To be a marine

The next morning, I immediately rushed to the meeting spot and I found Malcolm standing by the cliff with his back turned towards me staring at the sea. It was still dark out, so I don't know what the old man was exactly looking at. I bet he's trying to look all cool and mysterious for our first lesson. Silly old man.

I walk next to him and adapt a similar pose while staring out at the sea. I was right, It's pitch black out there. Moments later I asked him in a whisper, "So, what exactly are we looking at?"

Malcolm continued to look forward and asked in a deadpan voice,"Wanna get beat kid?"

I immediately switched my tone into a cheery one and greeted him,"Good morning Mr. Malcolm! how do you do?"

"Good. Now go and sit by the tree."(Malcolm)

I obediently do as he says and sit down at my chilling spot. Malcolm continued to vacantly stare at the sea as if reminiscing his past.Oi! stop daydreaming old man.

As if on cue, Malcolm glanced sideways at me and asked me,"What's your dream kid?"

Whoa, If I had a dime for every time someone asked me that question. I honestly answer him,

"I want to be a hero to someone."

It's what I had always wanted. To be a tree that others can take shelter under during the rain. To have my mere presence assure someone by telling them 'Hey, everything's going to be alright. I'm here aren't I?'. That's why I wanted to take the path of a marine over a pirate. I mean, let's be honest not every pirate crew is gonna be like the Straw-hat pirates, and I've got no intention of making my own crew. I'm a lone wolf, let's just say I like my privacy, I've never been a team material. The marines on the other hand is a much more stable path. Corrupted they may be, but they are still the good guys in the eyes of the public, and If I play my cards just right and lay low, I won't fall in the radar of my higher-ups unless I want to. Life's not too complicated for a marine recruit. Eat sleep train repeat. Of course I 'had' to follow unreasonable orders sometimes, but I had ways around that. A rigid system sometimes the most susceptible to having loopholes.

On hearing my response Malcolm showed a neutral expression. I guess he saw it coming.

"Let me tell you kid. The world out there is a really cruel place, even for a marine. You're too young to comprehend it, but one day you'll realize that as a marine you will be carrying a very heavy and twisted word on your back."(Malcolm)

[Oh, I read you loud and clear old man…loud and clear.](Ben)

It was clear as day to me what word he was talking about. 'JUSTICE' , the piece de resistance of the marines. In their eyes it was the answer to everything. But how could I not know the cruelty behind that word. The infamous words of Donqixote Doflammingo came to my mind 'The winners become justice'. In other words the justice followed by the marines is not about doing what's right but following the terms the winners have dictated. For the past couple of centuries, the winners have been the world government, or to be more specific, the Gorosei and by extension their descendants, the Celestial Dragons. The marines have been their errand boys, turning a blind eye to every horrendous crimes committed by the spoilt celestial dragons and sometimes even being their accomplices in certain crimes. The fact that the marines encourage slave trade in Sabody archipelago, calling it "A public employment security office" boils my blood even to this day. Their fear of superior power caused them to abandon the very cause on which their organization was founded on.

On seeing my unwavering gaze, Malcolm continues,"One day you will be forced to choose between two evil choices, and you will be forced do do something terrible in the name of the greater good kid. Mark my words kid." I could sense the pain in his voice. Since he used to be a vice admiral I'm sure he's aware of the dark side of the marines. He had to turn a blind eye to a lot of things in order to prevent the world from getting thrown into chaos. The old man is probably agonizing over the fact that he wasn't strong enough to go against the government and is worried for my well being in the marines.

I can see what he's getting at. The best way to describe the marines today would be through a modified version of the trolley problem. It goes something like this:

You see a speeding train heading towards 10 children who are playing on the tracks unaware of whats coming towards them. The operator of the train has passed out due to a concussion. Next to you is a lever, which upon triggering would redirect the train to a side track where a single old man is standing, similarly unaware of the train. You have three seconds and two choices; 1. let the train continue and ram into the children. 2. trigger the lever and let the train hit the old man.

I don't know about most people, but if the previous me were suddenly thrown into that situation with such little time in my hands, I would chose to save the children. And I would have to assume most people would do the same. And therein lies the problem with the society and the marines in this scenario. The justice within most people would deem the lives of 10 children more significant when compared to the one old man. They fail to realize that the old man could have been a worker who was carrying out his duties on a track that was shut off for maintenance. He was completely innocent in this case. On the other hand, the children could be deemed guilty since they had no reason to be anywhere near a railway track. One can even argue that had they not been there then this whole situation could be avoided. But still the choice was made; the life of one innocent man is traded for the lives of 10 guilty children

This is crucial issue with the marines. They wish to avoid the countless loss of lives when a war is declared against the world government, so they choose to avert their eyes from the plight of the minority. All for the 'greater' good. Let's not get started with the corrupt officers who make things worse. All of this would sum up the meaning of the words Malcolm was trying to convey to me.

"Thank you for your advice Mr. Malcolm. But my decision hasn't changed. I still want to be a marine."(Ben)

"Weren't you listening to what I said boy?! Why would you still want to join the marines after all I said?!"(Malcolm)

"Because somewhere out there Mr. Malcolm, is a loving family like mine, who are in danger because a pirate wanted to raid their island, some where out there people are suffering at the hands of villains. I want to be there for them sir. I know I can't save all of them, but I am pretty confident that I can save at least one person. That sir, is the reason I want to be a marine "(Ben)

Malcolm was stunned by the words that came out of my mouth. Those weren't words you would expect to hear from a five year old. I had to say those words to him. I need to let him know that I am not doing this on a childish whim. I held a firm gaze as I continued to stare at him.

There was a long silence between us that was broken by a laugh. I couldn't believe my ears for I believed that it was impossible. The old main was laughing. It was a hearty laughter, not out of hearing a joke but one of feeling relieved. I didn't know the old man could laugh.

"That was one hell of an answer kid! I knew there was something special about you kid. You want to be a marine? Fine, I'll make you the best damn marine the world has ever seen!"(Malcolm)

The excited glint in his eyes sent shivers down my spine. I was taking a shortcut in order to improve my strength so there's bound to be some consequences. After all no pain no gain. Power isn't an end goal that I have. It is merely a tool that I wish to have in order to live a leisure life. Besides if the guy who sued RedBull taught me anything, it's that you don't need power to succeed, sometimes you just have to be shameless enough, and things will go your way.

(Author's note)

Hello everyone. My next chapter, albeit a short one. I felt the the need to bring philosophy into this chapter since ….

Well I felt like it. Sorry if it bored you. Anyways I would like to know, if any of you were in that whole train situation what would you do? No need to hold back on your ideas? I simply wish to know all the creative solution you come up with. Until next time, happy reading.