The first light of day peeks over the horizon, painting the dark sky with soft pinks and purples shades.
*Beeeep--*
The loud, annoying sound of the assembly whistle yanks the sleepy soldiers from their dreams, and they hurriedly run to form upright lines on the grounds for inspection and delivery of daily tasks.
Tetsuo is also among them, yawning with dark circles under his eyes, and his still bandaged hands stained with blood.
"Yaaawn." 'If it weren't for the fuss they make when they wake up, I'd still be asleep in bed.'
Tetsuo thinks with his mind and body unrest while Morgan calls out names and assigns tasks.
"Seaman Recruit Takahashi Tetsuo! Cleaning the bedrooms, laundry and maintenance of the armory!"
Once the tasks have been assigned, Morgan dismisses the soldiers in formation and they all head to the mess hall for breakfast before starting work.
The food presented to Tetsuo is a plate of beans with a bread roll, and a banana, much to his dismay.
'Fuck, the breakfast is also a shit. And then Garp wonders why both his son and his grandson rejected the Marines.' Tetsuo thinks as he puts a tembling spoonful of beans in his mouth.
'Anyway, there's nothing that can be done. Right at this date, pirates are more active and ferocious than in canon, and the 153rd Branch is just a small portion of the East Blue part of the Marine.'
'If I were at Marine Headquarters, now that would make the job worthwhile: delicacies of my choice, training in Haki and Rokushiki, access to information, travel opportunities...'
'But no, I appeared here. An island in the weakest sea, with bad food, bad living conditions, forced to waste time with useless jobs and with difficult prospects for navigation.'
'These are the shitty cards I've been dealt. But complaining won't fix things, and if I want to rise to the top, I'll have to use all my cunning, knowledge, and stubbornness to make it happen.'
'For now, I'll have to swallow this garbage and deal with the situation the best I can. I'll keep working and training until I find an opportunity to—'
*Bump*
Suddenly, someone interrupts Tetsuo train of thought by bumping into him, with his eyes comically widening from the hit.
"Oops, sorry, it seems I've accidentally tripped over your big head. Heh heh heh." A voice man sounds behind Tetsuo.
Tetsuo turns his head to look at the culprit with a murderous glare.
"You're newbie everyone's whispering about today, Tetsuo, right?" The guy ask.
"Hmph." Tetsuo nods, looking up and checking him out.
He looks like he is in his early twenties, with bright pink hair and a fancy behaviour. He is also skinny and has dark brown skin.
'Where have I seen this dumbass before?'
The Pink-Haired Man flips his hair dramatically and struck a pose as he introduced himself in a showy way: "My name is Fullbody, your partner. You can feel grateful that a refined gentleman like me is helping a novice recruit who has no clue about how things work here as yourself."
'Partner? Oh yes, there was that.'
Tetsuo finally understandood the situation.
Morgan had said in passing yesterday that new soldiers usually work in pairs, with an experienced soldier helping a new one learn the job faster and adapt to the new work environment.
'This must be who he meant. But the doubt still irritates me; where have I seen this pompous idiot before?'
While thinking about his partner identity, a small sparkle of light catch his eye, and squinting, noticing something on the man's right hand: a ring-shaped metal glove made of solid steel.
Then it clicks!
'"Iron Fist" Fullbody!'
He is the annoying guy from the restaurant story, the one who tried to impress a blonde lady with empty words and false sybarite skills, but Sanji embarrassed him and then beat the crap out of him.
After that, in one of the cover stories, he meets Jango at a dance competition, and the two become friends and they both end up working for Hina as good guys.
'I didn't imagine he was originally from the 153rd branch. He surely left once he ranked up in the canon and his ego got inflated like a balloon.'
'Imagine having this fucking hopeless wannabe ladies' man as my supervisor. I really do have bad luck in every life.'
'Hmph, it doesn't really matter. He isn't very good, but I'll still hold on and find a way to get by.'
"Wait until I finish breakfast." I say this without notable education or respect, adding another spoonful.
*Bam*
"Are you making fun of me?!" Fullbody asks, banging on the table.
"You're just a newly commissioned cadet, and I'm your commanding officer, so you owe me respect and deference!"
"How dare you act so rudely towards a superior?!"
Fullbody says all of this looking at Tetsuo's with disgust, his expression more indignant than angry that the newcomer dares to answer him back.
Tetsuo, for his part, doesn't react to his ranting. He doesn't even look at him. He just keep eating as if Fullbody wasn't there.
Luckily for him, this partnership is only for a month. After that, he will get the opportunity to prove his growth with the Branch exam and become a full-fledged Marine with permission to set sail.
Actually, thanks to his three-month stay, he is already good enough to pass the basic daily training of the base; he just has to keep up the pace and wait for the scheduled exam.
'I need to set sail to gain strength and experience as soon as possible, so I must focus and put all my effort into preparing for that goal.'
'I don't have time to lose my temper over some forgotten nobody who doesn't even have a Devil Fruit. I'll make him eat his words along with his knuckle when I surpass him in rank.'
"You still aren't listening to me?! Your behavior is truly appalling for a mere rookie!"
In the midst of his tantrum, Fullbody's gaze fixes on the spoon that Tetsuo puts in his mouth and then on the tray towards which he digs it, her expression changing to one of disgust.
"Although, seeing you more clearly, it makes sense. I don't know how you can eat the food they serve here so casually?"
"Your atrocious behavior doesn't surprise me anymore. After all, we are what we eat, and if you eat garbage, well, you tell me."
"It would be better if you followed the example of the other soldiers and went to the village tavern at lunchtime and dinnertime."
At the mention of the tavern, Tetsuo stops digging in his food with his spoon while Fullbody continues.
"Obviously, that place isn't up to the standards of a palate as refined as mine, but it's better than what they offer here, and the woman who runs it is the only thing that brings comfort to the soldiers on this base."
"I don't really like women with children, but for her I would be willing to make an exception and ask her—"
Fullbody is unable to finish the sentence when his eyes pop out and his mouth opens wide from the slap Tetsuo gives him with the food tray.
"I don't care what bullshit you say about me or about your own inflated ego, but if you dare disrespect Ririka or her daughter, I'm going to make sure I rip that annoying and unnecessary haughtiness out of you with my own hands, you piece of shit."
With a murderous, veiny glare as he mutters these words, Tetsuo lunges at Fullbody and the two begin to brawl on the ground like two children fighting in the playground.
Tetsuo lands several punches on Fullbody while on top of him, but the higher ranking soldier defends himself from the assault and also manages to land a few hits with his knuckle duster.
Tetsuo feels the pain of the blows with the hard metal glove colliding with his body, and he even suffers a slight concussion when Fullbody punches him in the face with it, but even so Tetsuo does not give in and continues throwing punches driven by rage.
The small skirmish lasts no more than about 30 seconds before the other Marines, alerted by the scandalous commotion they are causing, come to try to separate them.
Seaman Recruit Charles, whom Tetsuo met yesterday, helps Fullbody up from the ground, his face with blood and some swollen bruises. At the same time, two nameless soldiers restrain Tetsuo, who also has a few scratches on his face and is even bleeding slightly from his head.
"Hey, stop it already! What's wrong with you guys?!" Charles asks, trying to support Fullbody..
"Ask that animal! I had approached to introduce myself as politely as possible as the person in charge of his supervising for this month, and suddenly that wannabe cadet lunged at me like a madman!"
At his statement, the soldier turns his gaze towards Tetsuo with great seriousness.
"That's not how it happened. That pompous idiot came looking to provoke me, and I'd let him have his way until he..."
"Silence!" Charles shouts, interrupting Tetsuo. "I don't want to hear your complaints or reasons! Now you're a base soldier, and trying to give a beatdown to a superior officer goes against Marine's ideal of justice!"
"Tsk. It's that pink-haired, foul-mouthed jerk's fault. You should blame him, not me." Tetsuo states irked, clicking his tongue and shifting his eyes.
"The Navy functions because the chain of command is followed. This transgression should be reported to superiors. But since I know it's your first day, I'll be lenient." Charles
"As a punishment, you will be doing double the exercise of the rest of the soldiers for a week, and you'll go without dinner tonight."
"Come on. Apologize to Petty Officer Fullbody and get on with today's tasks."
"No in fucking hell!" Tetsuo responds, roughly breaking free from the soldiers holding him. "I don't care about rank, and I don't care about punishments. I won't apologize for doing what I must."
"Cadet Takahashi, that's enough with your insubordination! It's an order from your superior! Apologize right now!"
Seaman Recruit Charles commands, attempting to exert authority over Tetsuo, but he simply looks at the food on the ground before turning to try to leave.
"Lunch's over, so come on, show me where the cleaning supplies are. We need to clean up this mess, and you're here to show me, right?" Tetsuo declares trying to leave, but he staggers a little from the blows and the shock he received, and one of the previous soldiers tries to hold him.
"Hey, stay still. You have several bruises, and your head is even bleeding. Let us bandage you up."
"It's not necessary, I'm fine. Leave me alone." Tetsuo lets go of his arm and finally leaves the dining room.
Upon seeing him leaving through the door, Fullbody's eye twitch and his fists tremble with frustration.
"Who does that guy think he is? Acting so rude and disrespectful to his superiors. We should report him to Officer Morgan or Commander Ripper."
"Leave it be, Officer Fullbody. He's a newcomer, and we're short-staffed after the last voyage, so we can't be picky. We need to mold his behavior and mindset gradually, and that's where you come in. Make sure you instill the Marine's protocols and discipline in him."
"Oh, yes, you're absolutely right, Seaman Charles. I must make sure to teach him thoroughly what it means to be a Marine." Fullbody resplies with a smile of dubious intentions.
While the soldiers discuss how to treat the new arrival, in the corridor, the man in question tries to walk away from the door, still staggering due to the concussion until, almost falling, he ends up leaning against the wall.
Leaning against the wall, Tetsuo takes a few breaths, trying to regain his composure. His body and face still ache from the blows Fullbody landed, and his vision and sense of balance are still distorted because of the right hooks with the metal glove with screws.
'I didn't expect Fullbody's punches to affect me so much. In the show, he was a nobody, and it's still five years before his official debut. I guess that proves I'm just trash right now.'
'Sigh. Well, it can't be helped. That womanizing jerk deserved it. Ririka and her daughter have been so good to me since I came into this world. If they hadn't offered me that kind hand when everyone else rejected me, I might have died the moment I arrived.'
'I owe them, so I couldn't just stand by and do nothing after he started talking about trying to get his hands on Ririka in such a shameless way.'
'I will not allow anyone to disrespect those who are important to me, especially those who have saved my life. And if they dare to threaten them, be it pirates, the Marines, or even Imu himself, I will destroy them in the most horrific way possible.'
'But well, unlike the original Helmeppo, Fullbody proved in the manga that he wasn't a truly bad guy after all, so I don't think I have to go that far with him. At least for now.'
Shrugging at the thought that there would be no problems between Fullbody and the tavern, Tetsuo straightens up again, still a little sore but with his senses more recovered.
'Furthermore, this will also be good for my growth.'
'This world is full of monsters and dangers everywhere, and if I want to face it head-on, I have to strengthen both my body and my will.'
'Training may be fine up to a point, but if I want to go beyond the human limit, I have to face any challenge that comes in my way and stand firm without ever giving up.'