Ages's conversation with the young man also drew the attention of the people around them.
They looked at Ages in surprise, thinking the same thing as the young man: Ages was a mischievous child who had come to play pretend at the Navy recruitment office.
A burly man called out to Ages.
"Kid, your mom's calling you home for dinner. She'll be worried if she can't find you."
"Hahahaha..."
The burly man's words sounded teasing, but he was genuinely concerned, and the people around him burst out laughing.
"Kid, hurry home. This isn't a place for you to play."
"Hahaha, that's right, kid. Hurry home, or it won't be good if the Navy officers have to throw you out."
Ages frowned. The concerned advice left him speechless, with dark lines across his face. He muttered to himself:
Do I really look that weak? Can't a ten-year-old join the Navy?
Just as everyone was talking about Ages,
a voice rang out, scolding them.
"What are you making all that noise for? Didn't I tell you already? Follow the rules while signing up and keep quiet!"
The newcomer was none other than the Navy corporal from earlier.
When the crowd saw the tall, muscular corporal approaching with a dark expression, they recalled how he had made an example of someone earlier. They hurriedly fell silent and stood properly as they waited to sign up.
The corporal walked up to them, frowning with an unhappy expression, and spoke.
"What were you all making a fuss about just now?"
The corporal swept a stern gaze over the crowd, waiting for an answer.
At that moment, the young man behind Ages stepped forward and explained.
"Reporting, sir! We weren't making trouble. We were telling this kid to go home and stop causing trouble here."
After speaking, the young man pointed at Ages in front of him.
"Hmm?"
The corporal raised one of his bushy eyebrows. His attention had been on the crowd, so he hadn't noticed the diminutive Ages. Only when the young man pointed did he realize a boy was standing in front of him.
In response to the young man, Ages stepped forward and spoke to the corporal.
"I'm not here to cause trouble. I really am here to enlist in the Navy."
The corporal raised an eyebrow again and gave the serious-looking Ages a strange look.
As far as the corporal could remember, it had been a long time since he'd encountered a child causing trouble at a Navy recruitment drive.
The corporal walked over to Ages, crouched down, and put on what he thought was a gentle smile.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Ages," Ages answered promptly.
"Heh, Ages, is it? You're here to join the Navy?"
Ages nodded.
"Ages, listen to me. You're still too young to join the Navy. You have to be at least sixteen before you can come back."
"Is there a rule that says a ten-year-old can't join the Navy?" Ages asked in return.
The corporal shook his head and continued patiently explaining.
"Ages, you should know that life in the Navy is very hard. You have to get up early to train every day, and the training isn't something someone your age can endure."
"Listen to me. Go home and exercise more. When you turn sixteen, I'll make sure you can join the Navy. How about it?"
Looking at the determination in Ages's eyes, the corporal also realized that Ages wasn't here to cause trouble, but genuinely wanted to join the Navy.
But although the corporal approved of Ages's spirit, he didn't think someone his age could handle Navy duties. After all, being in the Navy was dangerous work. They had to fight pirates all the time and could die at any moment.
The corporal didn't want such a promising youngster to die before he had a chance to grow, so he patiently tried to persuade Ages.
Ages felt rather helpless, but he had already promised Fujitora that he would join the Navy, and he also wanted to fulfill his dream from his previous life. He said:
"What if I insist on joining the Navy?"
Faced with the persistent Ages, the corporal also felt a headache coming on and was at a loss. After thinking for a long time, the Navy soldier's eyes flickered, and he said:
"Then go catch a pirate and bring him to me. Heh, how about it? As long as you can catch a pirate with a bounty of a million within a year, I'll agree to let you join. If you can't do it, then behave yourself and wait until you're sixteen to join the Navy."
The corporal believed that once he said this, Ages would surely back down in the face of difficulty.
Hearing the corporal's condition, Ages nodded without hesitation.
"You said it. I'll go catch a pirate right now."
With that, Ages strode away from the Navy recruitment office without looking back.
Watching Ages leave, the corporal recalled his own childhood.
Back then, the corporal had also been around ten years old. He too had run over and said he wanted to join the Navy, only for a Navy officer to say the same thing he had just said.
The corporal really had prepared to catch a pirate, but after he told his parents what he had in mind, they had grounded him. Their meaning was that he could go play at the Navy office because they knew he would be talked into coming back sooner or later.
But if he was really going to catch pirates, he had to stay home and wait until he was an adult with enough strength.
The corporal believed Ages would be just like him, talked out of it or even grounded by his family.
Little did he know that Ages's own Pops, Fujitora, had suggested he join the Navy.
That brought up the question of why Fujitora had wanted Ages to join the Navy so early.
The main reason was that although Ages looked young, he was very mature in both mind and strength. This also meant that Fujitora often treated Ages like a little adult.
It was because Fujitora treated Ages like a little adult that he believed Ages was old enough to join the Navy and told him to enlist.
That was how today's awkward situation had come about.
(A note on why Ages didn't use his Devil Fruit ability or swordsmanship to gain recognition and enter the Navy.
The main reason was that Ages's understanding of the Navy was still based on his previous life. In his previous life, having formidable combat power alone wasn't enough to get into the marines. You also needed talent in various areas, such as willpower and the ability to react on the spot.)