"The security measures are indeed well-executed."
Raleigh tossed the arrow aside.
He didn't blame Miles for the lethal trap. Instead, he shot a sharp glare at Bessermer Reginald.
The incident had occurred entirely because the lanky Captain hadn't stayed close behind. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he had wandered off the main path to look at a strange flower.
"Sorry, sir," Reginald gulped, looking at the blue tip of the arrow lying on the grass.
Miles was momentarily stunned by the situation.
He hadn't expected the trap to trigger so easily, but seeing Raleigh catch it with two fingers calmed him down.
With an apologetic expression, Miles turned to Reginald.
"Reginald, please don't take offense. The training here is quite rigorous, and the location is top secret. We have traps everywhere to prevent outsiders from observing casually."
Bessermer Reginald wiped the cold sweat from his brow and nodded vigorously.
"Understood," Reginald muttered.
Though he was confident in his own speed the sight of that gleaming blue arrowhead made him decide it wasn't worth the risk.
Poison was a nasty way to die.
Raleigh dusted off his hands and looked up at the construction ahead.
"Approximately how many people are inside now?" Raleigh asked, surveying the compound that was gradually taking shape among the trees.
"Currently, we have strict criteria," Miles explained as they resumed walking. "We only recruit Marines from the North Blue who are under twenty-three years old. They must pass a background check and a physical screening."
Miles checked a small notebook in his pocket. "The total number of applicants who met the initial criteria is 2,573."
"That is a lot," Raleigh noted.
"Yes, but we are prioritizing quality over quantity," Miles replied proudly. "With our limited personnel and resources, we've only enrolled 300 in the first batch. These are the elite of the elite."
Miles took visible pride in his dual roles.
To the outside world, he was an Acting Branch Captain with the rank of Commander. But here, he was a Head Instructor at the Dawn Military Academy.
"Three hundred is a good start," Raleigh nodded. "Let's go in and take a look."
As they conversed, the dense forest suddenly opened up.
The group arrived at a clearing dominated by a massive structure.
Located deep within the mountain range, the area was naturally camouflaged by towering ancient trees.
But the man-made structure was imposing.
The compound's gate was crafted from heavy-duty refined steel, black and cold. The walls stretching out on either side were a combination of thick steel plates reinforced with interwoven timber logs. It looked less like a school and more like a fortress.
Raleigh and his group stepped onto the cleared path leading to the gate.
"Halt!"
A sharp, aggressive shout echoed from the top of the wall.
"Identify the password!"
Click-clack.
The sound of mechanical hammers cocking back was audible. Multiple flintlock rifles appeared through the firing slits in the wall, aiming directly at their heads.
Raleigh didn't flinch. He just activated his Observation Haki.
'One, two, three... ten,' Raleigh counted silently.
In his perception field, he detected no fewer than ten sentries.
Some were visible on the wall, but others were hidden in the trees flanking the gate, blending in with the leaves.
Furthermore, he sensed that at least three of the hidden guards held trigger devices.
One wrong move, and they could activate alarms or perhaps detonate explosives to seal the entrance.
"Not bad," Raleigh thought.
From his sensory assessment, no ordinary human could launch a surprise attack here undetected.
'Unless you have a Devil Fruit that allows elemental transformation like me or Smoker, you aren't getting in here without a fight,' Raleigh acknowledged inwardly.
Beside him, Miles stepped forward calmly. He reached into his coat and pulled out his identification badge, holding it up to the light.
"Justice will prevail!" Miles recited the coded response clearly.
Beside him, Bessermer Reginald lowered his hands, marveling in admiration.
"Commander Miles," Reginald whispered, "what exactly is this place that requires such secrecy? Are we hiding gold?"
Upon hearing Reginald's question, Miles gave his teacher a peculiar look.
He seemed confused.
Raleigh completely ignored the gaze, whistling innocently at the sky.
"What?" Miles asked, looking between them. "Didn't the Master tell you?"
Miles had always assumed Bessermer Reginald knew the general details.
He thought Reginald was part of the inner circle. He never expected the poor Captain had been misled by Raleigh into thinking this was just a sightseeing trip.
"This is actually the secret training base of the North Blue Marines," Miles explained in a hushed tone.
"Master intends to establish a new type of naval force. Before this force becomes fully operational, he doesn't want the World Government or outsiders to know of its existence."
"A secret Marine force?" Reginald's eyes widened.
He nodded with partial understanding, feeling special to be included.
Meanwhile, the sentry above verified the badge and the code.
"Stand down!" the sentry ordered.
Groan...
The heavy gears ground together. The massive steel gate slowly swung inward, revealing the world inside.
"Wow..." Reginald breathed. "It's enormous inside!"
As the iron gate opened fully, the view left them astonished.
It was a hidden valley. The training ground inside rivaled the size of the plazas at Marine Headquarters.
As Raleigh's group entered, the air was filled with the sounds of shouting and exertion.
They could see dozens of robust Marine soldiers, shirtless and sweating, engaged in rigorous training. Some were lifting massive stone weights; others were sparring with wooden swords.
"Hey! Look over there!"
Bessermer Reginald pointed a long finger at a soldier doing one-armed pushups with a boulder on his back.
"That's Charles Jising!" Reginald exclaimed. "That fellow was a famous Sergeant in the West Branch! I thought he had been transferred to another sea area. He's actually here?"
"We recruited him two months ago," Miles confirmed.
"Alright," Miles said, turning to the group. "Let me give you the full introduction."
He swept his hand across the valley.
"This is the secret base codenamed Daybreak (Dawn). Our current location is the San Sebastian Mountains."
"After the previous workers' uprising concluded, we dispatched personnel to begin construction here immediately. The isolation makes it perfect."
Miles pointed to a large, blocky building made of stone and steel in the distance.
"That building is our main Academy. Most of the daily studies take place there. We focus on three things: Physical Conditioning, Combat Exercises, and Wilderness Survival."
"We also teach camouflage, information gathering, and tactical command," Miles added.
Raleigh nodded with satisfaction as he walked along the perimeter.
This undertaking had been carefully considered.
Initially, his plan was simple: use the coal resources of the Kingdom to manufacture weapons.
However, after discussions with Momonga and Cleveland, they realized they needed more than guns.
They needed loyal men.
The San Sebastian Mountains were perfect. Activities that were inconvenient to conduct openly—matters they didn't want the World Government spies to see—could be handled here safely. Since Raleigh had purged the Government's intelligence personnel from the area months ago, they were blind to this operation.
"So," Raleigh asked, watching a group of soldiers run an obstacle course, "how is the trainees' progress coming along? Give me the real assessment."
Raleigh was curious.
Although he had established the framework and provided the funding, he hadn't handled the day-to-day management. That burden fell on Miles and Cleveland.
Miles stopped walking. He turned to Raleigh, his face glowing with excitement.
"The trainees have exceeded our expectations, Master," Miles reported.
"Though it's only been a few months, the intensity of the training is paying off. Most of the 300 students have already mastered the basics of the Navy Six Styles."
Miles lowered his voice slightly. "And more importantly... the majority have awakened the basics of Haki."
"Haki?" Reginald gasped. "Already?"
"Yes," Miles grinned. "Based on our evaluations, the average graduate here will have reached Major-level combat capability. They are stronger than most Branch Captains in the North Blue."
Miles took genuine pleasure in this report. The soldiers' strength was a direct reflection of his teaching.
Raleigh stopped and looked at the soldiers with new eyes.
Three hundred soldiers with Captain-level strength.
Three hundred Haki users. In the North Blue, that was an unstoppable force.
"Excellent," Raleigh said, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes.
"Alright. Let's wait until Cleveland arrives this afternoon before we begin our discussion."
Hearing Miles praise the students so highly, Raleigh's plans began to shift in his mind.
The grand strategy he originally intended to delay for a few years... now seemed ready for an early trial.