Looking around, all he saw were young faces full of enthusiasm.
Aokiji instinctively paused.
"Oh? We were just passing by here. It's not part of our scheduled visit, but if you're interested, I can certainly introduce it."
"These are the trainees from the third cohort of the Training Corps. They undergo five hours of physical training and five hours of cultural lessons every day upon entering. Later, the course proportions will be adjusted based on their individual strengths, and after graduation, their preferences will be respected when assigning them to different legions and positions."
"Really, they've got quite the spirit..."
Aokiji gazed in a daze at the young people sweating profusely.
In a trance, he seemed to see himself back in the Navy Elite Training Camp.
There's no mistake.
These people are striving for ideals and fighting for beliefs, so they can maintain such a passionate and energetic demeanor in a tough environment, right?
Before knowing anything about the darkness behind the scenes, when still full of naïve aspirations for justice, the elite recruits at the Navy Headquarters also had this kind of atmosphere and vitality.
It's a pity, though, that it's difficult to maintain it.
Most of them, within a few years of graduation, and not going far in rank, start to waver in their belief in justice through repeated missions and encounters with the World Government and Heavenly Celestial Dragon.
Even the chief instructor of the elite camp, his own teacher, Mr. Zephyr, now also...
In contrast.
The new recruits of the Endgame don't have to go through these emotional journeys; they can carry their beliefs throughout.
Truly enviable.
Sigh~
Aokiji softly exhaled.
"Mr. Imoku? What are you daydreaming about?"
Mikita waved a hand in front of him, puzzled. "Although the daily training of the Training Corps is interesting, what comes next is the main event - the Infrastructure Corps! Speaking of which, the main reason for your visit is to examine our territorial construction results, preparing to incorporate them into your recent academic paper, right?"
"Ah... Yes."
Aokiji snapped out of it, nodding along with her words. "That's right, Miss Mikita, let's continue."
"Hehe, just follow me; I've got it covered!"
Mikita smiled brightly, leading him through several bustling commercial streets to a busy construction site.
Here, the workers, dressed in uniforms emblazoned with wheat and gear emblems, were fervently building new residential areas.
"There, you've seen the Infrastructure Corps' uniforms, haven't you? Speaking of which, staying in the Galaxy Sea Region are the sixth to tenth squads of the Infrastructure Corps."
"Currently responsible for the civic renovation and expansion of seven major islands in the Galaxy Sea Region; each island has changed drastically compared to a year ago."
The lemon-haired girl spread her arms wide, proudly explaining:
"For instance, we have reasonably replanned, setting up schools, kindergartens, hospitals... as well as industrial and commercial areas. As for fire services, environmental maintenance, judicial, religious management, and so on, all these departments are also fully equipped!"
"By the way, did you see the manhole over there? The drainage system for the seven islands here was personally designed by Lord Xiano! It was completed in five days; even if it encounters the common heavy rain in the New World, there won't be any flooding issues."
Aokiji listened while his gaze was drawn to an elephant.
The elephant was large but moved extremely agilely among the construction site, carrying heavy building materials on its back, assisting workers in transportation.
It would also occasionally use its trunk to help mix cement materials.
Tasks that would take ordinary people several hours, it could finish in seconds, with high efficiency.
"That's... an Ability User, right?" Aokiji was slightly surprised; where in the world would there be such an intelligent elephant?
"Bingo!"
Mikita smiled as she explained, "That's Lord Agatha, the Eleph-Eleph Fruit Ability User, the deputy corps commander of the Infrastructure Corps, and one of Lord Xiano's key officers. She practically comes to help every day."
Aokiji nodded, his gaze sweeping over the busy crowd.
He noticed that many workers exchanged sincere smiles with each other, despite being covered in sweat and dirt, seemingly not finding their work exhausting.
"These workers seem quite motivated."
He commented thoughtfully.
"Of course they are!"
Mikita was even more proud, puffing out her chest, which was rather flat:
"All members of the Infrastructure Corps joined voluntarily! We don't have any slaves or arrogant nobles here; everyone together creates a better homeland, and everyone can benefit from it!"
"The workers who join the Infrastructure Corps also have comprehensive welfare guarantees, including medical care, housing, and even their children's education issues will be addressed, so everyone naturally is willing to contribute to building their home!"
Aokiji grew increasingly silent, staying speechless for a long time.
Mikita saw his silence, mistakenly thinking he wasn't very interested, and felt a little disappointed.
But she adjusted her emotions, knowing the importance of hosting guests, promptly pointing to a distant white tower.
"Ah, right! Do you see that over there? It's also one of the highlights of this tour, this newly built library, especially requested by Lord Xiano!"
"I've heard it will contain books from all over the world, including valuable medical, historical, and technological documents. It's completely open to the public, and everyone can borrow freely!"