Night fell quickly, and Garp's so-called fantasy-level training method was clearly impossible to carry out.
Bogard, though quiet and reserved, thoughtfully brought Alex a new Marine uniform along with large portions of meat, vegetables, fruit, and fresh water.
"You need to replenish your strength."
The simple words made Alex look at him with gratitude.
The two exchanged a glance, silently understanding each other, and said nothing more.
Then Alex began devouring the food in large bites.
Although death made him stronger and erased previous injuries, the hunger in his stomach remained unbearable.
The night wind carried a chill. With Garp's carefree personality, there was naturally no concern for living arrangements.
Leaning against the mast, Alex narrowed his eyes to rest.
Footsteps approached. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Kuzan sneaking over, holding a thin blanket.
"I figured you might need this."
Kuzan smiled.
"Thank you," Alex said.
He accepted the blanket, and Kuzan sat down beside him, leaning against the mast as well.
"I've never met someone like you. Just an ordinary civilian, yet you dared to raise a blade against nobles and even clash with the Celestial Dragons."
"And you're not a Devil Fruit user, yet you still can't die."
Kuzan spoke with a smile.
Curiosity was obvious in his eyes. He was deeply interested in the secrets surrounding the boy.
"Nobles… Celestial Dragons?"
"What makes them different from us?"
After a brief silence, Alex's voice sounded as a sea breeze passed.
Kuzan froze.
His first instinct was to answer: Of course they're different.
But soon, he fell silent as well, genuinely thinking about the question.
What was actually different?
Status and identity were different.
But upon deeper reflection, they were also the same—each a living person, one head resting on two shoulders. Shot by a gun or cut by a blade, they would still die.
At that thought, Kuzan's expression suddenly turned strange. If anyone truly differed, wasn't the monster actually the boy in front of him?
"You're right. There's no difference."
In the end, Kuzan nodded with a light laugh.
Alex said nothing more. Closing his eyes, he soon began to snore softly.
After an entire day of turmoil, both his mind and body were utterly exhausted.
The next morning, as dawn's light spread across the deck—
Alex suddenly opened his eyes.
For a moment, he felt dazed, then quickly remembered where he was and fully woke up.
He was no longer in his original world. Even after more than ten days, a lingering sense of unfamiliarity remained, as though he didn't quite belong here.
Yet he had to admit—it was the most comfortable sleep he had experienced since arriving.
"Garp… Kuzan… Bogard."
He murmured the three names softly, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Maybe this place will be interesting too."
Suddenly, the marine stationed in the lookout tower, who had been on watch all night, blew a sharp whistle.
"Fwee—fwee—!"
The quiet morning shattered. The piercing whistle rang continuously.
Alex stood up and walked toward the bow, looking ahead.
"Hey, trainee! Stop looking around and prepare for battle!"
"See that island ahead? The town on it is full of pirates!"
"That's our target this time."
"Jerseylo Island!"
Only then did Alex notice that inside the lookout post above the mast, besides the whistling marine, another soldier was shouting down at him.
Prepare for battle?
How was he supposed to prepare?
Confusion rose within Alex. He had absolutely no experience fighting pirates.
The next moment, hurried footsteps sounded as figures rushed out of the ship's cabin, assembling rapidly on deck. Serious, solemn expressions instantly turned the atmosphere heavy and tense.
A towering shadow suddenly covered him, followed by a massive iron fist crashing down onto his head.
"What are you standing around for? Fall in!"
The thunderous shout made Alex jump. The punch nearly gave him a concussion, leaving him baring his teeth in pain.
Turning his head, he saw the man with short black hair and a square face—it was Garp.
But unlike yesterday's carefree demeanor, Garp's expression was now completely cold.
"Fall in! Marine trainee!"
Garp roared.
"Yes!"
Alex instinctively shouted while clutching his head, then ran to stand at the very back of the formation.
Only then did he notice Kuzan already standing there, positioned right beside him.
The future Admiral stood perfectly straight, expression solemn, eyes fixed forward on Garp. Admiration and reverence shone clearly in his gaze.
"A sudden mission. You should all already know the situation," Garp said in a deep voice.
Alex froze. He knew nothing at all.
"In the early hours yesterday, the Jerseylo Island branch was suddenly attacked by pirates and lost control of the island in an extremely short time."
"The pirates have occupied the town ahead. The branch base major made the correct decision—he evacuated together with the island's civilians."
After a brief pause, Garp revealed a smile.
But Alex clearly saw the killing intent hidden within that smile.
"In other words, our mission has become very simple."
"We will completely eliminate the pirate crew on that island—leave no one alive!"
A marine in the front row saluted and shouted, "Vice Admiral Garp, do we know the identity of this pirate crew?"
"Do we need to?" Garp raised an eyebrow.
The marine froze, then lowered his head.
Clearly, their commanding officer either hadn't bothered asking for detailed intelligence—or simply didn't care.
"Proceed according to the usual plan," Garp said while picking his nose.
"Yes, sir!"
The marines shouted in unison.
Standing among the ranks, Alex remained completely confused.
What mission? What usual plan?
And where was his weapon?
No one paid attention to him. Even Kuzan merely winked before hurrying off to prepare.
Crates of cannonballs were quickly transported to the bow of the ship.
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