A promise for the future

" Bwahahahahaha! That's my boy for ya! Bwahahahaha!"

" GARP, SHUT UP!"

" Don't get so upset, Sengoku." Garp laughed.

" Your family is always a problem!!!" Though Garp's laughter drowned out much of the background noise, the loud shouting coming from Sengoku, could not go unnoticed.

To any normal sailor, such an experience was always dreaded. The two old time friends never could agree on anything completely, but to Bogard, their personalities were both something that he already had come to terms with.

" Sir, how do you want to address this?" Bogard asked the man.

" What do you think, Bogard? I usually handle the physical aspects, you're the one who's responsible for the more in-depth training. I was planning on holding off haki training for another year." Garp stated.

" If possible, I'd like to teach them the basics." Bogard muttered.

" That's fine then.... Wait a minute? Them?"

" That's another thing, Garp-San. If at all possible, I want to teach the boy as well." Bogard spoke.

" Why's that? Feeling sentimental, Bogard?" Garp asked the man.

" No, I just don't tolerate weakness in my soldiers." Bogard told the man.

" Bwahahahaha! Alright then, see to it. I'll be back in a few days. Until then make sure the boy's rest. We'll have a lot to go over in the next few days, especially the paperwork."

" Understood."

* Ka-Chunk!

Having said all he needed to say, Garp ended the transmission and the transponder snail fell back to sleep.

"Hmmm, okay then." Bogard muttered.

..................

Meanwhile!

Markus was brought back to the clinic by Bogard. At some point after the Marineford dock incident, he had fell asleep. Most likely caused by the sudden surge of haki through his body.

However, it wasn't long until Markus regained consciousness. " Ow, my head hurts" Markus groaned.

" OH! You're awake!" Brago shouted from Markus' bed side, he was covered from head to toe in bandages, the only visible part of him was his face.

" HEY! BRAGO! YOU'RE AWAKE!" Markus immediately sat up, as if a newfound source of energy had flooded his body. " How are you feeling?" Markus asked the boy.

" I'm fine. The doctors really patched me up. You were out for quite some time, so I had a chance to recover." Brago explained.

" I'm glad to hear it."

" What happened, Markus? How did you end up in the hospital?"

" I guess I must have been more tired than I thought. I remember beating up the guys who hurt you, and then nothing. I guess Uncle Bogard, must have brought me back here." Markus spoke. " Where is he anyway? I thought he would be here."

Upon hearing this one of the nurses from the station spoke up. " Bogard-San is busy reporting to Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp. He's just in the other room and will be back shortly."

As if on cue, Bogard pushed open the sliding door to the infirmary and stepped inside. " Ah, Markus, Brago. You're both awake. Good, I have something to discuss with the two of you. Let's go." Bogard told the boys.

" Eh, but I'm still heal-"

Bogard looked back at Brago while he was speaking and glared at the two boys.

" Yes sir, right away!"

" Sorry sir!"

Markus and Brago both ran out of the infirmary with Bogard.

....................

" Hey, Bogard? Where are we going?" Markus asked the man.

Bogard did not answer, instead, he took a right down the hallway leading from the infirmary to the main courtyard and once there, Bogard kicked both Markus and Brago down into the dirt.

" Owwww." Brago groaned. He was patched up, yes, but he still had his injuries. They were still fresh and still hurt very much.

" Gah!!! What was that for?!" Markus asked.

" For passing out in enemy territory, and for getting beaten up in the first place. You know our rules here Markus. Students of ours don't quit and they don't lose. They keep going until they can't anymore, and then they go even further than that. To go beyond your limits is our moto. And from this day forward, Brago is your fellow student." Bogard told the boy. " Garp-San has given me free range to train you as I see fit. The both of you. So, that's what I'm going to do starting from today until the day you two officially join the marines."

" Wait, training? But why?" Brago asked.

" You want to join the marines, don't you?" Bogard asked the boy.

" Well, yes."

" Then you need training. I won't lie and tell you this will be fun, in fact it will be quite the opposite, for both of you. No more kid games, Markus. You'll train every day from the time the sun rises to the time it sets, and then you will read, and learn and then you will sleep, and then you will wake up and repeat the process again and again, until I decide you are ready. Markus, for you this is absolutely mandatory. Brago, if you have any reservations about truly joining the marines, now is the time to voice them." Bogard explained. " And do not worry, marine life isn't for everyone. You do not need to feel pressured into thinking that this is necessary. There are many different occupations in the world that you could join to help the marines, for instance, we are in need of more doctors, chefs, and dentists. Any of those professions would be good for a young man like you. Make your choice now but know that if you decide to stay then you are mine until you turn sixteen. Got it? Choose now."

Bogards intensity weighted down on Brago's very being.

The idea of doing anything violent always scared, the young boy. But since meeting Markus and hanging out with him, and hearing his dream for the world, Brago began to understand that sometimes violence isn't bad. It might not solve all of his problems, but it can be very helpful.

So, as much as the idea scared him, Brago stood up confidently and saluted Bogard. " I wish to join the Marines, sir!"

Bogard and Markus both grinned.

" Very well, Brago! Fifty- Laps around the entire estate! GO!" Bogard shouted loudly.

" EHHHHHHH?!" Brago was shocked. He hadn't expected the very first thing, Bogard would have him do is run fifty laps. one or two or even five, okay. But fifty? That seemed too much for a kid his age. But before Brago could argue his point, Bogard drew his wooden kendo stick and smacked Brago across his bottom with it. " Ahhhhh! Okay! I'm going! I'm going Sir!"

" Bwahaha- Huh?" Markus was laughing as Brago was swatted, but he found himself quickly silenced by Bogard throwing a blue scarf at his face. " Bogard? What's this for?" Markus asked the man.

" Put it on. Your training is about to begin." Bogard told the boy.

Markus shrugged his shoulder and did as Bogard told him and placed the blue scar right on his face.

" Okay, Markus. Listen and listen closely. So far, Garp and I have taught you how to fight, and we've built up your physical strength. We made your body powerful. But a strong body is only going to go so far on its own. In this world there are men and women and even children who have possession of powers, we call those with powers devil fruit eaters. People who have eaten the legendary devil fruits. You know a few devil fruit users yourself, Kuzan, Borsalino, Sakazuki, Tsuru-Chan, and even Admiral Sengoku. All of them are devil fruit users. Some devil fruit users are granted extraordinary abilities that make them dangerous even to trained Marines. This mostly comes from the fact that when one eats a devil fruit and gains a power, they take on the property of the fruit they ate. This could sometimes make them untouchable.... Under normal circumstances." Bogard explained. " There is one way, we of the marines have come to deal with these devil fruit users. It is what we know as Haki. Today, I will begin teaching you the basics of them."

" Haki?! But Pops said I wasn't old enough to even think about learning about haki." Markus told the man.

" Yes, but things have changed. I am the one training you, so I make the decisions. Understand?"

" Yes sir."

" Now, before we begin, I must first explain to you what Haki is and how we utilize it. In the simplest explanation possible, Haki is a person's spirit. Their willpower. All people in the world can access this ability, but rarely does anyone ever actually do so. This is because most people do not know how to, or why they would need to. Especially those with Devil Fruits." Bogard explained. " Now, there are normally two types of Haki, Observation and Armament. Observation haki heavily relies on one's instincts, and his ability to perceive the state of things around him. It allows you to feel one's presence more strongly, that is how I found you at the docks. If you were to properly train your observation haki, you could tell where an enemy was, how many there are, no matter where he was hiding, and be able to dodge even attacks that you could not see, and those extremely proficient with this form of Haki could even be able to see what their opponents next move was before they knew themselves. Beyond that, there is a form of Observation haki that only those of the highest caliber can perform. But you do not need to think about that for now."

" Next up, is the more combat oriented Armament Haki. This is a very important ability for us in the marines. Other than by exploiting their natural weaknesses, Armament haki is another way that we of the Marines are able to directly engage Devil Fruit users in combat. But, like Observation haki, Armament haki also has levels of its own. The basic level of Armament haki allows for one to touch Devil Fruit users. But there are more uses above that."

" Now, those are the normal types of haki. But for a very rare few in this world, those with true willpower and with ambition, there is a third form of haki called Conqueror's haki. The spirit of a King. It, unlike the other two forms, cannot be trained naturally. It can only grow stronger as a biproduct of your own independent willpower. Meaning it can only grow if you grow. But you do not need to worry about this for now. Garp will explain this to you himself."

" Now, pay attention, as I am going to explain to you how to utilize each form of haki. First, we will begin with observation, as I believe this will be the hardest for you to learn. Observation haki always requires a calm state of mind. Meaning you must always be in control of your emotions. You have a knack for acting out explosively in certain situations. Be at peace with yourself Markus and listen, feel. All things have intent. I am going to hit you in the head over and over again for the rest of the day, and the next day, and the day after that and so on, until you can finally manage to dodge at least five repeated strikes from my kendo stick. You will not remove that blindfold for anything until you learn observation. That means from today forward, until the day you get it, this is how you will view the world. Blind. Ready?" Bogard asked the boy.

Markus took in a deep breath. " Feel the intent, keep a calm mind." Markus muttered he inhaled another deep breath and exhaled to calm himself. " Okay. Let's go."

*BAM!

Bogard's Kendo stick smashed Markus into the floor with force.

" OWWWWW!" Markus hollered.

" Again!"

* BAM!

" Again!"

* BAM!

" AGAIN!"

*BAAAAAAM!

" THIS IS STUPID!!!!!!!"

*BAM!!!!!!