Starting from One Piece: Multiverse Simulation

When the long-legged girl glared at him, Wood looked utterly baffled.

To be fair, his performance was average, not even ranking in the top three. Even if the girl was competitive, there was no reason for her to target him, who was only ranked fourth.

However, Wood, whose mental age far exceeded his physical age, knew that reasoning with a teenage girl was a surefire way to court trouble. Being the target of a grudge from such a girl would only bring more complications, so Wood raised his hand and voluntarily spoke up: "Instructor, I believe this student, Gion, is absolutely right.

Given that we both missed all three of our shots, our results should be tied.

And if you think about it, what if the person standing next to the pirate wasn't a pirate, but a fellow Marine engaged in battle?

So I believe my score should actually be fifth... No, tenth place, because hitting a comrade is far worse than those who didn't fire at all."

It was just a test ranking, after all. There was no prize for first place, and by conceding, he could avoid the girl's grudge while maintaining his low-profile persona. Why not?

Wood saw himself as a mature individual with no need to argue with a bunch of kids. Moreover, he didn't have any strong feelings of collective honor for the Marines. He was only here to secure a decent job for the future.

"You hold yourself to such high standards. As your instructor, I'm very pleased. But a test is a test. Once the results are announced, they cannot be changed, and I believe my judgment was not wrong."

In formal training, questioning an instructor's judgment is considered highly disrespectful and could lead to a formal reprimand. Wood, lacking Gion's strong backing, expected to be scolded. However, to his surprise, the colonel-instructor seemed to have misunderstood something.

Instead of reprimanding Wood, the instructor looked at him with approval, interpreting Wood's reference to hitting a comrade as an example of his self-discipline...

Then the colonel-instructor turned to Gion and said, "You should learn from Wood. Rather than competing for this insignificant fourth place, he's thinking about how to hold himself to even stricter standards.

And, when faced with a fellow Marine, he shows humility. Although your performance in other subjects is excellent, in terms of character, the difference between you two is clear."

Hearing the instructor's praise, Wood was genuinely confused. Had he really considered all those things? Why didn't he know about it himself?

Moreover, please, Instructor, stop talking... The more you say, the harder it will be to dispel this girl's grudge, and her animosity will only grow!

"Hmph, I don't need your humility. I'll surpass you with my own strength.

Today's grudge, I, Gion, will remember it!"

Wood: "..."

Wood was truly exhausted and felt like something was wrong with his approach. He was just ranked fourth, so why did he end up being targeted? If he had known this would be the outcome, he wouldn't have fired a single shot from the start...

Marineford, Naval Academy Cafeteria

After completing a day of basic courses and secretly finding a spot to practice a thousand sword swings, Wood arrived at the cafeteria with a rumbling stomach.

When he left Red Leaf Island, he had completed the task of guarding the island for a year and was rewarded with a chance to use the "Life Simulator."

Back on the island, due to his severe injuries and Zephyr being on the same ship, Wood hadn't used it. Now that he had settled into life at Marine Headquarters, he planned to find time tonight for his second life simulation.

"Is that him? Seems like his name is Wood. This kid doesn't look very old..."

"Not old, but he's got a powerful shot! I heard he hit Gion, and now Gion has declared that she remembers him."

"Look at how much he's eating in one go! No wonder he can impress Gion with his shooting skills. Maybe he's just young, but his abilities are exceptional."

Carrying a tray with several times the normal amount of food, Wood couldn't help but feel a bit helpless as he listened to the gossip around him.

Marines are people too—they gossip, and since their daily training is so monotonous, the higher-ups don't strictly forbid them from chatting about the new recruits.

The heavy training routine requires some other activities to lighten the mood.

Wood had grown used to the gossip over the past few days. Compared to these idle talkers, he knew the real trouble hadn't yet come knocking today.

He hadn't been eating for long when the cafeteria erupted in a commotion. A man in his early twenties, who looked much older than his age and was smiling with squinted eyes, entered with a group of freshmen surrounding him.

The young man being escorted was named Tokikake, a senior by one year and the most outstanding student of his cohort.

While Tokikake wasn't much in the looks department, since Akainu and Aokiji had left, he had dominated every subject with top scores.

Since they weren't in the same class, and Tokikake was clearly a top student, it seemed unlikely that he would have any interaction with someone as low-profile as Wood.

But the problem lay in the fact that the girl Wood had provoked a few days ago was not as simple as he had imagined!

Gion—perhaps the name didn't ring a bell for many, including Wood. But if one mentioned her future title, most people would suddenly understand.

"Momousagi" (Pink Rabbit)—that's the title Gion would eventually earn. Wood had only discovered this after some investigation over the past few days.

After offending a girl who seemed to have a significant background, Wood's cautious nature led him to conduct a quiet investigation.

Because the shooting instructor admired Wood's character, he readily provided Wood with Gion's file after Wood expressed his desire to understand her better and find an opportunity to apologize.

If it had been an officer's file, it wouldn't have been so easy to access. But since both Wood and Gion were still recruits, there was no issue.

When Wood learned that Gion had ties to Vice Admiral Tsuru and wielded the famed Meito (famous sword) of the 21 Great Grade Swords, "Konpira," he immediately realized who she was.

A normal Navy recruit would never possess such a precious Great Grade Sword. Moreover, Wood recalled that "Konpira" had only one known wielder.