A Year, a Small Step Beyond Weakness

Time flew by in the blink of an eye. It had already been a year since they arrived at Marineford.

Over that year, Ye Chen and the others had not learned anything new. Day after day, year after year, they ran laps, did push-ups, and performed frog jumps. Even their weighted loads had increased from one ton to two.

Still, everyone had built a fairly solid foundation. During that time, many had been eliminated by Zephyr, and only a handful had managed to persevere.

Ye Chen and the others were still children, but aside from their physical age, they were not much different from adults. At least when it came to training, they were even more capable.

This world was miraculous. Whether people or things, everything defied common sense. If this had been Ye Chen's previous life on Earth, that kind of training would have been no different from suicide.

Yet in this world, it was merely above average and below monstrous. That was the difference.

Cultivation was not as wonderful as people imagined. To others, it might have seemed like an instant, but to those undergoing it, it was dull and slow.

Ye Chen and the others had not been qualified to learn the Six Powers or receive the Navy's training from the start. Reality had not been that simple.

This past year had truly been a period of observation by the Navy, to see whether they were worthy of focused training. Fortunately, Ye Chen had endured.

Compared to a year ago, Ye Chen had grown an entire head taller. His body was now well-proportioned, no longer as gaunt and frail as before.

Here, there was no need to worry about food or clothes. There was only training.

More than once, Ye Chen felt that joining the Navy had been a farsighted decision.

As for his age, Ye Chen was not entirely sure. For now, he considered himself fifteen. Whether he was actually a year older or younger, he did not care.

Over the past year, Ye Chen had seen many people, though only from afar. He had never interacted with them.

For example, Future Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, the three Admirals Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, Garp, and even some future Vice Admirals.

During that year, Zephyr had gone out on missions three times. A Headquarters Vice Admiral had taken over training Ye Chen and the others. Perhaps because of Zephyr's instructions, there were no additional exercises—just running laps, frog jumps, and the like.

After all, Ye Chen and the others were only trainees. They had no right to come into contact with those high-ranking officers. At most, those officers would spare them a glance before being occupied by other pressing matters.

In other words, Ye Chen and the others had only entered Sengoku and the others' field of vision. They had not received any real attention. Even Smoker, a Logia user, was no exception.

As for Kong, apart from seeing him once at the beginning, there was no chance of seeing him again.

The blazing sun hung overhead. On the large training field, the few remaining trainees gathered once more.

Rarely, Zephyr appeared. He had clearly just returned from a mission.

To be honest, if anyone had contributed the most to the Navy, it was undoubtedly Zephyr.

That was right. Even Sengoku and Kong could not compare to him.

As an Admiral, Zephyr went out to sea several times each year to carry out missions. After that, he trained the Navy's future. It could be said that he never had a day off all year.

In contrast, look at Sengoku and Garp. Aside from handling Navy affairs, they fought evil outside. They were quite free, able to rest whenever they wished. Zephyr was different. As soon as he completed a mission, he returned to teach trainees.

Because of this, the entire Navy, including Kong, held Zephyr in great respect. Yet this man, who silently devoted himself to the Navy, would end up with his family destroyed in his later years.

Ye Chen felt no sympathy, nor did he intend to lend a hand. Setting aside whether he was qualified to do so, the fact that he immersed himself in training every day was enough to reveal his character.

If he had just transmigrated, perhaps Ye Chen would have chosen to help Zephyr. But that month or so had completely twisted his personality. Now, he was utterly self-centered, even though Zephyr had taught him.

But Zephyr had taught countless students, and in the end, not many had stood up for him.

Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan—none of them did. Borsalino had even had some unpleasantness with Zephyr.

Of course, all that was still too far away for Ye Chen. After all, no one could predict the Future.

"Vergo, Ye Chen, Smoker, Hina, Shu, Very Good, step forward!"

Without any reminiscing, Zephyr sternly called out several names.

Looking at the six, who were far more spirited than before, Zephyr remained expressionless, but inwardly, he nodded in approval.

"Over this past year, your performance has barely passed in my eyes. Therefore, starting tomorrow, you will be transferred elsewhere and promoted to the Elite Class. Of course, I will still be the chief instructor of the Elite Class. Training ends today. Gather early tomorrow morning, and someone will take you to your destination. Now, run twenty laps around the field carrying two tons!"

Without a word, Vergo and Ye Chen dashed out almost at the same time. They were fast enough to kick up clouds of dust.

Smoker, Hina, and the others quickly followed, every one of them wearing an excited expression.

Entering the Elite Class meant they would be qualified to learn the Six Powers. After graduation, they would at least become Ensigns, shortening the time needed to rise through the Navy ranks by several times compared to other Marines.

After a year of hardship, even Ye Chen felt a flame burning in his heart.

As long as he entered the Elite Class, he would have taken the first step toward controlling his own fate. No one knew that even after a year had passed, that month or so from the past remained a nightmare for Ye Chen, tormenting him every moment.

It caused him to wake from sleep every night. What followed was endless hatred. Under the moonlight, that face twisted horribly, like a vicious ghost that wanted to destroy everything before it.

Yet after the fear and savagery came helpless sobbing. Like someone with a split personality, he was impossible to understand.

That month or so after transmigrating had changed Ye Chen's soul, his mind, and everything about him. It had left him utterly unrecognizable.

As the sun slowly began to set, training for the day ended. Without fail, Ye Chen returned to the training field and began developing his Devil Fruit. For an entire year, rain or shine, he had never stopped.

However, at some point, many more people had begun appearing there, such as Vergo, Smoker, Hina, Shu, and Very Good.

No one disturbed anyone else. Each person carried out their own training.

Three or four hours later, everyone stopped, narrowed their eyes, smiled, and immediately began fighting.

They split into two groups. Ye Chen, Vergo, and Smoker formed one group, each fighting independently. Hina, Shu, and Very Good formed the other, beating one another up as well, though their fights were slightly less intense than those of Ye Chen's group.

After all, Hina had become increasingly graceful and beautiful, and many had developed favorable feelings toward her. In truth, Shu and Very Good both went easy on her.

Over the past half year, Ye Chen, Vergo, and Smoker had all changed greatly. Their reflexes, recovery, attack power, and other physical qualities had all improved. It might not have been obvious at first, but after one month, then two, all three had begun to reap the rewards.

Because of this, they never missed a day. Now, the three had become regular visitors to the infirmary.

It could be said that Ye Chen's arrival had made Vergo and Smoker far stronger than they had been in the original story.

Of course, their relationship had become fairly good as well. At least Ye Chen spoke more than before. Unlike in the past, when he would not answer even if someone spoke to him, he now occasionally replied.