Will I still have four more years to go until Im able to applyfor naturalization or do I have to start over?

I am from the Republic of Palau, a nation associated with the USA through the Compact of Free Association. Through this special relationship my country shares with the US, I am entitled to travel and apply for admission to the US without a passport or a visa. I can also work, go to school, and receive healthcare like any other US citizen can. I only need an I-94 to prove that I'm here legally as a non-immigrant and an US Social Security number. Now, I've been here in the USA, particularly in Virginia for over a year now but I have not applied for a green card. I understand that if a person wants to become an American national, they have to have had a green card and have resided in the USA for at least five years. Because I've only been here for a year, which cuts it down to four years until I'm eligible for naturalization, if I apply for green card, will I still have four more years to go until I can apply for naturalization or do I have to start all over again from the beginning because I didn't apply for green card the first time I came?