"My name is Monkey D. Garp, my hometown is East Blue, and my dream of becoming a Marine is to let my fists have their fill, beating up those hateful pirates!"
On the podium.
A sturdy, big-eyed, square-faced young man with a wide grin smiled honestly, revealing two rows of shining silver teeth as he introduced himself.
"Monkey D. Garp... Is this what Garp looked like when he was young? A hot-blooded young man!" Klein's thoughts drifted as he gazed at Garp's youthful face.
Having been in this world for 17 years, he already knew that the world he had transmigrated into was extremely dangerous, a Pirate World filled with powerful individuals and pirates everywhere.
However... while pirates were dangerous, the dangers in this world extended far beyond just pirates.
Klein enrolled in the Marine Academy, hoping to become a strong individual, master the Six Styles and Haki, and then return to his hometown or East Blue to serve as a Captain, living out the rest of his life in peace and comfort.
The New World and the Grand Line were not places for ordinary people; 'monsters' emerged endlessly here.
Devil Fruit abilities were unpredictable and hard to guard against.
With his 'mediocre' talent, Klein knew that even if he worked hard, he wouldn't become a top-tier powerhouse.
After 17 years of transmigration, knowing it was the Pirate World, he was initially very happy and excited, harboring beautiful fantasies about the future, but his 'system' never appeared.
Despair is worse than death.
He had no choice but to start training diligently himself, never slacking off in 17 years, but his strength... was very unsatisfactory.
Gradually, reality had worn down his edges.
One could only say his talent was slightly better than ordinary people, but it was nowhere near genius level. 18 years of diligent training yielded results far inferior to Koby's efforts of one or two months of 200 times the hard work.
Comparing oneself to others... is infuriating!
Or rather, having a cheat for a while is fun, having a cheat all the time is always fun!
Klein also wished he had a cheat like Koby... There were countless people in the Marine and CP organizations who trained diligently, even to the point of risking their lives, but a genius is a genius.
It's a dream that ordinary people can never reach in their lifetime.
Moreover... he was also a cheat!
Klein knew his talent was far inferior to others, so he could only plan to become a Captain in a branch later, becoming a local emperor, just like Kuro's initial dream: to live out this life safely!
Anyway, he was born early enough... It was now Marine Calendar 1463. By the time Luffy set sail, he would be an old man in his seventies, already retired, and it would be absolutely impossible for him to capture Luffy or get involved.
Thoughts raced through Klein's mind.
On the podium.
After Garp finished his self-introduction, a thin young man with an Afro Head hairstyle and thick sideburns walked onto the podium. His eyebrows were inverted in a 'V' shape, and he constantly wore a very solemn expression.
He began his self-introduction:
"My name is Sengoku, I enjoy calligraphy, and my dream is to capture all the pirates on the seas and throw them into prison!"
"Or send them to Enies Lobby for judgment!"
The young Sengoku.
Below the stage, looking at the Afro Head and inverted 'V' eyebrows of Sengoku, Klein mused inwardly, "So this is the future Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I can't recognize him at all."
Then, he smiled triumphantly to himself, "If I get on good terms with Garp and Sengoku, they'll owe me a favor later and send me to the East Blue branch. A happy life, wouldn't that be perfect?"
"Besides..."
"Pirates aren't about fighting and killing, but about human relations."
This point, no matter which world it's applied to, is absolutely 'golden advice'!
This 'cheat' of background connections was fully demonstrated by Luffy; those who understand, understand.
Suddenly, Klein couldn't help but feel melancholic, "Damn this talent, it's so restrictive, it's truly infuriating. If only my talent were a little better, with 17 years of effort, not to mention Admiral-level strength, I could at least be a Vice Admiral, eat a Devil Fruit, and be a person of some standing."
"Why am I now just an extra, a mere background character?"
Then, other fellow cadets introduced themselves, including Zephyr and Tsuru. Seeing the young, beautiful Tsuru, with her ponytail and serious expression, like a beautiful girl stepped out of a manga, Klein's eyes lit up.
The young Tsuru.
"Beautiful, truly beautiful!" Klein couldn't help but exclaim.
His gaze shifted downwards; even the loose Marine uniform couldn't conceal the surging waves beneath. She swayed as she walked. At such a young age, she was already 'well-endowed' to an undeniable degree... The female characters in the Pirate World, during their prime, were truly more beautiful than Xi Shi!
Klein couldn't help but give a thumbs up to the old scoundrel Oda in his heart, "Although you have a twisted sense of humor, the female characters in their youth are all bigger than the last. Only a man truly understands what other men want."
Soon.
It was Klein's turn, sitting in the back row by the window, on the king's home seat, to introduce himself. Under everyone's gaze, Klein walked to the podium and gave a brief self-introduction:
"Hello everyone, my name is Klein, and my dream is to become a little stronger."
In his previous life, money wasn't everything, but not having money was absolutely impossible.
In the Pirate World, strength wasn't everything, but without strength... that was a dead end.
After everyone had finished introducing themselves.
The instructor spoke, "I'm sure you all know that to become an excellent Marine soldier, you must have a strong physique, so daily physical training is essential!"
"All cadets, immediately follow me out of the classroom and to the training ground for physical training."
On the training ground.
The cadets in the class lined up according to their classroom seating. Klein stood in the back row of the formation, looking at the tall cadets in front of him, feeling an inner shadow engulf the entire planet.
Each of these cadets was truly tall and strong, with Garp and Sengoku being particularly outstanding. Zephyr was younger, but his height was not short, and even Tsuru was 1.89 meters tall.
As for Klein, at 17, his height was only 1.7 meters something, which in the Pirate World was practically a 'disabled person'.
Admirals were generally three meters tall, and among the Four Emperors, Red Hair Shanks was the only short one!
The others... each one was comparable to a giant.
"This damn talent... standing with this group of monsters is truly a bit hurtful!" Klein muttered inwardly.
He felt the blow from the disparity in talent.
Fortunately, he stood in the last row and wasn't so noticeable, practically indistinguishable from a 'small transparent'. Moreover... Klein looked at the other cadets and suddenly didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "I'm no different from them."
"In the future, my strength will probably only be at the cannon fodder level of the Marineford War."
Then.
The most basic physical training began, which was also a test to allow the instructor to better understand the current physical condition of these cadets, as well as... their willpower.
Klein's gaze involuntarily turned to Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr, "These three guys will all be Admiral-level combatants in the future, each of them a monster. Let's see how strong they are now."