Mansour was a man of his word.
Exactly three days later, he arrived at the door with his designers. After reviewing the blueprints and suggesting a few modifications, Sean finalized the design.
A few days later, construction crews began arriving in successive waves. Mansour informed Sean that the Tokaf Construction Company had diverted more than half of its available workforce to this project, with several more ships expected to arrive soon.
The small port of the 16th Branch quickly became overwhelmed. Eventually, ships transporting personnel were forced to anchor offshore, using small skiffs to ferry workers to land. This was necessary to keep the docks clear for the massive ships unloading building materials.
A grand construction project had begun. Even Morgans sent reporters specifically to cover the story, eyeing the site of what would become the most iconic fortress-style branch in the East Blue.
'''
"Commodore, we have established recruitment centers on all the major surrounding islands."
"And the results?"
"They aren't great, sir. While many people are signing up, very few meet our requirements. So far, fewer than thirty candidates have qualified."
"As expected. Don't rush it; we'll take our time," Sean replied with a nod.
He had anticipated this outcome. After all, this was the East Blue—the sea known as the weakest of the four. Many people here weren't even aware that Devil Fruits existed. In terms of sheer strength and perspective, the East Blue was vastly inferior not only to the Grand Line but to the other three seas as well.
"Commodore, one more thing!"
"What is it?"
"A ship just arrived carrying villagers from Cocoyasi Village and several surrounding hamlets. There are about two hundred of them, and they're asking to see you."
"Alright. Where are they?"
"At the docks, sir!"
"Fine, I'll go meet them."
Sean grabbed his Marine officer's coat, draped it over his shoulders, and strode out of his office.
Sean could guess why the people from Cocoyasi Village and the neighboring areas had come. They had likely heard about the recruitment drive at the 16th Branch and, knowing he was the Branch Commander, had rushed to enlist. To them, Sean was essentially a savior, so their enthusiasm for joining the Marines was bound to be higher than that of other islands.
The docks were currently packed. Despite arriving on a single medium-sized ship, over two hundred people had squeezed aboard. The group consisted mostly of the strongest and most capable young men and women from those villages, which spoke volumes about their determination.
"Uncle Genzo, it's been a while!"
"Big brother Sean!"
Sean stepped forward and greeted Genzo, who was leading the group. Before Genzo could even respond, a young girl bounced out from the crowd.
"Nami, why are you here?"
"To join the Marines, of course!"
"No way. You're too young. Didn't we agree that you'd consider it when you turn sixteen?" Sean shook his head and, out of habit, ruffled Nami's hair.
Nami was only fourteen; she hadn't even fully grown up yet.
Standing beside him, Lucci looked on with indifference. To Lucci, fourteen was an eternity. He had started executing missions at the age of ten. In his mind, fourteen was practically an adult.
Hearing Sean's refusal, Nami pouted. But then, she spotted something and pointed sharply in one direction.
"Then what about him? He looks even younger than me!!"
Sean looked where she was pointing, and his expression darkened. There stood Luffy, watching the commotion—and more importantly, he was wearing a Marine uniform.
"Lucci, what's the meaning of this?"
Sean was bewildered. Hadn't this idiot been screaming yesterday that he would rather die than become a Marine? How had he suddenly changed his mind and put on the uniform overnight? Sean didn't believe for a second that Luffy had had a sudden epiphany.
Furthermore, the combination of a Marine uniform and the Straw Hat was an incredibly bizarre sight.
"He came to challenge me again this morning. His clothes were torn to shreds during the fight, and since he had no spares..."
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
Luffy challenging Lucci was a daily ritual. At his peak, he would challenge him seven or eight times a day, yet Lucci had never managed to rip his clothes before. Luffy's original outfit was arguably one of the most durable garments in the world—fireproof, waterproof, resistant to extreme temperatures, and incredibly flexible.
If Lucci claimed this was an accident, Sean wouldn't believe him.
"Commodore, I believe that ideological reformation can begin with getting accustomed to the Marine uniform..."
"Hah... your way of thinking is actually quite impressive!" Sean rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment before offering his praise. He felt a wave of relief that Lucci was finally starting to use his head.
Meanwhile, Nami grew frantic.
"Big brother Sean, if someone younger than me can join, then I want to be a Marine too! Otherwise, you're just discriminating against me!"
"Alright, alright! Stop shaking me. I'll have Lucci run a test on everyone. As long as you meet the requirements, you can join. Happy?"
"Mm-hmm! Big brother Sean is the best!!"
Sean didn't want to crush the enthusiasm of the people from Cocoyasi Village and the surrounding areas. He instructed Lucci to lower the requirements slightly: anyone with a Doriki of 10 and some form of innate talent would be considered qualified.
However, he also set a quota: no more than three recruits per village. If the number of qualified candidates exceeded the limit, they would be selected based on merit. He couldn't allow the villages to lose too many of their young, strong laborers, as it would severely impact the local economy and daily life.
'''
Three hours later.
The tests for the two hundred people Genzo had brought were complete. In the end, thirty-seven people passed and were kept.
Interestingly, Nami was among them.
Confused, Sean pulled Lucci aside to ask if Nami—who was only fourteen—had actually hit the Doriki requirement. When Lucci explained how the test had gone, Sean was stunned.
During her initial test, Nami's Doriki was only 5. However, while she was being tested, Luffy had wandered over to cause trouble. Nami lost her temper and punched Luffy with all her might, sending him flying.
As Luffy soared through the air, he slammed directly into Lucci, who happened to be utilizing the Six Powers Art: Te-awase.
The resulting impact registered a Doriki of 58.
At that moment, even Lucci had been speechless.
'That actually worked?'
"So, Nami still has the highest Doriki of everyone you've tested?"
"That is correct, though under normal circumstances, she only registers around 4 or 5..."
'Well, I guess that's just Nami for you,' Sean thought. 'Give her a reason to blow up, and even the Pirate King would shrink back in fear!'
Sean found himself completely speechless. Still, with the results already in, what was there left to say?
He looked over Nami's record sheet as Lucci handed it to him. There had been six Doriki tests in total, with the results reading: 5, 58, 4, 5, 4, and 5. Additionally, her talents in finance and navigation were noted as exceptionally outstanding.
"Alright, that's enough. All the new recruits will start with adaptability training. Once Headquarters sends over the equipment and instructors, we'll transfer them to the training camp."
"Understood!"
"Also, keep the Marines we brought with us active. Tomorrow, take two squads out to sea to clear out some pirates. Bring Luffy and Ace along—let them get a real taste of what pirates are actually like!"
"Yes, Commodore!"