The sea breeze swept across the deck, tugging at Kojin's coat and sending it fluttering behind him.
He slowly turned around to face the towering, powerfully built figure before him, whose head and body were still wrapped in white bandages and suddenly smiled.
"Sorry," Kojin said calmly. "I am afraid that I won't be giving you that chance."
Bullet's gaze sharpened for a moment. Then, without hesitation, he snapped upright and saluted sharply, his heels striking the deck with a crisp pa.
"Senior officer!"
Kojin pointed past him, toward Crocodile.
"Go find him. Change your cloths."
Then he added flatly, "From now on, you're a Marine trainee."
"Yes!"
Bullet's roar echoed across the deck as he spun around and strode off.
Compared to Evans, Crocodile, and the others, Bullet clearly had excellent military discipline. After all, he was a battle-hardened warrior who had seen action from a very young age.
Moments later, Bullet appeared before Kojin, wearing a trainee uniform and a Marine cap.
"I am impressed by your physical qualities," Kojin said. "From today onward, you will assist me in training them."
He pointed at Crocodile, Evans, and the others.
"I guarantee we will complete the task!" Bullet grinned, revealing a ferocious smile.
This caused Rosinante, Evans, Crocodile, and the others to change their expressions slightly.
Letting a Marine trainee train officers like them? It sounded rather absurd.
Yet no one voiced any objection. Firstly, Kojin's orders were absolute. Secondly, they all knew just how strong Bullet was.
Beneath his bulging muscles, that massive, muscular frame contained a level of power none of them possessed.
Someone who could contend with their senior officer in pure physical combat could be counted on one hand anywhere in the world.
In the days that followed, Bullet lived up to expectations.
Compared to before, the training volume for Crocodile and the others increased by nearly five times, plunging them into suffering that could only be described as hellish torment.
Even a short physical training session left everyone sore all over and barely able to move.
"You're too weak!" Bullet sneered.
He then turned around and looked at Kojin, whose body was concealed beneath the white mantle of justice and the Marine uniform.
Even through the clothes, the swollen, granite-hard muscles beneath could be clearly seen, every inch of muscle and skin brimming with explosive power and looked perfectly proportioned.
This man's physical training far surpassed even his own!
At a glance, Kojin's height was now nearly 2.8 meters. Judging by his age, he might continue to grow.
His bulging muscles seemed ready to tear through the thin Marine uniform, and the faint outline of a ferocious 'demon back' could be seen.
"Compared to this guy... I'm still far behind," Bullet thought.
At that moment, Kojin wasn't paying attention to Bullet's gaze. Instead, he looked ahead. Amid the rolling waves, the battleship was drawing close to the massive Gates of Justice.
Looking to one side, enormous whirlpool currents could be seen. Even from this distance, their deafening roar could be heard.
Soon, the battleship passed through the Gates of Justice and entered the inner bay.
"Identify the battleship squad!"
"It's Rear Admiral Kojin's battleship!"
"Senior Officer Kojin, please dock at Port A8!"
A Marine in command shouted from the inner harbor.
Moments later, the battleship docked smoothly at Port A8 under Slo's control.
"Kojin!" As soon as he disembarked, a hearty laugh came from the side of the ship.
"Shinbu!" Kojin turned his head and called out with a smile.
"Haha, long time no see! You're completely different from before, you are taller and much sturdier!"
Shinbu walked over, gesturing at the height difference between them and looking amazed.
"It's been two years. I ate well at the Marine Academy." Kojin laughed.
And that wasn't an exaggeration. Even before joining the Marine Academy, his height was already normal at around 1.95 meters, compared to his previous life. But compared to the giants of this world, he was still on the short side.
Kuzan, for example, often had to bend down just to put an arm around him back then.
After two years at the Marine Academy, however, his height had practically skyrocketed due to training, diet, and growth, shooting straight up to 2.85 meters.
Moreover, he was confident that, with the help of the unique Life Return technique and perfect body control, he could grow to over three meters.
He was quite satisfied with this height.
After all, height itself was a kind of pressure.
"You've been promoted too," Kojin added.
"Haha, I have you to thank for that back then," Shinbu laughed loudly.
Two years ago, he and Kojin had been on the same battleship and had later transferred to Garp's ship. After returning to Headquarters following their battle against the Roger Pirates, Shinbu was inexplicably promoted to Colonel.
He had undoubtedly grown much closer to Garp, the Vice Admirals and Rear Admiral Kojin's circle after that battle. With the help of his comrades, he was retained at Headquarters.
In the future, his chances of being promoted to the upper rank were high.
Even now, Shinbu is regarded by many Marines as a minor legend.
After all, fighting against the Pirate King Roger was something to be proud of, and it was worthy of admiration.
"Vice Admiral Garp has already returned to Headquarters! And Kuzan arrived at Headquarters three days ago," Shinbu added.
He then glanced at the group of Marines following Kojin and felt emotional.
"You already have a group of your own people under you! And they all look incredibly strong!"
Kojin smiled. "They're all carefully chosen by me. Not a single one of them is lacking."
"I can tell," Shinbu nodded, then quickly urged,
officers at Headquarters who hasn't arrived yet!"
As he spoke, he lowered his voice and leaned towards Kojin's ear.
"It seems there's an important meeting requiring the attendance of all high-ranking officers."
Hearing this, Kojin nodded thoughtfully.
The two men exchanged a brief hug before going their separate ways.
After all, they were comrades who had once shared life-or-death situations. Shinbu had even taught Kojin survival skills at sea, so their bond ran deep.
A short while later, Kojin arrived at the headquarters building and reported to the beautiful female officer on the ground floor.
"Welcome back to Marine Headquarters, Rear Admiral Kojin."
"Fleet Admiral Kong has instructed that once you return, you should proceed to report to him as soon as possible."
Then the blonde officer looked past Kojin towards those behind him.
When she saw Bullet, Crocodile, and the others, her pupils shrank slightly, and fear appeared on her face.
These people were simply too terrifying.
At first glance, they didn't look like good people at all, more like pirates than Marines!
"Then I'll leave my subordinates to you for arrangement."
Kojin said with a smile.
"They can live together with me or somewhere close by."
He could clearly see the fear in the officer's eyes. In fact, many officers on the first floor of Headquarters wore tense, fearful expressions after seeing Bullet and Crocodile behind him.
"Ah? O-okay!" The female officer replied hurriedly.
After that, Kojin nodded to Crocodile and strode towards the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Does this count as infiltrating enemy territory?" Bullet chuckled softly and glanced around at the surrounding Marines as he joked.
"We're Marines now," Crocodile replied calmly.
"No need to worry, Bullet. Just as Crocodile San said, we're all Marines now, and soldiers under Senior Officer Kojin! At Headquarters, Kojin San is someone highly respected!" T. Penn said seriously.
Bullet looked at the bony man and commented, "You look pretty wicked and rough, but you're unexpectedly gentle."
Crocodile laughed silently.
"S-sorry! I scared you!" T. Penn stammered, then actually bent over apologetically.
Bullet was speechless for a moment, then laughed.
He hadn't been scared by this guy at all.
(End of Chapter)
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