The next day.
At the very front of Marine Headquarters, beneath the vast harbor, large warships were lined up in formation. Squads of Marine recruits were boarding the vessels one after another.
There were a total of ten large warships, perfectly sufficient to carry all the recruits from the regular camp. In addition to the recruits, five Marine vice admirals were stationed aboard.
Although this was only the regular camp, these were still recruits of Marine Headquarters—future elite Marines. Sending them out to sea for a live-combat assessment was no trivial matter. At the very least, absolute safety during the voyage had to be guaranteed.
Soon enough, the warships began to depart from the harbor and head out to sea.
However, something strange occurred.
Nine of the warships set sail first, while the final one remained docked at the shore, showing no sign of departure.
At first, the recruits aboard this ship remained relatively quiet. But as time passed, restlessness gradually spread. Under normal circumstances, discipline would not have been this lax, but over the past few days, anticipation and anxiety over the upcoming assessment had already put everyone on edge.
Someone frowned and muttered softly.
"Why haven't we left yet?"
"The other teams should have already started their assessments, right?"
Discontent slowly appeared on the faces of many recruits. Though no one caused a disturbance, murmurs of dissatisfaction began to circulate.
At that moment—
From the shore, a figure approached from the distance, clearly arriving late. After reaching the dock, he boarded the warship directly.
The person boarding was Roya.
"Sorry, I'm late."
After saying this calmly, Roya walked straight to a corner and sat down. He did not bother explaining the reason for his tardiness. He had never been particularly sociable and had no common ground with these unfamiliar recruits anyway.
Although Roya had changed considerably over the past month, most people still recognized him immediately. After all, during his initial month in the recruit camp, he had drawn quite a bit of attention.
The murmuring on the ship abruptly ceased with Roya's arrival. Seeing this scene, the recruits exchanged stunned glances.
The ship had been delayed… because it was waiting for Roya?!
After a brief silence, noisy complaints erupted.
"What the hell is this?!"
"We waited here for half the day just for him? Didn't I hear that he already dropped out of the recruit camp?!"
"Even if he's Vice Admiral Garp's nephew, this is way too much!"
Most of the recruits wore indignant expressions, glaring at Roya with open dissatisfaction.
They were already restless and tense over the impending live-combat assessment. With even the slightest provocation, their bottled-up frustration immediately exploded.
Only a handful managed to remain calm.
Among them was X Drake, recognized as the strongest of the regular camp. He was also aboard this ship, and his gaze toward Roya flickered with a hint of curiosity.
"This guy… has changed a lot."
Previously, Drake had not paid Roya any particular attention. But seeing him again now, he sensed a drastic transformation—as if Roya himself had undergone some form of rebirth.
Even so, Drake did not take it too seriously.
Originally the worst recruit in the camp—no matter what kind of transformation he experienced in a month, how strong could he really have become?
After all, Drake's goal was first place in this live-combat assessment—not just first in the Fifth Squad, but first overall.
After briefly evaluating Roya, Drake withdrew his gaze and ignored him.
As the noise among the recruits grew louder, a Marine rear admiral aboard the ship suddenly barked out a cold command.
"Silence!"
With that shout, the warship fell instantly quiet. Most recruits shut their mouths, though traces of dissatisfaction still lingered on their faces as they looked toward Roya.
But in the very next moment, all expressions of discontent vanished.
Because every officer on the ship—including the rear admiral—suddenly snapped to attention and saluted toward the distance.
There, two figures wearing the Marine coat of justice were walking side by side, approaching slowly under countless gazes filled with awe and reverence.
One of them was Garp.
The other had short purple hair. With each step forward, an imposing and dignified aura radiated outward. Even from afar, one could not help but feel respect well up from deep within.
He was the chief instructor of Marine Headquarters' recruit camp—
The former Marine Admiral, Zephyr.
"No wonder the ship stayed here. So it was waiting for Admiral Zephyr and Vice Admiral Garp. I was wondering how it could possibly be delayed for some bottom-ranked guy."
Seeing Zephyr and Garp, all traces of dissatisfaction disappeared from the recruits' faces. Understanding dawned on them instantly, and they all displayed expressions of respect as they watched the two approach.
At this point, no one paid any attention to Roya anymore.
Under everyone's gaze, Garp and Zephyr boarded the warship.
After boarding, Garp swept his eyes across the recruits. His gaze did not linger on anyone until it finally stopped on Roya. He paused briefly, grinned slightly, then followed Zephyr into the upper cabin.
Once Zephyr and Garp had left, the rear admiral addressed the recruits in a stern voice.
"For this live-combat assessment, Vice Admiral Garp and Chief Instructor Zephyr will personally observe. Perform well!"
"Yes, sir!"
The recruits responded in unison.
Having seen Zephyr and Garp come aboard, the recruits were visibly excited. From the looks of it, the two of them would personally watch the assessment.
Only Roya, sitting quietly in a corner, showed no excitement whatsoever. He could not be bothered with these so-called "cannon fodder" who probably would not survive more than two episodes. He merely glanced casually at the recruits on board.
With a single sweep of his gaze, Drake was the only one who drew a bit of Roya's attention.
In fact, Roya had already noticed Drake back when he first entered the recruit camp.
It was not because Drake was the strongest in the Fifth Squad—or even possibly the strongest in the regular camp—but because this Red Flag X Drake was one of the eleven Supernovas of Luffy's generation in the original story, though now he was merely a recruit.
In the original timeline, Drake became a Marine rear admiral before defecting from the Marines for unknown reasons and turning pirate.
"This guy might survive a few more episodes."
Roya curled his lips slightly, then withdrew his gaze and ignored him.
---
After leaving Marine Headquarters, the warship advanced at full speed and soon entered the Calm Belt on either side of the Grand Line.
This region was home to various gigantic Sea Kings. From time to time, massive creatures with eyes larger than the warship itself would suddenly surface in the distance before sinking back into the sea.
The warship was equipped with turbine propulsion, allowing it to traverse the Calm Belt with ease. Coupled with the presence of Garp and Zephyr aboard, even the Calm Belt posed no real danger.
The journey was tense but uneventful, and they soon arrived at an archipelago within the Calm Belt.
It was a cluster of countless small islands, densely covered with lush vegetation. From time to time, chilling roars echoed across the islands, the source of which was unknown, sending shivers down one's spine.
The nine earlier warships had docked at different locations. The ship carrying Roya also soon anchored at the edge of one of the smaller islands.
"This is the site of your live-combat assessment!"
After the ship docked, Garp and Zephyr did not reappear. Instead, a Marine rear admiral stood before the recruits, addressing them with a solemn expression.