A Year, a Small Step Beyond Weakness

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

Over that year, Ye Chen and the others had not learned anything new. Day after day, year after year, they did nothing but run laps, do push-ups, and frog jumps. Even their weighted loads had increased from one ton to two.

It could be said that everyone had built a fairly solid foundation. During that time, many people had been eliminated by Zephyr, and only a handful had persevered to the end.

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

This world was extraordinary. Whether people or objects, everything defied common sense. Otherwise, if this training regimen had been used on the Earth from Ye Chen's previous life, it would have been no different from suicide.

Yet in this world, it only put them above average and below monsters. That was the gap.

Training was not as wonderful as imagined. To outsiders, it might happen in an instant, but for those who trained, it was tedious and slow.

Ye Chen and the others had not been qualified to learn the Six Powers or receive the Marines' cultivation from the start. The truth was not that simple.

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

Compared to a year ago, Ye Chen had grown a full 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 clothing. There was only training.

More than once, Ye Chen had felt that his decision to join the Marines had been farsighted.

As for his age, Ye Chen was not entirely sure either. 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, the 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 Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral had replaced him to train Ye Chen and the others. Perhaps because he had received Zephyr's instructions, there were no extra programs. Aside from running laps, it was frog jumps and the like.

After all, Ye Chen and the others were only trainees. They had no right to interact with these high-ranking figures. At most, those figures would spare them a glance before being held up by other pressing matters.

In other words, Ye Chen and the others had merely entered the sights of Sengoku and the others. They had not received much attention. Even Smoker, a Logia user, was no exception.

As for Kong, Ye Chen had only seen him once at the beginning. Seeing him again was out of the question.

The blazing sun hung high in the sky. The few remaining trainees gathered once more on the main training ground.

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

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

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

As an Admiral, Zephyr went to sea several times a year to carry out missions. Then he returned to cultivate the Marines' future. It could be said that he worked all year without rest.

In contrast, look at Sengoku and Garp. Aside from handling Marine affairs, they fought crime outside. They were quite free and could rest whenever they wanted. But Zephyr was different. As soon as he completed a mission, he came back to teach trainees.

Because of this, the current Marines, including Kong, were filled with respect for Zephyr. Yet this man who silently gave so much to the Marines would end up losing his family in his later years.

Ye Chen felt no sympathy, nor did he want to lend a hand. Not to mention 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 entirely self-centered, even though Zephyr had taught him.

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

For example, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan. Borsalino had even had some unpleasantness with Zephyr.

Of course, all of 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!"

Right from the start, Zephyr did not reminisce. Instead, he sternly called out several names.

Looking at the six of them, all more spirited than before, Zephyr remained expressionless. Yet inwardly, he nodded in approval.

"Over the past year, your performance has barely passed in my eyes. Therefore, starting tomorrow, you will move to another location and advance to the Elite Class. Of course, I will still be the chief instructor of the Elite Class. Training ends today. Assemble early tomorrow morning, and someone will take you to your destination. Now, put on two tons of weight and run twenty laps around the field."

Without a word, Vergo and Ye Chen dashed out almost simultaneously. They moved quickly, kicking up clouds of dust.

Smoker, Hina, and the others followed suit, every face brimming with excitement.

Once they entered the Elite Class, they would be qualified to learn the Six Powers. After graduation, they would at least become Ensigns, shortening the time needed to climb through the Marine ranks by several times.

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

Once 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 still remained a nightmare for Ye Chen, tormenting him every moment.

It made him wake up in fright every night. Then came endless hatred. Under the moonlight, that face twisted grotesquely like an evil ghost, as though it wanted to destroy everything before it.

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

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

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

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

None of them disturbed one another. Each carried out their own training.

Three or four hours later, everyone stopped moving, narrowed their eyes, smiled, and then immediately started 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 they were slightly weaker than Ye Chen's group.

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

Over the past half year, Ye Chen, Vergo, and Smoker had all changed greatly. Their reaction speed, recovery ability, attack power, and various other physical qualities had all improved. It might not have been apparent at first, but after one month, then two, the three of them had reaped the rewards.

For that reason, none of them ever missed a day. By now, the three had become regulars in 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. In the past, even if someone spoke to him, he would not answer. Now, he would occasionally reply.