Chapter 50: Second Time in the Pirate World
[February 10, 1517. Today marks the first day of your Observation Haki training under Garp. Honestly, it wasn't too bad—you were still calm enough afterward to analyze your injuries. Just two broken ribs, nothing major. A few scrapes? Not even worth mentioning.]
[February 12, 1517. After a day of rest, training resumed. More scrapes today! That old bastard really doesn't pull his punches.]
[February 17, 1517. After a week of persistent training, you feel like you've grown stronger... maybe. At the very least, you're dodging attacks more often. You've learned a general skill: Dodge.]
[February 21, 1517. You finally reached the Gate of Justice. Gazing at the towering structure and the complex ocean currents surrounding it, you could only marvel at the wonders of this world. Later that day, you arrived at the Marine Headquarters, Marineford.]
[February 23, 1517. Upon arriving at the base, you discovered that there were as many as 3,000 new Marine recruits here. While you weren't the strongest among them, you were certainly the most handsome. Among the new recruits were all kinds of strange types—some resembled boar-men, others were over five meters tall. Roger told you he'd even seen someone who looked like a baboon.]
[February 24, 1517. Today, the official recruit training began. You felt quite ambitious—after all, as a transmigrator who had read ome piece fanfics, Zephyr's training camp was your obvious first choice. But fate had other plans. Garp's aide, Bogard, informed you that Zephyr had basically retired last year. The current instructor was a Vice Admiral named Strawberry, someone you didn't recognize at all.]
[February 25, 1517. You reported to the recruit camp. Instructor Strawberry turned out to be one of the Long Head tribe, with flowing facial hair and an estimated height of 2.1 meters—0.7 of which was just his head. As a medical doctor, you concluded that this was a condition. One that definitely needed treatment.]
[March 2, 1517. The intensity of the training camp wasn't too much for you. Now that you've mastered Armament Haki, you felt that even fighting a Marine HQ colonel wouldn't necessarily be a losing battle. But combined with Garp's special training, things got tougher, and scrapes became a regular thing again. Today, Roger told you he's slowly starting to remember things. With a steady supply of food, this process might speed up.]
[March 5, 1517. You discovered a library in Marineford Town that was open to regular sailors. In a dusty corner, you found a book titled One Hundred Sword Techniques. Excited, you borrowed it—only to discover it was indeed a beginner's swordsmanship manual. Even Roger agreed it was decent. But the last move left you baffled: if swordsmanship doesn't work, just pull out a flintlock pistol and shoot your opponent. The move was titled "Sir, Times Have Changed." You've learned the skill: Basic Swordsmanship (Beginner).]
[March 14, 1517. Over this time, your friendship with Roger deepened. You found him to be a pretty good guy—especially given how quickly he picked up modern slang from you. You suspect he'd adapt quickly if thrown into the modern world.]
[March–April 1517. In addition to basic training in the recruit camp, you continued studying swordsmanship and Armament Haki with Roger, and Observation Haki with Garp. You even managed to squeeze in some time for reading in the library. Your swordsmanship and Armament Haki improved rapidly. You earned the achievement: Master of Time Management.]
[April 6, 1517. The first recruit battle took place, and you won in overwhelming fashion. Vice Admiral Strawberry was deeply impressed and believed you had the potential to become an officer of general rank. You received a reward: a flintlock pistol and a sharp rapier. You tucked the pistol into your coat—after all, when in doubt, it's time for the times to change.]
[May 2, 1517. Today marked a historic moment in your Observation Haki training—you managed to dodge about half of Garp's attacks. It felt as if some divine force guided you; you could somehow predict where the attacks would come from. A strange sensation. Roger, however, insisted this wasn't premonition, but a conditioned stress response from all the beatings. Damn... that actually makes sense.]
[May 7, 1517. The final phase of recruit training began. As the top of your class, you were finally introduced to one of the Navy's Six Styles: Shave (Soru). The simplest of the six techniques, it allows high-speed movement by stomping on the ground dozens of times in an instant to generate explosive recoil. It wasn't too difficult for you, but would still require some practice.]
[May 9, 1517. Turns out you underestimated yourself. After just two days of training, you mastered the basics of Shave. You've learned a combat skill: Shave (Beginner).]
[June 2, 1517. After three months, the recruit training camp ended. Unsurprisingly, you finished first. Your scores were nearly on par with Akainu's from back in the day. People said you already had the strength of a colonel, or even a rear admiral. But due to a lack of seniority, you were promoted only to Captain. Still, you were already considered the Navy's brightest rising star in the last three years.]
[July 6, 1517. You were assigned to Vice Admiral Strawberry's ship to begin your internship. Through a newspaper, you learned that your friend Ace had also set out to sea and obtained the Flame-Flame Fruit. You recalled your time with him in Windmill Village a year ago and felt you'd surely meet again someday on the sea.]
[August 1517. In the first half of the Grand Line, you captured your first pirate: Silica the Rhino of the Rhino Pirates, bounty 25 million Berries.]
[September 1517 – March 1518. You performed well aboard Strawberry's ship, personally capturing 23 pirates—some good, some bad. You felt conflicted, but Strawberry was unfazed. He told you pirates have their own code, but the Marines have their duty—and that duty is to capture pirates. On February 14, you found a strange-looking fruit aboard a pirate ship. You didn't need anyone to tell you what it was. You obtained an Epic Item: Devil Fruit. If taken out of this world, it can be added to the Hall of Curiosities, with a limit of one.]
[March 15, 1518. Roger told you that eating a Devil Fruit does make one stronger—but aside from the curse of the sea, there's another hidden danger. He couldn't quite remember what it was. What a dumbass. Still, despite your doubts, you decided to hold onto the Devil Fruit for now.]
[March 20, 1518. You received a transfer order and were promoted to Marine HQ Lieutenant Colonel, temporarily stationed as second-in-command at the Sabaody Archipelago. This is a strange island made of giant trees—strange in more ways than one.]
[April 3, 1518. A day to remember. While pursuing pirates, you encountered Scratchmen Apoo, captain of the On Air Pirates and a Sound-Sound Fruit user. At first, you were on the losing side, but then something clicked. You entered a strange state of awareness—an almost premonitory intuition. When fully focused, you could roughly predict Apoo's next move. You turned the tables and captured him. One of the Supernovas, bounty 250 million Berries! Even Strawberry was stunned. You gained a skill: Observation Haki (Beginner). You earned the achievement: Silence is Golden.]
[April–June 1518. Your reputation began spreading across the Grand Line. You were hailed as the Navy's new hope.]
[June 16, 1518. Thanks to your capture of Scratchmen Apoo, you were promoted to Colonel. Strawberry told you that to have your own ship, you'd need to reach general rank—but that day wouldn't be far off.]
[June–October 1518. The Marine garrison on Sabaody Archipelago received high-level orders to capture two enslaved giants from the longarm Pirates. You were one of the hunters. But by the time you cornered them, the two giants had already joined up with their rescuers. What followed was an unforgettable scene—so moving you momentarily forgot to act.
To shield his comrades, one of the giants used his massive body as a wall to block the Marines' pursuit. He took the Navy's swords and gunfire with his flesh and blood. In the end, he even snapped his slave collar, triggering a fatal explosion. His final words: For freedom.
Truthfully, this giant wasn't all that strong. You could've defeated him easily. But for some reason, from him you sensed a different kind of strength: not survival of the fittest, but spirit, loyalty, and freedom. Unknowingly, a new power began to awaken in you. You gained a skill: Conqueror's Haki (Beginner).]
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