The bright morning light shone down, bringing a sense of warmth.
Rougishuate his noodles unhurriedly, while Penn has already finished his bowl and seems restless. He shifts anxiously in his chair and glances frequently at the distant military camp.
Rougishuchuckled and said, “No need to rush, it’s still early.”
Penn scratched the back of his head awkwardly, “It’s not that… I… I’m a bit nervous.”
Rougishushook his head. From what he had observed in the past two days, Penn’s strength was quickly among the top ten recruits at G2 Base.
Although this round of world recruitment didn’t involve ranking, the Marines would never reject someone with Penn’s potential.
“Alright, I’m done eating. Let’s go,” Rougishusaid said calmly after finishing his last bite.
“Ha… haha!” Penn giggled, his grotesque face looking even more frightening, causing several diners in the restaurant to tremble with fear.
As Rougishuand Penn approached, the noodle shop owner, busy preparing food, almost collapsed with fear. Although today’s customers had been scared away by the hideous man, the owner didn’t harbor any resentment, as terror entirely occupied his mind.
“B-b-b-boss, here’s today’s earnings. If you want more, I’ll have to go home and get it…” The middle-aged owner stammered, almost ready to kneel before the “demon” Penn, hurriedly taking out all the money from the cash drawer.
Rougishuwas speechless; Penn’s terrifying appearance had a powerful deterrent effect!
“Boss, you’ve misunderstood. We are…”
“Wait, aren’t you the hero who saved that little girl?” the owner suddenly exclaimed, realizing who Rougishuwas was. And this gentleman… was also one of the heroes?”
Although Penn had been the first to step in, Longinus’s presence now helped people recognize Penn.
On one hand, Longinus’s bold actions left a more profound impression, while Penn’s silent resistance didn’t match people’s expectations of a hero.
On the other hand, Penn’s terrifyingly grotesque face made him look like a villain, whereas Longinus’s clean and bright appearance was more aligned with the hero image.
However, Penn had no complaints and was grateful to Longinus. Thanks to Longinus, he was recognized for the first time after the event, which made him extremely excited, “Yes, yes! It’s me, it’s me. I’m not a bad person!”
“Come on, how could a hero praised by the Rear Admiral be a bad person?” The owner said, waving off the suggestion, “But I definitely can’t take your money. My conscience wouldn’t allow me to take money from heroes like you.”
…
After a round of explanations, they finally left some money and escaped from the shop. On the way to the military camp, Penn was so glad he couldn’t stop smiling, scaring off passersby.
Upon arrival, they found that even though the gentle sunlight had just fallen, five long queues had already formed in the camp, and the number of people was still increasing visibly. The two quickly joined the lines.
Almost instantly, most people who wanted to join this line backed off. Even those who tried to take advantage of the shorter queue kept their distance from Penn as if the line had broken off at his spot.
The immediate effect made Rougishuwonder if Penn had eaten a Cursed Fruit that made him ugly or smelly.
The recruitment process was simple, merely testing for physical fitness and the ability to meet basic physical requirements. After all, Marine soldiers mainly fought with firearms, so the basic ability for long-distance, heavy-load marches was essential.
However, even this simple test disqualified many people. In this chaotic and twisted pirate world, many lower-class civilians couldn’t even get enough to eat and were chronically malnourished, making it impossible for them to meet the standards of a “normal” adult.
Because the process was straightforward and didn’t take long, it was soon Longinus’s turn.
The registrar didn’t even look up and mechanically said, “Name, age, origin, then take the registration form to the rear square for physical testing.”
“Longinus, 12 years old, from Maple Town in the Grand Line.” Rougishudidn’t mind, as such monotonous work was naturally hard to maintain enthusiasm for.
“Take this…”
The registrar’s hand, holding the registration form, froze in mid-air, then he looked up abruptly, “Are you Longinus? The one who defeated Giant Rhino Alex?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“It really is you! Captain Adkin instructed us to wait for you. Come with me,” the registrar exclaimed, grabbing Rougishu and leading him to the rear. The other recruits were stunned at the preferential treatment.
Some uninformed recruits began to grumble. Did the Marines, who symbolized absolute justice in their hearts, also have to bow down to the powerful and influential?
“Quiet down! Silence!” A Marine Captain in a Justice coat stepped forward and ordered loudly.
The bustling square fell silent, and the Captain continued, “Put away your pointless thoughts. If you want to be respected like Longinus, improve your strength and go kill some pirates. The Marines value merit and strength above all.”
Most of the uproar came from newcomers who had just arrived in the past two days. Those who knew what had happened two days ago were more envious than jealous of Longinus’s treatment.
After all, anyone with some rationality knew that such a monster was not in the same league as them.
However, some with darker thoughts tried to stir trouble. One person approached Penn, feigning sympathy, “Hey, big guy, don’t you feel upset? You were the one who stepped up first, but now everyone only knows about that pretentious kid and not… Ah! What are you doing, you freak?”
The furious Penn lifted the troublemaker into the air, who warned him, “You can say what you want about me, but keep your filthy mouth shut about my brother Longinus!”
Penn, though seemingly naive, had a keen sense of judgment. He could easily see through this person’s hypocritical concern, especially given the apparent disdain in his eyes.
“I… I understand. Please put me down. Help… help!” Though somewhat capable, the troublemaker was no match for Penn, among the strongest recruits. He was lifted into the air without resistance, and soon, a yellow liquid began dripping down.
Even the Marines, initially frowning, stopped interfering after hearing Penn’s furious warning and seeing the troublemaker’s pathetic state. They respected Longinus’s actions as actual soldiers and naturally sided with Penn.
“Get lost!” Knowing where he was, Penn controlled his anger and threw the troublemaker several hundred meters away.
“Aaahhh!”
Hearing the wailing scream, even the Marines were stunned. This guy, who only dared to cower, actually had such strength?
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