Momonga saluted Carl and the others. Carl waved his hand and said,
"Momonga, didn't I tell you? We were still classmates back in school, so there's no need for this formality."
Momonga maintained his saluting posture and replied,
"I will graduate in more than a year, so I'm getting used to it in advance."
As graduation approached, many students began to realize the importance of resources. For most average students with nearly identical strength, if they wanted better opportunities after graduation, they had to rely on resources or connections.
No matter the world, people always aspire to climb higher. It's understandable; although "justice" is important, it doesn't put food on the table. Carl and other Marines were seen as resources themselves. Momonga and others who managed to stay close to them were envied by many students. Anyone with a bit of smarts knew to maintain this relationship well.
Carl reached out and patted Momonga on the shoulder, saying,
"Momonga, to be honest, I have high hopes for you. You'll be a Vice Admiral one day."
Momonga was stunned for a moment before asking excitedly,
"Huh? Carl...are you serious?"
"Of course."
With that, Carl waved his hand and walked past the dazed Momonga towards the outside of the training ground. Akainu and Borsalino followed, while Momonga simply pointed at the trio.
Momonga approached the others with a carefree expression. Classmate looked puzzled and asked,
"Momonga, you look very happy. Did something good happen?"
The corners of Momonga's mouth couldn't help but lift as he coughed twice and said,
"It's nothing, just that Carl said I could become a Vice Admiral in the future!"
"Nani!?"
...
Marine Headquarters Recruitment Office
Today was the recruitment fair for the new class, and several newcomers had caught special attention, so Zephyr had come in person. At the moment, three young men stood in front of him, each with distinct characteristics.
The three of them were surprisingly the same height, about two meters tall, dressed like ordinary soldiers in blue and white shirts and straight black trousers. The person on the left had dark green curly hair, thick eyebrows, and lips. His expression was a bit arrogant, and he was more muscular than the other two.
The man in the middle had shoulder-length black hair, no eyebrows, and a fierce expression. The man on the right appeared younger, tall and thin, standing straight with a blue hooded hat. Two black curls protruded from under his hat.
Zephyr crossed his arms and glanced down at the three documents on the table. From left to right, they read:
"Aramaki, 21 years old, Woods-Woods Fruit user from North Blue."
"Monkey D. Dragon, 24 years old, Logia Wind-Wind Fruit user from East Blue."
"Kuzan, 18 years old, Ice-Ice Fruit user from South Blue."
The interviewers behind Zephyr were already numb. No one expected that as soon as the recruitment for the second Marine School began, three Logias would show up at once! Combined with the three Logias from the previous session, the Marines now boasted six Logia users in total!
Zephyr's eyes briefly rested on Dragon and thought,
"Monkey D. Dragon...isn't this Garp's son?"
Garp often mentioned Dragon to his old friends but always said Dragon was too headstrong. He had tried several times to get Dragon to join the Marines but had failed. What had changed? Why had Garp's son suddenly shown up at Marine Headquarters? And as a Logia user, no less?
Zephyr couldn't help but ask,
"Dragon, does Garp know you're here?"
Dragon shook his head and said slowly,
"My father doesn't know. I sneaked aboard a warship to get here. Joining the Marines was my decision."
Unlike the carefree Garp, Dragon exuded a calm and collected aura. Zephyr called someone over to inform Garp.
Aramaki, growing impatient, said,
"Mr Zephyr, I came to see Senior Carl. When will he get here?"
Kuzan added,
"Yeah, Mr Zephyr, I want to meet Senior Carl too. Can we see him?"
He then extended his hand to Dragon in a friendly manner and said,
"Ah la la~ I didn't expect you to be Vice Admiral Garp's son. I admire him a lot."
Dragon hesitated for a moment before shaking Kuzan's hand and quietly saying,
"Dad was truly a great Marine."
Aramaki, however, picked his nose, showing no interest in engaging with Kuzan or the others.
Zephyr silently observed their interactions and quickly grasped their personalities. Just then, Carl and his party arrived.
Carl glanced at Dragon and the others with a hint of surprise, recognizing them immediately. Though his expression remained neutral, he was shocked internally,
"What are these three doing at Marine Headquarters now?"
Carl wasn't sure about Dragon, but Kuzan was clearly supposed to be a third-term student, and Aramaki wasn't meant to be available until much later.
Seeing Carl, Aramaki and Kuzan suddenly looked excited. Kuzan waved enthusiastically and called out,
"Senior Carl!"
Kuzan, who hadn't yet developed his future lazy demeanor, was still a passionate young man, especially before the Ohara incident. Carl smiled, waved back, then turned to Zephyr and asked,
"Teacher Zephyr, why did you call us here?"
Zephyr handed the profiles of Dragon and the others to Carl. After a quick glance, Carl feigned surprise and passed the information to Akainu and the others behind him. They, too, were taken aback to learn the three were Logia users.
Notably, Aramaki, Akainu, and Borsalino were all from North Blue.
Kuzan felt a connection with Carl, as they were both from the same hometown. One of the main reasons Kuzan had joined the Marines a year early was after reading about Carl and the others in the newspaper. The reports ignited a fire within him, and learning that Carl, the standout among them, was a fellow countryman solidified his decision to join the Marines.
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+65 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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