"One!"
"ONE!"
"Two!"
"TWO!"
"One!"
"ONE!"
"Two!"
"TWO!"
"Come on, newbie, keep the brushing. I want to see my own reflection in that floor."
The shouts echoing in the hallway are Fullbody "instructing" Tetsuo on how to properly scrub the floor: being spoken out by him, Tetsuo raises the mop back up after the word 'One', and pushes it down after the word 'Two'.
It's part of his new duties within the base.
A few minutes earlier, after the small altercation, Fullbody came out looking for him, calmer but still with an expression of contempt.
"Follow me! I'll show you what you have to do!" Fullbody snapped, walking right past him.
Following him for a while through several floors to the top of the Defense Tower, Fullbody leads Tetsuo to the supply room to grab several cleaning supplies: brooms, rags, buckets, and mops.
"Alright rookie, your first task will be cleaning the top floor of the Defense Tower, including the roof, and the bathrooms, which all had to be perfectly clean before the afternoon training session." Fullbody states passing the broom and mop to Tetsuo.
"Don't worry about doing it wrong. I'll be watching you carefully to make sure you learn how it's done. Although it's actually quite simple in truth. Just sweep and then mop. Even a dog could do this. So go ahead, get to it."
Tetsuo maintains a firm and sharp gaze at Fullbody's condescending and dismissive attitude, but he still picks up the broom and the rag and responds with a clear word before starting.
"Okay."
Fullbody's bad attitude certainly vexes him, and he would prefer to invest his time in training to strengthen his body instead of wasting it doing chores, but Tetsuo knows very well that as a newly arrived and low-ranking soldier, he cannot remain in the Marines if he constantly challenges the hierarchy in everything, and he needs it at the moment.
Doing these tasks doesn't pose an immediate or serious problem for him, so he swallows his discomfort and starts scrubbing the floor tiles of the hallway hard with his mop, working surprisingly serious.
The hallway stretched out in front of them was wide and endless, and it took Tetsuo almost 30 minutes of working side by side withe the moop to reach the end. When Tetsuo turns back to look at his cleaning progress, he is convinced it's pretty clean.
But crouching down and running his finger across the floor Tetsuo had just cleaned, Fullbody looks at the dust on his finger and his face twists with anger. He then spuns around, grabs Tetsuo by the collar of his shirt, and yells with bloodshot eyes:
"You worthless rookie! You call this being clean?!" Fullbody asks while putting his dusty finger in front of Tetsuo's face.
"How can you consider a half-assed job like this complete?! The floor should look shiny, not dull like you've left it! The difference between what is expected and what you give is as clear as night and day! Are you making fun of cleaning?!"
"Not, absolutely not!" Tetsuo protests, shaking his head hard with a vein marking.
"Listen up, the hallway is a busy area, so it needs to be perfect! I want to be able to see my reflection clearly in those tiles, so take it seriously!"
"Hmm." Tetsuo can't help but show his displeasure with Fullbody's behavior with a humming. 'For Oda sake. Is this guy a germ freak or something?'
If he remembers correctly, this guy was obsessed with cleanliness when he first appeared in the Baratie story, and cared enough about his appearance to wear a suit even while on duty. Even so, he didn't seem so clean when he put a fly in his soup and wrecked his table.
If something, he definitely loved to show off. And even more so with someone with whom he had unfinished business and was angry with.
Fullbody rants for a few moments before letting go of Tetsuo's collar, his voice changing from agitated to cold.
"Do it again and pay attention to not being so sloppy, because this is like a battlefield. Even a small mistake can lead to disaster, so I want to see everything shining, like a perfect mirror. Got it?!"
"Yeah, yeah, understood." Tetsuo replies, picking up the bucket and rag again with irritation.
The following hours of work follow that same pattern: Fullbody venting his frustration with Tetsuo, demanding excellence in cleaning, and Tetsuo accepting his demands and doing the work as said.
"Do it! Clean until the floor shines!"
"I do it, I do it."
"Harder! Sweep and push harder! Don't let the dust underestimate the Marine!"
"Yes, sir."
"Wash the mop clean an don't be cheap with the soap! Treat these cleaning supplies like you would a beloved girlfriend!"
"Understood." 'As if you knew how to treat a girlfriend.'
"And don't forget the cobwebs in the corners!"
"Ahg."
Tetsuo didn't like this situation in the slightest. He hadn't joined the Marines to do clean-up work and have to put up with a tiresome guy like Fullbody, but he endured his frustration and obeyed for the time being without complaint. It was the only thing he could do right now.
Right now, he's weak and has no better option than the Marine. As long as it doesn't clash with the few principles he holds dear, like what happened earlier in the dining room, he'll face whatever comes his way and do whatever it takes to thrive without hesitation.
Fullbody, for his part, is a little confused while watching him striving. His initial plan was to overwhelm Tetsuo with several tasks at once, hoping to make him more obedient to his authority.
While Tetsuo followed instructions as planned, he still displayed the same discontent and defiant look as before to Fullbody. It wasn't that the officer expected him to become completely loyal overnight, but he at least hoped to see some diminishing in his defiance with so many hours of uninterrupted work.
'Damn, I've given him the equivalent of three soldiers' workload and he doesn't yield yet. He even tries hard to excel at doing the chores. It seems my own efforts are not good enough to break his haughtiness. I'll have to go one step further.' Fullbody think biting his nail, not pleased with the introductory session for the new cadet.
And so, amidst shouts and endless chores of cleaning, lunchtime arrives with a loud chime. Tetsuo puts the mop aside and prepares to go to the dining room until Fullbody stops him by grabbing his shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going? Your cleaning isn't over yet."
"The lunch bell has rung, so I'm going to eat in the dining hall and then I'll get back to my chores." Tetsuo answers, giving him a nasty look.
"It doesn't matter, you haven't finished cleaning and you still have a lot to do. You won't eat until everything is spotless." Fullbody replies, pointing him with his finger.
"Won't I get in trouble with the superiors for not keeping to the base's schedule?"
"I'm the superior officer incharge of you, so as long as I say it's okay, there won't be a problem. Don't worry about the other officers and just get on with your work. Unless you have something to tell me. Perhaps something related to a certain incident?"
Fullbody drops that question hoping that Tetsuo will compromise and apologize for the aggression towards him this morning, but the newcomer shows no signs of surrendering and remains silent.
Seeing his unwavering stance, Fullbody frowns in discontent and as he prepares to walk away, he <
"Oops. Sorry, I didn't see it. Now everything's dirty and wet. I think you'll have to clean the floor again. Anyway, I'll leave you to continue with your task, and remember that you still have to leave the storage and bathrooms on the upper floors sparkling clean. See you after lunch." Fullbody says with a mocking smile as he walks off towards the dining room.
Unlike other soldiers on the base, those who hold the rank of officer, even if they are Petty Official like Fullbody, receive certain advantages, so despite the food shortage, Fullbody does not receive a plate of cooked fish with a side of rice and a glass of water, but a plate of pasta with oysters and shrimp, a bottle of rum and even cake for dessert.
"Sigh, I would have preferred to pair the meal with a good wine, especially an Ithürzburger Stein, but what can we do if we're in a crisis?" Fullbody says, trying to look refined and understanding, while the rest of the soldiers look at him with disdain for his condescension.
Fullbody doesn't even need to eat in the mess hall; as an officer, he has his own office where his meals can be delivered, and the other soldiers know this. He only sits with the others to show off his superior status. This way, he feels more at ease with his cadet in charge problem.
'This meal is a relief after dealing with that stubborn newcomer. How can he be Well, I'm sure leaving him to do all those chores without eating will bring him down a peg.' Fullbody thinks while taking a gulp.
'I don't think he'll be able to finish them before afternoon exercises, so I'll leave him to his own devices and punish him appropriately when he fails.'
'Even if he finishes, he won't have the energy for exercise.'
After finishing his meal, Fullbody heads to his office in the tower and spends the next couple of hours reviewing and managing various files concerning the base's operations and its soldiers. Even if somewhat arrogant, Fullbody is still a Marine who does his job. Though very calmly and without haste.
The typical thing of spending a lot of time on little work due to lack of motivation.
Time passed. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Fifteen minutes. Whenever Fullbody got bored with his slow procedure, he would look up to see how much time was passing on the clock on the wall.
After a long while, he looks up once more and sees the clock almost giving five o'clock in the afternoon.
"The soldiers' unit drills are about to begin. I think I should take a look at our new recruit to confirm his status. As his superior, it's the least I must do."
With a smirk and an idea already formed in his head about his worn-out condition, Fullbody opens the office door and march to the highest floor of the Defense Tower. However, at arriving there, he is shocked to see its condition.
Upon going up the stairs, the clean, shiny hallway immediately catch his eyes. He doesn't even want to step on the floor, afraid of making it dirty, so he rubs the bottoms of his shoes to make sure they are clean before.
Walking through the polished hallway, his mood worsens as he enters in the storage to see organized and clean boxes and inventories. Not a speck of dust or a grease stain in the entire room.
"Damn it! Even the windows have been wiped clean, with the crystals looking so transparent that they even seem new! That's the only thing left for me to check!"
Upon seeing this impeccable work, Fullbody feels the urge to see the restroom, that even when clean, it always had a dull, filthy appearance and an unpleasant smell, so he starts running through the bright hallways to see its current state.
When he gets to the bathroom, he finds the floor and walls even cleaner. The usual bad smell in the bathroom is gone, replaced by a light, fresh scent of soap, and even the stubborn yellow grime that had been on the urinals for years is gone.
Reaching out and opening one of the stalls, a bright light floods his vision, making him squint.
"Hiss-- Damn it, it looks so clean that you could eat off it! I feel too guilty to even sit on something so clean!" Fullbody shouts staring at the sparkling, almost sterile toilet.
He then comes out with his face red and gritting his teeth because of frustration, wanting to know what's going on here. He simply can't complain. It had been years since he had seen the inside of the fortress so clean, and he had no idea how that new balky soldier was responsible for this miracle
*Grumble, grumble.*
Hearing a loud rumbling noise behind him, Fullbody slowly turns his head and meet with the Seaman Recruit Tetsuo covered in sweat and dirt, holding a broom, bucket and mop.
"I've finished cleaning this whole floor... Can I start now... with the training?"
Fullbody is puzzled by the sight before him. Tetsuo looks disheveled and dirty in stark contrast to the otherwise clean hallway, his breathing is heavy, clearly from exhaustion, and the rumbling of his stomach echoes through the hallway. Yet, the determination in his eyes remains undiminished, and he even declares he wants to push himself harder with the training.
'But how did he do it? This guy didn't seem like the hardworking type at first, so why is he working so hard? Whatever the case may be, the games are over. I'm going to have to put more effort into disciplining and breaking him.'
"Follow me! I'll now guide you to the training grounds with the rest!" Fullbody snaps, turning quickly.
A small sparkle of light catach Tetsuo eyes at hearing the word training. Finally, real training is coming instead of just these useless tasks.