That night, for the first time in a long time, Louis could not sleep.
There were several reasons: saying goodbye to friends and an uncertain future. The South Blue training camp was behind him, and now the CP9 camp awaits him, where the requirements will be even tougher. Will he be able to stand out among those who grew up in such a wild world?
Louis always believed that being from the modern world meant he could hardly compete with those who lived in the harsh conditions of the One Piece world.
Failure equals death, there is no other option. And to say that he does not feel pressure from the coming future would be untrue.
But even so, he needs to move forward to survive and live better, he needs to rise higher and become stronger every day. Louis understood this truth even when he was living the life of a beggar: in this world, if you do not move forward, you will inevitably fall back. If you do not take your fate into your own hands, it will inevitably fall into the hands of someone else.
He hasn't decided on his long-term goals, but his short-term goal is now clear - to get into CP9. And this plan must be implemented at any cost!
That's exactly what Louis thought.
Although he was unable to sleep, he still got out of bed early the next day. His strong body and spirit allowed him to look cheerful despite the sleepless night.
Unlike Louis, his roommate Dylan seemed very depressed. Which was not surprising, because he, like Louis, had not slept the night before. He was too emotional, and it was hard for him to accept the inevitable goodbye.
"What happened?" Louis, noticing the dark circles under Dylan's eyes, immediately asked: "Did you dream about girls all night?"
"Get lost!" Dylan perked up immediately, then hesitated a bit before saying, "Listen, Louis..."
"Let's go!" The door to the room opened and Wade walked in, inviting the two to the port.
"Okay." Louis, without waiting for Dylan to speak, went after Wade, leaving Dylan alone. They didn't need to take any things with them, everything they needed was already prepared, and the remaining things in the room would first be carefully checked, and then packed and sent after.
"Hey!" Dylan, who was left behind, shouted, and soon caught up with his friends: "You two!! Can't you just listen to what someone is saying to you for once?!"
There was no time for breakfast, because the CP ships were preparing to leave. The distance to their camp was not small, and time was at a premium.
The path to the port was accompanied by absolute silence: more than two hundred students lined up in a line, forming something resembling a small river, but unlike a real river, not a sound came from this one...
Saying goodbye is always sad, and when experiencing such emotions, few people had the right words to say anything.
By the time they arrived at the port, ten ships had been waiting for them for a long time. The instructors had arrived even earlier, and lined up at the entrance, looking like impregnable towers with the chief instructor standing in the center.
"Well, small fry, the training year is over, it's time for you to get out of here!" - the instructor's voice was devoid of any emotion, he showed neither joy nor worries. He did not care about any of the graduates, because for him, people like Louis and Wade were just a little more talented than others. As an experienced CP instructor, in his life he had seen enough talented people who were never able to grow, which is why he no longer singled them out from the crowd.
"Line up in groups, one by one, and aboard." - on command, everyone silently lined up.
Louis and Wade found themselves separated from the CP1-CP8 groups.
"Well, come on board." - one of the large ships approached the shore. After which those who were sent to CP1 quickly climbed on board, and the ship went to the open sea. The second and third followed, and thus soon CP2, CP3 and CP4 left the port.
"CP5, board," the instructor commanded without much emotion.
The CP5 group began to slowly climb aboard the ship. Dylan slowed down a bit, and it seemed like he was trying to break the ground with every step he took. When he finally stepped onto the deck, he turned around abruptly, wanting to say many last words, but they never left his lips.
Instead, he looked at how Louis and Wade stood out from the crowd, both of them belonging to a separate group. They in turn raised their heads and also looked in his direction, watching his actions.
Dylan opened his mouth slightly to speak, but once again, instead of words, his face simply smiled. It was clear that he had originally wanted to shout something loud and memorable, but instead, he continued to smile and stepped onto the deck, disappearing from his friends' sight. And even though he was gone from their sight, Dylan still felt like his friends would continue to stare at him, both through the deck and through any barriers between them.
The large ship slowly left the port, carrying them on a long voyage.
"We're leaving," Wade said suddenly.
"Yes, we're leaving," Louis nodded.
"Don't worry, Louis. Even though Dylan is a little stupid, he can take care of himself," Wade added.
"I know," Louis replied.
It was true, Dylan, while not the smartest of them, still knew how to protect himself. And even though his powers were clearly not up to the level of the strongest of the graduates, it was safe to say that he would not be lost in CP5 either.
"It's time to say goodbye," Wade said in a low voice, making Louis barely hear his words.
"Yes," Louis nodded.
"Aren't you afraid, Louis?" Wade asked, "From today on, you're alone."
"No," Louis replied, smiling, "I don't have time for emotions like fear."
"Really?" Wade was surprised, and with his mouth slightly open, he added: "And I'm a little afraid..."
"What?" Louis seemed stunned.
"I'm scared," Wade said, looking at his friend, "I'm scared that I won't see you and Dylan again."
"Don't worry," Louis responded instantly, "I won't die, you won't die, and Dylan won't die either! We'll get to the top of CP, no, the top of the world!"
"Oh, Louis, your ambition was always high!" Wade said with a smile.
"Ha, well, how could it be otherwise?" Louis smiled.
"CP9, Louis, your turn." - Suddenly, at that moment, the instructor's voice was heard. And looking around, Louis and Wade realized that they were alone: "On board."
"Yes," Louis nodded, looking carefully at Wade, then turned around and walked away.
"Louis," came Wade's voice from behind, "Good luck to you."
"Yes," Louis replied, and without turning around, he confidently stepped onto the deck.
*Boom.* - a slight vibration was felt, symbolizing that the ship had set sail. The wind began to blow more and more on the sails, moving the ship forward, and Louis leaned on the deck and looked at the white clouds ahead.
Suddenly he turned around - the guy with golden hair standing on the pier was still looking in his direction. And seeing that Louis had turned around, he waved his hand energetically.
Louis smiled and took a deep breath, realizing that today's weather was surprisingly nice...