Lunchtime arrived with a loud chime, and Roya was hunched over, practically breathing in a massive chunk of meat still clinging to its bone. The grueling exercises from that morning had sucked every last drop of energy from him, and he was ravenous, desperate to refuel his tired body.
He ate like a wild animal for what felt like forever until the hungry pounding in his chest started to calm down. Only then did he slow down and eat more like a normal person.
"Feels a lot easier today!" he thought, noticing his muscles were only slightly shaky.
Yesterday, after the awful training, his muscles had felt completely ruined, like they were screaming in pain. But today, they were just like a girl who was a little upset, whimpering softly.
Nowhere near the limit.
With "The World" healing his tiredness and injuries, he didn't have to worry about his body's limits. As long as he kept eating a lot of food, he could push himself as hard as possible.
Heh heh heh …
Sorry, my muscle sisters!
Roya's smile got bigger, almost like he was going crazy.
Suddenly, someone stood next to him, blocking the light.
It was another new guy.
"You're Roya, right?" the guy asked.
"Hmm?"
Roya looked up and checked him out.
He looked like he was in his early twenties, with bright pink hair and a fancy way about him. He was also skinny and had dark brown skin.
He looks like he's asking for a beating.
And for some reason, he looked familiar.
The Pink-Haired Man flipped his hair dramatically and struck a pose as he introduced himself in a showy way: "My name is Fullbody, your partner."
"Oh."
Roya nodded slowly, finally understanding.
Monka had said yesterday that new soldiers usually worked in pairs, with an experienced soldier helping a new one learn the job faster.
This must be who he meant.
A small sparkle of light caught his eye.
Roya squinted, noticing something on the man's right hand: a scary, ring-shaped metal glove made of solid steel.
Then it clicked!
"Iron Fist" Fullbody!
This was the annoying guy from the restaurant story, the one who tried to impress the ladies with his empty words, but Sanji embarrassed him, and he ended up working for Hina.
He wasn't very good, but he had found a way to get by.
"How utterly rude," Fullbody said, looking at Roya's messy eating with disgust. Luckily, this partnership was only for a month. After that, he would easily pass the Branch exam and become a real Marine officer.
Actually, he was already good enough to pass the basic training; he just had to wait for the scheduled exam.
Time to get to work.
"Finished eating?" he asked, sounding impatient.
"Wait, let me grab some more!" Roya said, jumping up.
He ran to the food area, grabbed two more big pieces of meat with bones, and proudly came back to Fullbody.
Can't work hard on an empty stomach!
"Let's go," Roya said, already chewing.
"…"
Fullbody's eye twitched.
Does this guy have a bottomless stomach?
"Follow me!" he snapped, turning quickly.
Their assigned cleaning area was the top floor of the Defense Tower, including the roof, and the bathrooms, which all had to be perfectly clean.
Fullbody grabbed the cleaning supplies from the supply room with practiced ease: brooms, rags, buckets, and mops.
"Alright, Rookie, watch me carefully and do it once. Learn how it's done, and tomorrow we'll split up the work."
"Okay."
Roya grabbed a broom.
Heh, it's just cleaning, even a dog could do this.
Sweep, then mop. Simple.
In the hallway, Fullbody was scrubbing the floor tiles hard with his mop, working surprisingly seriously: "Listen up, the hallway is a busy area. It needs to be perfect!"
"Hmm?"
Roya followed him, a little confused.
This guy doesn't seem like the hardworking type, so why is he working so hard?
Don't judge a book by its cover!
The hallway stretched out in front of them, wide and endless. It took them almost ten minutes of working side by side to reach the end. When Roya turned back to look at their progress, he was shocked.
The part he had cleaned looked pretty clean, but Fullbody's part was shining, like a perfect mirror.
One half dull, the other half bright.
The difference was clear.
Fullbody crouched down and ran his finger across the floor Roya had just cleaned. He looked at the dust on his finger, and his face twisted with anger.
He spun around, grabbed Roya by the collar, and yelled with bloodshot eyes: "You worthless Rookie! Are you making fun of cleaning?"
"Absolutely not!" Roya protested, shaking his head hard.
Is this guy a germ freak?
If he remembered correctly, this guy was obsessed with cleanliness when he first appeared in the story and cared a lot about his appearance.
And he definitely loved to show off.
Also, this guy was strong!
Fullbody ranted for a few moments before letting go of Roya's collar, his voice cold: "I'll show you again. Pay attention, because this is like a battlefield. Even a small mistake can lead to disaster."
"Understood!" Roya replied, swallowing hard.
No wonder he became a Marine Captain. He even tries hard to excel at doing chores. It seems my own efforts are not good enough.
Damn, I'm suddenly fired up!
Do it!
Clean until the floor shines!
"Harder! Push harder! Don't let the dust underestimate us!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Wash the mop clean! Don't be cheap with the soap. Treat these cleaning supplies like you would a beloved girlfriend!"
"Understood!"
"And don't forget the cobwebs in the corners!"
"Oh!!!"
----
Five o'clock in the afternoon.
Colonel Rhodes's office.
After finishing his work for the day, Colonel Rhodes felt the urge to use the restroom.
When he opened his office door, the clean, shiny hallway immediately caught his eye, and he stopped in surprise.
"Good job," he said quietly, almost with respect.
It had been a long time since he had seen the inside of the fortress so clean. He didn't even want to step on the floor, afraid of making it dirty.
Colonel Rhodes rubbed the bottoms of his shoes to make sure they were clean before leaving his office. Walking through the polished hallway, his usually grumpy mood lifted.
Hmm, even the lights have been wiped clean.
"Not bad, not bad at all," Colonel Rhodes said, nodding with satisfaction, a small smile on his face.
He had no idea which new soldier was responsible for this miracle, but he was going to praise them at the next staff meeting. If the Branch could keep things this clean every day, the atmosphere would definitely improve!
When he got to the bathroom, he found the floor and walls even cleaner, and even the stubborn yellow grime that had been on the urinals for years was gone.
"Hiss--"
Looking at his reflection in the shiny urinal wall, Colonel Rhodes instinctively reached up and smoothed his hair, as if he were looking in a mirror.
"Nice!"
Something else made him happy. The usual bad smell in the bathroom was gone, replaced by a light, fresh scent of soap.
"Sniff～～～～"
Colonel Rhodes closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Hoo～～
Comfortable!
Praise was definitely needed!
He had to praise them in front of everyone!
With such dedicated soldiers, nothing could threaten the future of the 153rd Branch!
"Ugh, can't hold it in any longer!"
After admiring the bathroom for another moment, Colonel Rhodes reached out and opened one of the stalls, and a bright light flooded his vision, making him squint.
"This is…"
Staring at the sparkling, almost sterile toilet, so clean that you could eat off it, Colonel Rhodes swallowed hard, carefully lowered his pants, and sat down.
Time passed.
Ten minutes later.
Colonel Rhodes, his face red with frustration, gritted his teeth as he pulled up his pants.
"Damn it, can't do it!"
He felt too guilty to even sit on something so clean!
He needed to find another toilet!