A half-dead procession of recruits staggered back from the outskirts of Marineford,
drawing quiet laughter from passing Marine family members.
Amid this line of soul-drained "walking corpses,"
Longinus's tall, steady figure stood out strikingly.
Dragon's cold gaze swept across the crowd—
and only when it landed on Longinus did his expression soften with approval.
Though Longinus was accustomed to pushing his body to its limit,
there was no way such high-intensity training had left him completely unaffected.
Dragon could see it clearly—
Longinus's hanging hands trembled ever so slightly,
and his long, controlled breaths had grown faintly irregular.
Carrying a small mountain on his back
was no easy feat even for him.
Yet despite this,
he showed none of the sloppiness the others displayed—
maintaining perfect posture and disciplined, steady steps.
Dragon himself was an extremely self-disciplined man.
He would never demand others reach his standards—
but those who naturally shared such discipline, like Longinus,
earned his genuine admiration.
"With this level of self-discipline, even an ordinary man could become a true powerhouse.
Combine that with talent like his…"
Dragon sighed internally.
"At this rate, within twenty years…
Marine HQ will have another top-tier combat force."
Twenty years later, Longinus would only be thirty-four—
an absurdly young age for a Marine Admiral–class fighter.
Meanwhile, the other branch recruits eyed G–2 with envy.
They had barely been here a few days,
yet they were racking up second-class merits and commendations.
Are you sure you lot came from a branch like the rest of us!?
It felt like joining a newbie group chat…
only to discover everyone else was a veteran except you.
Thus, one bold recruit approached the G–2 member who looked the most approachable—Gregory.
"Gregory-bro, are all G–2 recruits this strong-willed?
Or is there… some kind of secret method?"
HQ recruits immediately pricked up their ears.
They were dying to know the answer as well.
Gregory straightened his aching back, folded his hands behind him,
and spoke with the air of a profound sage:
"Once you've stared death in the face…
this kind of 'limit' becomes nothing worth mentioning."
The man blinked and asked blankly:
"Huh? What does that mean?"
Gregory clicked his tongue in frustration.
"It means—
ah, forget it. With your IQ, I can't explain it simply.
Next time there's special training, come with us.
After you experience Boss's training,
you'll have your own rebirth!"
Though Gregory had insulted him,
the Marine recruit was thrilled.
"So that's it…
Their top-100 rankings,
their indomitable will—
it all came from that man's influence!"
"R–Really? I can join your training!?"
"Of course.
Boss once said—
no matter where we come from or which sea we were born in,
our hearts beating for justice are all the same."
Seeing Gregory's sincere gaze,
the recruit felt ashamed and deeply moved.
Perhaps only righteous men like Gregory…
deserve to follow a legend like Longinus!
Seeing that recruit enter the group so easily,
the others became restless.
Who didn't want to stand at the peak of the class like Longinus?
Soon, Gregory was surrounded.
"Gregory-bro! Please let me join too!"
"I beg you—let me receive Captain Longinus's guidance!"
"I want the strength to uphold justice—teach me your secrets!"
Gregory's heart soared with delight,
but he maintained a serious expression.
"One at a time, one at a time… no crowding."
Abraham wiped sweat from his brow.
He was nothing like Gregory—he knew the truth.
If they knew Gregory nearly fainted when he fell from 10,000 meters…
would they still be this excited?
Dragon's mouth twitched violently.
What is this supposed to mean?
Do they doubt MY ability as an instructor!?
Still, he couldn't deny it—
"The G–2 brats really are performing well.
If Longinus can make the others undergo similar transformations…
let them cause chaos. It might be worth it."
The Marine HQ cafeteria was wide, bright, and immaculately clean—
simple, yet dignified.
Breakfast trays were served.
And on each tray—
meat.
Just meat.
Absolutely nothing else.
Longinus even had a stray thought:
If Garp told Luffy that the 'price of becoming a Marine'
was eating nothing but meat…
that brat might grow up shouting 'I'm gonna be Marine King!'
He took his first bite and raised an eyebrow.
"…Surprisingly good."
A moment later he understood.
"Of course. HQ wants recruits to absorb as much life force as possible.
They wouldn't intentionally make it disgusting."
Standing beside Dragon, the adjutant announced:
"Each of you will finish ten servings.
This is an order, not a request.
If you want more, don't hold back—HQ has plenty of ingredients!"
Seeing that HQ even cared about flavor,
many recruits were moved nearly to tears.
Today… even if we explode, we must eat!
Longinus didn't eat quickly—
but steadily, never letting the spoon stop.
Combined with Life Return's enhanced nutrient absorption,
his stack of empty trays soon outpaced everyone else's.
"Ah la la… Dragon-senpai, helping Zephyr-sensei train recruits again?"
A tall Marine wearing sunglasses,
with a cap bearing the HQ insignia,
set his tray down across from Longinus.
Dragon gave a stiff smile.
"Kuzan. Rare to see you awake so early."
Kuzan yawned lazily.
"I just got back to HQ.
Gotta pretend I'm reliable for the first day, at least."
A wave of excitement rippled through the cafeteria.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan! The Marine prodigy!
The youngest Vice Admiral in HQ!"
"Wait—Vice Admiral Kuzan calls Vice Admiral Dragon 'senpai'!?
Does that mean Dragon-senpai also graduated from the Training Camp!?"
Whispers spread rapidly.
Even more glances fell onto Longinus,
the monster of their generation.
If Kuzan was the monster of the third graduating class,
then Longinus was unquestionably the monster of this one.
Hearing the chatter, Kuzan turned casually toward the recruits.
"You guys didn't know?
Dragon-senpai was one of the monsters of the first Training Camp—
alongside Sakazuki and Borsalino."
He added lazily:
"Hmm… pretty similar to your current class, actually."
Then with a shrug:
"But it makes sense.
Dragon-senpai spent most of his time training under Vice Admiral Garp.
So Zephyr-sensei never made a big announcement."
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