Training With The Marines

Jayr POV - Blue Star, East Blue, Polestar Island - 20 GAP

It's early morning, and Koby and I are heading back to the Loguetown Marine Base so that Koby can join in their morning training as we agreed with Smoker yesterday.

The reasons why I choose to let Koby train with the Marines are quite simple, for one, I just wanted to show Koby how the Marines usually train, but the most important reason is to make him spar against different kinds of people, the swordsman, and swordswomen like Tashigi, those expert in firearms, or those that use their Devil Fruits. 

Because right now, Koby's fighting experience is seriously lacking, he only fought with Kuro, who by the way didn't use his favorite weapon so was a lot less lethal than usual, some weak-ass pirates that were practically on par with sandbags whose only redeeming quality was their number advantage, and of course, me, but while I'm able to use all kinds of weapons to various degree of success thanks to my training as Saint, I focus mostly on unharmed combat, and that is what I use when I teach him.

While walking through the quiet and peaceful streets of Loguetown as we head toward the Marine Base, I can't help but think back at yesterday, mostly about our time after the meeting with Smoker and the handout of Kuro.

We reunited with the girls, and then, we continued to explore this city while playing around, doing some more shopping, and visiting historical or important locations, basically what is usually done during a normal family outing.

We chanced upon the Gold Roger Bar a bar operated by Raoul, an old man wearing a white, red-hemmed shirt, a gold necklace and earrings, a purple hat, and small black glasses 

It was formerly one of Loguetown's most popular drinking spots for pirates and famously served Gol D. Roger the night before he set sail for the Grand Line. 

The owner, Raul, awed by Roger's presence and eventual reputation, renamed the bar after him.

But after Roger's execution and the Marines' dominance of Loguetown, the bar's business slowed to the point where Smoker appears to be its only regular patron, marking each anniversary of the execution with a drink, at least, that is what I remember about that place from the anime.

Talking about Roger's execution, we also visited the Execution Platform, a scaffolded tower in the center of the town, on which Gol D. Roger, the legendary Pirate King, was executed. 

After the execution, the World Government maintained it as a tourist site for twenty years, attracting countless visitors.

Anyway, yesterday was a mostly fun and relaxing day, I even let Koby enjoy himself by giving him a day off from training, if you ignore the weighted clothes that he is always wearing, and the fact that he still trained when we returned to the Athena's God Bidoof.

Of course, when we returned to the Athena's God Bidoof, the girls, minus Nikita obviously, showed me their full appreciation and happiness for the wonderful day we passed together and so after putting the kids to sleep, we had some very adult fun for the whole night, much to the joy of Bidi that enjoyed the whole show.

While reminiscing yesterday's events with a content smile on my face, we finally arrive in front of the Loguetown Marine Base, where we see Tashigi already standing in front of the gate waiting for us.

We greet her and quickly she leads us to the training area, a big open field behind the main building, where the marines of this base are constantly flowing in as the time for their morning training gets close, and of course, the more the time to start gets closer the more nervous Koby becomes, and it doesn't help the fact that everyone is staring at us for the obvious reason that we aren't part of the Marine.

Anyway, the time quickly passes as the marines in the field start to warm up and prepare for what is coming, and soon, Smoker enters the field, stops between me and Tashigi and yells, "Listen up, everyone! As I'm sure you all have already noticed we have a few guests today. One of them is an acquaintance of Vice Admiral Garp, the other is his pupil whose aim is to become a Marine and fight for justice like us all. He will join us in our training and also take part in today's sparring matches. Do not hold back! Show him the level of strength and willpower required to be part of the proud Marines!"

Then without waiting for them to digest the news, Smoker yells, "Now, start doing your warm-up laps! Go! Go! Go!"

Quickly all the marines on the field start to run, and Koby joins them without any hesitation, leaving behind only me, Smoker, Tashigi, and a few high-rank officers who focus on keeping the rest of the sailors in line and ensure that they won't skim over their training.

As I watch them run, I suddenly hear Smoker explain, "The ones currently training on the field are the Chore Boys, the Seamen Recruits, the Seamen Apprentices, and the Seamen First Class. Meanwhile, those ranked Petty Officer and above can train on their own or together with their superiors if they are under their mentorship, and they also have to supervise the training of those of lower rank. At the least, it is done this way in the 4 seas."

After that, Smoker pulls out both his cigars and lets out some puff of smoke in the shape of a marine vessel and adds, "Meanwhile, in bases located in the Grand Line things are slightly different as usually those of the rank of Seamen First Class and under are all trained under the care of professional instructors, and after that, the situation varies depending on the individual differences, some are instantly sent on the field to gain experience, some gain recognition from a Commissioned Marine Officer and start to train under them, some others are relegated to one of the 4 Seas to slowly move their way up the ranks, and the most talented, those with the most potential, join the Elitè Training Camp in the Marine Headquarters, at the end of which they are able to instantly raise to the rank of a Commissioned Marine Officer, which mostly depends on one own abilities."

After that, Smoker once again puts both cigars in his mouth and says, "In addition, you have to know that Officers present at Marine Headquarters are considered the elite forces of the Marines, about three ranks higher in terms of power than those of the same rank at other bases. Simply put, a Chore Boy from the Marine Headquarters is as strong as a Seamen First Class found everywhere else."

Hearing that, I nod in understanding, then after a few seconds, I ask about something that always confused me, "Captain Smoker, can you please explain to me how exactly are the Marine Ranks divided? I know that Fleet Admiral, Admiral, and Vice Admiral are at the top, but the rest still confuses me."

Smoker nods and without any hesitation, he orders, "Tashigi! Explain to him about our ranks." delegating the annoying chore to his subordinate like any superior officer always did.

Then he focuses back on his men's training, at the same time, I notice that they stopped their warm-up, and started their true workout program, which starts with a slow, long-distance run of about 18 km.

Meanwhile, Tashigi exclaims in surprise, "Y-Yes, Sir." before she starts to explain, "First, you have to know that the Marine Ranks are divided into two clear divisions, the first is the Commissioned Marine Officers, which is made up of 11 ranks a the top of the chain of command, then there is the Infantry and Sailor Division, made of the 8 ranks at the bottom."

Up to this point, everything is pretty clear and straightforward, then Tashigi starts to list them, "Now, starting from the bottom there is the "Chore Boy", it is the nineteenth highest, or more specifically, the lowest rank, in the Marines. Chore boys have no official uniform besides a white Marine shirt without decoration and blue Marine trousers." 

Tashigi then points at the men slowly running on the field and says, "Following that there are the "Seaman Recruit", the "Seaman Apprentice", and the "Seaman First Class", the difference between these ranks is minimal, and only based on accomplishments and experience, they all must wear the standard uniform, consisting of a white, short-sleeved shirt emblazoned with the Marine emblem, a simplified gull with the word "MARINE" underneath it, on the back, a blue neckerchief, dark blue trousers, and a cap also with the word "MARINE" across the front."

Then Tashigi indicates a man nearby who is yelling at the Seamen, he is wearing a uniform very similar to all the others, only he also has a pair of sunglasses and a fisherman hat, and says, "The next rank is "Petty Officer", once an officer has reached the rank of Petty Officer, he or she can choose from a number of different uniforms, including his or her personal clothes. Only those who really want to appear "sailor-like" will stay with a more traditional uniform."

Tashigi then continues with her explanation, "The next ranks are the "Chief Petty Officer" like I, the "Master Chief Petty Officer", and "Warrant Officer", which are the highest ranks of the Infantry and Sailor Division."

Without any intention of stopping, Tashigi continues with the info dump as I start to regret asking this question but think is too rude to stop her after having asked such a question, "After the rank of "Warrant Officer", comes the lowest rank of the Commissioned Marine Officers, the "Ensign" rank. Sailors at the rank of Ensign and above are allowed to wear the coat with "Justice" on the back. This coat tends to be worn like a cape, draped over the shoulders with the arms, not in the sleeves. It should be noted that the sleeves of these coats are often much longer than the wearers' arms."

I start to drone off a little as Tashigi briefly explains the next ranks which are "Lieutenant Junior Grade", "Lieutenant", "Lieutenant Commander", and "Commander".

At the same time, I focus back on the sailors, plus Koby, as they just finished their slow, long-distance run, and are now heading toward the harbor to start a 4 km long-distance swim, without giving them any chance to rest.

Meanwhile, Tashigi continues with her lesson, "The next rank is that of "Captain", it is the sixth highest rank in the Marines. One of the duties that a Marine Captain could have is to be the commander of one of the several Marine branches established on the islands around the world. In addition, a captain is often seen navigating the seas in order to capture pirates and keep order, in these cases, the captain is the leader of the ship, as long as there are no higher-ranking Marines on board. A Marine captain is considered a strong Marine officer whose experience and battle performance are forces to be reckoned with. Most Marine Captains are either powerful fighters with Devil Fruit powers, or high combat skills, or even considerable tactical knowledge."

Then she talks about the "Commodore" rank which is the fifth highest rank in the Marines. 

The Commodores have command over any marines of lower rank and are tasked with authoritative matters too important for a marine of captain rank to handle. 

Commodores assigned to Headquarters are given duties or responsibilities of equal importance to their higher-ranked superiors. 

After the Commodores she told me about the "Rear Admiral" which is the fourth highest rank in the Marines. 

And she tells me that as the lowest of the Admiral ranks, they have the least amount of authority, yet they still have full command over any and all lower-ranking marines. 

Despite being the lowest admiral rank, they are still known for being powerful fighters, and in some rare cases, rear admirals of high enough caliber and reputation are given additional responsibility and authority, in the case of the rear admirals assigned directly to marine headquarters. 

The next one that Tashigi explains is the "Vice Admiral" rank which is the third highest rank in the Marines. 

She says that these officers can have varying duties and amounts of authority but they all are a force to be reckoned with, especially if one considers the fact that a Buster Call is usually led by 5 of them. 

She also tells me how to easily recognize them as the general attire of a Vice Admiral is that of a Marine coat with epaulets and a suit and tie worn underneath. 

But I remember that while most vice admirals wear the standard blue epaulets, Garp wears a black and red one, while Tsuru wears a purple and gold one, maybe the reason behind that is that their status is higher than those of the other Vice Admirals.

I also know that the Vice Admirals are the Marine's strongest combat force outside of the admirals, and it would seem that most of them are swordsmen and several have been shown using Rokushiki. 

Another important attribute that is common among vice admirals is that they all know and can use at least one type of Haki. 

Then she talks about the, most famous and recognizable rank, that of "Admiral" which is the second highest rank in the Marines. 

There are only three Marines who hold this title at any given time, and they are crowned as the World Government's "Greatest Military Power", as each of them possesses deadly combat abilities. 

They are the only Marines, along with the fleet admiral, able to issue a Buster Call on any island they deem a threat.

A Marine Admiral will wear a Justice coat with golden epaulettes and cuffs corresponding to the color of their alias in addition, the attire of the admiral will often match the color of their alias. 

And of course, the last rank is that of"Fleet Admiral" which is the highest Marine rank, and is the commander of the entire organization. 

It is just above the Admiral but below the World Government Commander-in-Chief and the Five Elders. 

The fleet admiral and the three admirals are the only ones within the Marines capable of legally initiating a Buster Call, as well as granting World Government agents or lower-ranking Marines the right to do so. 

The same also applies to the revocation of a Warlord of the Sea title.

The preferred attire of the Fleet Admiral seems to be a white suit, though heavily stylized according to the person while the coat possesses pure gold epaulettes and white cuffs.

After a few minutes, Tashigi finally explained in clear detail all 18 Marine Ranks, and meanwhile, the sailors and Koby are back on the field and are now going through a set of push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.

As I thank Tashigi for her info dum- explanation, I also focus on the sailors' state and notice that even if overall the exercises they are doing are pretty basic, they are done in such a way, that can challenge the sailors both mentally and physically, requiring them to be able to push through their barriers of what they think is painful.

Seeing that, I nod and realize, 'Basically they are building a strong foundation for them both mentally and physically, so that if they can push through all their adversities, have enough talent, drive, and luck, they can safely start to learn the Rokushiki, and later on even Haki itself... As expected of a World Power like the Marine, they fully standardized a way to create powerhouses.'

While thinking that, Smoker once again stands beside me and asks, "So, what do you think of the Marine's training regime?"

I continue to look at all the sailors as they go through their training and without mincing my words, I say, "It's not bad... It is clear that it has gone through countless revisions to make it as effective, safe, and standardized as possible so that it allows even the most talentless people to rise to a useful state in an adequate time frame. But at the same time, it also has a quite low ceiling making it completely useless once a person reaches a certain level of power. In other words, it is good enough to build a strong foundation, but nowhere as good in going beyond that, and the perfect example of that is that once these men encounter a stronger pirate with a bounty or their equivalents, they start to sharply fall behind and get easily overwhelmed."

Hearing that, Smoker let out a grunt, then he agreed, "I don't like to admit it, but it is a sad truth. The pirates are individually stronger than the marines in a one-on-one, most of the marines would lose against most of the pirates. But luckily this world doesn't work in such clear-cut ways."

I also agree with him and add, "That's right, the Marines have their own advantages as well, you have plenty of support, resources, access to powerful Devil Fruits, and technology thanks to the support of the World Government that back you up, and you guys have a plain and simple number advantage. But the most important advantage that you guys have is that the Marines are united, there may be individual differences and policies between Marines, but their overall objective is the same protect the people and fight for justice, meanwhile, the pirates are fragmented in much smaller groups all with different ambitions and objectives, and many times these even clashes with those of other pirates making them fight one other." 

Smoker nods, then he says, "Indeed, while some conflicts are something common even between the higher-ups, we are still all united against a common enemy and most are able to work together even with people they don't get along with... Hmm?"

But then Smoker stops as he starts to stare at a particular person among the sailors, I follow his gaze and notice that he is looking at a lean and fit young boy with kobi pink hair and a round frame as he continues to follow through all the exercises without showing any kind of fatigue or strain, of course, that young boy is Koby, who feels quite at ease going through these exercises as they are equal to our usual warm-ups. 

After a few seconds, Smoker comments impressed, "Oh... not bad. That boy is easily able to keep up with my men, in fact, he is doing even better than them as it seems that he isn't under any strain. His physical and mental capacity is nothing to scoff at especially considering his young age."

Hearing Smoker's compliment, I can't help but proudly comment, "Hehehe. Of course, I carefully trained him, slowly and surely transforming his body through constant training aimed at breaking his limits and even going a little bit beyond that."

At this point, a curious Tashigi politely asks, "Jayr-san, excuse me if it sounds disrespectful, but I'd like to ask if it is possible to learn Koby-kun's current training regime?"

Hearing that, I shake my head and reply with an encouraging smile, "Sure, it isn't a problem, after all, right now Koby is only going through some basic training to build a strong foundation, in fact, it is similar to what you are doing only with some little differences..."

Then I start to explain Koby's training regime, and indeed his training isn't much different because it is a basic body and will strengthen one, the only difference is the intensity, after all, Koby has to run at a high pace while dodging boulders, and other hazards, if he slows down he gets hits and painfully breaks all the bones in his body, or gets burned, or other painful injuries.

Instead of pulls-up, he climbs a mountain with boulders tied to his body, when he swims he has to run away from a Sea King chasing after him, and let's not forget that he has to do all that while wearing weighted clothes that are many times heavier than his own weight. 

Shocked by these pieces of information, Tashigi exclaims, "Wait! How is this kind of training even possible!? He should at the very least be crippled if not dead!?" 

But Smoker quickly explains, "Not really, while the intensity of his training regime is surprising, especially in one so young as it is difficult to guarantee the person's safety, it isn't totally unheard of. In fact, I heard that all the most powerful marines had to use dismissed battleships as punching bags at one point in their lives. There is even a myth that Vice Admiral Garp once destroyed 8 mountains as he used them as punching bags. What is impressive is young Koby following through that hellish training regime without complaint."

While we continue to chat, the sailors and Koby finally finish their exercises and are now recovering before starting with the next phase of their training, actual combat training where they will spar against one other.

After giving them a few minutes to rest, Smoker steps forward and yells, "Good job, everyone! You all didn't bring shame to the name of the Marine today. Now, we will start a series of combat simulations in the form of spars. As usual, we will use different common combat scenarios so that when you are forced to face the real thing you will know what to do and how to act. After that, all those ranked Petty Officer or higher, plus our guests will take part in a series of sparring matches against one other. This is all for now! Start!" 

Under Smoker's command, all the officers start to organize and watch over various groups as they go through all kinds of combat simulations all over the training fields.

Some groups are doing what can easily be identified as a Chase and Capture scenario, other are doing a chaotic melee fight with training weapons which are simply blunted swords that while not lethal, can still cause serious injuries, some others trying to quickly encircle the target before it realizes what is going on, another group even moves to the harbor where they simulate ship combat using flintlock rifle loaded with rubber bullets that just like the training swords are still able to harm those on their receiving end.

Just like Smoker said, they are going through the motions of every kind of scenario they could face in the future, and are quite throughout with it, making them as real and relatively safe as possible.

It is here that Koby's inexperience shows itself, as most of the time, he is clueless on what to do exactly and falls behind on many occasions, and even messes up their formations making the group he is with almost fail these combat scenarios, but despite that, he doesn't give up and continue to try, of course, when are some simple combat scenarios like the melee or those that simply consist of straight up fights, Koby is easily able to excel as his physical qualities greatly surpass those ranked Seamen Fist Class and below. 

In fact, the only ones that can be a threat to him that are present here are Smoker and maybe Tashigi. 

Smoker because he is obviously a formidable combatant, on top of his sheer strength, which is at a quite high level compared to everyone else in the East Blue, his Logia Devil Fruit abilities set him apart from most Marines of his rank making him basically invincible in the 4 seas, and a force to be reckoned with in the first half of the Grand Line.

Meanwhile, Tashigi mostly relies on her great speed and agility in battle both of which are, well frankly speaking way inferior to the current Koby who was able to slightly keep up with Kuro's speed, especially if he doesn't wear his weighted clothes.

But she is a highly skilled Gentle Blade type swordswoman, capable of defeating the pirates in Loguetown with little effort and quickly taking down multiple opponents within seconds. 

This means that with a sword in hand, Tashigi can maybe be a threat to Koby, especially since he has next to no experience in fighting against a sword expert where a single hit is equal to an instant death most of the time, but all that depends on if she is even able to hit him but as I'm not sure of her current level, I think the odds are more in Koby's favor.

While I was thinking that, everyone started to empty the field so that the sparring matches could finally take place.