At the Marineford Military Academy, specifically in the dining hall, an awkward silence still hung between Sephiroth and Gion, who sat facing each other. After the small incident concerning her age, Sephiroth decided not to bother the long-legged 'older sister' across from him, who had proven to be somewhat dangerous. He focused on the food in front of him, picking up half a green apple and biting into it with a crisp "crunch, crunch!" sound.
A moment later, beside a long table piled high with food, Tokikake, whose short-sleeved white Marine shirt was stained with oil and whose stomach was bloated as if ten months pregnant, finally let out a satisfied burp. Casually, he picked up a white flower stem from a vase on the table, picked his teeth with its tip, then stuck it in the corner of his mouth like a toothpick.
He glanced around the dining hall. When he saw Gion eating at her table, he immediately chuckled. As if remembering something, he took another small white flower from the vase, held it, and walked straight over to the long-legged 'older sister.'
Tokikake, still burping, grinned and said in a cheerful voice, "Burp~! Beautiful classmate, ever since I saw your lovely face, I've fallen in love with you..."
"Let's go out with me! Burp~!"
The man's lecherous face beamed. In the corner of his mouth, where he held the flower and grinned, a piece of green vegetable was clearly stuck between his two front teeth.
Gion: (눈_눈)
Sephiroth: (⊙０⊙)
Swoosh!
Tokikake's smile was truly pathetic. Not only were Sephiroth and Gion startled, but even the young Marines in the dining hall, who occasionally glanced at Gion, couldn't help but hold their breath after hearing such a blatant confession. The same thought crossed all their minds: This guy is truly bold!
"Sorry, I refuse!"
After a moment of shock, Gion's answer was straightforward, without the slightest hesitation. Such a thing didn't even require thought, she instinctively chose to flat-out reject him.
"Ah hahaha! The confession failed!" Tokikake still wore a smiling expression. He pretended to scratch his head in annoyance, but didn't continue to bother Gion. Instead, he turned and walked away immediately, looking rather excited and unrestrained. If only his appearance wasn't so terrible, Sephiroth mused.
After lunch concluded, more than a hundred Military School Students gradually returned to the training grounds. Meanwhile, the ninety-plus Military School Students who hadn't had lunch looked desperate, lying or sitting on the ground, their spirits utterly crushed.
Major Shuzo posted ten separate lists on the training ground's bulletin board before turning to the crowd and shouting, "Your class assignments are out, from Class One to Class Ten. Come and see for yourselves, then take your belongings to your class dormitory. Hurry up, you still have afternoon classes!"
Hearing this, the Military School Students immediately rushed forward, gathering around the bulletin board to anxiously check their class assignments.
Sephiroth looked around and found that he had been assigned to Class One. Many names on the list seemed very familiar to him, Tokikake, Gion, Smoker, Hina, Kong Ming, Maynard, Domino, Daddy Masterson... It appeared that the faces he often encountered during his morning extra training would now be his classmates.
After checking the list, Sephiroth picked up his belongings and his Autumn Leaf Sword. He took the opportunity to tour the Marine Academy to familiarize himself with the surroundings before slowly heading to the dormitory area, completing the check-in procedures, and receiving his room key.
The dormitory he was assigned was a standard double room, with bunk beds, two desks, and a separate bathroom. This was a standard only enjoyed by assigned officers. Regular non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel didn't receive such special treatment. It was clear that upon entering the Marine Academy, they had implicitly been recognized as part of the officer class, future leaders of the Marine.
The people staying in the opposite dormitory turned out to be Tokikake and Maynard, the troublesome pair he already knew.
When Sephiroth entered his new dormitory, thick white smoke already filled the room, and the distinctive smell of cigars permeated the air. A rather fierce-looking young man with short silver hair and wearing a Marine uniform was sitting casually on the bottom bunk. He had two cigars tucked into his mouth, continuously puffing white smoke into the air.
As he smelled the cigar smoke, Sephiroth's long-suppressed craving for tobacco suddenly resurfaced. Without further ado, he said to the young man with a smile, "Buddy, it's better to enjoy together than alone. Give me one!"
Smoker glanced at him, but didn't speak. Nevertheless, he immediately handed over a cigar and a lighter without hesitation.
Sephiroth lit his cigar, inhaled deeply, feeling the aroma of tobacco fill his lungs. Although he already knew, he still asked, "My name is Karl D. Sephiroth, what's yours?"
"Smoker," the young man replied curtly, punctuated by a puff of smoke.
"I was born in Water Seven, how about you...?"
"East Blue, Loguetown," Smoker replied.
"Ah, Loguetown," Sephiroth exhaled a puff of smoke, "The place where the Pirate King Gol D. Roger was executed, also known as the Town of the Beginning and the End. Did you ever see the scene of Roger's execution with your own eyes?" Sephiroth asked casually, curious to hear directly from someone who witnessed it.
Hearing the question, a reminiscent expression appeared on Smoker's face, and his tone was slightly low, "Yes, and I saw it very clearly... At that time, heavy rain suddenly poured from the sky. The man sat on the execution platform, with a smile on his face..."
Smoker took a puff of his cigar, the smoke curling into rings in the air. "When someone asked where the One Piece was, he burst out laughing and said, 'Do you want my treasure? If you want it, I can give you everything. Search for it! I've put all the treasure there...'"
"At that time, I never understood why he died laughing... The sight of his death is always in my mind... Then... I finally understood why that passerby said 'One Piece' and why Pirate King Roger answered his question with a loud laugh..."
Smoker's voice began to rise, "That damned passerby was clearly Roger's paid accomplice!!!" There was a flash of anger in his eyes. "That guy Roger, his real goal was to start the current Great Pirate Era! Thanks to him, my hometown of Loguetown is now in chaos, with pirates appearing periodically..."
In the end, Smoker's tone unconsciously held a hint of deep resentment. It was clear that in his heart, he was actually full of hatred for Pirate King Roger, the instigator of this era of chaos.
Sephiroth also felt speechless regarding Roger's last words before his death. Roger's actions might have been intended to allow the fated person to inherit Joy Boy's will, thereby overthrowing this corrupt and disgusting World Government.
However, the starting point was good, but Roger used the worst method, a method that threw the world into an endless era of piracy.
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