Waiting Area, Dormitory.
At this moment, every participant had received their score notifications from the exam officers.
This included Tashigi and Mode as well.
As they opened the envelopes, both saw the same letter grade on their evaluations.
“Grade D!”
However, their ranks differed.
Tashigi’s rank was NO. 312, while Mode’s was NO. 103!
Seeing her rank and grade, Tashigi’s expression darkened.
Despite training tirelessly every day, was the gap still this vast?
A wave of disappointment washed over her. Could she really achieve her dreams?
…
Unlike Tashigi’s distant ranking, Mode was just three spots away from qualifying. If only his score had been a bit higher, if only he had tried a bit harder, maybe he could have made it.
But had he really not tried hard enough?
To support his gravely ill relative, he had trained continuously like Curls, but he simply couldn’t endure it as well. After all, he was just an ordinary person, and surpassing a genius was incredibly challenging!
All he could do was fight bravely and fearlessly in battles, hoping to gain promotions and strength.
But it wasn’t enough!
Even if he was just three ranks short, it still didn’t change the fact that he failed this time!
…
Waiting Area, Hospital.
In a white hospital room.
Standing quietly by the window, eating a hamburger, was Vice Admiral Vergo, dressed in a checkered coat with lightning-shaped sideburns and sunglasses.
As he finished the hamburger, a piece of bread stuck to his face, but he didn’t notice.
Lying on the bed behind him was a middle-aged man with messy black hair, around forty years old, slightly older than Vergo. This was Veroh, who had been severely injured by Curls.
Even after five or six days, his injuries were so severe that he had not yet recovered, which was why he didn’t participate in the preliminary screening exam.
However, as he had already secured a spot in the elite training camp, his participation in this exam didn’t matter.
Vergo looked at the fine rain outside the window, his expression silent and calm, making it hard to guess his thoughts.
Vergo wasn’t a man of few words by nature, but to avoid exposing his spy identity, he had to remain vigilant through silence.
As the highest-ranking officer in the Donquixote family and the first-generation “Corazon,” he followed Doflamingo’s orders, abandoning his pirate identity to infiltrate the Marines as a spy.
For thirteen years, he maintained his cover by being silent and reserved.
During this time, he gained deep trust within the Marines, rising to the rank of Vice Admiral.
This espionage journey had been very successful!
But some unexpected events occurred…
A few years ago, through Marine intelligence, he discovered his long-lost brother Veroh!
Vergo had a family before becoming a Marine or joining the Donquixote family.
After school, his brother Veroh would buy him hamburgers, his favorite food. But a war caused them to be separated.
In that city, amidst the chaos of war, crime ran rampant. How could an eight-year-old Vergo survive alone?
To survive, Vergo learned to endure, to fight, to use violence, and to keep himself safe in harsh environments.
Later, he joined the Donquixote family, gaining new family and affection.
For his family, Vergo would do anything. That’s why he followed Doflamingo’s orders and infiltrated the Marines for thirteen years.
Upon reuniting with Veroh, Vergo was overjoyed.
To make up for lost time, he fulfilled all of Veroh’s wishes as much as possible.
Want to join the Marines?
Vergo arranged for him to join the Marine G5 branch, and now Veroh was a Marine Commander.
Want power?
Vergo asks Doflamingo to find a Devil Fruit, eventually acquiring an ancient Zoan fruit for Veroh through a marine pirate interception.
Originally, this fruit was meant for Vergo, but he gave it to Veroh because he valued family.
He could do anything for his family and wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt them, even the Marine rising star Curls!
Though he couldn’t act against Curls due to Doflamingo’s plans, Vergo had etched the name Curls in his memory.
Given the chance, he would settle the score!
…
The Next Day.
Marineford, Crescent-shaped Harbor.
Numerous Marine ships came and went, transporting supplies, battle trophies, pirate captives, etc. Despite the large number of people, everything ran orderly under the headquarters’ arrangement.
At this moment, Curls and Kaen, both wearing Marine coats and armed with famous swords, were here to bid farewell to Tashigi and Mode.
Having failed the preliminary screening for the elite training camp, they were heading back to the Marine base at Loguetown.
Both were dejected, their spirits low.
They had come with high hopes, only to face failure in the end.
Seeing this, Kaen offered some words of comfort:
“Don’t fear failure, as everyone experiences both success and failure.
What matters isn’t the failure itself but whether you let it discourage you.
If you do, let it drive you forward. As long as you persevere, you will succeed one day!”
Tashigi seemed to understand but was still lost in thought.
Mode, however, lifted his head slightly and asked with a hopeful look.
“Captain Kaen, can ordinary people like us achieve success?”
Kaen fell silent for a moment.
Then, he looked at his former subordinate, placing a hand on Mode’s shoulder, and spoke earnestly.
“Mode, you must believe in yourself.
Even if your progress is slow, as long as you persist, you can still reach your goals in the future, though you may fall behind and fail.
So, don’t let failure hold you back. Move forward, overcome obstacles, and face challenges head-on!
I believe in you. You can achieve the success you desire!”
Mode felt immense gratitude swelling in his heart.
He saluted.
“Thank you, Captain!”
He addressed Kaen as “Captain” instead of “Colonel,” likely speaking from the heart.
At that moment, the ship signaled its imminent departure.
“Goodbye, Lieutenant Curls!”
“Goodbye, Captain Kaen!”
After their farewells, Tashigi and Mode boarded the ship with other unsuccessful candidates, heading back to the East Blue.
Moments later, the ship departed, leaving the harbor.
Their figures became smaller until they disappeared with the ship into the horizon.
During the farewell, Curls remained silent.
He hadn’t offered any encouraging words, not because he didn’t care, but because it wasn’t in his nature.
Curls deeply respected the effort. No one had the right to belittle someone else’s hard work.
Even if Tashigi and Mode needed a long time to catch up to his current strength, their efforts shouldn’t be mocked.
…
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