One Piece My strange ability

Chapter 9: Garp's Education

The entire place fell silent. Even though they had heard of Garp's fearsome reputation, seeing the raw display of his 9000 power value left everyone gasping in shock.

Terrifying.

After all, this was just a casual move from Garp.

Karen stood there, dumbfounded by the sight before him. He thought to himself, This is truly a man who has forced the Pirate King to flee multiple times.

"Garp, you b*****d! Are you trying to ruin this selection process?" Zephyr stormed up to Garp, visibly angry.

"Hey, don't talk nonsense. I was just curious about the recruit who shouted 'Divine Departure.'" Garp waved his hand dismissively, then barked, "Why are you shouting so loudly?!"

"What? Are you trying to pick a fight?" Zephyr snapped back, refusing to back down.

"Let's do this, then!"

"Bring it on!"

Watching the two of them bicker like children, Sengoku had no choice but to intervene. "You idiots, stop embarrassing yourselves and get back here!" he said in a deep voice.

"Who do you think you're talking to? Come down here, and I'll take both of you on!" Garp retorted, though he had already started backing away toward Sengoku.

"Hmph. Fine. Let's move on," Zephyr muttered, still annoyed.

"Who is that guy, anyway? He managed to get Vice Admiral Garp and Instructor Zephyr to show up in person," one of the Marine recruits whispered to another.

"You don't know him? That's Karen—the guy who made a public love confession to Goddess Hina in front of countless soldiers!" a soldier who knew Karen replied with a smirk.

"So, he's that guy?"

"Wait, you're talking about the guy who confessed to Goddess Hina?!"

---

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Karen's mind:

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for achieving your goal! You've earned a chance to draw a lottery."

Karen blinked in surprise. As he watched Garp and Zephyr walk away, his thoughts raced. That counts?

Suppressing his excitement, he approached the instructor with a shy smile. "Um, did I pass?" he asked.

"Yes, you passed. Here's your medal. You can move freely until the second assessment this afternoon. Complete that, and you'll qualify for the elite training camp," the instructor said, handing Karen a badge while mentally noting his face.

"Thank you," Karen said, taking the medal. He quickly headed back to the dormitory, eager to examine the system notification from earlier.

---

Meanwhile, Zephyr turned to Sengoku. "What do you think of him?" he asked, watching Karen leave.

"Are you sure he didn't receive any specialized training before this?" Sengoku asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's an orphan—or at least, he became one just a month ago," Zephyr replied calmly.

"Who's responsible?" Sengoku asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Pirates," Zephyr said, his tone neutral.

Sengoku sighed in relief. He had feared a more complicated answer.

"Hate is a powerful motivator," Zephyr remarked.

Sengoku turned to Garp. "Do you know him?"

"That kid? Why would I know him?" Garp replied, confused.

Sengoku tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully. "East Blue. Sriri Town. Karen. Garp," he muttered before turning to Garp with suspicion. "Are you sure this kid isn't your illegitimate son?"

"You a**hole! Do you want to fight?!" Garp yelled, glaring at Zephyr.

"Then how did he get your recommendation letter?" Zephyr pressed, ignoring Garp's outburst.

Garp scratched his head in confusion. "I really don't know…"

After a moment of thought, Sengoku spoke up. "It must be Monkey D. Dragon. That boy must have met Dragon."

Hearing the name, Garp—who had begun dozing off—suddenly sat up, startled. "Dragon? What does he have to do with this?"

Zephyr also looked to Sengoku, waiting for an explanation.

"I received information that Monkey D. Dragon appeared in the East Blue about a month ago," Sengoku said. "Karen, who's also from the East Blue, has a recommendation letter signed by Garp. It's safe to assume Dragon gave it to him."

"So Karen is Dragon's informant?" Zephyr speculated.

"Impossible. Dragon wouldn't make such an obvious mistake," Sengoku replied, shaking his head. "If Dragon recommended Karen, it means the boy has earned his recognition but refused to join the Revolutionary Army."

Zephyr nodded. "In other words, he's someone who genuinely wants to join the Marines."

Sengoku agreed, though he added, "It's less about wanting to join the Marines and more about hating pirates."

However, neither of them could have guessed the truth: Karen was a transmigrator. While he did harbor hatred for pirates, his decision to join the Marines was mainly for a safe and stable environment to grow stronger.

"But regardless of his motives, having him join the Marines is a good thing," Zephyr said with satisfaction.

"I agree. He has talent, goals, and hatred—perfect traits for a Marine," Sengoku replied.

Garp, however, muttered under his breath, "If he's so talented, why did Dragon recommend someone so weak?"

Zephyr laughed. "You're wrong this time, Garp. Karen might seem weak now, but he's a prodigy. An untrained civilian typically has a power value of 10. With a month of training, it might reach 100 at most. But Karen scored 512. That's monstrous. He could very well become another Sakazuki."

"Haha! If Dragon recommended him, then I'll personally take this kid under my wing!" Garp declared.

"Get lost!" Sengoku and Zephyr shouted in unison.

It wasn't that they doubted Garp's skills, but looking at his track record…

One of his students, Kuzan, was an exceptional Vice Admiral but was infamous for his "Lazy Justice." Another, his son Dragon, had not only left the Marines but had also founded the Revolutionary Army, becoming the "World's Most Wanted Criminal."

If Garp trained Karen, who knew what would happen? Sengoku and Zephyr shuddered at the thought.