That night, the sky was clear, the bright moon hung high, and stars glittered brilliantly over the vast ocean. On the deck of the Dog Head Warship, Sephiroth, now clad in his official Marine uniform, faced the gentle sea breeze. He tirelessly swung his Autumn Leaf Sword, practicing basic swordsmanship.
For twenty-five days, he had maintained the routine of swinging his sword 13,000 times daily. It was indeed a very dry and monotonous process, but for him, the benefits were quite significant. On the tenth day, he mastered flexible sword-holding techniques, and by the twentieth day, he had a better grasp of how to swing his sword. Next, he aimed to transform his sword usage into an undeniable instinct.
Crunch! Crunch!
A crisp sound came from beyond the cabin. Garp, the eccentric Marine hero, emerged with a bag of senbei in his hand, munching casually. Behind him, his loyal aide, Boggart, followed silently.
"Ahahaha! Sephiroth, that little brat is quite diligent, isn't he?" Garp chuckled, his voice filling the deck.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Lieutenant Colonel Boggart," Sephiroth greeted, stopping his movements and bowing respectfully.
"Boggart, go spar with him for a few rounds," Garp said with interest, continuing to chew his senbei.
Hearing that, Boggart raised a hand to adjust the brim of his hat, then slowly drew his saber from the sheath in his left hand, taking a ready stance before the young man.
Sephiroth didn't waste words; he also raised his Autumn Leaf Sword, its tip pointing directly at his opponent. At that moment, he felt a tingling sensation down his spine, as if he had become the target of a wild beast poised to devour him. Doubt rose in his heart, uncertain where to begin.
Swish!
A flash of sword light.
Sephiroth hadn't moved, but Boggart was the first to swing his sword, thrusting forward at an incredibly intricate angle. Sephiroth's eyes flared fiery red; he instantly activated his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), predicting the trajectory of the opponent's attack, and swung his sword to block it.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Boggart's attacks grew more fierce with each slash, but Sephiroth remained calm and composed, parrying every strike by relying on his Kenbunshoku Haki. However, he couldn't find the slightest opportunity to counterattack.
Witnessing this scene, Garp's senbei-eating didn't stop, and his eyebrows twitched slightly. Sephiroth's footwork was too messy, like a novice in combat, yet each time he parried, he appeared so calm... Had this brat awakened Kenbunshoku Haki...?
As a master swordsman, Boggart also identified issues with his opponent after several probing rounds. So, during his attacks, he intentionally revealed weaknesses that weren't too obvious.
The next moment, as expected, Sephiroth, who finally found an opening to attack, immediately swung his sword without hesitation.
However... Damn! Boggart's figure suddenly flickered, disappearing from his sight. While Sephiroth still maintained his inertia, swinging his sword downwards, his opponent had pressed the back of his saber against his neck from behind.
Garp commented, still chewing his senbei: "His talent is very good, but he lacks any combat experience or skills... Boggart, I'll leave this naughty brat's training to you." After speaking, he casually turned and walked back into his cabin.
"When battling, you need to learn when to attack, and when a weakness is deliberately exposed by the enemy..." Boggart began, his voice calm but authoritative. "Although Kenbunshoku Haki can make it easier for you to predict the movements of enemy attacks, you must know that Kenbunshoku Haki can also be tricked... The enemy can use feints and sudden changes in tactics to cause your Kenbunshoku Haki to misjudge..."
While explaining, Boggart also demonstrated some basic movements to help Sephiroth understand. Boggart was a man of few words. Therefore, what he said and the movements he demonstrated were essentially core techniques, so Sephiroth listened very carefully. Compared to battle-talented individuals like the Boa Sisters, who only knew how to fight but not how to teach, Boggart had a very systematic method of guidance, which allowed Sephiroth to learn with double the results for half the effort.
After finishing his explanation, Boggart sparred with him for a few more rounds before turning and leaving the deck, returning to his cabin to sleep.
Sephiroth, after completing his remaining sword swings, then entered the cabin, showered, and fell into a deep sleep in the bunk bed in the collective dormitory. That old coot Garp probably realized he was a Devil Fruit user and performed quite well in the fight against the pirates, which is why he let Boggart guide his training...?
The next day, around noon, guided by an Eternal Pose, the Dog Head Warship finally arrived at Marine G3 Branch.
This was a sea island spanning more than ten square kilometers, with only Marine Base buildings and no ordinary residences. Unless navigating using an Eternal Pose or someone's Vivre Card as a guide, this island could not be found using a Log Pose at all. In this way, the confidentiality of the Marine Base was ensured to the maximum extent. Conversely, if pirates also used similar islands as their headquarters, the Marines would have difficulty finding enemy nests unless they stumbled upon them accidentally during patrols.
In this world, the reason why pirates were rampant was not only because almost ninety percent of the planet's surface was covered by seawater, but also because of the highly chaotic magnetic field in the Grand Line. In the Grand Line, once an enemy ship disappeared from sight, if they used an Eternal Pose to sail towards a specific island, and you didn't know their final destination, then in this situation, continuing to pursue after the distance widened was like looking for a needle in a haystack, a waste of effort.
Thus, over time, many pirates began to actively or passively enter the Grand Line, this safe haven, and Roger's last words caused the number of pirates to surge, thereby increasing the influx of pirates into the Grand Line.
As the Dog Head Warship entered the base's harbor, lines of Marine soldiers were already standing on the dock.
"Vice Admiral Garp, thank you for your hard work!" a mustachioed staff officer said, bowing respectfully towards Garp as he descended the gangplank.
This time, Garp wasn't asleep or acting like a silly old man, but spoke with a serious expression: "There are over three hundred pirates and one ability user detained on the warship; disembark them and handle them properly. Also... seven soldiers died in this battle; go and make arrangements."
"Understood! I guarantee I'll arrange it," the mustachioed staff officer replied with a serious expression.
After Garp left, Sephiroth and the other recruits gathered on the dock, awaiting assignments. Besides this group of recruits, there were also new recruits who had signed up from other islands, disembarking from different warships one after another.
After waiting for over half an hour, a man in a standard Marine uniform, in his early twenties, stood before Sephiroth and the others. He had two inverse-mustache-like scars on his face, two scars on the left side of his forehead, and one scar near his left eye socket.
"I am Corporal Kong Ming. From now on, I will be the squad leader for you new recruits," the scar-faced man said with a serious expression.
Sephiroth: "..."
Could this be the Marineford Vice Admiral who later almost annihilated the Straw Hat Pirates using strategy...? Sephiroth muttered inwardly, his eyebrows slightly raised.
Translator's Note: I have searched for information regarding a character named Kong Ming in this story, but have not found any suitable references in the original series or other relevant sources. It's possible this character is an original creation for fanfiction or merely a brief mention as a minor character. If any reader knows who Kong Ming is in the context of this story or has appropriate references, please let me know. I will then update the translation to be more accurate.