At the Water Seven Marine Base dock, the morning was bustling. A group of Marine soldiers, neatly lined in four rows, stood at attention by the shore. They awaited the arrival of the Dog Head Warship, slowly sailing in from the distant sea horizon.
Among the ranks, Karl D. Sephiroth stood with nine other recruits. He wore his new recruitment uniform: black military boots, blue trousers, a short-sleeved white shirt, a blue scarf, and a crisp white Marine cap perfectly fitted to his head. Although three days prior he had successfully defeated three high-ranking members of the Watson Pirates and claimed a 49.6 million Berry bounty, his achievement hadn't yet been converted into military merit. He wasn't officially registered as a Marine soldier yet, so Karl D. Sephiroth was still a fresh recruit.
Soon, the massive Dog Head Warship finally docked at the harbor and lowered its gangplank to the pier. A figure wearing a white cloak emblazoned with "Justice" on its back and a dog-headed cap stepped down from the ship, walking upright before everyone. Behind him, a group of Marine soldiers marched in neat formation, following closely, including a dashing man with a saber tucked at his waist, also wearing a similar white cloak.
"Vice Admiral Garp, thank you for personally coming to pick up the recruits!" said the heavily bearded Lieutenant, leading a group of Marine soldiers in a salute to the legend.
On the other side, the new recruits like Karl D. Sephiroth did the same, raising their right hands, palms facing backward, and performing the characteristic Marine salute.
No way? A Vice Admiral came personally to pick up recruits? Are the Marines really that short on manpower? Karl D. Sephiroth muttered in his heart, feeling a touch of disbelief.
The bearded Lieutenant's words went unanswered. In the solemn and quiet atmosphere, only a soft snore could be heard.
Garp: "(～﹃～)~zZ~zzZ!"
Everyone: "..."
"Vice Admiral Garp!?... Vice Admiral Garp!?" The bearded Lieutenant tried to raise his voice slightly.
"So noisy!!! I heard you..." Garp first yawned widely, then suddenly remembered something and burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Where are the water donuts I asked for?"
"They're ready for you, Sir," the bearded Lieutenant replied. He waved his hand, and immediately two soldiers brought a large wooden box full of donuts.
"Hahaha! Good, good! I've been thinking about these Water Water Donuts ever since I was on vacation in East Blue..." As he spoke, Garp casually took a donut and popped it into his mouth, then took the large wooden box himself, turned, and immediately re-boarded the Dog Head Warship.
Seeing everyone still standing there in a daze, Garp looked confused and said, "Let's go! What are you all doing just standing here? Set sail! Back to G3 Branch."
Everyone: (눈_눈)
Alright! This old man, eating donuts is his top priority, recruiting new members is just a side trip...
At that moment, the image of "Marine Hero," Vice Admiral Garp, once admired by the new Marine recruits as a tall and mighty figure, shattered into pieces and crumbled, transforming into the figure of an old comedian.
"Recruits, if your name is called, grab your luggage and assemble on the warship!" shouted an officer.
"Harris Byrne!" "Here!"
"Tali Tappa!" "Here!"
"Karl D. Sephiroth!" "Here!"
Karl D. Sephiroth responded, picked up his Autumn Leaf Sword and his large suitcase, and immediately ran to board the Dog Head Warship. Inside the large suitcase, besides some clothes, was his entire fortune of 67.8 million Berry. Most of it came from the bounty money and gold coins obtained from killing pirates last time. As for the Devil Fruit... he secretly buried it underground at the villa on a dark and windy night. He didn't feel comfortable carrying the Devil Fruit with him or keeping it in a bank, so this was the only method he could use.
"Karl D. Sephiroth...?" Garp, who was leaning on the ship's railing and engrossed in eating donuts, paused for a moment when he heard the name. He turned towards the silver-haired young man who had a saber hanging at his waist, carried a suitcase, and was running to line up with the other recruits.
"On my way back from vacation in East Blue, I heard a very interesting piece of news. They said that in our G3 Branch, there's a kid named Karl D. Sephiroth, who hasn't officially enlisted yet, but defeated a pirate with a 35 million Berry bounty." Garp grinned, his wide, bell-like eyes staring at Sephiroth, making him feel a chill down his spine. "That person they were talking about is you, isn't it?"
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!" Karl D. Sephiroth nodded, neither humble nor arrogant, his expression perfectly calm.
"Good! Good! Good! You're a promising kid," Garp laughed. As he spoke, Old Man Garp extended his large, fan-like right hand and slapped Karl D. Sephiroth's back hard, making Sephiroth's eyes twitch from the pain. This rotten old man is brutal. Does he want to injure me? he muttered inwardly.
Garp: "(～﹃～)~zZ" Karl D. Sephiroth: (-,-)
Forget it, he's just an old comedian, I'll lose if I take him seriously!
Boggart, Garp's subordinate, wearing a white Justice cloak and holding a saber, showed no change in expression upon seeing Garp fall asleep again. He immediately gave the order to set sail and return to Marine G3 Branch.
The recruits like Karl D. Sephiroth were all placed in a large cabin. After everyone was assigned a bed, they received orders to clean the ship. Karl D. Sephiroth was assigned to clean the deck. He received a mop and a bucket from the logistics chief and began cleaning the deck.
He had long anticipated that he might be ordered around after becoming a Marine. In this world, strength is king. Those who are not strong cannot protect anything, keep anything, not even their own lives. Strong people can act as they please, like Red-Haired Shanks. When he intervened in the Summit War and said he wanted to mediate the conflict between the two sides, no one dared to disrespect him. Of course, this wasn't because he ate a Devil Fruit to become so impressive, but because his strength and influence were enough to make the top Marines at that time unable to restrain him.
For a closer example, let's look at the rotten old man named Garp next to him. Just a Vice Admiral, yet he dared to disrespect the current Fleet Admiral Kong and has repeatedly refused promotions to Admiral, so one of the three Admiral positions remains vacant to this day, with only Sengoku and Zephyr as the two Admirals. Later, his son became the leader of the Revolutionaries, and his grandson became a great pirate, yet he still lives freely and comfortably. Even the Gorosei hesitate to confront him because of his strength and influence in the Marines.
"(～﹃～) Oh dear! I just fell asleep... What was I going to say?" Garp scratched his head in confusion, realizing he couldn't remember at all.
"Ah! Never mind, I'll just keep eating donuts... Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!" After saying this, the rotten old man continued his battle with the donuts before him.
However...
After a while.
Garp: "(～﹃～)~zZ"
Karl D. Sephiroth: "..."