Ash D. Ketchum had set his new normal standard of training at Marineford, though none in Marineford would've called it that. They called it self-inflicted torture instead.
Each day started with the screech of the morning whistle, followed by Ash, who sprang from bed, stretching dramatically, and boasted to Filo, "Today's the day! Today, Hina is finally going to accept my love for her!! Maybe. Probably. Anyways, watch out ladies, for I am coming!!"
Their daily routine was as harsh as ever, but Ash never slacked off even once. He'd barrel through the morning drills, jokes flying, asking Tashigi to "have a date someday" during sprints, or teasing Smoker about "how smoking is reducing his life and making him impotent, which is why he can't get girls."
His system, ever strict, was both a tool to monitor his progress and a reminder to never slack off:
{Daily Task: Completed! Progress: +0.01%. Well done, Ash!}
That ding, which used to ring only at late hours each night, was ringing increasingly early, now ringing at half an hour after he started exercising in the morning.
No bonus points, no shortcuts. Just the pride of seeing his time getting shorter and shorter was all the motivation he needed to keep going. He started to get addicted to the feeling of becoming stronger and seeing progress every day.
Pretty soon, others started noticing—especially the so-called monster trio. For the first time, Smoker, Hina, and Tashigi found Ash not trailing far behind them, but, at times, just steps away. The first time Ash finished a sprint a few breaths behind Hina and Tashigi, the murmurs swept the line of recruits like a wave.
"Are you sure you're human, Ketchum?" Smoker asked, eyebrows raised, not quite teasing.
Ash wiped the sweat from his brow, smiling at him. "If I run any faster, Smoker, you'll be the one chasing after me, ya know. Want some pointers on cardio? Let me tell you, it's the cigars that are holding you back. Pretty soon, I'll be leaving you behind in Smoke. Get it? Smoker and Smoke? Wahahaha!! God, I am funny!"
The friendly rivalry soon became real. It started when Smoker started running more laps on his own after dark, not willing to be outdone. Similarly, Tashigi started practised swings until the light went out, landing harder, faster strikes every single night. Meanwhile, Hina, as always, never spoke too much to others, but made sure to quietly end her cooldown routines after Ash finished his own, always being the last person to leave the ground daily.
When Ash arrived late at night in the field, he'd sometimes find Smoker silently working through his own sets of exercise, still smoking the cigar. Othertimes, it was Tashigi, her sword flashing under the moon. Or, it'd be Hina, stretching and exercising past her bedtime. On rare nights, all four of them trained together with Ash singing, filling up the entire space. Each of them was trying to push their own boundaries, trying to stay ahead of Ash, who was catching up slowly but surely.
He treated every set, every race, every late-night grind as a challenge to be beaten. He real competition was never with others, but with himself. He improved every single day, a single pushup more, a single sit-up more, etc., but never the same set as he did the previous day.
Each night, a small, blue message made everything worth it:
{Daily Task: Completed! Progress: +0.01%.}
A month had passed since he arrived in the world and started training to be a Marine. The endless days of sweat and laughter had forged Ash into a warrior, stronger than he ever thought was humanly possible. From a scrawny kid to a buff dude, the changes had been amazing, and it was all thanks to the limitless potential of the human body in the world of One Piece.
Ash was still a happy-go-lucky guy, still shameless in every compliment and quip, but he had changed on the inside. He wondered if this is how the people in the army felt after going threw the training camps.
On the last morning, Commodore Wallace gathered the now-proud, battered, changed recruits. His voice echoed across the parade ground, tinged with a rare respect.
"You made it. Most of you are stronger now than you were when you arrived a month ago. Some of you are stronger than most cadets I remember. Strong enough that the world will take notice, and it'll take all of you to keep up. You guys are now the face of Marines, you are the face of Justice!! Don't smear the reputation, or I swear I will hunt you all down myself!!"
"Alright, now that the camp is over, you all will be assigned to different posts."
He took out a clipboard and started reading out the new assignments. When Ash's name was called, he almost missed it.
"North Blue Division: Commander, Hina. Lieutenant, Filo."
"East Blue Division: Commander, Smoker. Lieutenant Tashigi. Lieutenant Ash D. Ketchum."
Hearing his own name, Ash looked at Tashigi and grinned. "Having a beauty to accompany me? How can I get so lucky?"
Tashigi punched his shoulder for the remark, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face. She had gotten used to the constant flirting he did and considered Ash a good friend now. (Ouch, friend-zoned.)
Smoker only nodded, a rare look of pride flickering in his eyes. "So basically, I am your boss now, Ash. Just wait and see how I'll have my fun with you. Are you afrai-Hey!! Come back!! I haven't finished speaking yet!!"
Ash just ignored him, instead heading towards Hina with Tashigi in tow.
"Hina!! The love of my life!! I am very sad to see you go away!!" Ash cried out dramatically while trying to hug her, but she stepped aside easily, instead going to Tashigi and hugging her.
"Hina will miss you, Tashigi!! You are one of Hina's friends now. If you face any trouble or if this leacher bothers you too much, tell Hina. She will come running and set him straight."
Hearing this, Tashigi smiled and hugged her back tightly. "I will miss you too, Hina-san. Don't worry about Ash, he is all bark and no bite."
"HEY!!"
Ignoring him, she continued, "I will keep getting stronger as a swordsman, so let's meet up at the top in the future. Take care of yourself."
Filo also came to say goodbye to Ash, giving him a hug and telling him to stay alive. Ash wished him the same. He considered the cannon timeline and the chances of seeing Filo was zero, considering he was never mentioned in it.
So for extra measure, he threatened Filo, saying if he wasn't Commodore in the next 3 years, he would find him and throw him into a village of Nakama who really liked young boys like Filo.
Soon they all set out, bags packed and spirits high, with the loudest, most stubborn recruit Marineford had ever seen ready to brave the wilds of the East Blue.
Ash looked back at Marineford's gates one last time, fists clenched with excitement.
His journey as a true Marine was only just beginning.
Next, he was going to make some changes in the world.