[OPTAM] Chapter : 3

"It's for the elite camp," the Commodore instructor quickly deduced.

This class's recruit training was quite different from usual, mainly because Admiral Zephyr had become the chief instructor, attracting some of the best talents originally meant for branch training.

In the past, the headquarters identified talented individuals themselves, and many branches wouldn’t send recruits directly to the headquarters but trained them within the branch. In the navy, every vice admiral of a branch represents a force, and the factional battles never ceased.

The Commodore believed that Jack might have been a promising candidate in the G8 branch, likely destined to stay there and earn further merits. His transfer to the elite camp indicated the supreme officer's intent.

As he continued reviewing Jack's file, a particular note caught the colonel's eyes, widening them in surprise. His gaze toward Jack shifted.

"Aradon," the colonel called out another name.

The roll call proceeded swiftly. Except for Jack, the other recruits were fresh entrants to the navy.

After the roll call, the instructor commanded, "Everyone, listen up. Look ahead and follow the soldiers to the barracks. If you fall behind, you'll be left out. This is the Navy's largest recruit training camp, not a vacation spot. To stay, you must work hard."

Four naval soldiers, all dark-skinned and energetic, stood behind the colonel. Upon his command, they started running toward the jungle. The recruits hesitated, exchanging glances, but Jack immediately followed.

He remembered the colonel's words and knew that falling behind meant losing a significant opportunity. Although he hadn't seen the elite camp training in the anime, Jack understood he needed to experience everything firsthand. The plot was filled with unknowns, and to survive and grow stronger in this world, he had to work hard.

Seeing Jack's prompt action, the others began to run as well. Jack kept pace with the four soldiers, but once they entered the jungle, the soldiers suddenly scattered. Unfazed, Jack focused on following one soldier, confident that as long as he stuck close, he wouldn't get lost.

The colonel observed the recruits following the soldiers, then flipped back to Jack's information, seemingly recalling something, before leaving the area.

In the dense jungle, Jack followed the soldier, feeling like he had entered a maze. The foliage was so thick that without staying close, he would have lost his way.

"This is really troublesome," he muttered.

Just as Jack kept his eyes on the soldier ahead, a voice sounded from behind. A squinting soldier had joined the sparse group of recruits trailing behind Jack. Out of more than a hundred scattered recruits, very few were nearby, and Jack saw only this one person when he glanced back.

"Hey, be careful! Look ahead," the squint-eyed soldier called out to Jack.

Jack instinctively ducked, dodging a branch in front of him. He ignored the soldier's presence, though he felt a vague familiarity. He couldn't place the squinty-eyed soldier, especially considering this was thirty years before the main plot of his world. Unless he saw a few particularly familiar faces, he wouldn’t recognize anyone among the navy's countless members, which included tens of millions from the four seas and the Grand Line.

"Thanks," Jack said, dodging the branch.

"You're welcome. But no one follows you except me. It seems you're really an outcast," the squint-eyed soldier remarked.

"Then why are you still following me?" Jack asked, keeping an eye on the soldier running ahead, who was still within sight.

"I just think there are too many people. I don't like crowded places, and those guys are all in groups," the squint-eyed soldier replied.

"Having many people makes it easier not to fall behind. With fewer people, you risk losing sight and falling behind," Jack noted.

"True, but I still prefer fewer people—less trouble," the squint-eyed soldier said.

"I'm going to speed up," the soldier in front suddenly whispered, the words reaching Jack and the squint-eyed soldier's ears.

They both watched as the soldier began to accelerate, quickly disappearing from view, leaving only traces of his path.

Jack also increased his speed. While the Navarone Fortress had few tasks, its base training was intense, especially with Navarone's renowned muscle soldiers. Jack had trained with them since childhood, so he had the necessary endurance.

He sped up to keep pace, soon catching sight of the soldier again, with the squint-eyed soldier close behind. The two focused on their paths. Meanwhile, recruits on other routes weren't as fortunate. Many, relying on their backgrounds, struggled with the sudden pace increase. They could keep up briefly but soon fell behind due to insufficient endurance.

This reminded Jack of the HunterXHunter assessment, where the first level involved a long tunnel—a test of endurance and mental fortitude.

Over time, more recruits began to lag. The jungle's challenging environment slowed many, making it hard to keep up with the group's rhythm.

Jack didn't know how long they ran, but they had come ashore in the morning after breakfast. By the time they reached a mountain, the sun was at its peak, indicating noon.

Jack wiped the sweat from his forehead, realizing they'd run for at least three hours, likely circling the jungle several times.

"We're here!" The soldier stopped and turned to them, his face also sweaty, though he admired Jack's composed demeanor.

"Whew, it's finally over," the squint-eyed soldier said, collapsing to the ground and gasping for air.

"Congratulations, you've qualified," the soldier suddenly smiled at them.

"Qualified?" They both frowned.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” the soldier replied with a smile, offering no further explanation.

Soon, the other three soldiers arrived, each with a small group of recruits, bringing the total to only about a dozen. These soldiers also informed their recruits that they had qualified but didn’t elaborate on what that qualification meant.

“Have the other soldiers been eliminated?” the squint-eyed soldier asked curiously.

“No, they’re still recruits and can train here too. Let’s wait for them to arrive,” the soldier who had led them replied.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, more recruits began to trickle in, but they were clearly exhausted, collapsing to the ground and panting heavily.

“Okay, everyone’s here. Let’s enter the base,” one of the soldiers announced. Behind them, a steel gate was embedded in the cliff wall, similar to the Navarone Fortress, suggesting the base was built into the rock.

The gate opened, and they followed the soldiers down a long passage. Eventually, they emerged into a brightly lit, enormous valley surrounded by cliffs. Windows dotted the cliff walls, indicating this valley was their training base, and the cliffs housed their camp.

A huge square dominated the valley, but there wasn’t a single soldier in sight. Jack and the others wondered if this was truly a training base.

Their questions were soon answered by a leading soldier. “Except for gatherings, there are almost no people here. All the recruits are taken out for training by the instructors, and they sometimes don’t even have time to return to camp to rest.”

“You must be hungry. We’ll take you to the cafeteria first. Later, we’ll distribute clothes and daily necessities. Remember the rules here and follow the instructors’ orders.”

The soldiers led them to the cafeteria, where they enjoyed a hearty meal. Afterwards, each received their personal items and a recruit training manual.

Since Jack was the first to arrive, he was assigned the number 13001, with “13” indicating they were the thirteenth batch of recruits. According to the colonel who brought them, they were the last batch of this class, meaning the previous twelve groups were already in training, and they were a month late.

In their assigned dormitory, each room housed two people. Jack’s roommate was number 13002, the squint-eyed soldier who had followed him.

“I didn’t expect we’d be dorm mates. Let’s help each other out,” the squint-eyed soldier said with a laugh.

“Jack, pleased to meet you,” Jack replied, extending his hand.

“Jack, huh? I’m Yamakaji. Let’s work together,” the squint-eyed soldier said.

“Yamakaji…” Jack repeated, staring at him intently. He didn’t expect this squint-eyed guy to be Yamakaji, one of the future elite vice admirals of Navy headquarters. But now, it was clear that this soldier indeed matched the description.

"What’s wrong? Have you heard of me?" Yamakaji asked, noticing Jack’s surprised expression.

"No, not really. I was just curious about your name," Jack replied, shaking his head.

"A lot of people say that. I forgot my real name, but when I was a kid, I naughtily set a mountain on fire, and the name just stuck," Yamakaji explained.

"You can get a name like that?" Jack laughed.

"It’s a unique name," Yamakaji shrugged.

Thus, the two got to know each other. Jack was surprised to learn that his roommate was one of the future elite vice admirals, but he quickly accepted it.

"Let's take a look at the training manual first," Jack suggested, pulling out a pamphlet.

The training schedule was very detailed: they had to get up at five o’clock in the morning for morning exercises lasting two hours. Breakfast was at seven, followed by more training until noon. After an hour's rest, including lunch, training resumed at one o’clock and continued until five. Another hour of rest was followed by more training from six to ten in the evening.

This amounted to fourteen and a half hours of training daily, with seven hours allocated for sleep, though this included time for bathing and supper, reducing actual sleep to about six hours. Rest periods totaled two and a half hours, making it clear that their days would be dominated by training, eating, and sleeping.

Many recruits groaned at the rigorous schedule. Even Yamakaji grimaced. Compared to other branch fortresses, this training regime was exceptionally grueling. The manual hinted at potential deviations from the schedule due to various unforeseen circumstances, suggesting the possibility of extended or missed rest periods.

Since it was their first day, they didn’t start formal training immediately. Instead, they familiarized themselves with the base. The manual included a map, not of the island but of the training base, highlighting the canteen, capable of accommodating tens of thousands, and the hospital.

Jack committed these locations, along with their dormitory, to memory. His memory, previously unremarkable, had become exceptionally sharp since his arrival in this world. He could recall everything he read in the manual instantly.

With no training tasks assigned for the day, Jack decided to explore the training camp. Yamakaji accompanied him. They eventually reached a training ground filled with various iron tools. Jack picked up a heavy barbell and began working out, sweating profusely.

Meanwhile, in an office at the boot camp, the commodore who had received them in the morning handed a dozen documents to a purple-haired man.

"Only a dozen? Seems like only some managed to get in," the purple-haired man sneered.