"My name is Monkey D. Garp. I'm from the East Blue, and my dream of becoming a Marine is all about throwing punches and beating up those damn pirates!"
On the podium.
A burly, square-faced boy with thick eyebrows and large eyes grinned from ear to ear. His honest smile revealed two rows of gleaming white teeth as he introduced himself.
Monkey D. Garp…
'So this is what Garp looked like when he was young? Full of fire and youth!'
Klein stared at Garp's youthful face as his thoughts drifted far away.
He had been in this world for seventeen years now, well aware that he had crossed over into a dangerous place—an oceanic world teeming with pirates and ruled by strength.
But...
As dangerous as pirates were, they were far from the only threat in this world.
Klein had enrolled in the Marine Academy, hoping to become strong—mastering the Six Powers and Haki—so he could return to his hometown, or maybe to the East Blue, and spend the rest of his life as a comfy little colonel. Live out his days idly, stress-free.
The New World and Grand Line? That's not a place regular people can handle. The 'monsters' here just kept popping up.
Devil Fruit powers were bizarre and nearly impossible to defend against.
Given his own utterly average talent, Klein knew that even if he worked himself to death, he'd never become one of the top dogs.
Seventeen years ago, when he first realized he was in the One Piece world, he had been thrilled—excited, even. His imagination ran wild with possibilities. But his so-called "cheat system" never showed up.
And there's no greater despair than a hope that dies.
So, he was forced to train hard on his own. For seventeen years, he had never slacked off—but as for results…
Not even close to satisfactory.
Reality had worn away his edges over time.
He could only admit that while his talent was a bit better than the average Joe's, he was nowhere near being called a genius. After eighteen years of grueling effort, his gains were still worse than what Koby could achieve with one or two months of "200% effort."
Comparing people just made you want to scream!
Or, as the saying goes: Cheating is fun for a moment. But endless cheating? That's paradise!
How Klein longed for a cheat like Koby's...
The Marines and CP organizations were full of people training like madmen—some even to the brink of death. But geniuses were geniuses.
They were a dream forever out of reach for the average person.
And besides...
Those people had cheats!
Klein was well aware that his only shot was to one day be stationed at a branch office as a Marine colonel. Play local king, just like Kuro once dreamed: survive safely and comfortably.
After all, he was born early enough...
Right now, it was the year 1463 of the Sea Calendar. By the time Luffy set sail, Klein would already be an old man in his seventies—long retired. No way would he be chasing Luffy or getting involved in all that mess.
Klein's mind spun with calculations.
On the podium.
After Garp finished introducing himself, another student stepped up—a scrawny boy with an afro, bushy sideburns, and downward-curving brows, looking perpetually serious.
He introduced himself:
"My name is Sengoku. I like calligraphy. My dream is to throw all the pirates on the sea into prison!"
"Or send them to Enies Lobby for trial!"
From the audience, Klein looked at the afro and those droopy eyebrows and muttered internally, 'So that's the future Fleet Admiral Sengoku? Wouldn't have recognized him at all.'
Then he grinned smugly, 'I'll make friends with Garp and Sengoku early. One day, they'll owe me a favor and assign me to a post in East Blue. Boom—happy life secured!'
"And besides..."
"Being a pirate isn't just about fighting—it's about connections."
That, no matter which world you're in, is pure gold wisdom!
Just look at Luffy. That "background buff" of his played out beautifully. Those who get it, get it.
Suddenly, a wave of gloom washed over Klein again.
'Damned talent ceiling… it's choking me. It's infuriating! If I had just a bit more talent, these seventeen years of effort would've at least made me a Vice Admiral, maybe even gotten me a Devil Fruit… I'd be someone important.'
'Instead, I'm just some nobody—an extra in someone else's story.'
Soon, the other students took turns introducing themselves too, including Zephyr and Tsuru. When Klein saw the stern-faced ponytailed girl—beautiful as if she'd walked straight out of the manga—his eyes lit up.
'Gorgeous. Absolutely stunning!'
Even the loose Marine uniform couldn't hide her curves. She wobbled slightly with every step—young, but already quite the sight to behold. Impossible to ignore...
Female characters in the One Piece world, during their prime, really were stunners—each one a goddess!
Klein couldn't help but give a mental thumbs-up to that old rascal Oda,
'Yeah, you've got some twisted tastes, but credit where it's due—the younger female characters are ridiculously well-endowed. Only a man could truly understand what other men want.'
Before long, it was Klein's turn to introduce himself.
He stood by the window in the back row—the symbolic seat of a king's hometown—walked to the podium, and gave a short, to-the-point intro:
"Hey everyone, I'm Klein. My dream is to become a bit stronger."
In his past life, money wasn't everything—but without it, you had nothing.
In the world of sailing, strength wasn't everything—but without it, you'd be stuck in the gutter.
After everyone had finished their introductions...
The instructor spoke:
"I'm sure you all understand—if you want to be an excellent Marine soldier, you need a strong body. So daily physical training is non-negotiable!"
"Everyone, follow me out of the classroom. Time for physical training in the yard!"
At the training field.
The students stood in formation according to classroom seating.
Klein was in the back row, staring at the towering figures ahead of him, and felt like the whole planet had gone dark.
These students were absolutely huge. Garp and Sengoku were particularly striking. Even though Zephyr was younger, he wasn't short. And Tsuru? She was already 189 centimeters tall.
And Klein?
Seventeen years old… only 170-something.
In the One Piece world, that basically made him a "disabled person."
Admirals were generally three meters tall.
Among the Four Emperors, only Red-Haired Shanks was the "short" one!
Everyone else…
Was practically a giant.
'This cursed talent… Standing next to these monsters, it's kind of heartbreaking!'
Klein complained inwardly.
He felt the full weight of the talent gap crashing down on him.
Thankfully, he was in the last row—almost invisible. Basically "small background NPC."
Besides…
Klein glanced around at the other students. He couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
'Honestly, I'm no different from them.'
'In the future, we'll all be cannon fodder in some war like Marineford.'
Then came the most basic round of physical training.
Of course, this also doubled as a test, giving the instructors a better idea of each student's fitness level—and more importantly, their willpower.
Klein's gaze drifted to Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr.
'These three will all be Admiral-level monsters someday. I want to see how strong they already are…'