Chapter 16: Entering the Naval Academy for Further Studies

At Garp's gesture, Wood looked behind him in confusion.

The scene before his eyes finally made Wood understand why Garp had spoken the way he did.

Before Garp tested Wood, there were many people standing behind him, many of whom were naval officers who had gone to sea with Zephyr this time.

Among them, Major General Kadaru held the highest rank and was also the closest to Wood.

As a major general of the navy headquarters, although Kadaru's strength was far inferior to Garp's, he still possessed a certain level of power.

If it were a fight, Kadaru would have no chance of winning, but in terms of enduring pressure, Garp's aura didn't have much effect on him, and Kadaru was standing there with a calm expression.

However, the other naval officers didn't have it as easy.

Even though Garp hadn't exerted himself fully, the Navy hero wasn't just a loudmouth. Someone who could force the Pirate King into desperate situations many times was definitely no ordinary show-off.

The colonel-level naval commanders could barely maintain their standing posture at this moment, but their breathing was clearly disordered. It was obvious that resisting such murderous intent was not easy for them.

As for the lieutenant-level naval officers, their condition was similar to Wood's—they were all slumped on the ground, gasping for breath.

One of the captains, seeing Wood turn his head to look at them, tried to stand up out of a desire not to embarrass himself in front of the recruits.

However, he had barely straightened up when his legs gave out, and he fell back to the ground.

If that was the situation for the captains, the sergeants and ordinary soldiers fared even worse.

But they weren't worried about losing face because they had already passed out.

Seeing this comparison, Wood understood why Garp was satisfied with his performance.

Wood was still a green recruit, but in terms of willpower alone, he was on par with a captain of the Navy Headquarters, and considering the distance, he was even better.

If he claimed he wasn't capable enough, it would be disrespectful to the other captain-level officers.

Thanks to Garp's actions, this year's naval recruits' induction ceremony was quite unique.

However, a young man who had originally planned to keep a low profile found himself, contrary to his wishes, becoming the most notable recruit among this batch.

Gold shines wherever it goes, and the same is true if a person is too outstanding.

Wood had just received his recruit uniform from the Resources Department and found his assigned room.

The new recruits, who had just been recruited from various places, would not be directly incorporated into the navy. Instead, they would first undergo several years of systematic training.

Wood received three sets of clothing, all of which were white with blue edges, not much different from the standard navy uniforms.

As a proud naval recruit, these three sets of clothes would be his companions for the next few years.

Since they were rookies, they had no right to wear special clothing, and the white uniform with blue edges was the standard. According to the Naval Academy's regulations, recruits had to wear this uniform for daily operations and training unless it was a holiday.

Don't ask how three sets of clothes could last for several years. Wood had already asked the Resources Department, and if the clothes were damaged, he could buy new ones with his own money.

But Wood had also found out that the price was quite expensive. Considering their recruit allowance, they could barely afford to buy one set a month.

Looking at the standard issue clothing in his hand, Wood really couldn't understand why these plain garments were so expensive.

"Although it is the standard uniform of the navy, it was specially designed by a famous designer from the Grand Line, commissioned by the Marshal himself.

Although it looks simple, it actually exudes elegance, and the fabric is very sophisticated. It keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer, and the artistic elements alone are on another level..."

As if sensing Wood's disdain, the sergeant in charge of allocating resources immediately explained the special features of the uniform.

This guy went on about the artistic elements and the symbolism of the navy uniform. Wood couldn't help but admire his salesmanship. It was a waste for this guy to be working here—if he were in Wood's previous world, he would have been a sales champion anywhere he went.

After the sergeant's pitch, Wood even began to suspect that he might have underestimated the uniform, so he decided to buy an extra set.

The resource officer quickly took Wood's money and handed him a brand new uniform with a satisfied expression.

However, after Wood inspected the uniform and couldn't find anything "special" about it, he decided to go back and discuss it with the resource officer. But when he returned, he found that the sergeant was giving the same sales pitch to another new recruit.

That recruit, clearly taken in by the sergeant's words, excitedly took out all his savings and spent a small fortune to buy ten sets of uniforms.

"Yes, it seems you have a keen eye. Buying so many uniforms shows your strong sense of belonging to the navy.

I have high hopes for you. Perhaps in ten years, you will be the next admiral."

After cheerfully sending off the recruit who left with a pile of uniforms, the sergeant's expression fell when he saw Wood returning.

"These navy uniforms are custom-made and non-refundable!"

The Naval Academy has been around for a long time, and even legends like Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr were once students here.

Most navy soldiers were just ordinary people when they first joined, and the navy headquarters naturally wouldn't send them to fight vicious pirates immediately.

If the navy appeared too weak when fighting pirates, it would only damage the navy's reputation and boost the pirates' arrogance.

Moreover, an untrained navy would be ineffective against pirates who were seasoned in causing trouble at sea, making it impossible to enforce justice.

A high casualty rate would not only damage the navy's dignity but would also make ordinary people believe that joining the navy was an extremely dangerous job, which would deter future recruits.

After retiring from the front lines, Zefa is currently serving as the chief instructor of the Naval Academy.

People like Akainu and Kizaru were part of Zephyr's first batch of students, while Aokiji was in the third batch.

Wood's class is already the fifth.