"Koby has the makings of an admiral…"
"Helmeppo has the makings of an admiral…"
"Luo Yu has the makings of an admiral…"
"Garp, what the hell is this?! Every single person you recommended is marked with 'the makings of an admiral.' Do you think admirals are cabbages you can just pick up off the street? Aren't you worried Sakazuki and the others will be furious with you?!"
Marine Headquarters, Marineford — New Recruit Academy.
Thousands of elite marines from bases all across the seas were gathered here.
Every one of them came hoping this opportunity would earn them a promotion to HQ.
On the podium, Zephyr grabbed the collar of a snoring Garp — who was still blowing a snot bubble in his sleep — and roared in fury.
Nearby, Koby and Helmeppo, who were waiting to be evaluated, immediately turned beet red with embarrassment.
Seeing that Garp was still out cold, Koby anxiously explained, "Instructor Zephyr, please don't misunderstand! Vice Admiral Garp had a bit too much to drink while writing the recommendation letters yesterday. That's why there's a mistake."
"Neither Helmeppo nor I are worthy of being described as having the 'makings of an admiral!'"
"You're Koby, right?" Zephyr glanced at the file in his hand, then immediately slapped the back of Garp's head and shouted,
"I knew it! Garp, you're as unreliable as ever! If it weren't for Bogard cleaning up after you all the time, you'd have been swallowed by the sea long ago!"
"Now take those letters and revise them. I want the corrected copies on my desk before lunch break!"
"Hahaha! Oh, it's you, Zephyr! For a second, I thought someone was brave enough to hit me." Garp finally came to, rubbing the back of his head and laughing.
"Those recommendation letters are just for show! What matters is real strength — and you, of all people, know that."
"But I can swear on my name — the people I recommended really do have the makings of admirals. These two kids have only trained with me for a year and have already grasped Soru from the Six Powers. With proper training, they'll be the backbone of the Navy."
"Mastered Soru within a year?" Zephyr raised his eyebrows. Among the Six Powers, Soru was indeed the easiest to learn but also one of the most practical.
Being able to pick it up in a year was already considered above average talent.
"N-No! Instructor Zephyr, don't listen to Vice Admiral Garp's nonsense! If someone like me qualifies as admiral material, that's a disgrace to someone like Luo Yu. He's the real deal!" Koby waved his hands, flustered.
Helmeppo nodded like a man possessed, face still pale with lingering dread.
"Luo Yu? He has admiral potential?" Zephyr flipped to the last page of the letters, saw the name, and looked around the field with a furrowed brow.
"Koby, you say Luo Yu is the true prodigy. Is he stronger than you two?"
"Where is he then? Why isn't he here? Did something happen?"
A series of rapid-fire questions sent Koby into a panic. He glanced at his sweat-soaked pocket watch, then gave Garp a desperate look.
"Ahem… Zephyr, didn't you once say that geniuses are always a little… eccentric?" Garp rubbed his head and coughed awkwardly.
"That kid Luo Yu really is stronger than these two — by a bit. You could even call him a genius. But he's got this one weird quirk… he's very particular about work hours. Judging by the time, he should be showing up right about… now."
Genius?
Flaws?
Obsessed with work hours?
What kind of nonsense is that?!
Zephyr glanced at the recommendation letter again, his face darkening. Then he exploded:
"Garp, are you screwing with me?!"
"Someone who can't even show up on time — even if he comes now, I'll throw him out myself!"
He clenched his fist and swung a powerful punch at Garp.
Garp casually ducked.
BOOM!
Behind him, a Douriki-measuring machine — like a high-tech punching bag — was blasted off the stage like a cannonball.
The sheer speed sent it flying dozens of meters, straight toward the new recruits below.
The cadets at the front froze.
No one expected to be hit by flying equipment out of nowhere.
That machine was supposedly built to withstand 4,000 Douriki.
And now it was sent flying with a single punch?!
"There's trouble! Get out of the way!"
Zephyr realized too late. He moved to intervene — but the timing was off.
BOOM!
A heavy impact rang out across the training ground.
The machine stopped dead, like it had hit a steel wall.
The red numbers on the display rapidly climbed — and froze at 4000.
Then the screen shattered.
CRASH!
Shards of glass flew everywhere. Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
One punch to launch the machine.Another to stop it — barehanded.
That kind of strength? That's not a rookie… right?!
"Apologies, Instructor Zephyr — but I disagree with what you just said."
A boy in a sailor's uniform with a buzz cut stepped forward, yawning.
He tossed the wrecked Douriki machine aside like a feather.
Then he pulled out an old pocket watch, glanced down, and said:
"It's 8:57. Three minutes before work starts."
"No — to be precise, two minutes and fifty-eight seconds."
"As a recruit, I earn 300,000 Berries a month. Excluding 8 days off for weekends, that's 22 workdays — 13,636 Berries per day."
"Divide that by eight working hours — 480 minutes — that's 28.4 Berries per minute."
"If you want me to start now, three minutes early, that's overtime. Triple pay. So… 255 Berries, please."
Everyone was stunned.
That awe-inspiring entrance — ruined by… petty accounting?!
Three minutes of overtime?!
255 Berries?!
The mismatch between his heroic strength and bean-counting mindset left the crowd speechless.
"Hahaha! Luo Yu, you rascal, you finally showed up! Fine! I'll pay your three minutes of overtime!" Garp roared with laughter. "Now show Zephyr what you're made of!"