Chapter 3

Easy.

'Way too easy,'

I thought as I sprinted around the training ground, non-stop, at thrice the speed of any other who were running.

It was truly a strange experience to have. Physical improvement is not something that comes this quickly and to this extent. Although I've been conducting thrice the amount of the usual physical exercises as punishment for a whole month, they no longer were capable of bringing me down to exhaustion.

'Just what the hell is with this body?' I thought to myself, but with joy. Improving substantially everyday, was truly a fun experience to have.

'And does this mean that if I were to increase the load of exercise even more, I will improve just as much?'

Becoming strong, for the past three months, was none of my concern. I simply focused on getting every day through, especially after having my daily exercises thriced due to being wrongly accused. But now, the thought of becoming strong brought me to an excitement.

I mean, who wouldn't like to get strong? The Four Emperors! The Seven Warlords! Although such systems have not been established yet, I know better than anyone else, of how dangerous this world is.

'And in order to become even stronger,' I therefore thought, 'I need to be punished more.'

Narrowing my eyes as I continued to run, I looked at the back of the wimpy blonde, Loid, who was walking in the front with his hands in his pockets. Expressing boredom, he occasionally laughed at the trainees who ended up fainting in the mid-track.

"Smoker!" However, before I could begin, a feminine voice called me out from the back.

I groaned in annoyance, "F*** off, Hina!"

"You are thinking of doing something bad again, aren't you?!" Hina, while breathing heavily due to the ongoing run, shouted from my back, "Hina knows!"

"And Smoker fu***** doesn't care!"

Without turning back, I increased lowered my posture and quickened the movement of my legs, ultimately increasing my speed beyond the point I thought it was possible.

"Get over here!!"

Ignoring Hina's cry, I stuck my left hand out as I ran, which then slammed onto Loid's back.

"AHHHH!!!" Loid's eyes popped out, and his jaw dropped wide open in shock as his head was smacked all of a sudden. His tongue stretched out to an extent where I wondered if it was made out of rubber.

I quickly retracted my arm back and continued to run as if nothing happened, but obviously, everyone witnessed what just happened.

"SMOKER!!!" Standing back up with a huge lump at the back of his head, Loid screamed. With his arms clenched, he began to run in order to return me the favour, but within 5 seconds of running, he tripped himself and fell on the ground face-first.

"Trainee Smoker!!" Unable to bear the scene any longer, the instructor called me out.

'Success,' I thought.

__________

Within the Logue Town, there lied the Marine base next to its training facility, where Smoker currently dwelled. The commander of this base, starting three months ago, was none other than Captain Merlin, who initially believed that Gol D. Roger's death would lead this weakest sea to become even easier to manage.

However, Roger's final words instead served as the trigger for many to resort to piracy, to search for this mysterious treasure named One Piece.

"Just this month alone, too many civilians in the Logue Town have suffered at the hands of the invading pirates." Merlin massaged his temple to ease his headache, but to no avail, "How can one man have such an impact? Is the idea of One Piece really that tempting?"

Sighing, Merlin slouched in his chair, tired of the endless work.

Then, the door into this room was knocked from the outside, earning Merlin's attention.

"Enter."

After Merlin's approval, the door slowly opened, revealing the Marine instructor who seemed quite troubled by his expression.

"Captain Merlin," The instructor stood strictly and saluted before lowering his arm and waiting for an approval to speak.

Motioning hand to tell the instructor to relax, Merlin asked, "What is it?"

The instructor sighed and talked, "I am here to nominate two students as the candidates to be sent to the headquarter."

"This soon?" Merlin, said with a genuine surprise, "And who may they be?"

"Trainee Smoker and Hina, captain." The instructor seemed to be troubled, "One is causing too much troubles, and the other repress her peers far too much, asking for nothing but perfection out of them. They are disrupting the environment here."

"Smoker...?" Merlin muttered with a disbelief, "Are you referring to—"

"Yes, the boy whom you enlisted, captain."

"Hina, I am able to understand. She was considered one of the top seeds of this generation from the start, with her having her root in the Grand Line. However, Smoker... what about him is so troubling? Be more specific."

The instructor revealed couple of files from his hands, passing them to Merlin.

Merlin looked at them carefully, and frowned in a further confusion, "Three boys with outstanding physical prowess among the Marine trainees, lost. The given punishments have no effect, and the trainee simply adapted too fast. An incredible potential is seen, but his attitudes cannot be corrected with the current instructors' capabilities."

There was no need to look further, Merlin thought. Placing the papers down, he immediately stated,

"I will write the referral letter to the instructor Zephyr."