Quite Interesting

Garp's voice came through.

"I just graduated from the Navy Academy, so I wanted to ask you what I should do next."

Xia Le snapped out of his thoughts and hurriedly replied.

"What? You've already graduated?"

Garp froze for a moment, then caught on and sighed.

"Has it been two years already?"

"Ordinary graduates are sent out from headquarters to serve in the Four Blues or the Grand Line."

"But you were already a rear admiral before you entered the academy, so you have more freedom."

After a pause, Garp asked with interest.

"Kid, would you rather oversee a fortress, command a large Marine force, and keep the peace in a region?"

"Or live freely, like me?"

Xia Le blinked at his words.

Clearly, this was a choice of paths for his Marine career.

The Marines were spread far and wide across this world, responsible for maintaining peace. Barring any surprises, officers below flag rank would be assigned to branch bases in towns across the Four Blues or the Grand Line.

Those who reached flag rank, however, were already considered senior Marine officers. With considerable strength at their disposal, they naturally enjoyed greater freedom.

They could become the commander or second-in-command of a regional fortress, or sail freely across the seas like Garp.

"If you want to be a commander and get a taste of having an army at your fingertips, just apply to Kong."

Garp's teasing words made Xia Le smile.

"Or, like me, you can get a warship of your own, carry out all sorts of missions on the seas, and live freely."

Xia Le nodded. "I understand!"

Then he quickly made his decision.

"I want to be free, like you."

Garp's booming laughter came through the Den Den Mushi, and the call soon ended.

A safe but monotonous life as a fortress commander, or the freedom to experience the thrills this world had to offer?

Xia Le understood both paths well. He had heard about them during his time at the Navy Academy.

Some cadets who performed well at a branch would quickly rise to flag rank, then become regional fortress commanders, either by headquarters' assignment or their own choice.

Without a doubt, a regional fortress commander was like a provincial governor, wielding absolute authority.

Naturally, that opened the door to all sorts of shady dealings. The position offered both prestige and plenty of money to skim.

Unfortunately, Xia Le had no interest in that.

I haven't reached the pinnacle of strength yet!

My Six Powers aren't maxed out.

Constant battles on the brink of death are what suit me best!

A breeze brushed past as he stood on high and looked down, taking in the magnificent sight of Marineford. Farther away, the Inner Bay, the Gate of Justice, and the endless sea all stood clearly before him.

A light gradually flickered in his calm eyes, and his gaze deepened.

Since I've come to this world...

I ought to do something.

As his strength grew, two years of life here had allowed the seeds of some vague ideas to gradually sprout within him.

Rather interesting

Xia Le did not know when those hazy thoughts had first begun.

Was it when that pebble had blasted the Celestial Dragon's head apart?

When he had been offered a choice of three Devil Fruits upon receiving his rank?

Or when he had faced the admiration and awe in the young Marines' eyes at the academy?

All he knew was that as his strength increased and his reputation among the Marines grew, strange thoughts had begun to surface in his mind.

He had never understood what they were.

Only now, as he looked down and took in all of Marine Headquarters, did realization suddenly dawn.

It was ambition.

Standing quietly on high, Xia Le soon let his thoughts drift and wander, inexplicably recalling the past.

Two years ago, utterly exhausted after escaping the Bokan Family, he had encountered a child of about eight.

Unlike other children, the boy was precocious, his eyes holding a maturity and world-weariness far beyond his years.

"Where's your father?"

Xia Le accepted the half-piece of dry, cracked black bread the boy offered him.

"Dead."

The child spoke.

"And your mother?"

"Dead too."

"Do you have any other brothers or sisters?"

"Yes. They're all dead!"

His voice was flat and calm, without even a trace of grief or pain.

Xia Le froze, staring into those gleaming black eyes.

"My father defied a noble."

"My mother caught a Celestial Dragon's eye. She was beaten to death in the street."

"My older brother and sister tried to save her. They died too."

"I was four that year. I was trembling with fear, and I escaped."

The eight-year-old calmly recounted everything he had experienced.

Xia Le hesitated, shocked by the child's composure. "Aren't you sad at all?"

Two years had passed, yet he still could not forget the child's calm expression and dark eyes as he turned to face him.

"I'm holding it in."

Those words, "I'm holding it in," had shattered Xia Le's composure.

Then came the day he encountered that nameless Celestial Dragon. The man did not know him, and he did not know the man.

From that moment on, Xia Le had fully understood that something was wrong with this world.

Freedom? Passion? Dreams? Beauty?

Nothing but a joke!

Its true face was nothing more than the cruelty and coldness that made an eight-year-old calmly say, "I'm holding it in."

He suddenly thought of another disciple Garp would take in someday, a boy named Koby.

"If you think all of this is wrong, then work hard to get stronger, climb higher, and change it all!"

Those were the words Koby's companion had spoken to him when he felt lost.

At some point, Xia Le had clenched his fists, but now he slowly, silently relaxed them.

What matters isn't where you are.

It's what you're doing.

He turned and left.

That afternoon, Xia Le applied for and received a warship of his own.

It was a medium-sized, two-masted warship, roughly the same size as Garp's. The only difference was that his had no soldiers aboard.

Two people followed Xia Le as he boarded.

One was T Bone, who had graduated recently and held him in deep respect and admiration. The other was about eleven or twelve, but stood over two meters tall, with strange, unconventional face paint.

"Kid, I'd originally planned to send you to the West Blue after graduation to serve as deputy commander there."

"But since you want a warship, I understand."

"I do have spare warships, but I can't find you soldiers on such short notice. You'll have to figure that out yourself."

"Transfer them from elsewhere or recruit them yourself. That's not my concern."

Kong's words brought a smile to Xia Le's lips.

Just then, Sengoku, who had been standing nearby, approached with a friendly expression. After looking him over carefully, he chuckled.

"Short on people, Xia Le?"

"I happen to have a promising boy here."

Then, without waiting for Xia Le's consent, he foisted the boy on him.

Yes, it was the oddly styled fellow now standing behind him.

"Rosinante, can you sail a ship?"

Xia Le asked after boarding the warship.

The strangely styled Marine immediately replied at the top of his lungs, "Yes, sir, Officer Xia Le!"

"Good. Then sailing, cleaning, cooking, and all the other chores are yours!"

Xia Le nodded and glanced at him.

Indeed, the Marine Sengoku had foisted on him was Rosinante. Apparently, Sengoku had rescued the youngster not long ago and had kept him at his side ever since.

For now, he was merely an apprentice Marine.

"Huh?"

Rosinante froze and scratched his head.

"I'm responsible for all of that?"

Xia Le pointed at T Bone, then at himself. "Right now, there are only three of us aboard this entire warship, and you're the lowest-ranking one. If not you, should your two superior officers do it?"

Rosinante blinked, then sighed and replied listlessly, "Yes, sir."

T Bone started to speak, but ultimately said nothing.

Although Rosinante was only in his early teens, his build and strength were impressive. He looked about eighteen.

A short while later, the warship set sail and passed through the Gate of Justice.

"Where are we going?"

T Bone asked curiously.

"The Sabaody Archipelago."

"First, we really are short-handed and need to recruit some people."

"Second..."

After a pause, Xia Le gave another soft smile.

"Fleet Admiral Kong's first mission for me is to capture or eliminate a group of pirate Supernovas who recently caused trouble in the Sabaody Archipelago."

Of course, missions issued by headquarters like this depended on the circumstances and allowed considerable flexibility.

For instance, the pirates might all have fled by the time they arrived, or some other emergency might crop up along the way.