The Navy's Tradition

Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1518. Navy Headquarters Base, Marineford.

Shu wore an exaggerated Navy cap and a greatcoat, his face veiled by white cloth. With his hands in his pockets, his sharp gaze swept back and forth over the three hundred or so Navy cadets before him.

After a long while, he made an annoyed sound and stood silently at the front of the cadet formation.

A breeze passed by, and the atmosphere on the vast parade ground became incomparably heavy. One could have heard a leaf fall.

Under the blazing sun, the Navy cadets stood in three neat formations, staring straight ahead.

No one dared make a sound at this moment, afraid that a moment of carelessness would anger the strange-looking Navy colonel before them.

"Cough, cough. Mr. Shu, say something already! Those recruits are waiting for your address."

Seeing this, Major Brannew, who had come with Shu, hurriedly coughed and inconspicuously moved closer to him, quietly offering a reminder.

"Heh, say something? Brannew, do you really want me to speak? Let me warn you, I don't have anything nice to say."

At Brannew's reminder, Colonel Shu merely gave a disdainful smile. His narrow eyes narrowed slightly as he raised his chin at the cadets. He clearly did not think much of the more than three hundred trainee sailors before him.

"Colonel Shu!"

Major Brannew frowned and called out softly to Colonel Shu, looking deeply dissatisfied with his attitude.

Though he was unhappy, there was nothing he could do. Whether in rank or strength, Brannew could not compare to the Colonel Shu before him.

This was the ceremony for Navy cadets to be promoted to full-fledged sailors.

By rights, Colonel Shu should have presided over the ceremony and delivered the address. Yet for some reason, this Headquarters colonel seemed extremely impatient with these recruits who were about to become official Navy personnel.

"Hmph! Not a single promising talent among you, and you expect me to give a speech? This is the Navy's new blood? What a joke! It's because of this that those damned pirates can run wild across the Grand Line!"

Before all the Navy cadets, Colonel Shu made no attempt to conceal his inner disappointment.

Even a clay figure had some temper, much less a group of hot-blooded youths. Hearing Colonel Shu's assessment of them, how could these Navy cadets remain calm? They widened their eyes and glared fiercely at Shu.

It was a silent act of defiance.

"Oh? Those are some nice looks."

Meeting those stubborn gazes, Colonel Shu was not angered but pleased. Appreciation appeared in his eyes for the first time. Beneath the white cloth, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly into an unconscious smile.

"Hmph! Fine, then let me show you the cruelty of the world."

Colonel Shu narrowed his slender eyes, ignored Major Brannew's look from beside him, and pulled one hand from his pocket. He crooked a finger disdainfully at the three hundred-plus cadets.

"Come on, you little bastards! If even one of you three hundred can injure me or damage my clothes, I'll admit that I, Shu, misjudged you. Otherwise... heh heh."

Two simple words, yet their mocking effect was immense.

To those Navy cadets, that sneer was like pouring oil onto a fire. Their anger instantly hit its limit.

They had originally harbored many reservations, but provoked by Shu's words, their blood rushed to their heads and they forgot all about them.

Young people were always prone to impulsiveness.

"Charge!"

First came one person, shouting with hesitation. Then ten, fifty, a hundred...

The momentum of over three hundred cadets was no small matter. The commotion on the vast parade ground instantly caught the attention of many people.

In the Navy Headquarters office district, a white-haired old woman was startled so badly that ink from her fountain pen dripped onto the desk.

"Momousagi, what's going on?"

The old woman frowned, wiped the ink stain off her desk with a tissue, and asked the other person in the room, her tone full of confusion.

"Staff Officer Tsuru, the commotion is coming from the parade ground. Judging by the time, it should be the new recruit enlistment ceremony."

Vice Admiral Momousagi's answer cleared up Granny Tsuru's confusion. Once she understood the cause, the old woman paid it no more mind and lowered her head to continue reading documents.

She knew that such a commotion could only mean that a Navy officer was provoking the recruits. This sort of thing was practically a tradition during new recruit enlistment and nothing unusual.

At the edge of the parade ground, several off-duty Navy officers watched Shu and Brannew's "performance" with great interest. As they watched, they did not forget to offer their comments.

"Haha, Shu's acting really is terrible."

Major General Yukimura laughed as he rested a hand on his sword hilt. He had happened to return to Marineford from the Grand Line today, never expecting to catch such a good show at Headquarters. Still, he truly could not approve of Shu's acting.

"Yeah. If you ask me, Major Brannew's acting is better."

Following Major General Yukimura's words, someone else in the crowd spoke up, this time praising Brannew's performance.

"I think they shouldn't take things too far. These recruits are the Navy's precious lifeblood. I just hope no one gets hurt..."

Unlike Yukimura and the others, who enjoyed the spectacle without fear of trouble, Colonel Bone watched the cadets with deep concern. To him, the recruits' safety was what mattered most.

"Heh, Bone, you're too kind. Letting these recruits see some blood now will benefit their future Navy careers. Those damned pirates won't care whether they live or die."

Major General Yukimura gave a cold laugh. Speaking of the scum of the seas, he unconsciously stroked his sword hilt, disgust flashing through his eyes.

"What's going on? What's the excitement? Let this old man have a look too."

Suddenly, a hearty voice instantly drew the attention of all the Navy officers.

Upon hearing that voice, every Navy officer, including Major General Yukimura, instinctively swallowed. They straightened up without thinking, no longer as relaxed and casual as before, and solemnly saluted the newcomer with utmost respect.

"Mr. Garp."

Hearing their greeting, Garp, who was eating rice crackers, burst into laughter and casually waved for them not to be so formal. Then he turned his gaze toward the heated parade ground.

"Oh? Another batch of recruits enlisting? Haha, let this old man see whether there are any outstanding talents."

Garp laughed and sat down cross-legged. As he watched the action on the parade ground, he crunched loudly through the rice crackers in his hand.

The other Navy officers quietly exchanged glances, bitter smiles involuntarily appearing on their faces. Then they clasped their hands behind their backs, stood with their legs apart, and voluntarily positioned themselves behind Garp like guards.

Before this Navy hero, they did not dare act carelessly.

The battle on the parade ground grew increasingly fierce, and most of the cadets had begun fighting in earnest.

Fists whipped through the air, and shouts shook the ground. Yet Colonel Shu strolled through the crowd of cadets as if taking a leisurely walk. To the cadets, his effortless manner only made them angrier.

"Damn it, is this the strength of a colonel?! We can't even touch him!"

A Navy cadet who had been knocked down by Shu pounded the parade ground, gritting his teeth as unwillingness filled his face.

To these cadets, the strength of a Navy colonel was like a mountain pressing heavily upon their hearts, almost leaving them unable to breathe.

"Please... even if it's just one person, tear his clothes."

More and more cadets fell, yet no one had managed to harm Colonel Shu in the slightest. They silently prayed that one cadet would step forward and vent their anger for them.

"Now!"

Just as the cadets were nearly falling into despair, a sharp gleam flashed through Long Yi's black eyes. Taking advantage of the chaos, he quietly moved into Shu's blind spot and swung his Navy-issued sword without hesitation.

A fierce wind howled as the blade tore through the air. The change in airflow behind him instantly alerted Colonel Shu.

"Hm?"

As Colonel Shu casually evaded the attacks of the cadets before him, a hint of danger suddenly rose in his heart. The sound of wind from behind entered his ears, and his expression changed slightly. He hurriedly stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding Long Yi's blade.

"Good kid, you hid yourself well. You nearly made me misjudge you."

After dodging Long Yi's attack, Colonel Shu laughed instead of becoming angry, surprise appearing in his eyes. He turned and stared at Long Yi's youthful face, growing ever more satisfied inwardly.

"What a fine kid. His swordsmanship fundamentals are very solid."

The Navy officers watching nearby saw this as well and voiced their approval. Long Yi's clean, decisive strike left a deep impression on them.

"Haha! Not bad, not bad!"

Garp, seated cross-legged, did not show any particular reaction. With his breadth of experience, he could not be impressed by a fight that looked like children playing house. He casually acknowledged Long Yi's performance, then continued crunching away at his rice crackers without a care in the world.

"Tch, I missed."

As the person involved, Long Yi naturally had no idea what the Navy officers were thinking. After failing to land his strike, he retreated slightly and fixed his full attention on every movement Colonel Shu made, adjusting his stance for the next attack.

"Come on, kid. Let me see what you can do!"

Looking at Long Yi standing firm with sword in hand, Colonel Shu said with a smile and lightly crooked a finger at him.

The cadets froze briefly, then involuntarily backed away, taking the initiative to clear space for Long Yi and Shu.

A tall Navy colonel and a somewhat slender youth stood facing one another.

"Long Yi! Go!"

After recognizing the youth's figure, one cadet immediately shouted excitedly. After that cry, the other cadets seemed to find their backbone. They all raised their voices and cheered Long Yi on.

For a moment, countless flecks of spit flew everywhere across the parade ground.

"Heh, it seems you've got quite a reputation, kid."

Colonel Shu clenched his fists until they cracked, the corners of his mouth lifting beneath the white cloth. Discovering a prodigy like Long Yi among this batch of recruits was indeed an unexpected delight.

By the rules, he had priority in choosing Long Yi. How could Shu not be pleased at the prospect of gaining such an elite soldier under his command?

Yet Long Yi, upon whom so many cadets had pinned their hopes, was secretly growing nervous. He stared fixedly at Colonel Shu's every movement, and a drop of cold sweat unconsciously slid down from his temple.

So strong. He looks completely unguarded, yet there isn't a single opening anywhere on him. Is this really only a Navy colonel?

Long Yi's mouth felt bitter as the thought kept running through his mind.

He could not believe that someone as strong as Shu was merely a Navy colonel. In the original One Piece manga, characters at the Navy colonel level were nothing more than minor extras who appeared for a page or two.

Just as Long Yi stood stiffly with his sword, unable to advance or retreat, a voice that no one else could hear suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Hey, insect. Do you want my power?"