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The 3rd of March 1506.

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"Are you kids ready to go?" Asked Zephyr as he glanced at Laurent and Fred, who were discussing with Instructor Baibald.

"Yes!" They simultaneously answered before following the Admiral into the marine ship, which was as big as three football pitches standing next to each other. Fred couldn't help but marvel at the size of the vessel. Laurent, however, remembers being on his grandfather's ship, which was as big as this one. So, he wasn't fazed by the size of the Admiral's vessel.

Nodding his head at Baibald and Stone, Zephyr followed the two youngsters as he thought about their futures in the marine.

'Barron's grandson is a recognized genius. We didn't want him to grow conceited, so we sent him to a regular camp before the yearly recruitment. This little guy named Fred, however, is a big surprise.' He mused, smiling as he looked at the young recruits. He could already see their bright futures.

'Whoever can beat, at age 15, a pirate worth almost 20 million berries while wearing something a thousand kilograms heavy would make it into marineford.' He thought again, estimating the overall strength of Laurent and Fred. However, he stopped doing that as a thought entered his mind.

'Let's wait until we get to Marineford. Although they are geniuses, I must understand their strength before building an adequate training program.' He continued thinking as he handed the two kids to his assistant before walking toward his cabin.

'Is it time for me to retire?' He questioned, looking at the blue sea with a hint of nostalgia as all his past flashed through his mind. 'With the new kids coming up, they need an anchor that helps them grow. I'm the most suitable to play that role.' He affirmed, thinking about the other three talented kids already sent to Marineford.

"I must train them into pillars of this organization." He confidently spoke as he opened the door leading to his cabinet. It was time to get some well-needed rest.

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Later, at night.

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"They said instructor Baibald and Commodore Stone will be promoted within this month." Spoke Laurent as he ate dinner alongside Fred on one corner of the ship. As a cautious individual, Laurent did not like large crowds. He does not have social anxiety. He just has a trauma of being in a large gathering.

In his past life, his parents were killed by a terrorist while in a crowd. He got lucky and was able to survive that attack. However, Laurent does not hate being in a mob. Some situations may require him to be in one, but he doesn't prefer it. On the other hand, Fred followed his best friend to keep him company. He's the only person he knew on this ship, anyway.

"Where have you heard that?" Asked Fred, surprised by hearing such a piece of information. He did not expect his teacher's fight to be that massive and significant.

"I heard people talking about it while touring the ship earlier. So, I had to ask them about the situation." Responded Laurent, receiving a nod from Fred, meaning 'spill the tea, brother,' and he did.

"An established New World pirate came to our part of the grand line to cause a commotion. Hence, Commodore Stone and Instructor Baibald went out together to face the incoming enemy. The fight was harder than expected as they both got injured during the fight that longed for almost five hours. Fortunately, they managed to take the pirate's head, earning a massive wave of merits." Finished Laurent, taking a bite out of his food.

Hearing the explanation, Fred understood with a smile appearing on his face. "The Marines are a meritocratic system, after all. You will get promoted, no matter how old you are, If you earn enough merits." Affirmed Fred while also eating his food. He was happy that his mentors would be promoted. Maybe they will meet in Marineford.

"That's what I like about this organization. If you show your worth, they will care for you in a kingly way." Interjected Laurent as he almost finished eating. "Let me grab some of those fries real quick." He added, stretching his hand toward Fred's plate. However, that hand was slapped away before it could reach its destination.

"Who told you to gobble it down like that? You'll learn to eat slowly next time." Mocked Fred as he got away from Laurent to finish his food. Fred knew that staying around Laurent during meal times was a bad idea. Instructor Baibald can consent to that.

With fast hands and a maxed-out dexterity attribute, a piece of your food could disappear without your notice. Baibald had to increase Laurent's training intensity multiple times to take revenge. Unfortunately for the marine Captain, the recruit relished such training. Even Commodore Stone avoided eating next to Laurent.

'I'm not a glutton. I'm just stocking energy from my training.' Explains Laurent every time he's blamed for his behavior.

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Pouting, Laurent dejectedly brought his empty plate to the kitchen before washing it. Although there are designated workers for that, that's for formal marine soldiers. The workers are not required to help recruits like them complete those tasks. At least, that's what they were told.

Looking around the kitchen area, Laurent saw several plates with remaining food. However, he forced himself to focus on washing his dish.

During his first week in this world, Laurent discovered something extraordinary. He did not have to control his eating habits to remain healthy. No matter how many calories you consume, they will effortlessly be burned through training. Burning calories and forming muscle mass is a hundred times easier in this world than on Earth.

As a glutton, that's one of the things he liked the most about his reincarnation in this world. At least he can eat whatever he wants without worrying about gaining weight or losing fitness.

'It's not even fair.' Complained Laurent as he finished washing his dish. 'Why is there such a big difference between the two worlds?' He questioned, feeling disheartened after thinking about the pain he went through to keep his lean muscles. 

"Bodybuilders would think this world was their heaven." Spoke Laurent as he stepped out of the kitchen, walking back toward Fred's location.

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The 4th of March 1506.

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"Hello, sir!" Greeted Laurent, a smile on his face as he approached one of Admiral Zephyr's assistants, Morten Madsen. It was early in the morning, around 6:00 in the morning. Madsen is the navigator of the ship. He and his team are used to sleeping late and waking up early to ensure they're on the right track.

Today, however, he found that one of the recruits they were supposed to drop off at Marineford woke up earlier than them. Surprised but also curious about the young recruit, Madsen responded.

"Hello!" He greeted, smiling back at the teenager. "You woke up pretty early. Do you have any problems with your allocated cabin?" He asked, expecting something of the sort to happen. However, Madsen crossed that idea out of his mind upon thinking further.

'This is Vice-admiral Fall's grandson. He must have taken the seas multiple times.' Hr thought, waiting for Laurent to answer his question.

"No!" Answered Laurent, rapidly dismissing Madsen's question before asking one of his own. "Do you have a training room on this ship? I toured the ship yesterday, but I didn't find any." Asked Laurent, eager to hear a positive answer to his question, which surprised Madsen even more.

"You want to train?" Questioned Madsen, his surprise turning to shock after seeing Laurent nod. Taking a few seconds to compose himself, Madsen cursed at his lack of professionalism in front of the young recruit.

'I can't be shocked by a little kid. The Admiral trains every day at this time. Why can't other people do the same?' He silently admonished before controlling his facial expression and responding.

"We don't have a training room." He answered, to Laurent's disappointment. Smiling at the teenager's expression, he continued. "However, the deck is spacious enough to be used as a training ground. Until 8:00 in the morning, you're allowed to train on it." He finished as Laurent's face lit up.

"Thank you, sir." Thanked Laurent, his expression turning from excited to curious. "May I know your name?" He asked, remembering that he didn't know the man's name.

As Madsen was about to answer, he noticed a figure approaching, making him shut up as the figure spoke. "His name is Madsen. He's a marine Commodore and the chief navigator of this ship." Voiced Zephyr, earning Laurent's attention.

Turning around, Laurent saw the Admiral walking toward him, a smile on his face.

"I train here every morning." He affirmed, noticing that Laurent already had his training clothes on him; he continued. "From today onwards to the day we arrive at Marineford two weeks later, I will train you every morning at 5:00." He commanded, turning around, ready to start his warm-up.

"Wake little Fred up. He'll be training too." He added, pointing at the ship's residential area.