Chapter 4: Become a Marine Trainee

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A simple point allocation experiment confirmed to Arashi that his golden finger ability allowed him to upgrade his skills by allocating points. 

Moreover, he could earn these points through dying. He wondered if he could exploit this by committing suicide to glitch the system.

"Bogart, get this kid a Marine trainee uniform," Garp's booming voice commanded. 

"From now on, he's one of my men!"

Arashi looked up and saw a silent man standing nearby in a beige suit and hat. Bogart glanced at Arashi, nodded, and left to follow Garp's order. 

Meanwhile, a tall figure with a lazy expression and sunglasses emerged from the ship's cabin. When he saw Garp, his face visibly lit up with excitement.

"I heard the headquarters is once again proposing to promote you to the rank of Admiral!" the man said, addressing Garp as Vice Admiral.

Garp grinned. "Ha ha ha, just an Admiral? I have no interest in that at all."

"That's an Admiral position!" Kuzan exclaimed.

"Escorting those scummy Celestial Dragons? I have no interest in that!" Garp scoffed. "It's much freer to remain a Vice Admiral!"

Garp then pointed to Arashi, standing silently with no presence, and introduced him. "This is Arashi, the newest recruit in my crew."

Kuzan was taken aback and then fixed his gaze on Arashi. "Anyone who catches Vice Admiral Garp's eye must be quite powerful!"

Arashi looked up at the future admiral, Kuzan, but remained silent, making Kuzan awkwardly scratch his head. "Another quiet one like Bogart, I see."

Suddenly, Garp smacked his forehead as if he remembered something. "I almost forgot, you killed the Bokan family and offended the Celestial Dragons." 

"What skills do you have? Becoming a Marine isn't easy; you need certain abilities to survive in battle!"

Arashi pressed his lips together. "I never said I wanted to be a Marine."

Garp laughed heartily. "Of course, you want to be a Marine! Do you want to become a pirate instead?"

Arashi shrugged but didn't argue further. For now, he had nowhere else to go.

"Bokan, that sounds like a noble name. Offending the Celestial Dragons, this kid!?" Kuzan was shocked but then looked at Arashi with admiration and excitement.

At twenty-something, Kuzan was in his most passionate and rebellious phase, denying everything in this world. 

He admired someone brave enough to raise a sword against nobles and directly confront the Celestial Dragons. 

Deep down, he respected this kind of courage because, in his position, bound by his identity and mindset, he wasn't sure if he could do it himself.

Garp began asking questions to learn more about the boy he had taken in.

"Do you know swordsmanship?" Arashi shook his head. Garp didn't mind; he wasn't skilled in swordsmanship either.

"How about martial arts?" Arashi shook his head again. Garp smiled and asked, "What about marksmanship?" Arashi remained silent.

Garp was stunned, looking at Arashi with a puzzled expression. "Have you ever undergone any physical or strength training?"

Arashi shook his head again. Garp opened his mouth, and Kuzan's eyes widened. 

"You've never learned anything. How did you kill the Bokan family and escape from such a noble estate?" Kuzan asked loudly.

"They couldn't kill me, so I killed them!" Arashi looked up and answered thoughtfully. 

After a pause, he added, "I bit them with my teeth, smashed them with stones, and used the knives I grabbed. I always found a way."

These words left Garp and Kuzan speechless. They could imagine the craziness Arashi went through facing the brutal Bokan noble guards to escape finally. 

Garp took a deep breath, thinking about how that bastard Karens had tried every method to kill this boy, and couldn't help but clench his fists in anger.

"I'll train you!" Garp declared.

"But you need to be prepared. My training methods can be quite injurious," Garp warned.

Arashi nodded. At this moment, he felt an indescribable yearning for power, perhaps because of his countless hardships and deaths.

Bogart quickly brought a fitting Marine uniform. Arashi quietly changed into it and washed his face.

"Looking sharp!" Kuzan gave a thumbs up, his eyes filled with admiration.

Arashi smiled back. Garp, draped in his Justice cape and arms crossed, also smiled as he observed the now-uniformed, freshly-washed, black-haired youth.

"Kid, tell me your age."

"Seventeen," Arashi replied.

"Same age as Kuzan. You two might become good friends," Garp said. "Bogart, you should talk more," he added with a smile. Bogart nodded silently.

"Besides Conqueror's Haki, you know nothing else, right?" Garp asked.

"You could say that," Arashi nodded.

"That makes it easier. Drawing on a blank canvas is something I'm quite good at," Garp laughed. He then tossed one end of a thick rope to Arashi, who caught it with a puzzled expression.

"We're heading to the New World, and time is tight. So your training starts now!" Garp announced. He stepped in front of Arashi. "Hold on tight to the rope, or you'll be left behind!"

With a hearty laugh, Garp kicked Arashi in the rear. The rope went taut, and the black-haired youth shot out like a meteor, landing hundreds of meters away in the ocean.

"Bogart, speed up the ship! We don't have time to waste here!" Garp shouted. Bogart silently gestured to the Marines, and the ship accelerated.

Arashi was now facing a deadly crisis. The sudden immersion in the sea nearly suffocated him, and Garp had never asked if he could swim.

"This is murder, not training!" In the vast ocean, he felt the bone-chilling fear and his insignificance. 

He glanced at the fifty points on his panel but decided against using them to upgrade his Conqueror's Haki, as it wouldn't help his current situation.

"Hang in there, Arashi! No one has ever passed Vice Admiral Garp's training yet!" Kuzan shouted from afar, laughing.

"Is this encouragement? It feels more like a blow," Arashi thought, his heart sinking. As the ship sped up, he was dragged along, skimming across the water. 

The impact of the waves felt like iron fists pummeling his body, and the saltwater flooding his lungs was unbearable. It seemed like he could die at any moment.

An hour and eight minutes into the training, Arashi drowned. His system points jumped to 51. However, this brush with death taught him how to swim. 

Indeed, one's potential could be unleashed in the face of life and death. He felt his muscles and strength become more coordinated and powerful. 

He gritted his teeth and held onto the rope tightly. What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger. Let the storm come harder!

<End Chapter>

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