One Piece: Starting as a Marine Lieutenant, I Slack Off and Get Stronger

"Phew~ Thank goodness I wasn't late, otherwise Professor Zephyr would have torn me in two!"

"Good morning, Brother Karl!" "Good morning!"

After exchanging a brief greeting with Ain, Zephyr arrived at the center of the parade ground, his deep, resonant voice ringing out: "Recruits! Assemble!"

"Count off!" "1, 2, 3..."

Everyone is here.

Wearing a purple suit and draped in the banner of justice, Zephyr surveyed the group and said, "Everyone, don't be nervous. Today is just a test of what you've learned over the past two months."

"I have seen all your hard work and sweat. To be honest, I am very gratified because you have not let your efforts go to waste!"

"You're all doing a great job! Today, please show us the results of your hard work!"

"Oh oh oh!"

The enthusiastic recruits shouted wildly, and to avoid standing out, Karl joined in with a few shouts as well.

Next, all the new recruits began warming up under the guidance of Instructor Xiu Zuo, preparing for the upcoming "New Recruit Competition".

Everyone knows perfectly well that today is their best opportunity, because it relates to their future prospects.

Zefa had said long ago that every year the "New Recruit Competition" would be watched by officers of brigadier general rank or above, and everyone had the potential to be selected by an officer to become their subordinate.

If one gains the favor of a high-ranking lieutenant general or even an admiral, one can not only enrich one's resume but also gain massive military merits alongside them, thereby attracting the attention of the naval leadership and rising rapidly in rank.

The navy is not just about upholding justice and fighting; it also involves human relationships and social interactions.

This may sound a bit pragmatic, but it's true. Ten years in the Navy taught Carl so much.

It's worth noting that before he cultivated a good relationship with Charles, it took him seven years to be promoted to sergeant. After being noticed by Charles, he was promoted every year and quickly obtained the rank of captain.

That pink-haired traitor Koby rose to the rank of colonel in just two years. Putting aside the factor of ability, Karl doesn't believe that Garp didn't pull something behind the scenes.

Even now, Karl is in the same boat. Because of the characteristics of his Devil Fruit ability, he is valued by the Fleet Admiral, the Admiral, and Zephyr, who has the strongest connections in the Navy. Rising to Admiral is not a dream!

Chapter 14 Naval Grand Tournament

As time went on, a commotion arose among the new recruits.

"Look! It's the admirals! And Fleet Admiral Sengoku too! Are they all here to see us?"

"Hiss~ The lieutenant generals are here too! Why does this feel a bit different from what Professor Zephyr described? How can I not be nervous?"

Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru—all of the Navy's top combatants have arrived!

The lieutenant generals also arrived one after another, took their seats, and whispered among themselves about the quality of the new recruits.

The generals can select the strongest recruits; they don't need to compete with the lieutenant generals, as the lieutenant generals can't compete with them anyway. So, they can only compete with other lieutenant generals.

It was common for people to argue heatedly over a recruit who was only moderately good-looking.

"Wow, I didn't expect Kuzan to be here too! So, are there any new recruits you like?"

Aokiji scratched his fluffy curly hair and said lazily, "I don't care. What, you sound like you're quite interested in a certain recruit?"

"That's right! I'm quite interested in a new recruit named Karl. You two better not try to snatch him away from me later!"

Aokiji shrugged helplessly and said indifferently, "Whatever. Oh, the sunshine is so nice today..."

After saying that, Aokiji pulled down his blindfold and openly began to sleep, ostensibly to conserve his energy for the next mission.

Akainu, who was standing to the side, seemed very dissatisfied with Aokiji's attitude. He snorted coldly and said in an icy tone.

"Don't worry, Borsalino, I certainly won't try to take her from you."

In fact, Akainu never had high hopes. He came every year, but returned disappointed every year. The Navy's talent pool is dwindling!

So when Kizaru suggested not to compete with him for recruits, he agreed without hesitation. In his view, this year would be no exception, just some mediocre recruits.

"My God! All the named and documented Navy personnel have arrived!"

Looking at the row of high-ranking naval officers, Karl couldn't help but gasp. He didn't recognize many of them, but he was most familiar with the three admirals, including Vice Admirals Momousagi, Mole, and Fire Mountain.

"Hey! Smoker and Tina are here too. What are they doing here? Just joining in the fun?"

Smoker was still dressed in the same familiar outfit Carl remembered, with three cigars in his mouth. Beside him was Tina, wearing a dark red suit and sunglasses. The two of them together actually had a pretty good couple vibe.

Smoker exhaled a smoke ring and complained to Tina, "Why did Professor Zeff call us both here? Is it because we have a chance to be chosen as subordinates too?"

"Tina doesn't know, but if you hadn't talked back to your boss two months ago, you should have had a chance."

Smoker scoffed dismissively, about to retort, but then thought better of it and remained silent.

At eight o'clock, Zefa walked to the front of the stage, took the microphone, and officially announced the start of the test.

"Mallory vs. Joyce, Match 1!"

The two men chosen by Xiu Zuo were overjoyed, their eyes filled with fighting spirit. After stepping onto the stage, they charged towards each other with a roar at Xiu Zuo's command.

Since it's a test, the purpose is naturally not to determine a winner or loser. Otherwise, if we encounter an evenly matched opponent, we might fight to the death, and even the Great Dao would be obliterated.

Therefore, each battle is limited to 15 minutes. Within 15 minutes, regardless of whether a winner or loser is determined, the competition will automatically end and the next group will be replaced.

After all, there's not much to see in a battle of weaklings. Just show your full strength in these 15 minutes so the officers present can see it.

"This Mallory is not bad. Although his physique is a bit lacking, he is very skilled in the Six Styles. He is a promising talent!"

"Hmm, you're right, but Joyce is also good; he played very smartly!"

The vice admirals' discussion was very lively, while the three admirals barely interacted. Aokiji was sleeping, Akainu had a gloomy face, and Kizaru was slowly clipping his nails with nail clippers.

Soon, the first battle ended. The two men, panting, looked at each other. Although no one had won, after glancing at the officers' expressions, they each walked off the stage happily.

"The second match is between Ion and Binz!"

Carl, who was drinking his soda, was taken aback. Ian was playing against Binz? Then who was he playing against? Was it really going to be a noob stomping match?

He looked at Zefa with a puzzled expression. Zefa was also looking at him, and as if he had expected him to be surprised, he nodded slightly to him, indicating that he should calm down.

Just kidding, Karl was personally trained by him. No one knows Karl's strength better than him. Even if Ain and Binz were combined, they might not be able to beat Karl.

In terms of physical skills alone, Carl is already able to hold his own against Tina and Smoker, who graduated long ago. It's just a pity that Carl hasn't awakened dual-color Haki yet, so we can only try to find a way to help him during his "internship" after the test ends.

As Ian and Binz took the stage, the lieutenant generals immediately began to chatter.

"Hey, these two are both ability users, right?"

"Yes, I've heard about it before. Both of them are Paramecia-type Devil Fruit users, one is a Rewind-Rewind Fruit user and the other is a Lush-Lush Fruit user."

"The battle begins!"

Binz watched Ain cautiously. No one knew Ain's strength better than him. That power of regression meant that once he touched it, he would surely be defeated.

"Luxuriant~ Luxuriant~"

Binz quickly scattered a handful of plant seeds and began to perform a shamanistic dance. As he danced, the seeds sprouted rapidly, and dozens of thick vines appeared on the ground, sweeping across the area under Binz's control.

"shave!"

Ain vanished from her spot, dodging the sweeping vines, and then slapped one of them.

The huge green vines quickly shrank and turned back into seeds, one after another, leaving a ground covered with seeds.

Binz had anticipated this situation and remained completely calm. He had brought several hundred gigabytes of seeds with him today!

Then you'll see a scene like this: Binz summons plants, Ain reverts to her original form, and then the cycle begins.

Carl was stunned. These two were exchanging barbs, were they trying to boost each other's credibility?!

Finally, Zephyr couldn't stand it anymore and coughed, which made the two give up the contest of abilities and start a physical fight, but the result was still a draw.

What else can we do? Next group!

There were 63 new recruits in the training camp. They fought from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The number of spectators increased, but Carl was unable to get a turn. Excluding meal times, Carl successfully slacked off for 6 hours as a spectator.

This led Karl to believe that his name was definitely not on Shuzo's match list.

"Kizaru, the battle is almost over, and that recruit you've got your eye on still hasn't gotten to the field?"

Kizaru said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter, Karl is going to be my future adjutant anyway."

Aokiji took off his eye mask, gazing sleepily at the horizon, muttering that he had overslept again.

"The final match! Carl versus... Major Smoker!"

"Ok?"

Akainu lowered his crossed legs and leaned forward slightly, a sign that he was serious.

If he wasn't mistaken, the rookie that Kizaru had favored suddenly gained a lot of strength after using his ability?

Could this be why Kizaru thinks highly of him? Akainu couldn't help but look at Kizaru with suspicion.

"Sakazuki, you promised you wouldn't try to take it from me. You're a dignified Admiral, you wouldn't go back on your word, would you?"

"Hmph! I always keep my word, but you have to tell me the truth: what exactly is that kid Karl's ability!"

Kizaru smiled and looked at Sengoku not far away. When he realized that Sengoku did not respond, he smiled even more happily.

"Oh my~ Sakazuki, don't underestimate these young people! The Devil Fruit that Karl ate is called the Holy Light Fruit."

"Holy Light Fruit? Paramecia type?" Aokiji suddenly interjected.

“That’s right. You all saw the holy light he released just now. That power has the effect of strengthening the body and healing, and it can be used on other people.”