Training

Meanwhile.

After disembarking, Aokiji went straight to Sengoku's office to report on the mission's completion and the unexpected bonus of Dawn.

"So, did you find that kid Yukimura mentioned?"

Sengoku sat at his desk, one hand flipping through documents while the other held a rice cracker, asking casually.

He didn't bother asking whether the pirate crew had been wiped out—since Aokiji had handled it, there was no way it wasn't finished. That was the trust placed in the next Admiral's strength!

In Sengoku's eyes, it was just a minor matter. News about those pirate scum wasn't even worth as much as the situation with a child.

"Yeah, found him. And he's a good prospect. Based on the training method I saw on the ship earlier, on the Boin Archipelago, he was frantically practicing to avoid getting fat and eaten.

Now he's already completed the foundational prep for 'Shave.'" Aokiji lounged lazily on a nearby sofa.

"Oh? That alone wouldn't be enough for you to report to me right away, would it?" Sengoku's eyes lit up, his sharp mind quickly piecing together Aokiji's intent.

"Ah-ha," Aokiji yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. "Nothing gets past you, Sengoku-san."

"Actually, besides training with the Marine Six Powers method by constantly eating and exercising on the island, that kid also accidentally ate a Devil Fruit." At this, Aokiji's mood brightened a bit.

"Oh? Sounds like a nice surprise. A big gain?" Hearing the shift in Aokiji's tone, Sengoku grew interested.

"Of course."

Since Yukimura had completed his mission, he was back at headquarters on leave, so he acted as Dawn's guide.

First, they sorted out Dawn's lodging. The training grounds had plenty of empty dorm rooms, and Dawn picked an unoccupied one—simple as that.

After all, he had no luggage, the training camp provided free room and board, and anything he needed could be requested. Everything was very convenient.

Back on Stomach Baron, he had nothing at all and still survived. Here, at least there was a bed, and Dawn was perfectly satisfied with that.

He slept soundly in the bed, and when he woke up the next morning, he still felt a bit dazed.

He had really made it off that uninhabited island.

With that slightly amusing sense of unreality, Dawn had breakfast with Yukimura and then followed him to the training grounds.

Inside the camp, Dawn only saw one familiar face—Hina.

He didn't see the troublemaker Smoker.

Smoker was probably around nine or ten years old now, still in Loguetown. He likely wouldn't join the Marines until after witnessing Roger's execution.

On the training field, Hina was the only person Dawn recognized. They were close in age, so they ended up in the same class.

Though the sudden addition of a new teammate sparked curiosity among the brats on the field, the instructor's roar kept them from stopping; instead, they ran like their lives depended on it.

For the moment, no one had time to check out the new arrival.

After saying goodbye to Yukimura and listening to a brief warning from the instructor, Dawn joined the running crowd, jogging along easily.

This kind of simple running was just a warm-up for him. Back on the Boin Archipelago, he had been sprinting with all his might.

And that was literally life or death—when a fat, ferocious sea beast was chasing you, you had no choice but to run for your life.

By the end of the day, besides physical training, Dawn also took shooting and swordsmanship classes.

Interspersed among the training were cultural lessons on language and writing, as well as navigation theory, and even survival techniques for shipwrecks at sea.

These cultural classes might have seemed boring to the other kids, or even just a break from training, but Dawn didn't see it that way.

As an adult who had survived on a deserted island, he knew exactly how terrifying the seas of this world could be and how important this knowledge was.

He didn't need to rival a professional navigator, but at least he wouldn't be completely lost in an emergency.

And as a transmigrator, it would be ridiculous to end up illiterate in another world. The kid seemed to have learned some basics, but it wasn't thorough.

As for the other children, most were still recovering from the physical training, too deep in their exhaustion to pay attention to these dry cultural lessons.

But that had an upside—it saved Dawn the trouble of filtering who to befriend.

Anyone still alert enough to listen in class or lively enough to entertain themselves at their desk was clearly handling the training with ease.

Setting aside everything else, that kind of exceptional talent meant they wouldn't end up as nobodies. In the future Marines, they'd at least hold mid-to-high-ranking positions.

These were the people Dawn needed to surpass and befriend.

Though he had lived over twenty years in a peaceful world and held a benevolent mindset, even if he craved battle—believing only that could make life feel vibrant—

Dawn would never become a villain just to satisfy that craving. That was a belief ingrained in his soul from living in a peaceful, beautiful country!

Dawn didn't mind becoming a Marine.

He could enjoy growing stronger and fighting while bringing peace to people, until he could truly control his own fate.

But Dawn absolutely refused to do things he couldn't accept.

Like carrying out orders for the World Government or the Celestial Dragons that went against his conscience.

Dawn's impression of the Celestial Dragons came mostly from his past life's anime.

They were like a tumor.

In fact, the Celestial Dragons might be half to blame for the arrival of this Great Pirate Era.

Even the Great Pirate Era was home to dreamers and ambitious men, most pirates came from low origins, some even taking to the sea just to survive, only to become scum through endless slaughter.

Dawn refused to yield on his will to command his own fate.

Once a person embraces ideals like prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, and equality, how could they ever believe that some are born noble?

"Are kings and generals born to their stations?" This spirit, passed down for over two thousand years, was etched into bone and soul!

It was the only gift Dawn carried with him when he came to this world.

For now, everyone got along well enough.

But Dawn understood that with his beliefs, conflict with certain people was inevitable one day.

And fighting alone was the worst-case scenario.

Because the sea was infinite, while one person's strength had limits. No matter what you wanted to do, one person's power wasn't enough—people needed companions!

Nami's words rang true, and what Dawn needed to do now was find comrades. These future Marine elites would be his strongest backing!

But Dawn also knew his priorities. Iron must be forged while hot, or everything was just a castle in the air.

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