East Blue,
Sakura Island
Marine Branch 155
A young Marine soldier at the recruitment office was yawning boredly. It wasn't time for large-scale recruitment yet, and this was the East Blue, so not many people came to join the Marines.
The table in front of him was knocked. The disturbed Marine soldier looked up impatiently, about to speak, but when he saw a pair of purple eyes with strange patterns, a sense of fear rose in his heart, and the words he was about to say were swallowed back down.
The person who arrived was naturally Uchiha Chiga. Seeing that the Marine in front of him was slow to speak, he proactively asked,
"Hello, is this the Marine recruitment office? I'm here for an interview."
"Ah, yes, yes,"
The Marine, having regained his senses, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quickly replied, then began to ask for Chiga's information.
"Name?"
"Uchiha Chiga."
"Age?"
" 16 years old."
The Marine soldier looked at Uchiha Chiga in surprise, thinking how young he was.
"Reason for joining the Marines?"
"Just out of interest, I guess."
"Uh, very honest!"
"Do you have any special abilities?"
"Hmm… I can fly, breathe fire, summon lightning, control gravity and repulsion, open spatial gates… quite a lot."
Hearing this long list of abilities, the Marine soldier looked at Uchiha Chiga with suspicion. If it were anyone else, he would have already frowned, but Uchiha Chiga's eyes had given him too great a shock just now.
Seeing the Marine soldier's expression, Chiga knew he might think he was talking nonsense, so he simply performed a few ninjutsu, then used Bansho Ten'in to pull the entire branch building into the sky, and gently placed it back in its original spot.
"Now, can I join the Marines?" Chiga turned to look at the Marine soldier, only to find that the soldier was completely frozen in place, with his tongue hanging out, like a comical statue.
However, at this moment, the Marine base was in chaos.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"The opponent is an ability user, a very terrifying ability! Quick, go out and see!"
"This is bad, an enemy of this level is not something we can handle!"
"For justice! We cannot retreat! Charge out and see!"
A series of hurried footsteps sounded, and all the Marines in the base rushed to the base entrance, looking around nervously, trying to find the invading enemy.
At this moment, the Marine responsible for recruitment had come to his senses. Seeing this situation, he knew it was a false alarm caused by Chiga's ability. Suppressing the shock in his heart, he quickly stepped forward, stood at attention, saluted a burly Marine, and explained,
"Reporting, Colonel Rod! There is no enemy attack! The disturbance just now was caused by Uchiha Chiga, who came to enlist!"
As soon as his words fell, the Marines burst into an uproar.
"What? Caused by someone who came to enlist?"
"Are the new recruits this terrifying now??"
"Scared me to death! Thankfully it's not a pirate. I thought I was going to sacrifice myself for justice this time!"
Colonel Rod looked at Uchiha Chiga, who was standing quietly in one spot, his face twitching as he spoke,
"I understand, you may go."
He then walked in front of Uchiha Chiga, controlled his emotions, and asked,
"Hello, I am the highest-ranking officer here, Colonel Rod. Are you Uchiha Chiga, who came to enlist?"
Rod's tone carried a hint of caution. After all, Chiga's earlier display of "gently lifting and lowering" the entire building had truly frightened him. He also knew that with that level of power, there was probably no one in the entire East Blue who could contend with it.
"Yes, I am Uchiha Chiga. I came here to join the Marines," Chiga replied with a smile.
Having received confirmation, and with Uchiha Chiga's attitude seemingly good, Rod's hanging heart slightly relaxed, followed by immense joy.
He knew he couldn't keep a talent of this caliber. He was born for the Grand Line. His East Blue Marine branch was not worthy!
But he could recommend him to Marine Headquarters! The merit gained from recommending such a talent could even promote him several ranks directly!
Looking at Uchiha Chiga again, Rod's eyes were filled with fervent admiration.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under Rod's gaze, Chiga raised his hand, opened a space-time door, and threw Brand's corpse, the pirate flag, and a large black sphere onto the ground.
"What is this?" Rod looked at Uchiha Chiga in confusion.
"This black ball is the piled corpses of the Brand Pirate Crew. The one that still looks somewhat human is the captain. I dealt with them on the way here."
Hiss, Rod took a sharp breath. He knew about the Brand Pirate Crew; they were a group of pirates who had returned from the Grand Line. Headquarters had sent a warning message a few days ago, and they were preparing to send reinforcements, as the damage Brand could cause in the East Blue would be immense.
But now, this Brand, who had managed to escape back from the Grand Line, had actually turned into a charred human-shaped lump in front of him, and the other minor pirates weren't even fit to maintain human form!
It was truly terrifying! Rod gained a new understanding of Uchiha Chiga's strength.
"Then please come into the base first, and we can talk slowly. To be honest, with your strength, you probably won't be staying here for too long."
Speaking again, Rod's tone already carried a hint of flattery. He knew that if Uchiha Chiga, with such power, went to Headquarters, he would definitely enter their elite training camp. Once he graduated from there, he would be a Headquarters officer, and his rank would only be higher than his own! It would be a height he could never reach in his lifetime, so he dared not show the slightest neglect, whether in terms of strength or status.
Chiga smiled and nodded, then walked into the base first.
Looking at Chiga's retreating figure, and then thinking of his young face, Rod couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Why is the gap between people so vast?.