Note: Changed Red Leaf Island-> Maple Leaf Island
Year 1502 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
Three years had passed since the execution of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Wood had spent over a year on Maple Leaf Island and another year at Marineford. Now, at the age of 18, he was fully aware that, according to his second life simulation, he would be killed by the escapee Shiki the Golden Lion in about a year and a half.
Compared to his simulated self, Wood had already mastered Soru and Geppo from the Rokushiki techniques and had even awakened Kenbunshoku Haki. He was undeniably much stronger than before.
However, even with his newfound strength, Wood doubted that he would be able to survive a direct encounter with someone as powerful as Shiki in one or two years.
Therefore, Wood knew he had to change his current situation to alter the course of his future.
At the naval academy, the instructor in charge of the basic courses looked at the application form Wood had submitted and stamped it with a black "Rejected" mark without any expression.
"Why was it rejected, Instructor? I'm just following the normal process, right? With my performance over the past year at the naval academy, I shouldn't qualify to stay for advanced training with the elites, should I?"
Staring at the rejected application, Wood couldn't understand why the Navy Captain, who had taught him for a year, had dismissed it.
Wood had intentionally kept his performance unremarkable, aiming to remain unnoticed. He wasn't at the bottom of the class, but his grades should have been close to the cutoff for those who wouldn't advance.
Under normal circumstances, he should have graduated with most of the other recruits and become a proud new marine soldier!
But now, despite his average performance, he was being told he had to stay at the naval academy for another year for officer training.
Could the passing line have been lowered this year? But he had clearly seen those who ranked much higher than him being sent off as cannon fodder...
"I'm just following orders. According to the instructions I received, Recruit Wood must undergo another year of training. If you have any objections, you can submit an appeal to a higher authority. But I advise you to be grateful. Being selected for additional training is something many would envy."
The Navy Captain believed Wood didn't understand the privilege of being kept for extra training, though he couldn't explain it outright, so he hinted as much as he could.
But Wood understood all too well. The elite marines who were retained were being trained as officers, which meant they had a significant head start compared to ordinary soldiers.
While regular marine soldiers could rise through the ranks through merit, the elite recruits were groomed from the start as officers, putting them on a fast track from the beginning.
Moreover, techniques like the Rokushiki were not available to ordinary soldiers. Without formidable strength, how could one achieve greatness?
Wood simply wanted to remain unnoticed as a background character. He wasn't concerned about being a regular marine soldier; after all, there would be opportunities for promotion later.
As for the Rokushiki techniques, he had already learned them from Gion. The officer training program held little appeal for Wood.
What he wanted now was to change his current situation, alter his future, and avoid dying at the hands of Shiki in one or two years.
"I'm just following regulations. You've been specifically ordered by a superior officer to stay for another year of training."
Seeing Wood's insistence on leaving after graduation, the Navy Captain shrugged, indicating there was nothing more he could do.
However, hearing the mention of a "superior officer," Wood froze in place, pondering who this officer might be.
The instructor overseeing their basic training was already a Marine Captain, so the only ones who could be referred to as "superiors" were those of admiral rank.
Wood only knew two such people: Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Zephyr.
Garp wasn't someone he was close to, so it must have been Admiral Zephyr who insisted on keeping him.
But that didn't make sense. Over the past year, Wood had only seen Admiral Zephyr a few times. Wood had even begun to think that the admiral had forgotten about him. Why was he stepping in now?
Realizing he had no way to change the situation, Wood had no choice but to leave, planning to ask Admiral Zephyr for an explanation the next time they met.
As Wood left, the Navy Captain couldn't help but wonder why someone as seemingly ordinary as Wood had caught the attention of both Admiral Zephyr and Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Yes, you heard that right—not only was Zephyr interested in training Wood, but even Vice Admiral Tsuru, the top female officer in the Marines, had also spoken on Wood's behalf.
If Wood knew about this, he would certainly be surprised. While Zephyr's interest could be understood, he was sure he had never met Tsuru. Why would she know him, let alone advocate for him?
Back at his old dormitory, Wood found his fellow recruits packing their belongings to leave.
When they saw Wood enter, they assumed he was also there to pack and asked with interest which unit he had been assigned to.
"I'm not leaving. The Captain just informed me that I have to stay for another year..."
Hearing this, Wood's former dormmates looked at him with envy and confusion. Wood's grades had been average at best, so how had he been selected as one of the so-called elite?
After seeing off his roommates, Wood sat on his bed, pondering his situation. Just then, a white-haired boy who looked a bit timid peeked into the room from the doorway.
"Hello, senpai. I'm Smoker, a new recruit reporting today. Is this dorm 404?"
Looking at the young, innocent-looking white-haired boy, and hearing the name he introduced himself with, Wood was momentarily taken aback and reflexively replied, "Smoker? The Smoker?"
"Yes, my name is Smoker, but I don't smoke. Is there someone else you know named Smoker, senpai?"
The white-haired boy before him was polite and a bit shy, completely different from the rough, heavy-smoking figure Wood had in mind.