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The 21st of December, 1505. Fred's POV.

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'I can't keep up with him anymore!' I thought, looking at Laurent exchanging blows with instructor Baibald.

A couple of months have passed since we started learning how to fight. At first, I could keep up with Laurent's improvement speed. Seeing him work so hard made me do the same, as I didn't want to be left behind. However, the more we advanced, the more bottlenecks I encountered.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that my friend is continuously improving himself. I'm just worried that I might be unable to stay by his side further down the road. An organization like the Marines would not allow talented folks like Laurent to be dragged down by others.

Looking at instructor Baibald and Laurent's fight, I self-depreciatingly shook my head. 'It looks like I'm not suitable for hand-to-hand combat.' I thought, remembering the errors I made during my sparring session.

Minutes later, Laurent finished his sparring session and plopped down near me. He looked like he had finished running a marathon. Smiling, I handed him a bottle of water as I usually do.

"Thank you!" He exclaimed, taking a huge gulp. Nodding my head, I also drank some water from my bottle. I finished my sparring session earlier than his, so I had recovered a lot of energy. That's why I don't look as desperate for water as him.

"You seem worried. What's wrong with you, Freddie?" Directly asked Laurent, looking at me. Shaking my head, I responded.

"I feel like I'm not improving anymore." I started. "It's like something is holding me down every time I fight. I can see things happening and can react upon seeing them. However, I never get the desired result." I finished, noticing Laurent sitting up from the ground.

"If you're talking about last week's sparring session, don't worry. I have a tough chin. I believe nobody can knock me out." Jokingly stated Laurent while patting his chin. Shaking my head, I listened as he continued.

"You're faster than me. Way faster than me. You rely on your explosive power to fight, and I noticed the same thing for every aggressive fighter. However, you lack something they don't." He paused, waiting for me to give him the answer.

'Why is he acting like this?' I thought, strangely looking at Laurent as he waited. Usually, he would tell you the answer straight up. He's a direct person who tells you everything he wants to disclose without any care about your emotions. That's the reason he can't get along with the other two roommates in our dorm.

Shaking my head to clear the useless thoughts, I focused on my friend's words. 'Something I lack as an aggressive fighter?' I mused, remembering every fight I reviewed with instructor Baibald. Looking past the items I had studied with him, I tried to check everything else, and something clicked in my mind.

"Punching power?" I muttered, unsure of my conjecture. However, instructor Baibald's "Bingo!" helped me find the correct answer.

Standing in front of me, instructor Baibald smiled and continued speaking. 'I guess he was listening to our discussion.' I thought while listening to what he had to say.

"I noticed this a couple of weeks ago. However, I wanted you to discover your problem naturally. Otherwise, no matter how much I explained, you'd feel unhappy about changing something that seemed to work for you." He paused, giving me time to think about what he said.

Nodding my head in understanding, I agreed with what he said. I'm a caring person. It's something that I picked up by caring for my three siblings as the oldest person in the house. I lost my parents when I was ten due to a pirate attack. Fortunately, Commodore Stone arrived on time and saved us from those people. However, most of the kids had lost their parents, grandparents, or older siblings.

Since then, I have taken care of my siblings. Fortunately, an aunt was living nearby helping me with that. Laurent jokingly calls me foster mother because of that personality. However, I'm very hard-headed. I rarely take anybody's opinion into account when I'm doing things unless you're a recognized master in that craft. Even then, I still try to do it my way.

(Ad Break__: Every adolescent is like that. Listen to your parents. They're not always right, but they say what they say for your good most times. This was an ad break. Let's get back to the story.)

'I'm working on that, though. I've been listening to and accepting instructors Baibald's and Laurent's opinions countless times.' I thought, a self-deprecating smile on my face. I must learn to take and execute orders to survive in an organization like the Marines. Something Laurent seems to be very good at.

'I guess his grandfather drilled that into him.' I thought, remembering the first conversation I had with him.

Shaking my head to clear the useless thoughts again, I signaled instructor Baibald to continue his lesson.

"You have incredible explosive power allowing you to close down on enemies faster than they could anticipate. That's a boost to your fighting style." He trailed, ready to say some hurtful words. "However, you lack the punching power required to be a considerable threat against high-level enemies." He finished, pointing to one of Vice-admiral Garp's recorded fights.

"When did you turn that on?" Loudly questioned Laurent, a question mark above his head. I did the same, as it looked like the guy teleported the recorder snail to the dojo.

"That's none of your business." Responded Baibald, not even looking at us as he skipped to the part where Garp knocked the lights out of Don Chinjao after closing down on him.

"A light jab, after closely dodging a punch from the right, followed by a hook on the body, then a left-hand uppercut to knock his enemy out. Although this came after a long bout between two amazing fighters, the power to end a fight with a single punch is what you lack." Started instructor Baibald.

"Your technique has become outstanding. However, you can't end fights. Your punching power should be enough against ordinary pirates, but that's not what the Marines need you to fight against." He stopped for a second, gathered some breath, and continued.

"That's why I advise you to pick up swordsmanship."

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Third Person POV. The 7th of January 1506.

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"How did I become part of your training group?" Questioned Commodore Stone while looking at Fred swinging his sword, following the basics of swordsmanship. Although the kid did not start that long ago, he still got the basics down and has begun implementing them into his fighting style, which looked similar to Commodore Stone's but not too much.

On the other side, Baibald was having the time of his life chasing Laurent and beating him up while calling the drill a sparring session.

Shaking his head upon seeing Baibald's smile, Stone focused on Fred's actions.

'He's immensely talented with the sword. His speed matches his fighting style to the point where you'd think he was made to fight with a sword.' Thought Commodore Stone, a smile appearing on his face.

'I can already see Germain's face twisting in rage after knowing I got two recruits into marineford.' Mused Stone, jumping up and down in joy in his head. However, he had the sternest look as he gazed at Fred.

"Increase your swinging speed. Even a toddler could block a swing as slow as that." He admonished, walking toward Fred's side. The young man was sweating all over, evident that he had been training for a long time. However, Commodore Stone ignored the pitiful look on the teenager's face and continued speaking.

"This is the third time I'm telling you this today. Increase the number of swings by another three hundred." He added, sternly looking at the young man's rash swings.

"If you can't even do proper swings, what's the use of teaching you." Admonished Commodore Stone again as he signaled Fred to continue the drill. "From now on, every time I see you swing that sword poorly, I'm increasing the number of swings by ten." He finished, smiling at the kid doing his best to perform the most flawless swings he had ever seen.

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A couple of meters away, Laurent and Baibald stopped their sparring session after noticing the commotion on the other side.

"You're lucky I'm your tutor. I'm not as unreasonable as that guy over there." Spoke Baibald, silently pointing at Commodore Stone. Laurent nodded, praying that he never had to pick the sword up. However, the next course of action was out of his expectations.

"Laurent!" Yelled Commodore Stone with a pissed-off expression as he looked at Laurent and Baibald.

"Three months of salary will be waived. Talking about your superior behind their backs is a punishable sin." Spoke Stone, looking at the deflated Baibald. Money is one of the things he values the most. So waiving his payment is the best punishment you could give him.

Taking his eyes off Baibald, Stone looked at Laurent, who was laughing his ass off. "As for you!" He started, gaining the protagonist's attention.

"I'll be sparring with you every day from now on. There are multiple types of fighters in the seas, and facing only hand-to-hand fighters would handicap you against weapon users." Logically stated the Commodore, a satisfied smile on his face as he noticed the horrified look on Laurent's face.

'I'm all for training, but nobody wants to be beaten by two Mike Tysons in a row.' Thought Laurent as a single tear ran down his face.

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AN__: Do you want the protagonist to have a pet? If yes, which animal do you think his personality matches the most?