Flameheart Island, North Sea Branch 177 Port.
A warship, commanded by an officer, slowly approached the port, drawing the attention of many recruits training in the base's training field.
Lieutenant Richard, who was overseeing the recruits' training, raised his eyebrows and muttered sarcastically:
"This is really strange, his warship came back intact this time. Usually, he either returns with his soldiers swimming or calls for a large warship to rescue and tow them."
The ship had not yet docked when everyone heard Hammur's loud voice.
"Supply Officer! Supply Officer! Come quickly and tally the resources!"
"Coming!"
Hammur's loud voice had barely faded when a group of people quickly emerged from the base, carrying papers and pens, as if they had been prepared in advance.
"What? That rascal Rorschach has gains again? Is he really that lucky?"
A sub-officer looked towards the port, expressing his amazement.
"If encountering ferocious pirates every time is considered good luck, I'd prefer my luck to be a bit bad."
The other officers shrugged, not envying Rorschach's rapid accumulation of military achievements.
"That's right, not everyone is like him. In just one year, his strength has grown to a level we can't even compare to. Even now, Captain Jennifer doesn't ask him to participate in officer training, saying those hellish trainings no longer affect him."
"Enough talking, the more I talk, the more my heart aches." One of the captains said, clutching his chest with a depressed look, "Not only did he graduate from hell training successfully, but he also managed to master several of the Six Marine Techniques. Really, comparing with others is infuriating."
On the warship.
Supply Officer Bill, a lieutenant, looked admiringly at the tall young man with silver hair in front of him, meticulously recording Rorschach's gains from this mission.
"The patrol mission was successfully completed, the Steel Sword Pirates' crew was eliminated, and sixteen pirates, including Steel Sword Ralph, were killed."
"The following resources were seized: 1.24 million berries, quantities of gold and jewelry, several cannons, food, and a logbook."
"There is also a treasure map belonging to Steel Sword Ralph, which requires time to decipher."
"And finally, three-tenths of Ralph's bounty will be allocated as a reward, distributed to everyone accordingly. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Bill. How about going to the tavern in town after work today?"
Rorschach extended his hand and shook Bill's, patting him on the shoulder without feeling any discomfort despite Bill's higher rank.
Bill himself was used to it and smiled automatically.
"Today might not be possible, the resources you brought need time to sort and store, and we'll have to work overtime in the logistics department."
"That's really unfortunate, let's do it next time then."
Rorschach jumped off the warship with a smile and headed towards the officers' building in the residential area, under the respectful gazes of soldiers and officers.
"He's amazing, really amazing. When will I be like Lieutenant Rorschach?"
Hammur looked at Rorschach with a smile full of envy as he left.
Bill looked at him coldly and said, "It's simple, just capture a pirate like Steel Sword Ralph, and you'll earn everyone's respect in the branch, regardless of the means."
"Haha, let's suppose I can't, I have a high level of self-awareness. How can humans compare to monsters, right, Lieutenant Bill?"
Behind the officers' building, there was a scattered forest.
Rorschach sat on a twisted tree stump, his upper body bare, holding a bottle of fruit wine, sipping it slowly.
This wine was brought to Flameheart Island by traders from other places.
The price wasn't high, only 500 berries for a 500-milliliter bottle.
Rorschach grew to like this wine after Richard invited him to drink it once.
It is worth noting that this wine was called "Sally."
Unknown if it had any relation to the favorite wine of Teacher Zephyr in the manga.
A year had passed since he stayed on Flameheart Island.
"Time flies, it has passed in the blink of an eye. The daily immersion in crazy training makes me lose track of time, this gradual feeling of controlling power feels good, despite the difficult process."
Rorschach recalled his experiences over the year, feeling some emotions.
First, the significant growth in his strength.
During the year of hard training, the hell training that once seemed impossible to him became mere warm-up exercises that made him sweat a little.
While the other officers continued running around the island with 500-pound weights, Rorschach reached a stage where he could pull a small warship and run alongside them.
His body grew crazily, and his strength reached a level he couldn't accurately estimate himself.
In Branch 177, except for Brigadier General Adelar who returned to headquarters, no one could overpower him in pure strength.
Even Captain Jennifer couldn't.
His height rose to two meters and fifty centimeters, increasing by twenty centimeters over the year.
His body became more powerful and robust than before, with strong muscular features not like Hammur's bulky muscles but more like sleek muscular lines resembling a leopard.
In the first half of the year, Rorschach spent his time training officers, and in the second half, he stayed alone in this forest, contemplating the Six Marine Techniques training methods given to him by Akainu.
He still clearly remembered the shock he felt when he opened that red-covered booklet.
He didn't expect Akainu, a man who seemed rough and worked strictly, to record his thoughts and difficulties during training so clearly.
Through the random writings on some pages, it was evident that Akainu was reflecting, thinking, and researching.
There were also some modifications and corrections, indicating that Akainu adjusted them at the last moment.
Indeed, Akainu gave him a precious gift.
This allowed Rorschach, who was initially ignorant of the Six Marine Techniques, to benefit from them step by step according to Akainu's training thoughts.
Now, Rorschach had become basically proficient in using the Six Marine Techniques and was very familiar with them, believing that mastering them fully was just a matter of time.
Besides strength, Rorschach gained a deep understanding of internal naval operations.
Like Bill's tallying of the resources Rorschach seized from the pirates.
All resources seized by the navy from pirates are recorded and stored in the base, to be used as daily resources and to meet the needs of refugees.
As for pirates with bounties, their bounties are collected when a warship is available to go to headquarters and converted into financial rewards.
Thirty percent of the bounties are allocated to the officers and soldiers who captured the pirates.
They are distributed according to the principle of sharing military rewards.
Aside from officers voluntarily sharing the bounties, no one else has the right to interfere in their distribution.
The other seventy percent are stored in the base to support daily operations.
Some might think the navy is unfair in distributing the bounties. Why, when I capture a pirate with a bounty of 25 million berries, do I only get 7.5 million, and even less, because part of it has to be shared with subordinates?
But if we think a bit, how much precious resources and money does the naval base spend on training them before they become officers?
Rorschach doesn't place much importance on money. But some don't think this way.
They feel insulted by the navy, believing their strength deserves more.
Therefore, every year, powerful officers appear, leaving the navy to become pirates or bounty hunters.
Rorschach set aside his tangled thoughts and felt some nostalgia for the familiar faces he hadn't seen in a year.
At that time, they were the ones who gave him hope and light when he was at his lowest.
"Uncle Akainu, Uncle Denno, Dos, Skye, we'll meet soon."
A smile appeared on Rorschach's face.
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he saw a navy soldier running towards him quickly.
The soldier arrived, panting, stood before Rorschach, and saluted him.
"Lieutenant Rorschach! Lieutenant Commander Jennifer requests your presence."
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