Chapter 42: Kuzan – If His Condition Acts Up, Won’t This Turn Into School Violence?

Since Ortoren hadn't been officially registered with the Marines yet, no dormitory had been assigned to him. Luckily, with Garp leading the way, he was able to stay directly in Garp's Vice Admiral–level garden estate—a perk of being a Marine hero. It wasn't being used anyway, and in fact, even Garp himself, who usually slept in his office, had for once moved back in.

When Momonga heard this, his envy was enough to make his teeth itch.

"Damn Logia types!" he muttered with jealous frustration.

Ortoren's understanding of the Marines was still shallow, based mostly on his prior impressions, and he didn't know many of the finer details. So when he met Momonga and Yamakaji, he made a deliberate effort to befriend them.

On the other hand, faced with a monster like Ortoren—someone specially recruited—Momonga and Yamakaji were just as eager to get on his good side. After all, barring any accidents, Ortoren's future rank would almost certainly surpass theirs.

With mutual interest, their relationship progressed quickly. After just one morning of training, they already seemed close—at least on the surface.

Through their conversations that morning, Momonga and Yamakaji also learned that Ortoren was none other than a Logia user with the power of the Goro Goro no Mi—touted as one of the strongest among Logia abilities.

If his special recruitment had only made Momonga mildly jealous before, learning about this ability nearly made his soul leave his body.

What did it mean to have a Logia power? While top-tier fighters knew that Logia weren't invincible—since both Paramecia and Zoan users had produced masters equal to or even stronger than many Logia users—the general consensus across the seas was that Logia Devil Fruits were among the most powerful, ranking near the top.

This belief had become even more pronounced in the Marines in recent years. The reason?

The appearance of three Logia "monsters" who would go on to become the Admirals of the future: Kuzan with the Hie Hie no Mi, Borsalino with the Pika Pika no Mi, and Sakazuki with the Magu Magu no Mi.

It was widely acknowledged in the Marines that these three weren't monsters because they had eaten Logia Fruits—they were already monsters, and becoming Logia users had only made them even more formidable.

Still, the reverence for Logia was deeply ingrained, and countless Marines couldn't help but imagine: if it had been them who ate such powerful Fruits instead, would they now stand on the same level as those three?

So when someone appeared out of nowhere with the Goro Goro no Mi—a Fruit regarded as the pinnacle of Logia—it was no wonder Momonga and Yamakaji's hearts churned with complex emotions upon finding out.

At the moment, Ortoren was essentially living freely within the Marines, with no official duties until he "enrolled" in half a month. Momonga and Yamakaji, however, normally had much busier schedules—unsurprising, given that Commodores formed the main force maintaining order at sea.

From what Ortoren gathered during their chats, Commodores were the backbone for handling countless day-to-day tasks. Rear Admirals and above rarely had the time for such minutiae, while Captains and officers below them often lacked the experience or authority to take full responsibility.

As a result, Commodores, stuck between the general and field officer ranks, became the primary problem-solvers for these matters. Momonga often complained that most of his assignments involved fixed patrols in certain sea regions, and whenever scattered fleets encountered issues—big or small—they would be sent to him to sort out. The important ones would be forwarded to a Rear Admiral, who might then escalate them to a Vice Admiral, and only if it reached an impasse there would it end up on an Admiral's desk.

It was thanks to Momonga and Yamakaji that Ortoren gradually began to understand the Marines' operational system. Fortunately for them, since they had already been confirmed to join the officer training camp in half a month, they were free from their usual workload, essentially enjoying half a month of paid leave before starting the program.

That was the only reason they had the time to spend an entire morning chatting with Ortoren. On normal days, they sometimes couldn't even make the 4 a.m. training session before heading straight out to work.

Since they were up early, the mess hall wasn't open yet. But after finishing their morning training, it was just about the perfect time to catch breakfast.

Momonga and Yamakaji soon led Ortoren to one of the Marine public mess halls on Marineford. There were plenty of them—pretty much one in every building—and while the food was more or less the same everywhere, they usually just picked whichever one was closest at the time.

"You sit here and save us a spot. Yamakaji and I will go get the food," Momonga said, pushing Ortoren down into a chair and giving him clear instructions.

It had to be said, the guy was genuinely enthusiastic. Ortoren didn't turn down the kindness either—he didn't even have a meal card yet. Garp, being the careless man he was, clearly hadn't thought about such little details. As a Marine big shot, Garp was used to having fine meals brought to him. Unless he was in the mood, there was no way he'd come fight for food in the mess like everyone else.

While Ortoren was sitting there waiting for Momonga and Yamakaji to come back, a voice with a friendly, teasing tone came from behind him.

"Ara ara young man, if you don't mind, can I sit here?"

Ortoren turned around to see a man with a fluffy afro, carrying a tray of food. He recognized him instantly—it was clearly a young Kuzan.

Ortoren grinned. "Rear Admiral Kuzan, please, have a seat."

"Ah, thanks," Kuzan said, setting his tray down with a smile. "Am I really that well-known already? For someone I've never met to call me by name right away… I can't help feeling a little proud. Dahaha."

Within Marine Headquarters, especially among the elite ranks, Kuzan's name was already well-known. But in the eyes of the wider sea, while he was a promising talent, he was still only a Rear Admiral—not exactly a dazzling figure yet. His words weren't a joke; he genuinely felt that way.

"Garp-san kept talking about you on the way here," Ortoren said with a touch of flattery. "He looked so proud whenever he mentioned you."

Kuzan paused for a moment, then looked at Ortoren with warmer eyes. Smiling, he said, "I met Garp-san last night, and he told me quite a bit about you—your Logia Goro Goro no Mi ability, your impressive physical strength, and…"

He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Your Conqueror's Haki. He said you're the most gifted person he's met in years. Just hearing it made me a little jealous."

After a pause, Kuzan added, "Honestly, with all those accolades stacked together, I thought you'd be arrogant. Especially since Garp-san said you're only eighteen. Didn't expect you to be so friendly."

Ortoren thought for a moment, then said, "I can probably stay friendly for about another month."

Kuzan: ???

What kind of answer was that? Was this supposed to be some kind of good impression quest?

Seeing Kuzan's baffled expression, Ortoren went on, "I've got a bit of a mental condition. In about a month, I'll be entering my irritable phase. My temper and personality will get… unpleasant. I'll be counting on your understanding."

Kuzan's mouth twitched. "Garp-san really didn't mention that. I'll make sure to avoid provoking you during that time."

Right now, Kuzan was quietly panicking. What was he supposed to do? His colleague might have intermittent mental issues—and the guy had enormous potential. What if, once he became stronger, his condition acted up? Wouldn't the rest of them be trembling under his outbursts?

Then another thought struck him—an even more serious one. In half a month, Ortoren would enter the officer training camp. In a month, he'd "start going off." Wouldn't that be straight-up school violence?

And according to Garp, even without systematic training, Ortoren's current strength wasn't bad at all. Once he was in the camp, the more outstanding ones around him—people like Momonga—would be his peers. But… would they really be able to keep him in check?