East Blue, Marine Branch 155
A bored young Marine at the recruitment desk yawned lazily. It wasn't the time for mass enlistment, and this was East Blue—there weren't many people eager to join the Marines.
The desk in front of him was suddenly tapped. Annoyed by the interruption, the Marine looked up with a hint of impatience, ready to speak—until he met a pair of violet eyes etched with strange, hypnotic patterns. Fear welled up in his chest, choking the words back into silence.
The person standing before him was none other than Uchiha Kaito.
Seeing the Marine hesitate, Kaito took the initiative.
"Hello. This is the Marine recruitment office, right? I'm here for the interview."
"Ah—yes, yes!"
Snapping out of his daze, the Marine wiped cold sweat from his brow and hurriedly responded. He quickly began asking for Kaito's information.
"Name?"
"Uchiha Kaito."
"Age?"
"Sixteen."
The Marine gave Kaito a surprised look. So young...
"Reason for joining the Marines?"
"Just… felt like it."
"Uh… very honest!"
"Do you have any special abilities?"
"Hmm… I can fly, breathe fire, summon lightning, control gravitational push and pull, open portals through space… quite a few things, really."
As Kaito rattled off his list, the Marine gave him a skeptical look. Anyone else, and he'd have assumed they were joking. But those eyes... that look… the impact they left on him earlier was too intense to ignore.
Noting the Marine's expression, Kaito figured he wasn't being taken seriously. So, without saying another word, he casually performed a few jutsu. Then, using Universal Pull, he lifted the entire branch building into the air—gently—and placed it back down as if nothing had happened.
"Now, can I join the Marines?" Kaito turned toward the Marine, only to see him frozen in place, mouth open and tongue half out, like some kind of ridiculous statue.
...
Meanwhile, chaos had erupted inside the base.
"We're under attack! Enemy attack!"
"It's a Devil Fruit user—insanely strong! Everyone outside, now!"
"This is bad. We're not equipped to handle someone like this!"
"For justice! We can't back down—move out!"
A flurry of footsteps echoed as every Marine in the base rushed to the entrance, nerves taut, eyes scanning for the threat.
The recruitment Marine finally snapped out of it. Realizing the panic had been caused by Kaito's earlier display, he swallowed his shock and quickly ran forward. He stood at attention before a towering Marine officer and saluted.
"Reporting, Colonel Rhodes! There's no enemy attack! The commotion was caused by a recruit—Uchiha Kaito!"
The words had barely left his mouth when murmurs spread like wildfire.
"What?! That was caused by a recruit?"
"Newbies are this terrifying now?!"
"Scared me half to death. Good thing it wasn't a pirate—I thought I was going to die for justice!"
Colonel Rhodes turned to look at Kaito, who stood calmly to the side. His facial muscles twitched as he spoke.
"I understand. You're dismissed."
Then he walked up to Kaito, composing himself.
"Hello. I'm the commanding officer here—Colonel Rhodes. Are you Uchiha Kaito, the one here to enlist?"
His tone was cautious. After all, what he'd just witnessed—the way Kaito effortlessly lifted and replaced the entire building—had rattled him to his core. With power like that, Rhodes knew there probably wasn't a soul in all of East Blue who could stand against him.
"Yes, I'm Uchiha Kaito. I came here to join the Marines," Kaito replied with a smile.
Now that his identity was confirmed—and Kaito seemed to have a decent attitude—Rhodes finally relaxed a little, though a wave of elation quickly followed.
With this kind of talent, he knew there was no way someone like Kaito would remain in a small base like theirs. He was born for the Grand Line.
Their humble East Blue Marine Branch… didn't deserve him.
But he could recommend him to Marine Headquarters. Bringing in someone this gifted would earn him so much merit, it might even fast-track him for a few promotions!
Rhodes looked at Kaito again, eyes burning with fanatical excitement.
Feeling a little uneasy under the intense gaze, Kaito casually opened a spatial portal and tossed three things to the ground: the corpse of Brand, a pirate flag, and a massive black orb.
"What's this?" Rhodes asked, puzzled.
"This black ball holds the remains of the Brand Pirates. That charred one that still resembles a person? That's the captain. I dealt with them on the way here. Just a little detour."
Hissss— Rhodes sucked in a cold breath.
He knew of the Brand Pirates. They were a crew that had returned from the Grand Line, and Headquarters had only just issued a warning about them a few days ago. Reinforcements were supposed to be on the way. Brand's strength posed a serious threat to East Blue.
But now? Brand—who had survived the Grand Line—had been reduced to a smoldering corpse, and the rest of his crew… didn't even resemble human beings anymore.
Terrifying. Rhodes now had an even deeper understanding of Kaito's power.
"Please, come into the base so we can speak more comfortably. To be honest, someone of your caliber probably won't be stationed here for long."
Rhodes' tone had shifted to one of full-on flattery. He knew that someone with Kaito's strength would undoubtedly be sent to Marine Headquarters, likely joining the elite training camp. Once he graduated, he'd be an officer—outranking Rhodes by a long shot.
A rank Rhodes himself could never reach in his entire life.
So he didn't dare show even a shred of disrespect—neither toward Kaito's power nor the position he would inevitably hold.
Kaito gave a relaxed nod and walked into the base ahead of him.
Watching the young man's back—and remembering his youthful face—Rhodes couldn't help but sigh in his heart:
How can the gap between people be this massive?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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