Bright morning light poured down, warmth slowly rising with it.
Leon Fang ate his bowl of noodles at an unhurried pace. Beside him, Rein's bowl had long been emptied. His stool seemed to be covered in thorns—he shifted restlessly, his gaze repeatedly drifting toward the distant military camp.
Leon Fang smiled lightly.
"Are you in a hurry? There's still plenty of time."
Rein scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
"I'm not in a hurry… I'm just a little nervous."
Leon Fang shook his head.
From what he had observed over the past two days, among this batch of recruits for the G-2 Branch, Rein's strength was definitely within the top ten.
Even though this round of global recruitment didn't involve rankings or public evaluations, the Navy would have to be insane to reject a high-quality recruit like Rein.
"Alright, I'm done eating. Let's get going," Leon Fang said calmly, finishing his last bite.
"H-haha…"
Rein chuckled twice. With that terrifying face of his, the smile only made him look even more ferocious, frightening several diners into trembling.
As the two stood up to leave, the noodle shop owner froze.
Seeing Leon Fang and Rein walking toward him, the middle-aged shopkeeper's legs went weak. Although many customers had already fled because of Rein's appearance, he felt no resentment at all—fear had completely overtaken his reason.
"B-big brother, this is… this morning's earnings. If it's still not enough, I can go home and get more…"
The shopkeeper nearly knelt before the "fierce-looking" Rein as he hurriedly pulled all the money from the drawer.
Leon Fang was speechless.
Rein's natural intimidation factor was truly terrifying.
"Boss, please don't misunderstand, we—"
"Huh?"
The shopkeeper suddenly turned his head and stared at Leon Fang. His eyes widened as if struck by lightning.
"Wait, aren't you… the hero who saved that little girl?!"
He slapped his thigh hard.
"I remember now! Then this gentleman here… he must be the other hero from that day!"
In truth, Rein had been the first to step forward back then.
But now, recognition had to come through Leon Fang.
On one hand, Leon Fang's fiery words at the time had left a deep impression, while Rein's silent endurance didn't match most people's image of a hero.
On the other hand, Rein's ghost-like face instinctively evoked fear, while Leon Fang's clean, sunny appearance fit the public's definition of righteousness far better.
Rein had no complaints about this at all.
On the contrary, he was grateful.
Thanks to Leon Fang, this was the first time since the incident that someone had acknowledged him.
"Yes! It's me, it's me!" Rein said excitedly.
"I'm not a bad person!"
"Look at what you're saying!"
The shopkeeper waved his hand without the slightest embarrassment.
"How could someone praised by a Rear Admiral be a bad person? And this money—I absolutely can't accept it. If I took money from heroes like you, my conscience wouldn't allow it."
After much back-and-forth, the two finally left the money behind and fled the shop.
On the way to the military camp, Rein wore a foolish grin, completely lost in thought. His expression alone was enough to send pedestrians scattering in all directions.
When they arrived—
The sun had barely warmed the ground, yet five long lines had already formed inside the camp. And they were growing at a visible rate.
The two quickly joined one of the lines.
Almost instantly, the number of people behind them dropped by more than half.
Even those who had wanted to take advantage of the shorter line kept a deliberate distance from Rein, as if an invisible barrier had cut the line in two.
The immediate effect made Leon Fang seriously suspect that Rein had eaten the Ugly-Ugly Fruit—or perhaps the Stinky-Stinky Fruit.
The recruitment process itself was extremely simple.
First, check for physical defects.
Second, test whether basic physical fitness met the requirements.
After all, most Marines fought with firearms. At the very least, they needed the endurance to carry heavy loads over long distances.
Yet even with such low standards, many still failed.
In this chaotic pirate world, countless people at the bottom of society couldn't even eat their fill, suffering long-term malnutrition. Expecting them to meet the standards of a "normal adult" was unrealistic.
Because the process was quick, it was soon Leon Fang's turn.
The clerk didn't even look up as he spoke mechanically.
"Name, age, background. Then take the form to the rear square for the physical fitness test."
"Leon Fang, seventeen years old, from the East Blue."
Leon Fang answered calmly. It was hard to stay enthusiastic doing such repetitive work.
"Take this and—"
The clerk's hand froze midair.
He slowly lifted his head, eyes widening.
"Wait… you're Leon Fang? The Leon Fang who defeated the Jack Pirates?"
"…That's me."
"It really is you!"
The clerk's face lit up with excitement.
"Great! Rear Admiral Ochiai told us long ago that we must wait for you. Hurry—come with me!"
Before Leon Fang could react, the clerk grabbed him and rushed toward the rear.
The remaining recruits stood there, dumbfounded.
The difference in treatment was simply too blatant.
Some newcomers immediately began to grumble.
"So even the Navy—symbol of absolute justice—bows to power and fame?"
"Quiet!"
A Marine captain wearing a justice coat stepped forward sharply, suppressing the noise.
Once the square calmed down, he spoke coldly,
"Stop entertaining foolish thoughts. If you want treatment like Leon Fang's, then focus on getting stronger and killing pirates. The Navy is, at its core, a place that values merit and strength."
In truth, most of those complaining were recruits who had arrived only in the past day or two.
Anyone who knew what had happened two days earlier felt far more envy than jealousy.
After all, anyone with basic reason understood—
Those monsters lived in a completely different world.
Still, a few people with darker intentions suppressed their resentment and approached Rein.
"Hey, big guy," one of them whispered maliciously.
"Don't you feel unfair? You were the first to step up, but now everyone only remembers that pretentious brat and not—"
Before he could finish—
"Ah! What are you doing?! You ugly monster!"
The instigator was lifted straight into the air.
Rein's eyes burned with anger as he held the man aloft.
"You can insult me all you want," he growled,
"but watch your mouth when it comes to Brother Leon Fang!"
Rein might look simple and honest, but years of being ostracized had given him a sharp sense of justice.
He naturally despised someone who pretended to speak "for his sake" while barely hiding the disgust in his eyes.
"I—I get it! Put me down! Help—help me!"
The troublemaker wasn't weak, but compared to Rein—one of the top recruits—he was helpless.
Lifted into the air, he panicked so badly that a yellowish liquid dripped down his legs.
The Marines who had initially frowned exchanged glances and said nothing.
As soldiers, they respected Leon Fang's actions—and naturally stood on Rein's side.
"Get lost!"
Remembering where he was, Rein suppressed his fury and swung his arm, hurling the terrified man hundreds of meters away.
"Aaah—!"
The shrill scream echoed through the camp.
Even the Marines couldn't help but twitch their brows.
So this guy—who had only dared to curl up and take a beating before—
Actually possessed such terrifying strength?
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T/N:
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