"Reporting to Vice Admiral, sir—!"
A thunderous voice boomed through the hall.
Vice Admiral Onigumo, still sulking from earlier, instinctively smacked the soldier on the head.
"You idiot! How many times have I told you not to shout during your report?!"
"Well? What is it?"
The burly Marine rubbed his head in grievance and leaned in close, whispering carefully, "Reporting, Vice Admiral Onigumo sir… The content of the supplemental recruitment exam has been finalized. Smoker and X Drake from the Elite Division will personally test the recruits' strength. Final rankings will be verified by Commodore Vergo himself."
Dammit. Couldn't he have just said that louder?
Onigumo had to fight the urge to beat this weirdo subordinate into the ground.
He kept repeating in his heart: I chose this guy myself. My fault, my fault…
"Alright. Go report it to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, then."
With that, Onigumo tossed his "Justice" cloak dramatically and fled Gion's office.
That kouhai of his?
He was terrified of her now.
"Little Bunny, done with work? Want to grab dinner?"
Ever since Ren had learned her nickname, he never stopped teasing her with it.
Gion's office was right next to Zephyr's, so Ren would drop by to flirt with her whenever he had a moment.
"Brat, stop giving people weird nicknames."
Gion glared at him. "Also, you should be calling me instructor! Show some respect."
"Big? You're definitely big..."
Ren gave her a once-over and let out a cheeky laugh.
"You little—! Watch where you're looking!" Gion snapped. "When was the last time you ate at the cafeteria?"
"Not that long ago. I just don't feel like eating there this month."
Ren had serious complaints about the Marine Academy's cafeteria.
Was that food even meant for humans?
He'd rather go eat outside.
Gion clicked her tongue. "Spoiled little boys are the worst. No spine at all."
"Little Bunny, that's where you're wrong. There are two things in this world I take very seriously."
"Oh? Do tell."
"One is my stomach."
Gion raised an eyebrow, curious. "And the other?"
"The other... is my woman."
Ren gazed at her with deep affection.
"You little scoundrel. Save your sincerity for Ain! You're too young to be this much of a flirt."
Gion struggled to break free from his smoldering stare. Her heart was pounding.
Flustered, she quickly shoved Ren out the door in embarrassment.
But inside the room, she was a mess.
Her mind was spinning, and her heart wouldn't calm down.
"Is Instructor Gion not coming?" Ain asked curiously.
"She said she's busy. Let's go without her."
"Alright then."
As the two walked side by side, Ren casually took Ain's small hand in his own.
Ain couldn't even remember how she ended up letting Ren win her over.
Somehow, she'd become his girlfriend without realizing it.
Of course, Ren knew his boundaries.
They mostly held hands.
He only dared to kiss her when no one else was around.
Otherwise, this violent girl would definitely make him pay.
"Hey, System. It's been so long, why do I only have like 20 Return-Return Fruit fragments? Didn't you say I get a fragment every time I beat someone?"
Ren felt the synthesis system was starting to scam him.
He'd been sparring non-stop with Simba and the others lately.
Back then, he used to get a fragment after beating them four or five times.
Now? Nothing. He'd fought them over ten times and didn't get a single one.
How was he supposed to progress like this?
The system's sweet voice chimed in:
"Because the host's current strength now exceeds Vice Admiral level, the opponents must also be stronger. To drop a fragment, the enemy must be at least Commodore-level or higher."
Great.
Ren got the message loud and clear — he'd leveled up too much.
Beating up weaklings didn't drop loot anymore.
If he wanted better drop rates, he'd need to fight tougher enemies.
So yeah... training was hard.
The best way to grow stronger was to fight real battles.
That's why Luffy kept growing so fast after setting out to sea — it was constant battle after battle.
"Looks like I need to set sail soon. But that old man Zephyr won't allow it. What a headache."
He was still under probation and couldn't graduate.
Without graduating, how was he supposed to get his own warship?
"And money... Damn it. I'm broke again."
Ren sighed.
Sure, he'd captured plenty of pirates over the past few years.
But in a backwater place like the East Blue, how many high-bounty pirates were there?
With Grandpa Garp dropping by now and then to wreck shop, the real threats had all fled.
The only ones left were small fry — all of whom Ren and Ace had already mopped up.
How else was he funding his dates and pickup lines?
That bounty money was everything.
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