The first thing Morgan does is take Tetsuo to get his Marine code and uniform, and then he takes him a photo for his enlistment profile. With this, Tetsuo finds himself finally becoming a Seaman Recruit in the Navy.
'I'm glad I'm not a Chore Boy. It would have been very difficult to improve if I had to dedicate myself to chores.'
Tetsuo follows Morgan closely, learning the layout of the base.
Two strong, round towers stood guard over the area, watching over four tall buildings used for housing and supplies. Some dusty training fields completed the picture of Marine Branch 153.
Including all the support staff, there are just over one hundred people in the Branch, but only a little more than a sixty are actual Marine soldiers. They have suffered terrible losses lately.
'They are few, and they are also weak. That's the only way to describe it if they have lost so many soldiers at the hands of third-rate pirates like Kuro and Krieg.' Tetsuo thinks with a frown.
But this is the reality.
The main Marine forces, with high manpower and truly powerful individuals are focused in the dangerous Grand Line, especially at Marine Headquarters in Marineford, which is protected by Fleet Admiral Sengoku and who knows how many more high-ranking Marines.
The Marines in the other Four Seas, by the other hand, are spread out and not as strong as the elite soldiers of the Grand Line. They struggle to defeat even "Great Pirates" with rewards of less than 10 million.
'Considering the difference in level and risk, it is normal for a rank in any of the other Four Seas to be equivalent to three ranks lower at Headquarters.'
'If I want to get stronger and achieve my goals, I'll have to go train at headquarters. And it will have to be as soon as possible.' Tetsuo thinks in frustration as Morgan continues to guide him through the base.
Dormitories, dining rooms, closets, warehouses, offices for the base commander and departments...
After getting a quick tour of the fortress, Morgan led Tetsuo outside the main tower to the training field.
There, many soldiers are doing some weak exercises, even though most of them are bandaged and badly injured. However, despite being sweaty and panting, they seem very discouraged. Even their shouts of effort are quiet, tired, and unenthusiastic. The recent defeat had really hurt their spirits.
"They look quite demotivated. As if they've lost the will to keep fighting." Tetsuo comments besides Morgan.
"That's what happens when you lose your comrades to pirate scum." Morgan replies with huge fists clenching tightly and the veins in his arms starting to bulge like thick ropes.
"Ever since that damn Roger instigated this whole stupid age of piracy, the sea has been plagued with wretches who engulf the world in chaos and violence in pursuit of their selfish desires, heedless of the lives they destroy along the way, and we, the Marines, have to risk and give our lives trying to stop them and bring order."
His face while saying these words shows mixed feelings: hatred for the pirates and anger at himself for not being strong enough to change the things. It's a completely different image of the Morgan Tetsuo knew.
'It almost makes you forget that he was an abusive, narcissistic bastard who ruled the people and Marines of this island with violence and terror. But I still won't forget a fucking thing while I can.' Tetsuo thinks to himself as he watches Morgan struggle internally.
It takes him a few moments to breathe a sigh and relax his fists before continuing to speak.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll train here. The mornings will be for maintenance tasks, and after lunch you will spend the afternoon training with the others." Morgan begins to give the basic information in a gruff voice.
"Even if you aren't a Chore Boy, you are still a new recruit fresh off the boat, so that means you are at the very bottom of the base. Besides training, you'll have to do all the dirty work, like cleaning floors, the bathrooms, the arms, washing the clothes and carrying things around."
"Basically, it's like you were just a Chore Boy, so if you had crazy ideas about going out to sea to defeat pirates, you can forget them now because an experienced soldier will be watching over you throughout the entire process."
"The only difference about being a Seaman Recruit is that you'll undergo intensive training alongside the others. We'll drill in you tenacity and discipline during a preparation period, and if you can handle it, then we'll consider you as a full-fledged member of the Marines and you won't be forced to do rookie work under supervision anymore."
"But take into account that you will also lose the protection of being a rookie and you will begin to be assigned field work. In other words, you will be thrown into battle."
"So if you have the guts to hang in there and not run away with your tail between your legs, I advise you to enjoy this rookie period."
In the last sentence, Morgan shows a cruel, twisted smile. Tetsuo tries to ignore annoyed this mockery towards him while listening carefully to Morgan's short explanation about the training.
The training for the low rank soldiers of the base results to be brutally simple: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 10 hard rope climbs, 20 laps around the training ground, and so on.
'So, in the end it's just a normal difficulty workout with some practice with swords. Shit, I guess I expected too much.'
In spite of knowing what to expect, Tetsuo still had some hope for this new world. Before he was suddenly transported here, he like many others had watched the filler about Koby and Helmeppo Marine beginnings in the anime, which included the tough regular training that Marine Headquarters soldiers went through.
On the Earth, he used to talk with other fans about Koby's rapid improvement, and they would always discuss that it was thanks to
However, Tetsuo always gave them a dose of reality with claims such as that there wouldn't be enough time in one day to do those exercises 200 times, or that if all the soldiers did them then the Navy would be full of monsters like Koby (and Helmeppo if we aren't picky).
Still, considering the world he now lives in, Tetsuo had expected something a little more difficult or special for the soldiers' training. If what he saw in the anime turns out to be true, then this base doesn't even do 10 percent of the training that Headquarters does.
'This training isn't any harder than what I did when I worked at the tavern. I'm not going to get stronger this way.'
Well, that finally concludes the guided tour. Now head to the east dormitories on your own. We'll send you someone who will show you what to do…"
"Chief Petty Officer Morgan, can I start training now?" Tetsuo interrupts Morgan, his eyes shining and his stance firm.
"Now?" Morgan blinks, surprised.
"I don't want to waste a single moment for getting stronger and protecting people! You said the afternoons would be for training, so the sooner I get used to it, the better!"
This statement caught Morgan off guard. New recruits often started out excited for action or commitment to something greater than themselves, but very few wanted to jump into the hard training right away.
'Interesting. So he thinks this training is going to be easy! This is a chance to bring this impertinent jerk down!'
Morgan is curious, so he decides to test Tetsuo, saying seriously, "You can do it if you want, but you can't quit halfway through, and you won't get food until you complete it. Understand?"
"Understood!" Tetsuo exclaims taking a deep breath, determined.
"Start by doing twenty laps around the perimeter!" Morgan shouts.
"Yes!" Without another word, Tetsuo runs onto the training field, joining the group of Marines who notice his unexpected arrival.
'I don't have the time or inclination to do stupid cleaning jobs. I have to get stronger. I have to work harder than anyone else to reach the top.' Tetsuo thinks as he runs panting at his top speed.
---
Evening, Dormitory.
Despite what he initially thought, Tetsuo had found it harder to complete the entire training program, becoming sweaty and short of breath afterward.
After finishing the training exercises and saying goodbye to Morgan (who is somewhat disappointed with Tetsuo's good physical condition), Tetsuo walks slowly, tiredly, through the hallways of the main tower until he reaches the dining room.
Once there, he is served a simple soup with a piece of bread, and disappointedly taking the tray he sits down to eat with the other soldiers at the base, who he notices are in a pretty low mood.
'No wonder they're so depressed. Fighting pirates, losing their comrades, and being served such poor food. I'm impressed they haven't left the Marines yet.'
Deciding to ignore the bad atmosphere surrounding him, Tetsuo focuses on eating to regain strength after exercise, and after finishing he goes to the dorms assigned to him, waiting for a comfortable place to rest.
'Damn, it smells like feet in here.' Tetsuo thinks as he enters the room.
Contrary to what he wanted, the dorms he was sent to consisted of a communal room filled with hammocks to accommodate several soldiers, the place was messy with trash and junk everywhere, and the whole place was filled with a strong smell of feet and sweat.
"Ahg, I'm already missing Ririka's house. Anyway, I'll take advantage of the fact that no one's coming yet to recap everything important at the moment."
Tetsuo then grabs one of the boxes in the room, a sheet of paper and a pen and starts thinking about what to write.