For several months now, the game hadn't launched a single "event."
Events were where spending money paid off—and even gave you a shot at free upgrades through grinding.
Back then, Klein had no money, so he never seriously considered this.
But now… things were different.
And his thoughts had gotten a little bolder. A full belly breeds wild ambition…
Money had made him cocky!
No sooner had Klein started complaining than the system instantly popped up with a "Forced Logout" notice and a game update alert.
"Bro, are you spying on me?"
"You weren't peeking while I was showering, were you?"
Klein couldn't help but think of how terrifying "big data" had been in his past life—especially the apps owned by Byte.
And now, even after transmigrating, it was still the same.
Forced out of the game, Klein returned to reality. Just after washing up, Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr came back to the dorm drenched in sweat.
A strong wave of masculine sweat and testosterone hit him head-on.
Klein glanced at Garp's hand. The guy's fist was wrapped in layer upon layer of white bandages, faint traces of blood still seeping through.
"Hey, Garp, are you seriously not gonna change those bandages?"
"The infirmary's been closed for a while at this hour," Sengoku shook his head.
Garp, ever carefree, just laughed. "Haha! It's good to leave the wound—it'll remind me not to lose again!"
"Ponytail guy, I, Garp, will win next time!"
Nice. That's the spirit!
Though… spar with me again, and you'll still lose.
Klein was confident in his heart. I've invested ten million Berries into myself—I refuse to believe my growth is slower than yours!
Then he clapped his hands. "Alright boys, massage time?"
The three of them answered in perfect sync. They were already used to Klein's massages—completely addicted, in fact.
After spending a few months together, Klein had naturally improved his technique. He knew exactly what each of the three roommates liked:
What kind of pressure… where they liked to be pressed… and what position they preferred…
"Ahhh, that hit the spot!"
"Stress? What stress?"
After wrapping things up, Klein popped in his earplugs and fell straight to sleep.
He hadn't slept this well in a long time.
So peaceful. So fragrant.
A good night's sleep he hadn't had in ages.
The money he'd earned in the last two days had wiped away most of Klein's stress and anxiety.
Sure, money can't buy everything—but the idea that no money is no good was getting more and more real by the day.
Just as Klein stepped out of the dorm—
Fireworks exploded right in front of him, showering multicolored confetti down from the sky and across the ground.
"We are the Navy's Four Blossoms!! We are Lord Klein's Official Fan Club!"
"Good morning, Great Lord Klein!!!"
"You're the Navy's prodigy! From today onward, we'll dedicate ourselves to spreading your name across the seas!! We'll take care of all the support work!"
Do I… have fans now!?
Klein stood there dumbfounded. What the hell was this? He took a closer look at the Four Blossoms—Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum…
They all had the body type of Nezha from the 100,000 Whys picture book series—
Milky white skin and shredded, bulging muscles. The image was so intense, Klein couldn't even bring himself to look directly at them.
This really is the One Piece world, huh? Klein had always assumed the Navy was at least a bit more normal than the Pirates—not so many weirdos.
Clearly, he'd been too optimistic. This world was a stage for eccentrics. If you're bold enough, you belong here.
Klein's expression turned awkward. "Uh, I don't think I need a fan club."
This was way too much. Imagine walking around with four musclebound "loli-faced" Navy officers cheering, chanting, and dancing behind you…
He'd die of embarrassment.
It was social anxiety hell.
Back in his old world, a full-blown introvert like him could probably curl his toes hard enough to scratch open a studio apartment.
But the so-called Navy Four Blossoms ignored his request. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
They turned around in perfect unison, revealing blindingly bold letters carved into the backs of their shirts:
"Forever Protecting the Best Brother, Star of the Navy: Klein!"
"The Most Gifted Navy Brother in History: Klein!"
The glare almost blinded him.
Klein staggered. One hand went to his forehead, the other gripped the doorframe.
What in the world… were these fans, or anti-fans?
He couldn't tell anymore!
Everything went black for a second—like the sky itself was collapsing. This isn't the fan club I wanted…
As he stood there in a daze—
"This is the breakfast we prepared for Lord Klein with love and devotion!! To save you precious time!!"
Klein finally noticed the nearby serving cart. The cloth cover was lifted, revealing dishes that sparkled and shimmered, delicious scents wafting into the air.
All of it was stuff he normally ordered at the cafeteria. Clearly, these fans had done their homework.
It was too awkward to eat.
But also too awkward not to eat.
These fans were more passionate than extroverts on a sugar high.
Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr poked their heads out of the dorm after hearing the commotion.
They were all petrified.
Not a word. Each of them just quietly tried to hide their presence and speed-walked toward the cafeteria.
In the end, Klein accepted his fate. He kept telling himself over and over:
This is One Piece. Accept it. Get used to it!
There'll be more freaks and weirdos to come—never fewer!
Breakfast felt like sitting on needles. Every second dragged.
Still, looking on the bright side—hey, at least he had fans now?
Whether real fans or fake fans…
Black fans or white fans!
If I'm not embarrassed, the only one who's embarrassed… is you!
After finishing his daily training, Klein stood before 40–50 cadets—his official "training camp" students.
They were split into swordsmanship and physical combat classes.
Teaching every day took him three or four hours, and sometimes he had to offer massages, too.
His days were packed to the brim.
After the lesson, most cadets left one after another. Then Tsuru stepped forward. Her big sapphire eyes sparkled.
"Klein… um… female cadets are progressing really slowly with Tekkai. Do you have any advice?"
She clearly wanted to improve.
Physiologically, women's bodies differed quite a bit from men's. Petite and delicate were common traits.
Of course, exceptions like Big Mom, Alvida, Black Maria, or Princess Shirahoshi didn't count.
Tekkai was mainly about strengthening muscles. Kalifa from CP9 could use it—and it didn't seem to affect her figure.
But the CP9 agents had undergone brutal training from a very young age.
Klein paused to think and then gave a careful answer:"That's something you can't really change—unless you eat a powerful Zoan-type Devil Fruit. Ancient or Mythical types can drastically boost physical attributes…"
"But women do have their advantages—lighter, faster, more flexible. Against strong opponents, Tekkai won't help much anyway."
"You might want to focus your energy on other areas of training."
"Later, the instructors will probably teach different techniques—there should be some better suited for female cadets."
According to the canon timeline, Tsuru would eventually gain the powers of the Wash-Wash Fruit—a Paramecia-type.
She'd walk the path of a Devil Fruit user.
As the Navy's Chief of Staff, she was already an old woman by the time of the Summit War—rarely seen on the battlefield.