"Lucir Kuro, 24 years old, Warrant Officer of the 153rd Branch".
At the reception desk, the naval officer in charge of training glanced at Kuro. Hmm, nothing special.
What are you good at?
“I’m good at some physical combat techniques,” Kuro said.
"Physical skills?"
The officer looked at the knife at Kuro's waist.
"This is a family tradition. Compared to physical skills, my swordsmanship is only a little bit."
Kuro pinched his thumb and forefinger together, leaving a tiny gap.
"Hmm, the document is correct. It seems to be you. You've come to headquarters for training. As long as nothing goes wrong, your naval service will be transferred to headquarters after you complete your training. From now on, you'll be a headquarters naval officer."
But you should be careful, being a warrant officer isn't anything special. There are plenty of people in your training who are higher-ranking and more capable than you. I hope you train hard and don't bring shame to the Navy.
"Understood." Kuro saluted.
"Next."
The officer waved his hand, signaling for the next person to proceed.
Lida walked up to her.
"child?"
The officer paused, then looked at the document in his hand.
That's clearly a young girl, and she's eighteen years old. Although she looks very similar, her fur color is similar, and the girl is very cute, she's definitely not eighteen.
"My name is Flor Rida, and I am a user of the Spirit-Energy Fruit. This is just my normal state; I grow larger during battle."
Lida transformed into a young girl and addressed the officer.
"Ability user?!"
The officer's spirits lifted; this wasn't written on it at all—he'd struck gold!
Those with special abilities are high-end combatants.
There was nothing that could be done about it. Although Kuro wanted Lida to spend her time in a less conspicuous manner, if Lida's abilities were maintained in her teenage form from the beginning, she wouldn't be able to sustain the training for the next two months.
I get hungry too easily.
Furthermore, the training should include swimming and breath-holding exercises, so if you get involved in those, it's only a matter of time before you're exposed.
It would be better to just say you're an ability user from the start; you'd get preferential treatment then. After all, without military merit, even an ability user won't get by. As long as Lida doesn't show off her exceptional strength, it won't be a big problem.
As for meritorious service, that's impossible.
Why would she need to perform meritorious service for no reason? Besides, even if someone takes a liking to her, she is Kuro's direct subordinate, and she herself has no desire to be transferred, so she won't be separated out.
So it's best to just reveal your abilities, show a little bit of your strength, and then get promoted to a moderate position based on the bonuses from other ability users and your training performance. That should be enough.
This was Kro's plan.
He has recently been studying the structure of the navy.
If you simply go to headquarters for quiet training, you'll likely be transferred to a naval officer's unit after training, and then fight those monstrous pirates on the Grand Line.
It would be better to show more of your abilities and achieve excellent results. But excellent results alone are nothing special; there are plenty of weirdos in headquarters, so it's not surprising that they perform well.
Kuro is a warrant officer. If he performs well, he will have the opportunity to be promoted one rank. If he transfers to headquarters, he will become a lieutenant. In addition, with Smoker's promised arrangements, even if he cannot return to the East Blue, he will be able to lead a ship alone in a safe place.
Then, the sea will be wide enough for fish to leap and the sky high enough for birds to fly.
Kuro nodded in approval upon hearing this plan.
As expected of 'Mastermind' Kroh, recruiting him was definitely the right decision.
Bikuro's plan to let people practice casually, without standing out or falling behind, is much better than a simple, ordinary strategy.
The truly wise live in seclusion amidst the city – I get it!
"Essence Fruit? What are its main characteristics?" the officer asked expectantly.
Lida thought for a moment, then touched the officer. Instantly, the officer felt his abilities slowly fading away.
"It can make a person lose their strength?!"
The officer was initially overjoyed, but then suddenly froze, his joy turning to disappointment.
The passage of time is happening way too slowly.
The officer was a major in the headquarters. His physical skills were only average in the navy. Even someone at his level could only feel his stamina slowly draining away. This ability was really too useless.
"Coo coo—"
Lida's face was covered in sweat, as if she had used a lot of strength, and soon her stomach began to rumble.
"I did my best."
Lida wiped her sweat and said, "This is all I can do, and I get hungry very quickly."
As she spoke, her body shrank, transforming into the shape of a child.
"That's all..."
As if regretting it, the officer sighed and comforted Lida, "It's alright, you're still very young. With continued training, you'll definitely shine."
After all, he is a capable person. Even if his abilities are not outstanding, with more training, he will eventually become excellent.
This person must have just acquired the ability recently. Although judging from the effect of the ability, its future growth may not be very high, but it will still be able to surpass the average navy.
“I understand, thank you. By the way, can I go eat? I’m hungry,” Lida asked.
"Just bear with it for now. Go report for duty first, and then you can go eat."
The officer told Lida to wait aside. Lida walked over, winked at Kuro who was waiting there, and gave him a smug look.
Kuro nodded and secretly gave a thumbs up.
The manifestation of this ability, of course, is acting. While it can demonstrate the ability, it would be too eye-catching if Lida were to go all out.
It would be better to keep it hidden like this, and then secretly add more abilities after the training is over.
She manages to avoid drawing too much attention from the Navy while still letting them know that Lida can improve. This makes her a typical ability user who steadily progresses without standing out.
Absolutely perfect.
Incidentally, this was also Kro's suggestion.
"Kro?"
The officer looked at the last person to enter. These three seemed to be together. He wouldn't normally care, but the name, and their origins in the East China Sea...
The navy in the East China Sea, a man named Kuro...
The officer stood up excitedly, grabbed Kro's hand, and exclaimed with delight, "It's you, Mr. Kro! I heard you faced off against Hawkeye in the East Blue and were hailed by him as someone who could challenge his title as the world's greatest swordsman. I never expected to see you here!"
"ah?"
Kuro froze, instinctively turning to look at Kuro, but before he could turn his head, he sensed a dangerous gaze.
How could I forget this!
Kuro looked at the frozen figure of Kro and was so angry he wanted to twist his head off.
This person, so full of clever ideas, acting so smoothly, how come problems arise when it comes to the person who devises the plan!
"This Kro is completely unreliable at crucial moments. With him doing this, how can we possibly get through this peaceful time at headquarters?"
Kuro muttered a complaint under his breath.
Lida gave him a disdainful look. "Have you forgotten who the culprit is?"
"What do you mean by 'who' or 'who'? Do you mean it's me...?"
Kuro stopped speaking abruptly, scratched his head, and gave Lida an awkward smile.
"It's me, then it's alright."
He had been thinking too optimistically and for a moment forgot that Crow had become like this, seemingly because of him.
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