The salty air on the way to the base feels heavy. Looking around, Tetsuo could see the faces of the people carrying the sadness of a recent loss.
'The memory of the loomy parade of returning Marines yesterday still lingers in their minds. It's no surprise. Some lost someone precious to them in the last siege, and the rest are influenced to become depressed by association.'
'And from what I've been able to gather during my time at the tavern, this isn't the only time something like this has happened. At least for today, I'm sure I'll be the only new recruit enlisting. Well, all of that means I won't have any major complications joining.'
Marine 153rd Branch Fortress.
Pondering internally during the journey, Tetsuo eventually arrives at the Marine Base surrounded by a stone wall with a noticeably large metal gate.
"Stop there! This is a military area! Explain why you came here right now!"
Just when approaching the main entrance, two Marine soldiers immediately issue a warning while they point their rifles at Tetsuo in a very agitated manner.
"Hey, calm down. I only came to enlist at the base because of the notices I found posted around town." Tetsuo responds, raising his hands and trying to clear up the tense situation.
"!?"
One of the soldiers is instantly shocked. The other soldier's reaction, however, is completely different, getting more irked and issuing another warning.
"Huh? Advertisements? What are talking about? I don't remember hearing anything about advertisements scattered around town!"
"Have you come here to make fun of us?! Unacceptable! Leave now or—"
As he points his rifle at Tetsuo, ready to fire, his colleague interrupts him and lowers the barrel with his hand, looking at him with an urgent look.
"You idiot, what he says about the notices around town is true. Commander Rhodes called us to issue the order yesterday, but you were on patrol, so that's why you didn't know."
At this statement, his eyes suddenly change getting bigger by the unexpected revelations, looking first at his Marine college and then to Tetsuo.
"I-I see. So you were telling the truth. We've recently lost many companions on our last expedition, so I wasn't expecting to welcome new recruits so soon."
The soldier says, scratching the back of his head with a forced smile and laugh.
'You point a gun at me without any provocation, and you come up with that excuse? And then you wonder why there are so many more pirates than Marines and why the people cheer them more.' Tetsuo thinks quite annoyed by the soldier negligent attitude.
"Please follow me to the Marine Recruitment Office. There, they'll take your details and decide if you're suitable for enlistment." The soldier who had calmed the previous situation says opening one of the doors adjacent to the main gate.
Tetsuo then sets off to follow him across the dusty sandy terrain to the main power plant-shaped towers while the soldier who remains behind gives an abrupt military salute in farewall.
Walking through the mostly white, pipe-lined hallways of the Navy facilities he'd seen a couple of times in the anime, Tetsuo notices how the soldiers who cross his path toward the office give him looks of contempt, as if they don't want him to be here.
However, despite appearing to be disliked by members of the base, Tetsuo dismisses that concern and remains focused on following the soldier who guides him to the Recruitment Office.
After a few minutes of walking around the place, they finally reach their destination, and Tetsuo is perplexed when he sees the soldier guarding the door.
"Seaman Recruit Lines, what are you doing here? You were assigned to guard the base entrance with Seaman Recruit Charles. Why did you abandon your post?"
"Excuse me for coming unannounced, Chief Petty Officer Morgan, but this is good news. This man here has come because he says he wants to join our ranks."
That's right. The one blocking their way is none other than "Axe-Hand" Morgan, who in the original timeline would rise to the rank of Captain and become a brutal, self-absorbed tyrant who would abuse his position of power and make this island a miserable place.
Of course, the events that would lead to such a misfortune had not yet taken place, as the nickname "Axe-Hand" obviously cannot be applied to him yet, but it's still somewhat of a shock for Tetsuo to stumble upon him.
"Join our ranks? We've only just started putting out recruiting flyers today, and he's already coming to the base ready to enlist. Don't mess with me."
"Do you think being a Marine is a joke? Is it children's play to you? Do you think you can become a great hero of justice or live a comfortable life idling around if you become a Marine? How naive."
"If you're aware of yesterday's fleet's return, you should understand: Being a Marine means standing on the forefront of the battlefield, risking our safety and our lives with an unwavering will to exterminate the pirate scum. So if you don't have the will to die for your duty, then get lost."
As he begins to deliver his little lecture, Morgan stands in front of Tetsuo, ignoring Lines' nervous behavior as he stares at Tetsuo, frowning and the veins on his forehead popping out in an attempt to intimidate him.
Tetsuo is now considerably taller than he was in his old world. Suffice it to say, he'd be one of the tallest people if he were still on Earth.
And yet, he looks dwarfed by Morgan, who is almost ten feet tall and has a rough face like stone. Being under the darkened gaze of such a giant man would make Tetsuo feel small and withdraw from the place as a shiver ran down his spine. Although of course, that is if he was still been on Earth.
"You're talking a lot of yourself for not having participated in that attack. You come here spouting all that nonsense about fighting on the pirate scum and dying for your duty, but when it came time to put those ideologies into practice, you decided to stay safe at the base while others risked their necks in the front lines."
"And yet you still have the nerve to stand up to a newbie like me and act like a tough, dedicated soldier, when in reality you did nothing when the opportunity arose."
"It must feel very good to act all proud and arrogant by relying on the work of others. I ask now: Who of the two is the one who doesn't take the Navy seriously and seeks to have a comfortable life by idling around?"
Tetsuo is no longer on Earth, but on Blue Planet, and in this world being so big does not give much of an advantage since superhumans, monstrous creatures and special powers are common.
It's true that one punch from the man in front of him could probably knock him out cold, but so what? Even when he became "Axe-Hand" Morgan in the original, he was still a minor minnow even in the East Blue.
If he lets himself be scared by the presence of a guy like this, what kind of future awaits him? How will he be able to stand tall against individuals who are a real threat?
If he wants to succeed and overcome all the obstacles and difficulties he encounters along the way, he must remain steadfast and not be intimidated by anyone, just like Luffy. Besides...
"You insolent bastard! How dare someone in your position mock a Marine officer?! Someone like you needs to be taught a lesson about respect!" Morgan screams angrily as Lines tries to hold him in place.
"Control yourself! He's a civilian and has joined our ranks voluntarily, so you can't attack him out of provocation!" Lines says alarmed as he grabs the huge man's waist with his arms to try to stop him.
"Let me go! Such a rebellious trash is not qualified to join our proud troops! Let me put some discipline into his skull!"
"What's all the fuss out there?!" An unknown male voice comes from behind the door, prompting the two Marines to stop their struggling stand at attention.
"Sir, Seaman Recruit Lines reporting. A man has arrived at the base intending to join the Navy. I've brought him here for an interview and background check." Lines states.
"A new recruit so soon? That's strange. Okay, let him in."
*Creak*
Smiling with pleasure at the unknown officer's announcement, Lines opens the door and enters the office with Tetsuo to see a man sitting at a table with a stack of papers on it.
"Here I bring the applicant for the new recruit registration, Ensign Ripper."
"Rest, soldier. Let's get started with registration. Name?" The Ensign asks, his voice tired and barely looking up from his stack of papers.
"Takahashi Tetsuo." His reply comes with a strong voice.
"Age?"
"28, I think."
"What do you mean you "think"?"
"You see, my memory only goes back three months, to the day I woke up shipwrecked and half-dead on the shore of this island. I imagine I was a passenger on a pleasure boat that was attacked by pirates."
"I don't know where I come from, or if I even have any family. Although, since I was shipwrecked, it's most likely that they died when the pirates sank the ship." Tetsuo says this last thing feigning a certain distressed air.
"I understand. You say you were shipwrecked here: What have you done since then?"
"The owner of the town's lively Food Tavern took me in and I've been working odd jobs at her local since then to survive."
"Oh yeah, the tavern in town run by Ririka. I know it. Okay, last question: Why do you want to join the Marines?"
Without a second thought, Tetsuo announces convinced, "I want to fulfill my ambitions and make a name for myself in world history!"
The Ensign stops writing, his pen hangs in the air as he finally looks up at Tetsuo. His eyes study the eager man in front of him, and observing the strong and determined expression on his face, he gives a small nod in recognition to Roya's bold desire.
'That 's what many of those who join the Marines want, but they don't usually say it so plainly. He has spirit.' He thinks.
The Marine Branches on the East Blue weren't too picky about who they let in. If you weren't a criminal and were healthy enough, you were usually accepted, regardless of personality, age, ethnicity, gender or race.
Plus, the Marine 153rd Branch had lost many soldiers in the last months and needed new people to join, so someone as willing as Tetsuo was a welcome breeze.
To finalize the registration process, Ensign Ripper pulls out a Den Den Mushi to call several soldiers who had been stationed on the island for the past three months, and for the next few minutes he checks with them to confirm Tetsuo's history before hanging up.
'Wow. Seeing something like a talking snail used as a phone in real life is really different from seeing it on a screen.' Tetsuo thinks without letting his One Piece fan's amazement show on his face.
"Okay, you don't seem to have any problems in your past on this island. Approved!" the Ensign says, hitting the admission form with a stamp.
"Thank you, sir!" Tetsuo's face glows with excitement as he responds by giving a military salute.
"Officer Morgan, come in." Ensign Ripper asks, with Morgan entering the office and giving a military salute in response.
"Sir."
"Show the new recruit Tetsuo around the base and help him with everything he needs for his onboarding."
"Hugh—Y-Yes, sir!"
Morgan walks toward Tetsuo, trying to look friendly and professional, but his forced smile looked more like a scary frown, and the veins in his neck and face look about to burst.
It's truly amusing fo Tetsuo.
"Rookie, follow me." Morgan says in a rumbling voice, like thunder.
"Yes, Chief Petty Officer Morgan!" Tetsuo stands up straight, acting like a soldier.
'If I want to be a Marine, I need to act like one. Besides, this time is before Morgan faces the Black Cat Pirates and becomes the cruel person he would later be because of his promotion, with all his power and control over the base. He can't ignore Navy regulations and act carelessly and impulsively no matter how much he wants to.' Tetsuo thinks as he follows Morgan out of the office.