One Piece: The Thunder God

[2026 words]

"Hm, it's hard to believe that you are just 16 this year. The last time I saw someone with your growth potential was with Garp," said Zed, the purple-haired former Admiral.

"Yeah. Garp is a monster who can go against legends like Xebec and Roger, so take it as a compliment," Sengoku added, patting Cain on the back.

"Thank you, Admirals."

"Anyways, with you here, we now have three Logia users in our first batch of the Elite Training Program (ETP). I'm looking forward to training someone like you, Cain," Zed said, getting up from his chair. He exchanged a few more words with Sengoku before leaving the office.

"Two others?" Cain turned towards Sengoku and asked curiously. His previous 'experiment' with that pirate had shown him that not all Logia-type Devil Fruits were on the same level as his own, so whoever else was added to the ETP must have good fruit powers.

"Yes, one ate the Magu Magu no Mi (Magma-Magma Fruit), while the other consumed the Pika Pika no Mi (Glint-Glint Fruit). They both have destructive properties like yours. Speaking of which, Borsalino's Glint Fruit should be somewhat similar and faster than yours, right?" Sengoku replied, adding his own question out of curiosity.

"Umm, well, more or less. I can think of a few limitations it can have compared to mine." Cain said after some thought. He didn't have much information on this particular fruit but judging by Sengoku's comment on it being faster and destructive than lightning, it could only mean that it was based on light. And light personified will come with limitations like his own.

Sengoku raised an eyebrow. "How so?" he asked.

"As far as I can tell, the Glint Fruit, a Logia fruit, allows the user to become light, meaning they can travel at the speed of light. However, since light can only travel in a straight line, he should only be able to move in one direction or bounce off surfaces to change direction, which could be a disadvantage in battle at sea. This could also mean that any projected attacks will only travel in a straight light which for people like me shouldn't be that difficult to dodge, that is if I even have to dodge. As for destruction, I can't really assess it without knowing seeing the fruit in action," Cain explained, trying to relate the fruit to light itself.

Sengoku was surprised that Cain's evaluation was quite similar to Dr. Vegapunk when they had discussed the Glint Fruit on Zed's request. It amazed him that Cain had given almost the same assessment regarding the fruit's strengths and weaknesses before even knowing anything about it.

Cain wasn't finished yet; he added, "But unlike mine, he shouldn't be able to produce a large amount of 'glints' out of nowhere, so in terms of power output, mine would win by a margin. There are one or two disadvantages I can think of but again, I will have to see the fruit ability in use to come to any conclusion."

Sengoku was impressed. While Vegapunk's evaluation of the Fruit had provided a much more detailed, Cain's understanding of the nature of light was outstanding in itself.

Of course, Vegapunk's was ahead in terms of knowledge, it was important to note that before Borsalino ate the fruit, the information about it was largely unknown which meant the research on the fruit was very very limited. Only someone like Vegapunk, with his remarkable intellect, could theorize about something before it even existed, hence his more detailed explanation.

In other words, Cain being able theorize much of what Vegapunk had given them was impressive.

"I'm impressed. You seem to have both the body of a soldier and the mind of a scientist. Where did you learn all of this?" Sengoku asked.

"Well, I've always been fascinated with Devil Fruits and their effects on humans. Initially, I thought lightning and light were similar in nature, so I looked into it. It's more of a coincidence that you asked me this question," Cain explained, trying to appear humble.

"Still, it's impressive. Anyway, someone will show you to your quarters so you can rest. For the next two months, you can train with the old recruits and study at the library for your written exams. Best of luck," Sengoku said, dismissing Cain, who followed another marine towards his room.

He didn't have any luggage, so the room looked empty aside form some clothes he bought at Jaya and heavy silver rings and bracelets on the bed. His weapons were something he wore all the time so to avoid too many eyes on him, he had coated his rings and bracelets in other metals, covering the golden shine.

After settling in, he asked another officer to show him around, which the man agreed to do without any problem.

–

Before he knew it, two months had passed with Cain training, eating, drinking, and socializing. He spent many hours in the library, practicing his writing and studying the history of the Marines and the World Government. 

While the knowledge here was richer than in G-8, it felt like propaganda to him. The World Government's education seemed like a more subtle version of Hitler's ideology.

But after all that, he was finally able to join the ETP.

He had topped the written exam, having underestimated everyone else. He thought getting 80 out of 100 would keep him in the top 10, but to his surprise, the person who ranked second scored only 66 out of 100, meaning he had topped the batch by a significant margin.

It didn't matter much to the other trainees, as the Marines were an authoritarian organization where 'power defined might'. But when they also learned that the same guy was the 'invincible' Raijin-ningen, their attitudes changed quickly. He began noticing people looking his way and whispering about him.

To make matters worse, there was a physical test that he breezed through, earning him even more recognition. Without even realizing it, people were starting to recognize the name -Cain- in Marineford.

–

On this day, the top 200 recruits who met Zed's minimum criteria were called in the early morning for roll call. Cain was among them, standing in the crowd, waiting for the event to start. He looked around to see if he recognized anyone, but it seemed that only a few of his drinking buddies had made it.

Among them, 15-year-old Momonga was the only person near his age whom he could tolerate. The others were either too old or too uncivilized for his taste.

After spotting the nervous Momonga, he said, "So you made it in, Momonga. It's good to see a familiar face around."

"Yeah. I saw that you topped the class. You're not only strong, but you're also equally smart, it seems," Momonga replied with a somewhat stoic expression.

"Haha, nothing unusual. I just have a good memory, that's all."

"Sure sure. Anyway, where were you last since day before yesterday? I didn't see you around the training grounds."

"Um, I—I got invited somewhere else, so I went there," Cain replied, trying to avoid eye contact, feeling a light blush creep across his cheeks.

After gaining some notoriety, two girls approached him for a drink. That drink had gone far beyond his expectations. It had been years since his late wife passed away, and this teenage body with increasing hormones had gotten the better of him. He had also seriously underestimated the overall stamina he had in this new and quickly growing body and he couldn't believe that their intended two-hours tango had extended to a whole day and some more.

"I… see," Momonga said after a pause. He had always found Cain to be mature beyond his years, with a confidence that Momonga had always envied. Hearing such a strange response from him seemed out of character.

"Anyway, good luck with the training, Cain. I hope we can grow to become strong and powerful Marines."

"Yeah, me too, Momonga."

As their conversation ended, formal Admiral Zed, now an instructor, walked up to the platform built in front of the largest structure and started the assembly. 

Everyone fell in line and paid attention.

"I'll make this quick and simple for you all to understand. You 200 have survived the bare minimum from the initial 30,000 or so new recruits. Some of you barely made it, while others relied on external help like Devil Fruits or nepotism. But it won't matter, because I only need 100 of you here by the end of this day."

His statement elicited mixed reactions from the crowd. Some felt confident, some felt challenged, others wore guilty expressions with sweat trickling down their backs, while the rest were surprised by the sudden announcement.

In the crowd, Sakazuki looked at Zed with confidence and conviction. Although he had excelled in the test partly due to his Magu-Magu no Mi, he wasn't going to let that define his strength. 

On the other hand, Borsalino, who also got in because his father had bought him his Devil Fruit from the underworld, seemed unfazed. He had been kicked out of his house for being lazy, but that didn't mean he was weak.

"Now everyone here is going to have to pass one final test; only then will you get to board that warship behind you to our new training facility. To my right, there are 200 bags with your names on them. Each bag contains weights adjusted according to your total physical score. Carry the bag and run around the HQ once. Do so, and you'll earn the right to board that ship and become strong Marines."

One by one, the new trainees went to pick up their bags and began their task. A blurry man who had eaten a Zoan-type Devil Fruit struggled a bit despite the bag not being smaller than the others.

"What's happening?" he panicked, feeling weaker than normal.

Zed looked towards them and grinned, "Oh, it seems I forgot to mention. The back of that bag is laced with small amounts of Seastone, so if you have eaten a Devil Fruit, you'll feel weak. But don't worry; it's not to the point where you'll have a hard time. It's just meant to disable your fruit powers for this test. Now go and run; if you can't make it to the end, then you're not meant to be here."

The blurry man gritted his teeth and did his best to carry the bag. He struggled at first but quickly got used to the weight and slight weakness.

Cain also felt weaker when he touched the bag. After learning how Marines captured pirates with Devil Fruit powers, he had tried to get his hands on Seastone. There weren't many available, so it was difficult to find, but eventually, he got to hold one. It had made him feel crazy weak, and he hated that feeling.

Still, he submitted a request to research why that was the case. He had framed his request under the guise of training purposes, which did the trick.

"Getting accustomed to Seastone is useful," Sengoku, a Devil Fruit user himself, had advised him. Apparently, Sengoku carried one around for training after eating his Devil Fruit.

–

As he carried the weight, he felt like he was missing a limb, but he managed to push on. The Seastone had been grounded and mixed with other substances, but it had the desired effect on his powers.

For an hour, the 200 new recruits ran around the HQ with bags larger than themselves on their backs. It took them about an hour to reach their starting point. 

Aside from Zed, a few other marines officers were employed to monitor everyone. By the end of the hour, exactly 108 had made it back to the starting point. The others either gave up or took a long time to catch up.

"A little more than I wanted, but that's good too. Congratulations to the 108 Marines for being the first batch of the ETP. Now climb aboard; we will reach our destination in a few hours."