In what seed like a re blink, more than half a month had disappeared.
"The Black Cat Pirates are attacking again!"
The harsh announcent sliced through the peaceful morning, like a knife, leaving a heavy feeling hanging over the 153rd Branch. You could feel the tension in the air.
Those awful Black Cat Pirates had struck another village near the base, leaving fear and destruction in their wake. But the Marines were helpless to stop them.
By the ti stern Colonel Rhodes and his team arrived, the pirates had vanished like shadows, their ship disappearing over the horizon, leaving behind a town that was wrecked and scarred.
Luckily, the villagers had been warned and had escaped to the mountains, avoiding the pirates' anger.
---
anwhile, at the New Recruits' Training Field, Roya ran with a strange, never-ending energy. His boots slamd against the ground as he easily passed his fellow recruits, leaving them struggling for breath in his wake.
Moans of pain and frustration ca from several of them.
"Damn it! How many laps ahead is he now?"
"Two laps? No, wait... three!"
"Does that kid ever get tired? Is he even human?"
"Forget it, let's just run at our own speed," one recruit sighed, giving up.
In just over half a month, while most were still struggling to get used to things, Roya was easily acing the basic training, quickly catching up to the experienced veterans.
Did he have to push himself so hard?
Lately, the Instructor's eyes had held a clear look of disappointnt, that sa look they rembered from childhood, a silent judgnt that hurt more than any yelling.
It was incredibly frustrating!
But the pressure wasn't just on the new recruits. Even the veterans felt annoyed at being outshone by a rookie.
---
In the afternoon, after finishing their daily chores, Roya and Fullbody escaped to the rooftop, enjoying cheap cigars, and savoring the most relaxing part of the day.
Fullbody stared at Roya with an intensity that made him uncomfortable.
"What?" Roya asked, breaking the silence.
"Aren't you pushing yourself a little too hard, kid?"
"Am I?" Roya was truly surprised.
This was nothing.
Even with the extra training in "The World," he was only working twice as hard as a regular Marine.
It was nowhere near his goal of training two hundred tis harder than the average Marine soldier.
He thought about Koby, who had joined the Marines at sixteen and quickly beco a Sergeant Major in half a year, mastering the tricky "Shave" technique from the Six Styles martial arts - sothing most people couldn't do.
And then there were those natural freaks, blessed with amazing physical gifts, who were ten or even a hundred tis stronger than him, even without training.
Bodies that could withstand bullets - now that's scary.
Roya didn't feel like he was pushing too hard; he felt like he wasn't doing enough. He had the body of a normal man. What choice did he have but to train like crazy?
Devil Fruit?
With his current abilities, unless he got extrely lucky, finding one seed impossible.
Fullbody patted Roya on the shoulder, his face serious. "Roya, I'm worried you'll burn yourself out!"
"Thanks, but don't worry. I know what I can handle," Roya replied with a reassuring smile.
If he didn't have "The World" as his safe place, his training would probably break him. He knew how important it was to balance work and rest.
But ti waits for no one.
"The World" was his most powerful weapon, his only advantage. Wasting it would be unforgivable.
The mood turned serious.
Fullbody stood up, leaned against the short wall, and looked out over the Training Field below. "You're taking the Rookie Exam at the end of the month, right?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Of course," Roya replied, not trying to hide his plans.
That was exactly what he wanted to do. Becoming a full-fledged Marine as soon as possible would give him access to more advanced training programs.
Close-Combat Skill, Swordsmanship, and marksmanship...
And Combat!
Physical training was just the beginning; combat was where you truly changed.
Fullbody sighed. After spending half a month with Roya, he considered him a friend and could see that he didn't want to stay in this boring base.
With Roya's dedication, even if he wasn't naturally gifted, he would eventually make a na for himself, maybe even rise to the ranks of Marine Headquarters in the future.
But things were bad right now.
"Roya, if I were you, I'd wait as long as possible to beco a full-fledged Marine."
"You an because of the Black Cat Pirates?"
"Exactly."
"..."
Roya fell silent, the weight of the situation sinking in.
The Black Cat Pirates were a big problem in the waters under the 153rd Branch's control. They were becoming famous for all the wrong reasons, and Captain Kuro's reward had jumped to a huge 16 million Berries.
In all of East Blue, only a few notorious pirates had rewards over 15 million.
It wasn't that the Branch didn't want to get rid of Kuro; it was that they couldn't. Even the Base Chief, Colonel Rhodes, was no match for the clever captain.
But the Marines had to try to wipe out the Black Cat Pirates, even if it ant repeating past mistakes.
So, once he beca a full-fledged Marine, he could face the Black Cat Pirates at any ti. With the strength of a regular Marine, the chances of dying were very high.
Waiting to advance would lower the risk of a deadly encounter.
Maybe the Black Cat Pirates would leave these waters to find bigger targets or even head into the dangerous Grand Line.
Or, as Captain Kuro beca more famous, Headquarters might send a powerful force to take him down.
But the problem was that Captain Kuro's reward had to reach at least 20 million Berries for Marine Headquarters to care.
Twenty million was the line.
"Bro, I won't stop!" Roya's eyes showed his determination.
Since arriving in this world, he had been rembering everything about East Blue, and one thing stood out clearly.
Kuro wouldn't leave East Blue.
Also, in less than two years, Kuro would attack the 153rd Branch's warship, killing all the Marines on board, leaving only the weak Monka behind to carry out his retirent plan.
In two years, if he slacked off and didn't beco stronger than Kuro, he would probably beco just another victim.
Even if he sohow survived, he would still have to deal with Monka's terrible rule.
There was no escaping this!
As long as he was a Marine of the 153rd Branch, he would have to face this challenge. The only way to survive was to beco stronger, and to do it as fast as possible, until he could stand against Kuro and win!
Before joining, he had thought about finding other Marine bases, but the dangerous waters made it nearly impossible to leave the island without permission.
He could sail nearby, but traveling far required official approval, or he might be mistaken for a pirate!
He didn't want to be a pirate. Not only was it dangerous, but they were also hated by everyone and had no respect.
Besides, even if he found refuge in other Branches, he wouldn't be safe.
"East Blue Overlord" Krieg, "Fish-Man" Arlong, and "Clown" Buggy were all powerful pirates with rewards over 15 million, and each was just as dangerous as Kuro. If he wanted to make a na for himself, he would have to face them all.
After a long silence, Roya felt that sothing was off, and he frowned. "What about you? Aren't you also taking the Rookie Exam? Aren't you worried?"
"I told you, I'm different," Fullbody said with a smug grin, wagging his finger. "I'm a Well-Connected Person. It won't be long before I'm transferred to Marine Headquarters."
"..."
Damn it! This bastard deserved to die!
Jealousy twisted Roya's face into an ugly expression.
He was training until he dropped, all to reach Marine Headquarters. Headquarters was the path to success; there was no future in staying in East Blue.
And yet, this bastard didn't have to do anything to get there.
He hated Well-Connected Persons the most!
Having shown off his good fortune, Fullbody felt a rush of happiness, like drinking ice cream on a hot sumr day.
"Well, don't be upset. Co on, I'll teach you how to dance!"
"Teach how to dance?" Roya was furious.
"Heh, hehe!"
"Damn it, Fullbody, are you getting cocky? Don't look down on . I'm not the sa person I was half a month ago!"
"Let's have a dance battle!"
"The loser washes the other's underwear!"
"Today, I'll show you what true dance skills look like!"
---
Half an hour later...
Roya was completely beaten, collapsed on the ground in defeat.
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