The Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Garp sat with his legs crossed, eating rice crackers and looking utterly carefree.
Directly across from Garp sat a sturdy middle-aged man with a mohawk and a long, M-shaped mustache. His hair was an upgraded version of the mohawk style, and the word "Justice" appeared on the back of his coat, just as it did on a Marine coat.
This man was the current Fleet Admiral, Kong the Steel Bone!
Beside Garp sat a middle-aged man wearing frog-shaped glasses, his long beard braided into a twist. A seagull symbolizing the Marines perched on his military cap, beneath which he hid a head of hair styled in an afro.
This man was the current Marine Admiral, Sengoku the Buddha!
Sengoku glanced helplessly at the carefree Garp and scolded him.
"Garp, I've told you so many times. As a Marine Vice Admiral, you should look the part. Just look at yourself now!"
Garp took a bite of his rice cracker and replied indifferently.
"All right, all right. You've said that hundreds of times. My ears are practically growing calluses, but it won't work on me. Hmm... these rice crackers are delicious. Where did you buy them?"
Sengoku's face darkened at once...
Seeing the two bicker as usual, Kong chuckled and waved a hand.
"Heh, Sengoku, let it go. No matter how many times you tell Garp, he won't change that habit. Let's get down to business first. Sengoku, give us your report on the roster for this class at the Ferocious Beast Training Camp."
Since Kong had stepped in to persuade him, Sengoku had no choice but to stop nagging Garp. He cleared his throat and began his report.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, this class at the Ferocious Beast Training Camp has 225 recruits. The oldest is eighteen, and the youngest... is ten. Garp recommended him."
Sengoku stopped there, his brow furrowing as he voiced his concern.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, although the Ferocious Beast Training Camp only allows people under eighteen to participate, there has never been a ten-year-old before. I think ten is too young. Shouldn't we let that ten-year-old boy..."
Just as Sengoku was about to continue, Garp picked his nose and interrupted him lazily.
"Don't worry, Sengoku. Ages isn't that fragile. Besides, I discussed letting Ages join with Kong, and Ages agreed to it too."
Hearing this, Sengoku hurried over to Kong's desk and pressed him.
"Is that true, Fleet Admiral Kong?"
Kong nodded and said, "Yes, it is."
Despite Kong's slight nod, Sengoku persisted.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, this boy Ages is only ten! No matter how much potential he has, how strong could he possibly be at ten?..."
Sengoku wanted to continue, but Kong raised a hand to stop him. He took a document from the papers beside him, handed it to Sengoku, and smiled.
"Don't be so hasty, Sengoku. Read this report on Ages first."
Sengoku took the report and began reading it, his face full of confusion.
A while later...
After reading the report, Sengoku's previously calm expression turned to shock. He muttered to himself.
"This... how is this possible... he triggered three active volcanoes and wiped out more than 5,000 people... this... hmm! A Devil Fruit User!... No wonder... no wonder..."
Garp watched Sengoku's shocked expression, the corners of his mouth rising involuntarily. It felt great to surprise Sengoku, who was known as the Wise General.
Sengoku slowly lowered the report and glanced back at Garp.
"No wonder you dared let this boy enter the Ferocious Beast Training Camp, Garp. If it were me, I'd want Ages in the Ferocious Beast Training Camp too."
With that, Sengoku stroked his beard, a glint flashing through his wise eyes.
"Heh, it looks like this class at the Ferocious Beast Training Camp will be interesting."
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Ages had followed the Marine officer to the Ferocious Beast Training Camp.
The entrance to the training camp was quite simple. A plaque hung over the gate, bearing the words "Ferocious Beast Training Camp" in blood-red lettering, and a massive stone stele stood to one side.
Ages looked up at the plaque. It seemed plain and ordinary, yet it gave off a bloody aura, and a strange feeling flashed through his heart.
Trying to recapture that strange feeling, Ages fixed his eyes on the plaque again. This time, he finally understood what the feeling was.
To Ages, the blood-red characters on the plaque seemed like peerless ferocious beasts, ready to break free of their restraints and ravage the land.
"Heh, that's a fine plaque, isn't it? Admiral Sengoku wrote those characters himself," the Marine officer said with a smile as he watched Ages.
A little while later...
After shaking off the feeling, Ages turned to look at the stone stele beside the gate.
Three large blood-red characters were carved into the stele: "Ferocious Beast List."
Below those three large blood-red characters were names carved in somewhat smaller lettering.
After looking over the entrance to the Ferocious Beast Training Camp, Ages was already full of curiosity about the camp, even though he had yet to enter.
Ages withdrew his gaze and asked the Marine officer.
"Officer Ōru, may I ask what the Ferocious Beast List is for?"
The Marine officer glanced at the stele and spoke with solemn respect.
"Heh, that's the Ferocious Beast List. It records the names of those who successfully graduated from the Ferocious Beast Training Camp, along with their ranks upon graduation. It's there to motivate the new recruits and encourage them to work harder."
Listening to the Marine officer's reply, Ages rubbed his chin, grinned, and murmured.
"So that's how it is. Heh, this Ferocious Beast Training Camp looks pretty interesting."
"Interesting? Heh, kid, I hope you can still say that after you join the Ferocious Beast Training Camp and go through your first life-and-death test. All right, let's go in."
After saying those puzzling words, the Marine officer led Ages into the Ferocious Beast Training Camp...