The first light of day peeked over the horizon, painting the sky with soft pinks and purples.
"Beeeep--"
The loud, annoying sound of the assembly whistle yanked the sleepy new recruits from their dreams.
Roya was among them. The Marine Branch had only managed to gather six new recruits yesterday. This was a very small number compared to the last time they were looking for new people. And the chances of getting more in the next few days? Not good, to say the least.
Shells Town was filled with fear, and the Marines were feeling the pressure.
They were cutting corners everywhere they could. Big welcome parties? Cancelled. Long introductions? Cut down to the basics. They had crammed most of the important information into the briefings yesterday. Now, the most important thing was to quickly train these new recruits into real Marine soldiers. This would help strengthen the Branch's ability to fight.
East Blue was not a peaceful place. The sea lanes that the 153rd Branch patrolled were always threatened by hungry pirates. The Black Cat Pirates, who had caused so much trouble recently, were a prime example.
Only a strong and well-trained force could protect the innocent people who lived in fear.
Downstairs in the dormitory, while the other new recruits were still half-asleep, Roya stood at the front of the line. He was practically buzzing with energy as he waited for the Instructor's orders.
"Look, it's that kid."
The new recruits secretly glanced at Roya, their faces showing surprise and disbelief.
"He actually got up."
"He's really strong."
"He looks even thinner…"
They remembered yesterday's tough training session. Roya had shown amazing potential. What really surprised them was how much training he had done, sometimes even more than they had.
It made sense that Roya should be exhausted and sore. But here he was, standing tall with a fierce look in his eyes.
This kid … he's got something special.
"Grumble, grumble~~"
Roya's sharp eyes looked down as his empty stomach made loud, rumbling noises.
Last night, he had gone back into "The World," pushing himself to his absolute limit for three long hours. But when he returned to the real world, all his tiredness and injuries were gone. His body was miraculously back in perfect condition.
This was another exciting glimpse into the mysterious powers of "The World."
It seemed that "The World" was using his muscles and fat to heal him. He figured he had lost at least three pounds compared to yesterday.
And the biggest problem? He was incredibly hungry!
He felt like he could eat a whole boulder!
But as a new Marine soldier, the most important thing to learn was endurance: the strong will to overcome any challenge.
Soon, the remaining recruits stumbled out of the dormitory, woken up by the Instructor's loud shouts. Yawning and tired, they slowly joined the line, heading towards the training field.
The morning's training was brutally simple.
Half an hour of standing perfectly still in a military stance.
Roya straightened his back, his eyes focused on a distant, imaginary point. After only five minutes, sweat started to drip down his forehead. His skin felt itchy, and every muscle ached.
Standing in a military stance seemed easy. But doing it perfectly and without moving? That was a real test of mental and physical strength.
Roya remembered his mandatory military training in school. Back then, they only had to stand for ten minutes, and even then, they were always trying to find ways to slack off.
That was the scary truth about the military stance: it was a tough challenge that built both willpower and strength.
The 153rd Branch wasn't too strict. While Roya squeezed his muscles and puffed out his chest, the other new recruits had already figured out how to avoid the Instructor's watchful eye. They used all sorts of sneaky movements to make themselves more comfortable.
The Instructor knew what they were doing. He had been in their place before, and he knew every trick.
But he chose to ignore it.
The 153rd Branch was just a small part of the East Blue Marine. The recruits they got weren't usually very strong. Making the training too hard could easily discourage them before they even faced real combat.
Besides, once these new recruits faced the harsh reality of pirates, they would quickly understand why training was so important.
"Oh? This kid…"
The Instructor smiled slightly as he watched Roya's perfect posture and the sweat dripping from his hair.
Sweating that much meant he wasn't slacking off.
A promising young one!
"Smack!"
Without warning, the Instructor's rough hand slapped Roya's rear with a loud "smack!"
"Stand straight!"
"…!"
Roya's muscles tightened.
This is ridiculous. Why is everyone so obsessed with my butt?!
The sun rose higher, finally signaling the end of the military stance training. Under the Instructor's loud directions, the new recruits slowly walked towards the restaurant for their well-deserved meal.
They had many choices: different kinds of bread, juicy roasted meats, delicate fish, flavorful seafood fried rice, fresh vegetable salads, creamy mashed potatoes, and refreshing teas…
The Marine Branches usually gave their soldiers plenty of food. There was a lot to choose from, and they could eat as much as they wanted--until they were completely full.
Fighting pirates was dangerous, and lives were always at risk. With so many chances of getting hurt or killed, cutting back on food would be a sure way to cause trouble.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Roya's eyes sparkled with joy. Like a hungry ghost, he piled mountains of meat onto his plate, making his portion at least three times bigger than what a normal Marine soldier would eat. He sat down at a nearby table and immediately started devouring the feast.
The Marine was used to big eaters, especially those who were naturally strong. They could easily eat ten times as much as a normal person.
The more you ate, the stronger you became!
If his body could handle it, Roya would have happily followed in Luffy's footsteps, eating everything in sight. But because his body was still weak, even eating three times the normal amount was pushing his limits.
Ten minutes passed…
"Ah～～"
Feeling completely full, a wave of pure happiness washed over him.
Roya gently rubbed his slightly swollen belly, feeling pleasantly lazy. If only I could light up a cigarette right now … the perfect end to this amazing meal.
But that was a pleasure only officers and those of higher rank could enjoy.
Only then would he have unlimited access to cigarettes, coffee, cigars, and all the other perks of being an officer.
It was well-known that most of the Marine's leaders were smokers.
That's just how it is.
The new recruits gathered at the training field.
After a short warm-up with basic stretches, the six new recruits, including Roya, lined up and started running around the edge of the training field.
Ten laps in total, which was about five kilometers. After that, they would have to do one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, ten rope climbs, and more.
They had to finish all the training before noon.
This was only half of what the experienced soldiers did. It was a gradual introduction that lasted for one month. After that, the training would get harder, no matter how well they did.
And if they didn't meet the requirements? They would get extra training after their afternoon duties!
"Huff--"
Roya carefully controlled his breathing, pushing himself to run as fast as his body could handle.
Just finishing the training wasn't enough. His goal was to quickly become skilled, even excellent, and become an official Marine soldier as soon as possible.
Luffy would set off on his grand adventure in five years!
If he didn't gain the power and rank of a Vice Admiral, or even higher, by then, he would be just another expendable soldier in the coming chaos.
He could forget about defeating the Supernovas and the Great Pirates of the New World--he would be lucky to survive the terrible Summit War.
Becoming a Vice Admiral was the bare minimum. Only with the strength of an Admiral could he find some peace. Then, even if the world fell apart, he would still be able to play an important role.
He couldn't waste a single second.
In less than thirty seconds, Roya had already created a gap of more than ten meters between himself and the other new recruits.
"This kid runs like a maniac!"
The other new recruits, trailing behind Roya and choking on the dust he kicked up, looked unhappy.
It was only the first day of training. There was no need to push themselves so hard, right? They had plenty of time to finish all the exercises at a reasonable pace.
Watching Roya steadily pull further and further ahead, they started to feel uneasy.
"Damn it, we can't let him show us up!"
Gritting their teeth, the others desperately tried to run faster, their pride hurt. If they fell too far behind, they would look pathetic.
They couldn't let that show-off steal the spotlight!
Normally, the ten-lap run would have taken the new recruits about twenty minutes. But with Roya pushing them, the five recruits forced themselves to finish in just under fifteen minutes.
Gasping for air, they bent over, hands on their shaking knees, trying to stay upright.
Until Roya ran past them again.
"Eh???"
The five stood still, exchanging confused looks.
What was going on?
Wasn't that kid still running?
He should have finished his ten laps!
When Roya completed another lap, showing no signs of slowing down, the others finally realized what was happening.
"Damn it, that kid is doing extra training!"
The jerk! It's only the first day, give us a break!