Time-Limited Mission
"Doriki Value testing is over. Everyone, follow me!"
The Doriki Value test ended quickly. Only three recruits stood out the most: first was Carl, whose Doriki Value was the highest, followed by the two Paramecia users, Ain and Ainz, with scores of 402 and 451, respectively.
Carl regretted finding out that he had the highest score of all. If only he'd known, he would've thrown a random punch. Now he'd stuck his neck out and would very likely get extra attention. How was he supposed to slack off now?
[Daily Mission Issued]: During routine training, slack off for a total of 8 hours. Reward: Designated Attribute Enhancement Card ×2, random bonus rewards ×2.
"Holy crap, the daily reward at the Training Camp has doubled?!" Carl could only marvel at how worthy the career mission was.
"Ding! Friendly reminder: Your current bound profession is Marine. Career and daily mission rewards will increase as your rank rises. Please maintain the proper attitude. Slacking off does not mean giving up!"
That was right. Slacking off was a means; getting stronger was the goal. Carl understood that perfectly. Take Kuzan, for example: he always looked half-asleep, but when something needed doing, he really stepped up. Knowing when to slack off and when to get things done was an attitude Carl could learn from.
Even after the Ohara Incident, Aokiji had always kept that attitude. Sengoku had still admired him so much when he retired that he wanted to recommend him as the next Fleet Admiral.
Thinking of that, Carl couldn't help remembering the Holy Light Fruit he'd just obtained. That fruit seemed especially suited to him!
No, there was no rush. There were too many people around. Even if he was going to eat it, now wasn't the time.
With complicated feelings, Carl followed the new recruits to the training grounds. Instructor Zephyr had been waiting for some time. Once everyone had arrived, Zephyr took the roster from Shuzo, glanced over it, and set it aside. Then he bellowed at them, "Attention!"
"I hereby declare the 24th Marine Training Camp officially underway! Dress to the right, and run fifty laps around this field! Begin!"
At his command, all the recruits obediently began running laps around the field. Zephyr took the opportunity to study their files, occasionally conferring with Shuzo. When he saw Carl's file, he couldn't help asking, "Huh? That kid who was late earlier is the strongest recruit in this batch?"
"Yes, Instructor Zephyr. Even I was surprised. This pretty boy—no, this kid—looks like he could barely stand, but he's actually pretty strong."
Zephyr nodded and patted Shuzo on the shoulder. "Keep an eye on this kid. He's got potential!"
On the track, Carl ran in the middle of the pack, looking miserable. He swore he was slacking off, but not a second was counting toward his total. He was practically frantic. At this rate, he might not even finish the daily mission. Did he really have to fake an illness to avoid training?
But that wouldn't work either! This wasn't the military training from Carl's old world. Faking an illness wasn't so easy. If he got caught, given Zephyr's attitude toward Kizaru, his relationship with Zephyr could sour. He might even get kicked out of the Training Camp!
After all, he wasn't Kizaru. Kizaru was a powerful Logia Devil Fruit user, while Carl was just an ordinary Marine with no exceptional talent.
What use did Marine Headquarters have for an ordinary Marine who didn't train hard and only wanted to slack off and avoid drills? And that was without even mentioning an old-school physical-combat expert like Zephyr, who valued physical prowess above all else.
"Host detected in a slacking-off predicament. Time-limited mission issued: Find a perfect way to avoid this training within 10 minutes.
Reward: Active skill [Frailty]: Upon use, lifespan -3 days, defense -100%, chance of injury +1000%, and gain immunity to fatal injuries and their aftereffects. Duration: 3 minutes. P.S. Can only be used once every three days."
Carl's eyes immediately lit up. He felt like life had hope again. As expected of the Slacking System—it was so considerate. With this skill, he could slack off on his own terms. Sure, it cost him some lifespan, but it was only three days. Besides, the random rewards often gave him extra days of life.
But the question was, what could he do to perfectly avoid this training?
"Tsk, tsk~"
With only ten minutes, Carl immediately felt the pressure mount. His eyes wandered until, without realizing it, he spotted Ain and Ainz up ahead. Got it!
You're the one, Ain!
That girl had the Return-Return Fruit. If Carl remembered right, her power worked on people. If she turned him into a kid, would Zephyr really make a little boy run fifty laps?
Perfect plan! Time to act!
Carl immediately sped up and dashed over to Ain's side. He kept his eyes forward, but watched her youthful figure from the corner of his eye. With a smile that showed no teeth, he said, "Hey, Ain! Could you do me a favor?"
Ain, who had been concentrating on running, turned her head. Carl was winking at her, and her pretty face flushed slightly. Faced with his handsome, sunny smile, she was too shy to meet his gaze, so she pretended to be nonchalant and replied bashfully, "Mm~ What should I do?"
Yes! Carl cheered inwardly. Being handsome really paid off! If he looked like Silver Fox Foxy, he probably wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Ain, I heard you're a Return-Return Fruit user. Could you show me what your power can do?"
Ain furrowed her brows slightly and replied awkwardly, "Um, Carl, do you mean now?"
"Yep, right now. Try it on me! Don't worry, I'll take responsibility if anything happens!" Carl thumped his chest, afraid she wouldn't believe him.
Ain knew better than that. She knew exactly what her power could do! If she used it on Carl, it would definitely turn him into a child. That would be one thing if he were an enemy, but she could never do that to a fellow Marine.
"No, no, I can't, Carl! I absolutely can't do that!" With that, Ain immediately moved away, her resolve unwavering.
Carl, frustrated with her, smacked himself hard across the face. Damn it, couldn't he have been born even better-looking? Let this be a lesson. If there's a next time, you can forget about ever getting another faceful of cleavage!
It was fine that Plan A had failed. They still had Plan B!
Carl ran over to Ain again and spoke in a low voice. "Ain, just show me what your power can do. You don't have to use it on me, okay?" He sounded pleading and gave her a pitiful look...
As the seconds ticked by, Ain couldn't take Carl's gaze any longer. She sighed helplessly and, under Carl's watchful eyes, extended her left hand. A deep-pink glow rose from her palm, flickering like a flame, mysterious and eerie.
Now!
A glint flashed in Carl's eyes. His right hand shot out with lightning speed and seized Ain's left hand. He clung on and wouldn't let go. His body immediately began to change. The collision plan was a success!
"This!" Ain covered her mouth, stunned by Carl's stunt. But she reacted quickly and withdrew her power. Her ability took effect the moment it made contact, though. It was already too late to stop it.
Transformed into a fourteen-year-old boy, Carl tripped over his own pants and fell to the ground. The Marines running behind him couldn't dodge in time and were tripped by the fallen Carl, one after another. The commotion on the field soon caught Zephyr's attention. He stopped the recruits from running and dashed over to Carl.
Zephyr frowned as he looked at the comical boy hiding behind his oversized clothes. "What happened?"
"Reporting, Instructor. I asked Ain to show me her power. I was curious, so I touched it, and then this happened..."
"What nonsense!!! You're here to train, not play house! Ain, so you're a Devil Fruit user. Does that make you so impressive that you have to show off in front of your fellow Marines?"
"I, I... I was wrong, Instructor Zephyr!" Ain wanted to say something, but under Zephyr's gaze, she lowered her head dejectedly and admitted her mistake, taking the blame for Carl.
"Hmph! What are you all staring at? Don't you have training to do? Get back to running!"
"You two, come with me!"
Zephyr stormed off in a fury. Carl quietly said to Ain, "I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you later!"
. You're reading Pirate: I Became Stronger by Slacking Off After Joining the Navy as a Lieutenant, by Xu Dingling.