45: A Name That Shone Briefly on the Seas

A figure was sent flying from the white smoke.

The wall, which had already been smashed through by Smoker, now had an even larger, inwardly collapsing hole.

Smoker lay within it, unconscious.

"That was quite the harsh blow. That kid really doesn't hold back, as always," Garp remarked with a click of his tongue, his arms crossed as he observed.

Meanwhile, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru all kept their eyes fixed on the black-haired boy gradually emerging from the dissipating white smoke.

He was unscathed, though the sleeve on his right arm had been torn off, revealing a muscular and well-defined arm.

Sengoku shifted his gaze to Zephyr and asked, "Zephyr, do you still have any objections?"

Zephyr took a deep breath, looking at the black-haired boy in the arena and replied gravely, "If it's this kid, I have no objections. I agree to recruit him as a Marines trainee."

After speaking, Zephyr turned to Sengoku with a serious expression and said, "Sengoku, can you entrust this kid to me for training? I can guarantee that he'll become an even more terrifying monster than Kuzan, Borsalino, or Sakazuki!"

Before Sengoku could respond, Tsuru spoke up, "That might not be possible."

Zephyr frowned, "Why not?"

"Because he's not officially part of the Marines yet—he's just a special recruit trainee," Tsuru said, glancing at him. "Have you considered what would happen if he chose not to join the Marines?"

Zephyr's expression hardened.

"Tsuru, what do you suggest we do?" Sengoku asked, looking toward her.

The gray-haired Vice Admiral Tsuru glanced at the black-haired boy in the distance, thought for a moment, and then turned back to Sengoku. "Give him the freedom to act within the Marines, allow him to voluntarily participate in capturing pirates and other missions. His position and salary should be equivalent to that of a captain, but he should not have access to core matters, and no one is allowed to teach him the Six Powers of the Marines."

"All confidential Marines information should only be revealed to him once he formally joins the Marines and passes the corresponding tests," Tsuru said decisively.

"Give him freedom and limits, let him experience everything firsthand, and then decide for himself..." Sengoku nodded. "I agree with Tsuru."

Garp yawned, "I have no objections."

Zephyr, now a bit more composed, still posed a question, "What about the School? Will he be allowed in?"

"He can participate in the School's training, but neither you, Zephyr, nor any of the instructors are allowed to teach him anything," Tsuru replied, crossing her arms.

Zephyr nodded. "Understood."

The decision was to essentially let this special recruit trainee learn on his own until he officially became part of the Marines.

"Also, Garp, you're not allowed to teach him anything either," Sengoku added.

"Alright," Garp grinned at Sengoku. "Besides, I've already taught him everything I can."

...

The news of the Marines recruiting an 11-year-old trainee couldn't be kept entirely under wraps and soon spread.

At this point in time, the term "Four Emperors" had not yet come into use, but the names of some powerful pirate crews were already widely known.

For example, the Whitebeard Pirates.

"An 11-year-old trainee recruited by the Marines?" Whitebeard laughed heartily as he read the newspaper.

"Who would've thought that stubborn old Sengoku would do something like this?" He chuckled, lifting his massive cup and taking a swig.

...

On the shore of a small island, a pirate ship and a small coffin-shaped boat were docked.

Suddenly, the sky darkened, as two enormous slashes collided, splitting the sky into four sections above the island.

"The captain's duel with Hawkeye is as awe-inspiring as ever," said Lucky Roo, a rotund man wearing small sunglasses, as he sat on a rock, eating.

"Yasopp, who do you think will win this time?" Lucky Roo asked.

"They've never had a decisive winner before, have they?" Yasopp replied, cleaning his long rifle.

Above their heads, waves of black sword energy from Mihawk's Supreme Grade Black Blade, Yoru, spread out in rings, causing the sea around the island to churn violently.

But the crew was already used to this sight.

Nearby, Benn Beckman, the gray-haired vice-captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, who wore a spiral-patterned cloak and had a cigar in his mouth, lay on a rock, calmly reading the newspaper.

However, when he came across a certain piece of information, a rare look of surprise crossed his usually calm face.

Lucky Roo noticed and asked curiously, "Vice-captain, did something catch your eye?"

"The Marines recruited a trainee," Beckman replied.

"A trainee? The Marines has trainees now?" Yasopp was surprised.

Trainees were common in pirate crews, especially larger ones. Both Shanks and Buggy had been trainees in Roger's crew.

But a Marines trainee was unheard of.

"Is there something special about this trainee to be specially recruited?" Yasopp asked.

"Very special," Beckman replied. "He's a kid named Ron, only 11 years old."

"An 11-year-old kid?!" Yasopp and Lucky Roo exchanged glances.

Beckman looked back at the newspaper, a contemplative expression on his face.

An 11-year-old kid, yet strict and inflexible Sengoku broke protocol to recruit him as a trainee...

Just how extraordinary was this kid?

...

Due to the Marines's unexpected and unconventional move to recruit a trainee, the name "Ron" made its first appearance on the seas.

However, he was just an 11-year-old boy.

A few individuals paid attention, but most dismissed it, thinking it was just another one of the Marines's gimmicks.

The news and his name were quickly overshadowed by other events in the vast ocean.

Like a fleeting flower, the name soon faded from people's memories.

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T/N:

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