Monkey D. Garp, the ‘Hero’, got up from his seat. He was wearing the famous Justice cloak on top of a white suit that highlighted his massive chest. He looked huge from my sight, broad-chested with wide shoulders, and an overall solid torso. His figure kind of reminded me of Akoro, though it was definitely much more mature.

The most strange thing about him was his dog hat, which hid his eyes. He didn’t seem to be looking at anything peculiar, and he picked up a bag at the side of his seat. No one knew what it was, but everyone wondered what it could be. Did he have a surprise in there?

The famous Vice Admiral climbed the steps to the stage, eventually reaching the pedestal in the center. All recruits and Instructor’s eyes locked onto him. Even I was attentive: what would this legend have to say to us?

He took his plastic bag and put it on top of the pedestal. He reached into it and pulled out a...donut! He just munched on the doughnut in front of all of us! As if he couldn’t see any of us! I was both shocked and confused..did this legend think he was on lunch break?

“I would like to tell all of you...munch munch...congratulations on becoming Marines.” The old timer spoke up with food in his mouth, making his voice inaudible if it wasn’t for the den den mushi projecting his voice. I couldn’t help but begin to laugh: this guy's a real jokester!

I looked over at my side and saw Haru fuming; I guess he wasn’t exactly happy with Garp’s behavior. Itsuki looked like all his respect had been crushed, I think he expected ‘Hero’ Garp to be a lot different then he was.

“Munch munch. Make sure to uphold Justice in all your dealin-” Just like that, with a mouth full of food, Garp collapsed onto the pedestal. Even though the pedestal was drilled to the ground, it began to tip due to the pressure! How much does this old timer weigh?

“He’s fine. He’s just sleeping.” Someone spoke up in the auditorium, attracting everyone’s attention. Some Instructors had risen, thinking that the old timer was having a heart attack or something.

“Bahahaha!” But sleeping! I couldn’t help but laugh, which was a bit unceremonious, but I didn’t care. I expected an uptight official and instead got a near senile old man: who could blame me?

Everyone’s gaze turned, looking at me with a face that screamed ‘SHUT UP!’. I guess the whole auditorium could blame me, huh.

“Zzzz...” And sure enough, he really was sleeping. But the strangest thing was he was still stuffing his mouth full of donuts! Sleep-eating I’d call it!

No one really knew what to do. I was the only one who laughed, and it made things kinda awkward as my laugh attracted quite a bit of attention. Even Akoro, who was known for his boisterous laugh, didn’t burst out laughing like I did.

I could only make a helpless expression and stop. Sheesh everyone really was uptight in the auditorium.

“I’ll take care of him.” The same person who spoke up earlier, a tall man in a black suit with a sharp fedora, appeared on the pedestal next to Garp. He lifted the heavy man onto his shoulder, taking him down to his seat. No one could believe it! Not to mention, Garp was still eating while lying on his assistant's shoulder!

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Everyone just waited in silence as Garp finally returned to his seat. No one knew what to do, some were angry, some were shocked, and some pinched themselves to see if this was real life.

“Huh! I’m out!?” Garp reached into the bag one last time to find there were no more donuts. He snapped out of his sleep, looking around him for a new bag. Sure enough, he found it, grabbed it, and went right back to sleep.

I was struggling to hold back my laughter.

“Well, cough cough, congratulations on becoming full-fledged Marines. Your first paychecks will be coming soon, and we will soon organize you guys. Many of you will be sent to many different bases across the four seas, but I hope you all will always remember your time here at the 201st Marine Base!” Captain Oka stepped onto the stage, giving his last closure of the ceremony.

It kinda fixed the awkward atmosphere.

“YES SIR~!” Every single new full-fledged Marine shouted out, saluting Captain Oka.

The ceremony was over.

…

The next day, a lot of Marines began to leave the 201st Marine Base, heading for various bases across the world. It was kinda sad to see them go. And strangely, at lunch, we didn’t see Coby and Helmeppo at all. So Akoro and I just sat with Itsuki and Haru.

“Do you guys think Vice Admiral Garp is still here?” Itsuki’s faith in Garp hadn’t dropped much since the ceremony, as simply citing his achievements made him all jittery.

“Maybe. I don’t know whether he’s interested in us though.” Akoro was devouring his lunch, his seconds actually, even though typically you weren’t allowed a second portion. He had grown close to the lunch-ladies, and sometimes they would even sneak him thirds.

“I don’t know. It’ll be interesting though. I wonder where Coby and Helmeppo went?” I was almost done with my lunch when the den den mushi intercom spoke.

“Kenji Akura, report to Captain Oka’s office.” Those words shocked me. I’ve never had a one on one meeting with the Captain, after all, Captain Oka commanded the entire Marine Base. His attention was sparse to come by.

“Huh! Maybe Vice Admiral Garp wants to meet you.” Itsuki said jokingly, as if it wasn’t exactly feasible.

“Probably not. But I shouldn’t keep the Captain waiting, see you guys later!” I hurried up and threw away my lunch, heading to the Captain’s courtyard. I was also interested; what could the Captain want with me?

Interestingly enough, Captain Oka’s office wasn’t really an “office”. Instead he had a courtyard, and even though I’ve never seen it, it was rumored to be extremely beautiful and soothing. Naturally, this courtyard was outside.

So I ran to a clearing of space behind the Base’s Main Building. There was a wide gate, with two Marines guarding the entrance. Once they saw me, they stepped aside and let me in.

The courtyard wasn’t necessarily “big”, but it was definitely beautiful. Flowers were everywhere and the grass was both lush and green. There was a stone step walkway, which I followed until I reached a small patio with three chairs. And the people in those chairs only shocked me further.

“Kenji, how’s my brother been?” Vice Admiral Garp was sitting in the middle, breaking out into a wide smile as he saw me. His words caused an explosion in my head...brother?!

“Who would have thought you two were related.” Instructor Hotaru was to the left, shaking his head helplessly. He had his first suspicions when he had seen a photo of Kenji, and after constant interaction, it only confirmed his first suspicions.

“When Instructor Hotaru told me I couldn’t believe it at first.” Captain Oka was sitting on the right, shaking his head in a similar manner. Instructor Hotaru had told Oka about his suspicions and requested that Oka call for Vice Admiral Garp to come.

“I think you might be mistaken, I don’t know any brother of yours, Vice Admiral Garp.” I could only bow my head and try and slow down my thoughts.

What was going on!?