>6< Jealousy Turned Me Ugly

Chapter 6: Jealousy Turned Me Ugly

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month passed.

"The Black Cat Pirates have reappeared!"

Early in the morning, the atmosphere at Branch 153 was extremely tense.

The Black Cat Pirates had plundered another village near the branch, but the branch had no way to stop them.

By the time Colonel Rhodes and his team arrived, the Black Cat Pirates had already vanished without a trace—not even the pirate ship's wake was visible, leaving only a devastated town behind.

Fortunately, the villagers had spotted the pirates coming and hid in the mountains early.

In the recruit training ground, Reon was running steadily, overtaking his fellow recruits and quickly leaving them behind.

The others were exasperated.

"Damn, how many laps has he lapped us by?"

"Two laps, no, three laps!"

"Isn't that guy ever tired?"

"Forget it, let's just run at our own pace."

In just over half a month, while they were still adapting, Reon was already able to easily complete basic training and seemed to be catching up to the veterans' progress.

Does he really have to push himself that hard?

Recently, even the instructor looked at them with a hint of disdain, much like how their parents used to look at them when they were kids.

It was disheartening!

Not only were the newcomers feeling the pressure, but the veterans were also feeling it even more. The thought of being surpassed by a rookie was unpleasant.

In the afternoon, after finishing their chores, Reon and Fullbody hid on the rooftop, enjoying a smoke and the most leisurely time of the day.

Fullbody stared at Reon until Reon began to feel uneasy.

"What's up?"

"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"

"Really?"

Reon was taken aback.

He didn't think he was doing that much.

Even with the extra practice in "The World," his total training volume was just double that of an official Marine.

His goal of reaching 200 times that was still far off.

Koby joined the Navy at 16 and was promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer within six months, even mastering the "Soru" technique of the Six Powers, which normal physical abilities couldn't achieve.

Not to mention those monsters with incredible physical talents; even without systematic training, they were ten to a hundred times stronger than him.

Being bulletproof—scary, right?

Reon didn't feel he was working too hard. On the contrary, he felt it was far from enough. With an ordinary human body, what else could he do besides train diligently?

Devil Fruit?

With his current capabilities, unless he stumbled upon one by sheer luck, obtaining one through other means was impossible.

Fullbody patted Reon on the shoulder, speaking earnestly, "Reon, I'm worried you'll wear your body out."

"Thanks, don't worry, I know my limits," Reon replied with a smile.

If he didn't have "The World" as a fallback, training so intensely could indeed lead to physical collapse, and he understood the importance of balancing effort and rest.

But time waits for no one.

"The World" was his greatest asset in becoming stronger, and his only real advantage over others. If he didn't fully utilize it, he would certainly regret it in the future.

The conversation had taken a heavy turn.

Fullbody stood up, leaning over the low wall to observe the training ground below, and suddenly said, "By the end of the month, you'll be taking the recruit assessment, right?"

"Of course," Reon admitted without hesitation.

That's precisely his plan. The sooner he becomes an official Marine, the sooner he can access more advanced training programs.

Like martial arts, swordsmanship, marksmanship.

And real combat!

Physical training is just the foundation; it's combat that truly drives transformation.

Fullbody sighed. In the half-month they'd known each other, he had come to regard Reon as a friend and could see that Reon wasn't content with simply staying in this mundane branch.

Given Reon's level of effort, even if his talent wasn't exceptional, he was bound to stand out sooner or later, and he might eventually even make it to Marine Headquarters.

But the current situation was very dire.

"Reon, if I were you, the later you become an official Marine, the better."

"You're referring to the Black Cat Pirates?"

"Exactly."

Reon fell silent.

The Black Cat Pirates were entrenched within the waters under Branch 153's jurisdiction, growing increasingly infamous, and their captain, Kuro, had a bounty of 16 million Berries.

In the entire East Blue, there were only a few pirates with bounties over 15 million Berries.

The branch wanted to take down Kuro, but it simply wasn't possible. Even Colonel Rhodes, the head of the base, wasn't a match for Kuro.

Yet, the responsibility the Navy carried meant that Branch 153 had to attempt to subdue the Black Cat Pirates, even if it meant experiencing another disaster like the last time!

Therefore, once one becomes an official Marine, there's a high risk of facing the Black Cat Pirates directly, and the chances of survival for ordinary Marines are slim.

Fullbody's underlying message was clear to Reon.

Delaying becoming an official Marine would reduce the likelihood of having to face the Black Cat Pirates directly.

On one hand, the Black Cat Pirates might leave the waters under Branch 153's jurisdiction to seek larger territories, or even venture into the Grand Line.

On the other hand, as Captain Kuro's notoriety increased, Marine Headquarters might dispatch stronger forces to eliminate him.

The problem is, Captain Kuro's bounty would need to reach at least 20 million Berries to attract the attention of Marine Headquarters.

20 million is that critical line!

"Fullbody, I won't stop!"

Reon's gaze turned fierce.

Since arriving in this world, he had been recalling all the information about East Blue, and there was one thing he remembered very clearly.

Kuro would not leave the East Blue.

Moreover, within two years, Kuro would attack a Branch 153 warship, slaughtering all the Marines onboard except for Morgan, to execute a plan of faking his death and retiring.

If he languished and didn't become stronger than Kuro within those two years, there was a high chance he would be one of the Marines killed.

Even if he miraculously avoided that fate, he'd face Morgan's dark tyranny.

There was no use in running away!

Once you become a Marine at Branch 153, you have no choice but to face this challenge. The only way to survive is to quickly become stronger, stronger than Kuro!

Before joining the branch, he had considered moving to another Marine base. However, the navigation conditions in this world were so treacherous that he couldn't leave this island.

Staying around the nearby sea was fine, but traveling far required applying for permission from the government, or he risked being seen as a pirate!

He didn't want to be a pirate; not only would his life be constantly in danger, but he'd also be scorned by society, stripping him of any social status.

Moreover, even if he moved to another branch, he couldn't escape danger.

The "East Blue Overlord" Krieg, "Fishman" Arlong, "Clown" Buggy...

These pirates with bounties over 15 million were spread all over East Blue, each as formidable as Kuro. To make a name for himself, he'd eventually have to face them.

After a long silence.

Reon felt something was off and frowned, asking, "What about you? Aren't you taking the graduation assessment too? Aren't you worried?"

"I told you, I'm not like you."

Fullbody wiggled his finger with a mischievous smile, boasting earnestly, "I have connections. It won't be long before I'm transferred to Marine Headquarters."

"..."

Damn, this bastard is so infuriating!

Jealousy twisted Reon's features.

He was training like crazy to get to Marine Headquarters, the real starting point for success, whereas staying in East Blue led nowhere.

And here this guy was, heading to Marine Headquarters without lifting a finger.

Nepotism is the worst!

Having shown off in front of Reon, Fullbody was in high spirits, as refreshing as having an ice cream on a hot summer day.

"Come on, stop sulking. Here, let me teach you to dance!"

"Teach me to dance?"

Reon was practically radiating dark energy.

"Heh, haha!"

"Damn you, Fullbody, are you being cocky? Don't underestimate me; I'm not the same as I was half a month ago!"

"Let's have a dance-off!"

"Loser washes the winner's underwear!"

"Today, I'll show you what real dance skills are!"

Half an hour later.

Reon was defeated, crouched down in defeat.