admirals Sakazuki and Borsalino each led their own factions, while Admiral Zefa stayed out of worldly affairs. Yet much of the Marines' backbone had, to some extent, come from under his tutelage.

Each faction had its strengths and weaknesses. Sengoku and Garp's faction still held kindness in their hearts. Though their positions forced them to stand with the World Government, they had their own convictions about justice and acted with restraint. Sakazuki's faction represented the young hawkish officers of the Marines. They believed in Absolute Justice and would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Their methods were rather extreme, but they placed the Marines' interests above all else and would even confront the World Government for them. Borsalino's faction was ambiguous in its dealings, offending neither side. They clocked in, did their jobs for their pay, carried out orders, and stayed out of power struggles—the very picture of self-preservation. As for Admiral Zefa... there was no need to mention him.

If he had joined the Marines on his own, Wright could have taken his time, assessed the situation, witnessed the internal dynamics of the Marines firsthand, and then decided which faction to join. But now, as Garp's fellow townsman and a Marine Lieutenant personally recruited by Garp, he had been branded with Garp's mark from the very beginning. He was, without question, a young officer of Sengoku's faction.

Being spared the trouble of choosing also meant entering the sights of all the major players. More importantly, it meant he was about to enter a period of rapid growth in strength!

The next day, while dawn was still breaking, Wright got up and began infusing Ashes with Holy Light Power. Then he went to the deck to practice basic swordsmanship and meditate to cultivate his mind, earning the admiration of the Marines on watch aboard the warship.

"Yo! Kid Wright! You're pretty diligent!"

A booming voice rang across the deck. Wright jolted awake and opened his eyes to see Garp had come onto the deck as well. "Vice Admiral Garp, you're up so early?"

"Ahahaha! When you get old, you need less sleep!"

"Come on, come on! Get up early and stretch your limbs. Spar with this old man!"

The hell you mean old people need less sleep? Don't you fall asleep standing up in broad daylight? You just want an excuse to beat me up!

And so, the warship was once again filled with Garp's booming laughter and Wright's angry roars. Before long, they turned into heavy impacts and Wright's miserable screams...

As the sun rose, the Marines completed their shift changes and morning drills, and the warship began to slow down.

"Report! Vice Admiral Garp! We are about to reach the Calm Belt. Please issue your orders, sir!" The messenger reported to Garp, though his eyes could not help drifting toward Wright, who had been beaten half to death by Garp.

"Oh? Already? My, my, beating people... ahem, training newcomers really makes time fly! Ahahaha!" Garp grinned broadly. "Prepare to enter the Calm Belt!"

"Ah... yes, Vice Admiral!" The messenger hurriedly acknowledged the order and quickly left to relay it, silently mourning for the newly promoted Lieutenant Wright for two seconds.

Wright lay sprawled on the deck with a swollen, pig-like face. Adjutant Bogart stood at Garp's side, while Old Man Garp kept muttering, "Maybe I hit a little too hard? Hmm, it's been a long time since I met a young man this tough. Looks like I didn't hold back enough. Ahahaha..."

"..."

Bogart looked at Wright, who no longer looked human, and silently sighed. "Sometimes, having powerful healing abilities is also a misfortune..."

"All right, Kid Wright, stop playing dead and get up! We're about to enter the Calm Belt. You're in charge of keeping watch!" Garp put on his Justice Coat, found a chair, and lay down in it. "Bogart, keep an eye on this kid. I'll first... snore... snore..."

Smack!

Wright, who was pretending to be dead on the ground, could practically hear the veins on his forehead bulging. But with fists smaller than Garp's, he had no choice but to obey.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow..."

"Old Man Garp, that bastard! Why does he love hitting faces so much? Is he jealous of my looks?!"

"How does this Armament Haki work? Why does it hurt this much?! Even using Armament Haki to defend doesn't stop it! Could that damn old man have developed this technique purely because he gets a kick out of beating people up?!"

He slowly climbed to his feet and cast a Holy Light Spell... but it did not fully heal him. It took a second spell to completely recover from his injuries. This was the first time Wright had encountered a situation where one Holy Light Spell could not heal him completely!

"Old Man Garp's attacks directly affect the body and are this destructive! I need to watch out for this in the future. I can't neglect my body's defenses."

What a useful ability. Bogart thought silently from the side. That's why Vice Admiral Garp didn't hold back much. As long as he doesn't kill him, there won't be any lasting damage. He's practically the perfect punching bag.

"Ahem." Stopping himself from thinking any further about "punching bags," Bogart stepped forward and introduced the situation in the Calm Belt to Wright.

"Lieutenant Wright, Vice Admiral Garp has assigned you to handle the upcoming watch duty, so let me first explain the basic situation of the Calm Belt."

"Ah... thank you, Lieutenant Colonel." Wright could not tell what rank Bogart held. The man had always been Garp's adjutant and seemed to be in charge of training newcomers. He kept a low profile, and there was not much information about him. Wright had specifically asked a Marine on duty yesterday before confirming that Bogart held the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Another guy who doesn't want a promotion. This guy is definitely far more capable than a mere lieutenant colonel! Wright thought as he listened carefully to Bogart's explanation of the Calm Belt.

"...The Calm Belt is a special sea region that separates the Four Seas from the Grand Line. It lies along both sides of the Grand Line. By crossing the Calm Belt from the Four Seas, one can enter the Grand Line directly without passing through Reverse Mountain. Just as its name suggests, this sea has neither wind nor currents and remains calm all year round."

"In the early days, ships relied on wind power to move, so no vessel could possibly cross the Calm Belt. Later, as Marine technology advanced, steam turbine warships with their own power source appeared, allowing travel through the Calm Belt. However, the Calm Belt was also the breeding ground of Sea Kings, so powerful fighters had to be stationed aboard to kill any attacking Sea Kings. Even then, it was difficult to guarantee a warship's safety."

"Fortunately, the Marines later acquired the forging technique for 'Sea Stone.'" Bogart glanced at Wright. Any Devil Fruit user basically knew what Sea Stone did. "Sea Stone emits the same vibrations as the sea. By embedding it into the bottom of a warship, one can pass through the Calm Belt without attracting the attention of Sea Kings."

"Still, accidents happen from time to time. Therefore, whenever a warship crosses the Calm Belt, powerful fighters must remain on alert at all times and kill any attacking Sea Kings if necessary. That will be your next assignment, Lieutenant Wright."

Apparently unused to speaking so much in one go, Bogart seemed to be struggling to maintain his poker face.

"Oh... sounds like a pretty important mission. Back in the East Blue, it was hard enough to find even a few Sea Kings, but there are so many here... I'm really looking forward to it!"

"Food made from Sea King meat is truly unforgettable. It's delicious and nutritious too. How about we catch one and add something extra to dinner tonight?"

The Marines: "No, please, absolutely not!"