Admiral Kizaru's Recruitment

Zephyr's words made sense. In this world, the importance of physical strength was beyond question.

Just look at Jin Huang: he'd snapped Seastone handcuffs with his bare hands and taken Teacher Kaido's dual-wielded Kanabo, wrapped in Conqueror's Coating, right to the face. All he'd gotten was a slight nosebleed.

What kind of monstrous physique did that take? By comparison, Ashura, who was also one of the Nine Red Scabbards, was utterly pathetic! He'd been killed by a bomb, despite being built like a tank!

Remember, Teacher Kaido had knocked Gear Fourth Luffy cross-eyed with a single swing of his Kanabo. Yet Jin Huang had taken the blow to the face without a scratch—and had even managed to stab Teacher Kaido!

That showed just how important physical strength was. But there was one problem: Carl didn't need to train to improve his physique. He could spend every day slacking off and still grow far more than he would from ordinary training, thanks to Attribute Enhancement Cards.

It wasn't as if he couldn't work out after hours, but that would be far too boring. Carl was a man—a handsome, powerful man!

How could he waste his precious nights on training?

Lu Xun once put it perfectly: "Being handsome is exhausting, and being beautiful is bound to bring suffering." Carl believed that without a doubt.

"Ahem, Teacher Zephyr, don't worry!"

As for what Zephyr shouldn't worry about, Carl didn't say, and you shouldn't ask.

Zephyr nodded in satisfaction. A promising lad! He patted Carl on the shoulder and said, "Come back to the training grounds in a couple of days, once you've recovered. Otherwise, you'll disrupt the others."

"Great—uh, I mean, sure! By the way, Teacher Zephyr, if Ain hadn't been there today, I might not have gone back to buy fruit, and I wouldn't have accidentally eaten that Devil Fruit."

"So I'd like to ask you to go easy on Ain. Please don't give her a hard time."

"Hahaha, I'm not that unreasonable. And before Training Camp ends, you'd better keep your ability under wraps. Otherwise, you'll attract unnecessary trouble!"

"Got it, Teacher Zephyr. I'll be going, then!"

Carl nodded. If that sneaky old monkey hadn't discovered him by accident, he definitely wouldn't have revealed his ability so soon.

Feeling the envious, jealous stares around him, Carl scurried away from the training grounds before those sour grapes could tear him in half.

Fleet Admiral's Office.

Besides Kizaru, Staff Officer Tsuru was there as well. If Garp hadn't gone on vacation, he probably would've come by to join in the fun, too.

"Tsuru, did you bring Carl's detailed file?"

Staff Officer Tsuru nodded. "Of course. It has everything since he joined the Marines. Sengoku, is that boy's ability really as miraculous as you said?"

Before Sengoku could answer, Kizaru spoke up. "Ooh, Staff Officer Tsuru, Carl's ability really is amazing. I can still feel it working even now!"

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, how about letting him become my aide when he graduates? I have a good feeling about him!"

Sengoku furrowed his brow and pushed up his round glasses. "Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? Carl won't graduate for at least three months!"

"But once his ability becomes public, everyone will want him! After all, who wouldn't want a teammate like Carl on a mission?"

Kizaru's tone was still as laid-back as ever, but his expression was unusually serious, a stark contrast to his usual indifference toward everything.

No one could see what he was thinking—not even Sengoku, the famed tactician.

But Kizaru himself knew. He saw something of his younger self in Carl. They shared a certain quality.

And Carl was a Marine Zephyr valued. If Kizaru could steer him onto the right path, just as he himself had been, then Teacher Zephyr would surely be happy.

"Admiral Kizaru, I promise you that we won't announce Carl's ability before he graduates. As for whether he wants to join you, I can't decide that. It'll be up to Carl."

Kizaru pursed his lips, as if he'd just thought of some scheme. After saying goodbye, he left the Fleet Admiral's Office.

Meanwhile, Carl wandered around Marineford with nothing to do after leaving the training grounds. As he familiarized himself with the area, he came across a lot of places he recognized.

For example, the future main battlefield of the "Paramount War": Marineford Plaza, Crescent Bay...

Looking at the lively Marine family housing community, Carl couldn't help sighing. "I heard that once you become a commissioned officer at Headquarters, you can get an apartment here. Sigh... I wonder when I'll be able to get one."

"That should be easy for you, young man!"

At the familiar voice, Carl's heart jumped. Damn, Kizaru was such a sneaky old monkey—he didn't make a sound when he walked! Did he have any idea how badly he could scare someone, the bastard?

"Admiral Kizaru!"

"Carl, you don't have to be so stiff around me! I heard you saying you wanted a place here?"

Kizaru still spoke at his usual slow pace. It was enough to make Carl impatient, but that wasn't even the main issue.

Carl was still in a boy's body, barely five feet tall, while Kizaru stood a full ten feet tall—almost twice his height. It was a real strain trying to talk to him. They were standing so close that even craning his neck at a forty-five-degree angle didn't feel like enough.

"Uh, that's right, Admiral Kizaru."

"That's easy! Once you graduate and become my aide, you won't even need to ask. The Logistics Department will arrange a place for you."

Carl's heart skipped a beat. Was Kizaru trying to recruit him? No—he was definitely trying to recruit him!

Generally, Recruits who attended Training Camp were assigned to the Four Blues or the Grand Line after graduation, depending on their grades. Only the most outstanding Recruits stayed at Marine Headquarters, where they'd spend some time learning under a Vice Admiral or Admiral.

Aokiji, for example, had once been Garp's sidekick and devoted fan.

Kizaru was showing him favor early because he'd taken an interest in Carl's ability. Carl was confident about that. What ADC wouldn't want a reliable support?

But Zephyr had just told him to stay away from Kizaru, and now Kizaru was trying to recruit him.

That made Carl suspect that the two old rivals had some secret competition going on. He was just a rookie caught in the middle. This was rough!

Still, to be fair, if he got to choose who to follow, he'd probably pick Kizaru. The reason was simple: at this point, Aokiji was a slacker. If Aokiji was already slacking off, how was Carl supposed to slack off?

Akainu was dedicated to his work, but with his harsh personality, he'd never let Carl slack off. He'd definitely raise his expectations of him.

So Carl didn't have many options. One was Garp: strong, with lots of time off.

The other was Kizaru: fast and efficient. Carl could even give him a buff at Marine Headquarters, and Kizaru would zip off and take someone out in no time.

"Hahaha, Admiral Kizaru, graduation's still a long way off! There's no need to rush. But don't worry—if I get to choose, I'll definitely give serious thought to becoming your aide!"

Kizaru's lips curled up slightly. He seemed satisfied with Carl's answer. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out a set of keys, and tossed them to Carl.

"These are the keys to my old place. If you don't mind, you can stay there for now! Consider it a gift from me!"

With that, Kizaru turned into a streak of golden light and vanished, leaving Carl no chance to refuse.

"Man, what a surreal day. I've got a place to live, my career's looking secure, and I've had a blast slacking off. Amazing..."