Seeing Magellan crouching in the shadows, afraid to approach, Zephyr opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally sighed.
"All right, you can stay there and listen."
Zephyr naturally knew about Magellan's special circumstances.
Magellan was a Paramecia-type user of the Doku Doku no Mi, the poison fruit.
He could breathe poisonous gas from his mouth and release large amounts of highly toxic liquid from his body.
Those poisoned by him would not die immediately but would suffer for a long time before finally dying.
Magellan's poison was almost impossible to cure, and only the medicine he developed himself could neutralize it.
This kid had been recommended by a branch of the Grand Line.
Although it was called a "recommendation," Zephyr had sufficient reason to believe that if headquarters hadn't accepted Magellan, that branch would probably have revolted.
Because his entire body was filled with toxins, he was extremely dangerous...
Zephyr even designated a quarantine area within the military academy as Magellan's dormitory, where personnel wearing protective gear were responsible for delivering his supplies.
He had even rebuilt a large toilet and renovated the drainage system specifically for him.
As for the strength of Magellan's toxins, Zephyr had personally experienced it before—and it was not a pleasant memory.
Armament Haki could resist Devil Fruit abilities, sure, but you couldn't exactly stop breathing...
Fortunately, Magellan was well aware of his special condition.
He consciously avoided crowds and kept to himself, though this inevitably made him a bit reclusive and gloomy.
"Mm-hm."
Magellan forced a smile. His stomach rumbled again, and he shrank even further back.
Zephyr: ...
"Alright, let me briefly explain the situation."
Zephyr composed himself, cleared his throat, and said in a deep voice,
"I will still be responsible for the main teaching content of this training camp. In addition, several specially appointed instructors will be teaching certain specific training courses."
"Throughout the training camp, you can choose the instructor you want to learn from, and the four with the best performance will become the adjutants of these four specially appointed instructors... You will ride the seas and follow them to fight evil!"
Upon hearing this, everyone became eager and restless.
Doll's sapphire-blue eyes sparkled brightly, her long lashes fluttering with excitement.
Even the usually gloomy Magellan showed a glimmer of anticipation.
Seeing the expressions of this group of young hotheads, Zephyr smiled in satisfaction.
"Now, let's give a warm welcome to the four specially appointed instructors of the third Officer Training Camp."
"First is... Vice Admiral Sakazuki!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a tall figure with a gloomy aura slowly walked into the arena.
His steps were rigid and heavy, each stride measured precisely.
Sakazuki came to Zephyr's side, staring expressionlessly at the new recruits.
He raised his hand slightly to adjust his military cap.
A terrifying aura of murderous intent, like a sea of corpses and blood, naturally radiated from him.
The fresh recruits, just stepping into their military careers, felt their throats tighten and their breathing become labored, their faces gradually turning pale.
"What a terrifying presence..."
"His expression... it's like he's looking at a group of dead people..."
"I feel like he's going to attack us at any moment..."
"This is too scary..."
Similar thoughts flooded everyone's minds, making them swallow nervously, not daring to meet Sakazuki's cold, indifferent gaze.
Zephyr twitched the corner of his mouth and said helplessly,
"Sakazuki, don't be so serious. Just introduce yourself."
Sakazuki paused for a moment, his eyes cold and his voice hoarse.
"I am Sakazuki. I will be responsible for teaching you how to develop and use your Devil Fruit abilities... As for the rest, I have nothing to say."
"All you need to know about me is this... Justice is achieved through killing!"
"The duty of a soldier is to obey orders. Although you are new recruits in the training camp, you are also members of the Marines... If you dare to disobey orders in the future, I will show no mercy... Kill!"
"If you dare to retreat on the battlefield... Kill!"
"If you try to compromise with pirates... Kill!"
He did not hide his killing intent in front of the trembling new recruits, but then seemed to remember Zephyr's reminder not to be "too serious," and forced a smile onto his stiff face.
"—Hiss!"
Everyone was so scared that they took two steps back in unison.
Zephyr: ...
You're better off not smiling! It's even scarier!
"Next, Vice Admiral Kuzan!"
Zephyr said through gritted teeth.
Before he could finish, another tall, unusual figure rushed over.
He was excited and struck a pose that he thought was cool.
"Dahahaha! I am Kuzan! See my cape? I just got promoted, dahahaha, isn't it cool?"
Kuzan stood proudly with his hands on his hips, his blood boiling.
"I will be responsible for your close combat training..."
He swung his fists wildly a few times, his eyes gleaming.
"Choose me as your instructor! Let's have an intense and exhilarating fight!!"
"Let's burn our youth and passion to the core... like a raging fire! That's my justice!"
He suddenly stretched out his hand, raised his thumb, and flashed a sunny smile.
Everyone could even vaguely see his snow-white teeth reflecting the sunlight.
There was complete silence.
Zephyr: ...
Everyone: ...
Everyone stood frozen in place, their mouths twitching, their expressions almost unable to hold back.
A few crows flew across the sky, making a "caw caw" sound.
"Next!"
Zephyr's face was now extremely ugly, looking like he had eaten shit, and he shouted from the bottom of his throat,
"Vice Admiral Borsalino!"
Countless golden photons suddenly gathered in the void beside him and quickly formed a human figure.
Borsalino wore a pair of exaggerated sunglasses, rubbed his stubble with one hand, and smiled lewdly as he looked at everyone's stiff expressions with great interest.
"I am Borsalino, and I will teach you all swordplay... Well, as for my justice, that doesn't seem to be very important, does it?"
Then he scratched his head in confusion and said,
"But everyone looks so scary..."
Bang!
Everyone fell backwards onto the ground.
Zephyr's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and he covered his heart in pain.
"Why did I ever hire these brats as instructors?!"
He roared madly in his heart, his blood pressure skyrocketing and his neck turning red with blood.
The military academy students' minds went blank, their expressions blank and their eyes unfocused.
Looking at the three "monster" instructors in front of them, each with a completely different style and "special" to the extreme, they felt as if ten thousand horses were galloping through their hearts, and they couldn't believe their eyes.
The monsters of Marine Headquarters…
The shining new stars of the new generation of justice...
This is it!
A gangster boss, a hot-blooded idiot, and a sleazy old man…
These three guys are going to be our instructors?
Impossible... Absolutely impossible... I must be dreaming!
The new recruits' heads were buzzing, and in an instant, they regretted coming to this training camp.
Then they seemed to remember something, and their gaze toward Zephyr became strange.
It seems that these three... were all taught by Zephyr-sensei, right?
Feeling those strange looks, Zephyr's old face instantly turned red like a pig's liver, almost losing all the face he had in his entire life.
He wished he could sever his master-apprentice relationship with these three brats right then and there.
His lifelong reputation... ruined in an instant.
"Last one, Vice Admiral Daren!"
Zephyr suppressed the urge to violently beat up these three brats, covered his chest, and shouted hoarsely.
"Daren, it's all up to you!"
He shouted frantically in his heart.
Now he only hoped that Daren would perform a little more normally, so that he could barely maintain his pitiful dignity as a former Admiral of the Marines and Chief Instructor of the Military Academy.
As soon as he finished speaking, the arena fell silent again.
Everyone subconsciously held their breath and waited quietly.
Although the previous three had made a huge impact, they were all familiar with the name Rogers Daren.
They were all very curious about the man who had killed Shiki the Golden Lion, the legendary Great Pirate.
Zephyr looked at the anticipation in their eyes and couldn't help but sweat profusely.
At that moment, steady and powerful footsteps slowly approached.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and were stunned by what they saw.
A tall, slender figure walked slowly into the training ground.
Doll's eyes sparkled as she looked over there, a hint of excitement appearing on her face.
A tall, slender figure slowly walked into the training ground.
The man had messy, unruly black hair, and his eyes were deep and dark like the stars in the night sky.
His nose was high and straight, his eyebrows were like knives, and his slightly thin lips curved into a slightly arrogant and carefree smile.
He stood tall and straight, his crisp military uniform accentuating his strong physique, radiating a bold and rugged masculine charm.
With his hands in his pockets and a lit cigar in his mouth, smoke drifted from his lips, and the wide, snow-white cape behind him fluttered in the wind and sand.
He was majestic and calm!
In an instant, everyone present, male and female alike, fixed their gaze on that figure and couldn't look away.
Their eyes followed the Vice Admiral's footsteps until he came before them.
The corners of his mouth curled up, revealing a cheerful and sunny smile.
"Hello, everyone, I am your senior, Rogers Daren."
The world fell silent for a moment.
Then—
"I choose Instructor Daren!"
"I choose Instructor Daren!"
"I also choose..."
The military academy students scrambled to speak, their voices rising in a heated debate.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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