Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

As Zephyr praised him awkwardly, Wood could clearly feel the way people were looking at him change, and Wood's expression turned into a bitter face.

This is completely different from the persona he wanted to maintain before, so he must find a way to turn the situation around and make everyone see him in a new light!

"Admiral Zephyr is too kind. I'm just a child. How could I possibly kill a vicious pirate with a bounty of 2000 million Berries?"

The pirate crew was killed with the help of the island's townspeople. That pirate captain was a paper tiger; he was already badly wounded. I just got lucky and finished him off.

Wood's explanation was clearly more convincing than Zephyr's.

After all, Wood was only sixteen years old, and pirates weren't made of wood. They really found it hard to believe that the seemingly shy and sunny boy in front of them could actually kill all the pirates with ease.

"But even if, as you say, you only got lucky later, it's still quite remarkable that you dared to kill so many pirates at your age."

Since Zephyr admires you so much, let me see if you really have the backbone you claim to have.

Before Wood could react, almost at the same time as Karp finished speaking, Wood felt himself enveloped by a powerful aura.

The source of this aura was none other than the naval hero Monkey D. Garp standing before him!

As a vice admiral and a renowned hero of the navy, Garp actually took a new recruit who had just joined the navy seriously!

Garp doesn't possess Conqueror's Haki, and the power he's using now isn't the power of Haki either.

However, after so many years of fighting on the high seas, Garp still possesses a powerful aura even without "Conqueror's Haki".

At this moment, what enveloped Wood was Karp's powerful aura and the killing intent he was unleashing towards Wood.

Because the aura he exuded was like Conqueror's Haki, it couldn't be targeted at any one person. So when Garp released his aura and killing intent, everyone around him could feel it too.

Seeing Garp acting so recklessly, Zephyr immediately used his towering body to shield the recruits, using his own aura to block the terrifying pressure from them.

However, while the other recruits had Zephyr to protect them, Wood wasn't so lucky.

Because he had been singled out earlier, Wood was now closest to Karp, so he was the first to feel the oppressive aura of killing intent.

Just as unlucky as him was Major General Kadaru, who was not far away. He was only a few steps away from him and was now also being targeted.

Some people think Karp is very kind, but Wood thinks that's all relative. How kind can a guy be who can throw his grandson, who's not even ten years old, into the jungle?

A torrent of killing intent surged toward him, and Wood felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar in an instant.

Even though there was nothing on his body, Wood felt as if his shoulders were weighed down by a thousand pounds. The powerful pressure caused Wood's consciousness to begin to blur, and his legs began to tremble involuntarily.

Every pore on the body instinctively sends a warning signal as it senses the surrounding atmosphere.

Just as the apex predator naturally suppresses its prey, Wood, by instinct, sensed danger, and his brain, upon receiving this signal, transmitted it to every nerve in his body.

Garp in front of him maintained the same standing posture as before, and continued to put senbei (rice crackers) into his mouth.

However, the feeling that the other party gave Wood was completely different from before. The old man was still the same old man, but Wood felt that the other party was like a towering mountain that could not be seen at all!

The immense pressure caused Wood's body to slowly bend over. While enduring the indescribable weight, Wood even considered giving up resistance and simply lying flat on the ground, which would align with the initial setup he had created.

However, his intuition told him that if he did that now, he would never be able to make any progress in the path of swordsmanship, and becoming a 'sword master' would become a distant dream.

In the path of swordsmanship, one either progresses or regresses. Only by daring to challenge the strong can one's mindset and swordsmanship be elevated, just like Zoro challenging Mihawk, and Mihawk challenging Whitebeard.

It's one thing to be a little timid normally, but if he were to back down now, Wood's intuition told him that he would definitely regret it later.

His back was completely soaked with cold sweat, and the ground beneath his feet had been etched with two deep dents by Wood's feet. Even so, Wood's legs, which were struggling against the cold, were bending at an increasingly wider angle.

Just as Wood lost consciousness due to the viscous killing intent surrounding him, which was almost tangible, Zephyr finally couldn't stand it anymore and called for a stop.

"Garp, that's enough. This kid's injuries have just healed. If you do this, he'll relapse."

The terrifying aura came and went quickly. The dense, almost suffocating killing intent receded like a receding tide, and Wood's body collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

Even though he hadn't done anything, Wood now felt that everything that had just happened was more dangerous than when he fought Iron Arm Cook.

Just a few minutes later, Wood felt extremely tired, both physically and mentally.

"Good heavens, this kid is really something. He was able to stay conscious even under my aura lock just now."

With such magnanimity, regardless of your current abilities, I'm certain your future achievements will be quite remarkable.

Wood, who was slumped on the ground panting heavily, looked puzzled when he heard Karp's words.

He felt that his performance just now should have been quite terrible, so why did he receive such high praise?

Seeing Wood's puzzled expression, Karp knew what he was thinking, so he tilted his head back and gestured for Wood to look behind him.

Chapter 16 Entering Naval Academy for Further Studies

At Karp's gesture of looking up, Wood looked behind him with a puzzled expression.

The scene before him finally made Wood understand why Karp had said those things before.

Before Karp tested Wood, there were quite a few people standing behind him, many of whom were naval officers who had gone to sea with Zephyr.

Major General Kadaru was the highest-ranking officer among them and was also the closest to Wood.

As a Rear Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, Kadal's strength is far inferior to Garp's, but he still possesses a certain level of skill.

If it were a fight, Kadal would definitely have no chance of winning, but as for the pressure of aura, Garp's aura did not have much effect on Kadal, who was standing there as usual.

Apart from Rear Admiral Kadaru, the other naval officers did not have it as easy as he did.

Although Garp wasn't serious, being a Marine hero isn't just a title; someone who can push the Pirate King to the brink of defeat multiple times is definitely not just a figurehead.

The naval officers, even those at the colonel level, were barely able to maintain their standing posture, but their breathing was quite disordered, clearly indicating that resisting such killing intent was not easy for them either.

As for the lieutenant-level naval officers, they were in a similar state to Wood, all slumped on the ground, panting heavily.

When they saw Wood turn to look at them, one of the captains, not wanting to embarrass the recruits, also tried to stand up.

However, just as he managed to straighten up, his legs buckled and he fell to the ground again.

If even a naval lieutenant is like this, then the sergeants and ordinary soldiers are naturally even worse off.

However, they don't know whether they've lost face or not, because they've already fallen into a coma and are completely unconscious.

Compared to the other two, Wood understood that Karp would be satisfied with his results.

Wood was still a rookie recruit, but in terms of willpower alone, he was already comparable to a captain in the Navy Headquarters, and even surpassed him due to the distance.

If someone still says they're not good enough after all this, then they're really underestimating the other captains and other sergeants.

Because of Garp's personal actions, this year's Navy recruit induction ceremony was quite unique.

Meanwhile, a certain young man who originally intended to keep a low profile unexpectedly became the most dazzling guy among this batch of new recruits.

Gold shines wherever it goes, and the same goes for people who are too handsome.

Wood had just received his new student uniform from the resource department and then found his assigned room.

New recruits, drawn from various regions, are not directly incorporated into the navy; instead, they are first gathered together for several years of systematic training.

Wood received three sets of clothes, all white with blue trim, not much different from ordinary navy uniforms.

As a proud naval recruit, these three sets of clothes will accompany him for several years to come.

Because they are considered low-ranking officers, they are not entitled to wear special uniforms. The white uniform with blue trim is the standard issue. Naval school regulations also state that unless it is a regular day off, this uniform must be worn for both daily operations and training.

Don't ask how many years you can wear three sets of clothes. Wood has already asked the resource department. If the clothes are damaged, you can pay for them yourself.

Wood had already looked into the price; it was quite expensive. Considering their freshman stipends, they could barely afford one a month.

Looking at the standard grunt costume from the anime in his hand, Wood really couldn't understand why this piece of junk could be sold for such a high price.

"Although it is the standard uniform of the Navy, it was specially designed by a famous designer from the Grand Line that the Fleet Admiral specially asked to design it."

Don't let its simple appearance fool you; it exudes a grand and sophisticated feel. The choice of fabric is also quite meticulous, ensuring warmth in winter and coolness in summer. The artistic element alone is enough to elevate it to a level two or three stories high…

As if noticing the disdain on Wood's face, the sergeant who was allocating resources immediately launched into a long explanation of the special features of the garment to Wood.

From the artistic elements of the clothing to the symbolism of the navy, even Wood had to admire him. It was a waste of his talent for this guy to work here. If it were in his previous world, with this guy's eloquence, he would be a sales champion anywhere.

After the other party's analysis, Wood even began to doubt whether he had misjudged the situation. He thought the extra's costume might not be as simple as he had imagined, so he took out his wallet and bought another set of clothes.

The resource guy quickly took the money from Wood, and then handed Wood a brand new "extra" uniform, his expression showing that he was a promising student.

However, just as Wood was fiddling with the clothes and couldn't find anything "extraordinary" about them, he was about to go back to discuss it with Resource Bro when he discovered that Resource Bro was saying the same lines to a new recruit.

Then, in a moment of impulsiveness, that guy actually took out all his assets and spent a lot of money to buy ten sets of clothes.

"Not bad, it seems you have a keen eye. You actually bought so many clothes that symbolize the navy, which shows how strong your sense of belonging to the navy is."

I have high hopes for you. Maybe in ten years, you'll be the next admiral.

With a smile, the recruit left excitedly carrying a large pile of clothes. When the resource guy saw Wood return, his expression immediately fell.

"These naval uniforms are all custom-made and cannot be returned once sold!"

The naval academy has existed for a long time; Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr were all students who graduated from here.

Most naval soldiers are just ordinary people when they first join the navy, and the Navy Headquarters would never allow them to fight against vicious pirates.

If the Navy appears too weak when fighting pirates, it will only damage the Navy's reputation and embolden the pirates.

Moreover, untrained naval personnel would be no match for pirates who are used to causing trouble on the high seas, and would be completely incapable of upholding justice.

Furthermore, a high casualty rate would not only damage the navy's prestige, but would also lead ordinary people to believe that it is a job with an extremely high mortality rate, which would inevitably affect future members of the navy.

After retiring from the front lines, Zephyr is currently serving as the chief instructor at the naval academy.

Akainu and Kizaru were Zephyr's first students, while Aokiji was his third.