Day two of Garp's training began differently.
Instead of meeting at the beach, Jake was instructed to report to a small building near the edge of the base—one he'd never been in before. It looked like an old storage facility, with weathered wood and a door that creaked ominously when he pushed it open.
Inside, he found Garp sitting at a table with what appeared to be a game board between them.
"Morning, Morrison!" Garp greeted him cheerfully. "Sleep well?"
"I dreamed about drowning, sir."
"That means the training is working! Sit down!"
Jake sat across from Garp and examined the board. It looked like a strategic war game—pieces representing Marine ships, pirate vessels, and various terrain features on a gridded map.
"Today we're training your mind," Garp announced. "Physical strength is important, but tactics win battles. Let's see how you think under pressure."
"Is this... a board game, sir?"
"It's a tactical simulation used by officer candidates. Usually reserved for people much higher ranked than you." Garp started setting up the pieces. "But I think you can handle it. You're playing the Marines. I'm playing a pirate fleet. Your objective: defend this island from my attack. My objective: raid the island and escape."
Jake studied the board. The island was in the center, with various approach routes. He had five Marine ships and limited information about Garp's forces.
"What are the rules, sir?"
"Simple. We take turns moving pieces. When forces engage, we roll dice modified by tactical advantages. But here's the trick—" Garp grinned. "—you have to explain your reasoning for every move. I want to understand how you think."
This is actually better than being thrown at sea monsters.
"Understood, sir. Can I ask questions about the scenario?"
"Smart! Yes, but information costs you time. Each question moves the turn counter forward."
They began. Jake played cautiously at first, positioning his ships to cover the most likely approach vectors. Garp's pirate fleet appeared on the board's edge, and immediately Jake noticed something odd.
"You're splitting your forces," Jake observed.
"Maybe I'm attacking from multiple directions."
"Or maybe you're feinting to draw my ships out of position." Jake kept three ships near the island, sending only two to intercept the more obvious threat.
"Why not commit fully to stopping the larger group?" Garp asked.
"Because if I'm wrong about it being a feint, I can't recover in time to defend the island. This way, I have reserves."
Garp nodded approvingly. "Conservative but sensible."
The game continued. Garp's tactics were aggressive and unpredictable—exactly what Jake expected from someone who'd fought Roger the Pirate King. But Jake noticed patterns. Garp favored bold moves, taking calculated risks that could pay off big if they worked.
He's testing me. Seeing if I'll match his aggression or stick to my defensive style.
Jake stuck to defense, but active defense—not just reacting to Garp's moves, but anticipating them and setting traps. When Garp committed his main force to one approach, Jake had already positioned ships to cut off the retreat.
"Interesting," Garp murmured. "You're not trying to win. You're trying to make me lose."
"Is there a difference, sir?"
"BWAHAHAHA! Yes! Most people focus on their own victory. You're focused on the enemy's defeat. That's a rare mindset!"
They played three scenarios. Jake lost the first one—Garp's experience and willingness to sacrifice pieces overwhelmed his defenses. The second was a draw—Jake prevented the raid but lost too many ships to call it a victory. The third, Jake actually won by forcing Garp into a position where retreating was the only option.
"Not bad!" Garp said, resetting the board. "You think like someone who's been in real battles. But you haven't, have you?"
"No, sir. Just training exercises."
"Then where'd you learn to think like this?"
Jake hesitated. I learned from watching anime and reading manga where you and others fight. I've seen the strategies, know the patterns.
"I read a lot, sir. Military history, tactical manuals. And I think about worst-case scenarios."
"Hmm." Garp studied him. "You know what I think? I think you're afraid of making mistakes. So you plan for everything to go wrong."
"Is that bad, sir?"
"Depends. It makes you careful, which saves lives. But it also makes you hesitant. Sometimes you need to take risks." Garp leaned back. "Let me ask you something. What do you think is the most important quality for a Marine?"
Jake thought carefully. "Strength?"
"Good answer, but no."
"Justice?"
"Closer, but still no."
"...Adaptability?"
Garp's eyes lit up. "NOW you're getting it! Strength fails against stronger enemies. Justice is complicated and doesn't always have clear answers. But adaptability? That keeps you alive." He stood up. "Come on. Time for the practical portion of today's lesson."
They left the building and headed toward the docks. Jake noticed several Marine ships were preparing to leave port.
"Where are we going, sir?"
"Sea King hunting!"
Jake stopped walking. "I'm sorry, sir. Did you say sea king hunting?"
"Not hunting to kill! Hunting to observe!" Garp kept walking, forcing Jake to hurry to catch up. "There's a pod of juvenile Sea Kings that migrates through this area. Perfect opportunity for you to learn about them in their natural habitat!"
"Sir, with respect, I learned about them yesterday when I touched one and nearly had a heart attack."
"That was one Sea Snapper. Today you'll see a whole pod! It'll be educational!"
That's what I'm afraid of.
They boarded a small Marine vessel—just Garp, Jake, and a crew of five sailors who looked excited about the Vice Admiral being aboard. As they left port, Garp explained the lesson.
"Sea Kings are a fact of life in this world. The Grand Line is full of them. Even the Blues have them. A good Marine knows how to deal with them."
"By fighting them?"
"By understanding them. Fighting should be the last resort. Sea Kings are territorial, but they're not mindlessly aggressive. If you understand their behavior, you can avoid most confrontations."
The ship sailed for about an hour before the lookout called down: "Sea Kings spotted! Bearing northeast!"
Jake joined Garp at the railing and immediately regretted it. There were at least a dozen massive shapes moving through the water—each one easily as large as their ship, some significantly larger.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Garp said admiringly.
That's not the word I would use.
"Here's your lesson, Morrison. Watch them. Study their movements. Tell me what you observe."
Jake forced himself to focus past his terror. The Sea Kings were moving in a coordinated pattern, like a school of fish but on a massive scale. They weren't approaching the ship—in fact, they seemed to be deliberately avoiding it.
"They're traveling together. Family group, maybe? And they're giving us space."
"Good! What else?"
"The smaller ones are in the middle. The larger ones on the outside—protecting them?"
"Excellent! They're more intelligent than most people think. They have social structures, family units. They protect their young." Garp pointed at the largest Sea King, a serpentine creature with fins the size of sails. "That's probably the matriarch. She's keeping watch while the others feed."
As if hearing Garp, the matriarch turned her massive head toward their ship. Jake felt his blood run cold as an eye the size of their ship's wheel focused on him.
"Don't show fear," Garp said quietly. "They can sense it. Just stay calm."
Stay calm stay calm stay calm—
The matriarch observed them for what felt like an eternity, then let out a low, rumbling call that Jake felt in his chest. The other Sea Kings responded, and slowly, the pod began moving away.
"See?" Garp said. "She assessed us, determined we weren't a threat to her family, and moved on. No fight necessary. That's smart survival."
Jake's legs felt weak. "That was terrifying, sir."
"But you didn't panic. You stayed calm, even when that creature could have destroyed this ship with one bite. That's progress."
They followed the pod at a safe distance for another hour, Garp pointing out behaviors and patterns. Despite his fear, Jake found himself actually learning. The Sea Kings had communication methods—different calls for different situations. They hunted cooperatively. They played—the juveniles chasing each other like massive, deadly puppies.
"Why are you teaching me this, sir?" Jake asked. "Most Marines just learn to fight them or avoid them."
"Because you're going to be stationed somewhere eventually, and you need to understand the dangers you'll face. Sea Kings aren't evil. They're not monsters. They're animals. Dangerous animals, yes, but predictable if you study them." Garp looked at Jake seriously. "In your career, you'll face human pirates, natural disasters, devil fruit users, and yes, sea creatures. The ones who survive are the ones who respect the dangers and learn to work around them."
"Not through them?"
"Sometimes through them. But only when necessary." Garp smiled. "You're not going to become a powerhouse who can punch Sea Kings to death like me. That's fine. You'll become the type who knows how to avoid needing to fight them at all."
They returned to base in the afternoon. Jake's mind was spinning with new information—behavioral patterns, warning signs, safe distances. It was practical, useful knowledge that his paranoid brain immediately filed away under "critical survival information."
"Tomorrow is your last day of special training," Garp said as they disembarked. "We're going to put everything together. Physical awareness, tactical thinking, and crisis management."
"What does that involve, sir?"
Garp's grin was slightly worrying. "A test. I'm going to create a crisis scenario, and you're going to solve it. No help, no guidance. Just you and your training."
"That sounds ominous, sir."
"It'll be fine! Probably!"
There's that word again.
That evening, Jake found Marcus in the mess hall looking equally exhausted.
"How was your day?" Marcus asked.
"I studied Sea King behavior from a ship while trying not to have a panic attack. You?"
"Garp had me fighting three instructors again, but this time blindfolded to 'develop my other senses.'"
"Did it work?"
"I got punched in the face a lot, so... maybe?" Marcus grinned despite the bruise on his cheek. "But seriously, this training is incredible. I feel like I'm learning more in three days than I did in three weeks of regular training."
"That's because Garp is actually insane and thinks near-death experiences are educational."
"They kind of are, though."
Jake couldn't really argue with that. As terrifying as the past two days had been, he'd learned things he never would have in standard training. He could read body language better now—both human and Sea King. He understood tactical thinking on a deeper level. And maybe most importantly, he'd faced fears and survived.
I'm still terrified of this world. But maybe I'm slightly less terrified than before.
"What do you think the test tomorrow will be?" Marcus asked.
"Knowing Garp? Something that sounds simple but is actually a nightmare scenario."
"You're probably right." Marcus stood up. "Well, whatever it is, good luck. You're going to need it."
"Thanks. That's not comforting at all."
"I know!"
That night, Jake tried to prepare mentally for whatever Garp had planned. A combat scenario? A navigation challenge? Another encounter with sea creatures?
Just stay calm. Think clearly. Use what you've learned. You can survive this.
He repeated it like a mantra until he fell asleep.
In his dreams, Garp was throwing Sea Kings at him instead of rocks, and Jake was using a tactical game board to defend himself.
Even his subconscious knew tomorrow was going to be weird.