When Rorschach woke up the next day, he felt an intense pain in his body, as if he had been trampled by a naval warship.
"Ah…"
He held his swollen head as if it had been struck by something and looked around the small room in confusion.
What happened last night?
How did he end up in Hibari's room again?
Rorschach tried to recall the events, but his mind was blank. The only thing he could remember was drinking with some navy officers last night.
When he went downstairs, sporting swollen, panda-like eyes, he saw a familiar figure sprawled on the grass in the yard, snoring loudly.
Seeing Drake drooling from his mouth, Rorschach cracked a faint smile, approached, and kicked him in the butt.
"Who?!"
Drake woke up with a start, leaping three feet into the air.
When he saw Rorschach's swollen eyes and bruised head, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Then he noticed that Rorschach was pointing at his face and laughing loudly as well.
"Drake, what's with your head covered in bumps? Did a bee sting you? If you stay like that and spray yourself with gold paint, you could easily pass as the golden Buddha statue of Commander Sengoku."
Rorschach laughed and patted Drake on the shoulder, but Drake angrily smacked his hand away.
Drake, with a face full of frustration, said, "You idiot, you're asking me what happened? Do you remember what you did last night? You said I told you that Kizaru slacks off at work every day and clips his nails! And because of that, I got hit hard by Kizaru."
"What? Did I really say that? I can't believe it! There's no way I'd betray my friends like that. Anyway, where is everyone?"
Rorschach responded hesitantly, looking around at the empty yard in confusion.
When Drake heard his question, his gloomy expression turned into one of extreme delight.
"Haha, you're in big trouble now, Rorschach. Today is the first day of training for you and the other recruits from the North Blue. Law, Grizz, and the rest have already gone to the training camp early this morning. You're the only one still sleeping here! Late on the first day of training? You're done for."
"But weren't you sleeping here too?" Rorschach began to feel a sense of foreboding rising inside him.
Drake laughed, putting his hands on his hips. "Me? I've already graduated from the training camp, so of course, I get to enjoy a long sleep."
"You idiot, why didn't you wake me up? If I'm late on the first day of training, Commander Zefa will be furious!"
Upon hearing this, Rorschach started to panic.
With that, he leapt out of the yard, using the "Shave" and "Moonwalk" techniques simultaneously, activating his Observation Haki to search for Law and the others, and dashed toward the main headquarters' training grounds.
"Furious?"
Drake watched Rorschach disappear quickly, a smile of sweet revenge on his face.
"I bet that fool doesn't know he insulted all the officers last night with his careless words. Let's see how the instructors deal with him."
"Full assembly! Start counting the recruits! Anyone late or absent will have a note taken against them, and their training will be doubled! If you're late three times, you'll be expelled from the recruit camp!"
In the wide crescent-shaped training grounds, dozens of captains were leading their recruit teams, calling out names.
Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin, whose face was dark with anger, held a list of names and shouted loudly:
"Trafalgar Law!"
"Here!"
Law responded in a low voice, still getting used to the classic blue-and-white sailor uniform he was wearing.
"Your voice is too low! I didn't hear you!"
Benjamin looked at the name "Trafalgar Law" on the list, from the 177th branch of the North Blue, temporarily ranked as lieutenant.
He smirked sarcastically and shouted again:
"Here!" Law raised his voice.
"I didn't hear you! I didn't hear you! Are you a girl? Didn't you eat? Raise your voice!"
"With that low voice, how do you expect to command a warship?"
Benjamin approached Law, yelling in his face so forcefully that his spit sprayed onto Law, making him tense up.
Law resisted the urge to use his abilities and shouted louder again.
"If your voice is that low again, I'll have you stand on the coastal cannon and shout at the sea all day."
Benjamin glared at him in disdain, then continued calling out names.
"Bepo!"
"Here~."
Amidst the crowd, the surrounding navy soldiers had strange looks on their faces as they watched the white bear in a third-class sailor's uniform, sweating under the morning sun and panting with his tongue out.
"Your voice is too low! What? Why is there a bear here? Who brought a pet? Do you want to die?"
Benjamin glared at the panting Bepo and then scanned the whole area.
"Sir, his name is Bepo, and he's from the Mink Tribe, not a pet. Also, he's a third-class sailor."
Law spoke up from behind Benjamin to explain.
Benjamin turned back with a dark face and glared at Law. "Did I ask you? Don't you know to report before you speak?"
He glanced at the notes in the name list.
"Bepo, Mink Tribe, third-class sailor of the 177th branch from the North Blue."
"Unbelievable, it seems that any creature can join the headquarters' training camp. I wonder how they even screen these people."
Benjamin muttered under his breath, not bothering to reprimand Bepo, and skipped over the white bear, who was lowering his head, moving on to the next name.
When he saw the next name, his eyes lit up.
"Rorschach, from the 177th branch of the North Blue, temporarily ranked as lieutenant."
"Hmph, just a mere lieutenant in a small branch. What a disappointment. That idiot Doss really exaggerated."
Benjamin scanned the hundred recruits he was leading but didn't spot anyone particularly outstanding.
"Rorschach!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, glaring at the group of recruits.
Silence filled the training grounds.
No one responded.
Law looked around but didn't see Rorschach anywhere and felt confused.
He and Bepo, along with a few others, had stayed at Sengoku's house last night.
Although Sengoku's enthusiasm made Law feel a bit uncomfortable, he could clearly sense the goodwill Sengoku was showing.
Last night, he also heard Sengoku, the highest-ranking navy officer, tell the story of how he met Rosinante when he was young.
Law finally understood that Rosinante was Sengoku's adopted son.
Rosinante had done Law a great favor.
Joining the navy now seemed like destiny.
As for his grudge against Doflamingo, it wouldn't disappear just because he was now part of the navy.
"Rorschach! Recruit Rorschach!"
There was no response, and a vein bulged on Benjamin's forehead as if he had been gravely insulted. He roared even louder, continuing to call out.
His voice was so loud that recruits from all over the training grounds turned their heads to look.
(End of Chapter)
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