Special Training Camp, Assemble!

On January 11, 1492, by the Sea Circle Calendar, the special training camp opened on the day Zephyr had personally chosen.

It was worth mentioning that although Zephyr had stepped down from his position as an admiral, he had retained the rank.

He was therefore still Admiral Zephyr, but he no longer held the position of admiral and its various powers. For example, he could no longer deploy the fleets of the various branches.

At that moment, the far left side of Marineford's harbor had been temporarily designated a restricted area, reserved for receiving warships from the Four Blues and the major G branches.

Setting the Four Blues aside for now, there were eight G branches directly under Marine Headquarters.

Branches G-2, G-4, G-6, and G-8 were located in Paradise, while G-1, G-3, G-5, and G-7 were located in the New World.

That meant twelve warships should be arriving here.

It was worth mentioning that, because the Four Blues were so far from Marineford, Fleet Admiral Kong had made a special allowance for them to stop and rest at the G-2 Branch beforehand, then travel to headquarters from there.

Meanwhile, Black Arm Zephyr, one of the long-renowned Marine legends of the seas, stood silently before fourteen Marines standing straight and at attention.

There was a lot of space around them. Everyone knew the area had been temporarily assigned to the special training camp, so whether they were field officers or flag officers, they only watched from a distance, curious as they were.

The Marines before Zephyr were the special training camp recruits selected from headquarters. This was headquarters, after all, so it naturally got the lion's share of the slots.

Each G branch on the Grand Line had three slots. As for the Four Blues, well, each sea had three slots in total. One could imagine how fierce the competition had been.

The first special training camp therefore had fifty recruits, exactly enough to make up a small squad!

A little over ten minutes later, the first fleet to arrive was unexpectedly the one from the East, South, West, and North Blues. Everyone in the plaza recognized them at a glance.

It couldn't be helped. The warships of the Four Blues branches were too small. In a harbor full of warships built for eight hundred or a thousand men, they really stood out.

Many of the recruits aboard the warships were visiting Marineford for the first time, and even many of the older officers from the Four Blues were stunned by the sight.

It wasn't just the magnificent, enormous headquarters fortress in the distance, but also the plaza and harbor, which were spacious enough for even giants to move around with room to spare!

The four small warships trembled as they threaded their way past their many "big brothers" and finally reached their assigned berths.

Soon, without anyone needing to tell them, four people disembarked from each warship. Three were naturally recruits, while the fourth was the field officer leading each group from the Four Blues.

In fact, a separate selection contest had been held among them to choose the officers who would lead the groups representing each sea.

It couldn't be helped. Some Marines in the Four Blues had never been to Marineford in their entire lives, let alone had the chance to meet a big shot of an admiral's stature up close.

"Reporting to Admiral Zephyr! Colonel Ted of the North Blue 31st Branch, reporting with Captain Sakazuki, Captain Borsalino, and Lieutenant Blaze!"

The groups from the West Blue and South Blue came forward to report in turn, followed finally by the East Blue. Zephyr paid the order no mind. After acknowledging each of them, he turned his gaze to the North Blue group.

It couldn't be helped. The two "giants" in the red and yellow shirts were simply too conspicuous, standing head and shoulders above everyone else.

As for the North Blue's third recruit, he could only wear a bitter smile and stand a little farther away. God only knew how he had gotten through the past few days at the G-2 Branch.

At first, everyone had wondered what was so special about him that he could travel with those two. But when they learned he was merely a tagalong, they all looked at him with pity.

How miserable was that?

At that moment, Sakazuki and Borsalino had everyone's attention. Sakazuki met Zephyr's gaze directly.

Borsalino, meanwhile, wore a pair of small round sunglasses and lazily surveyed his surroundings, letting out little exclamations of amazement from time to time.

"So this is headquarters? How impressive~~"

"Quiet. Fall in beside them!" Zephyr called sternly to the recruits from the Four Blues.

"Okay, okay~~" Borsalino seemed not to realize that the order to be quiet was directed at him. He followed Sakazuki at a leisurely pace and took a place in the front row.

Interestingly, the black-haired young man at the front of the headquarters recruits' formation was only about fifty centimeters shorter than Sakazuki beside him.

A height of two and a half meters was already quite exceptional among the Marines.

Meanwhile, unsurprisingly, none of the recruits from the Four Blues chose to stand beside Borsalino. They all took places behind the two men instead.

Soon, the field officers who had led the groups left, filled with both excitement and regret. They had been permitted to rest at headquarters for three days before returning, and their warships would be resupplied and inspected in the meantime.

The special training camp's formation fell quiet again, but before long, as if by prior arrangement, headquarters-class warships entered the harbor one after another.

The people from the directly affiliated G branches had arrived!

Vidal wore a green shirt and black trousers, with a handsome face and flowing long hair.

Under the warm sunlight, he followed Rear Admiral Dewitt down the gangplank with a smile on his face, while Bullet, Comil, and Vincent followed behind him.

Like everyone else, he marveled at the grandeur of Marine Headquarters. Come to think of it, although he was a vice admiral's son, this was his first visit too.

After all, from his birth and schooling to his training in physical techniques and his fruit ability, everything had taken place at Navarone Fortress.

Vice Admiral Cornell wouldn't bring him to Marineford for a visit without a reason. This was an important military installation, after all.

Besides, the sea was full of danger and surprises. Even as a vice admiral, he was unwilling to take his family out to sea casually.

"Oh my, that guy's so tall~~"

The moment Borsalino saw Vidal, he spoke without thinking. Most amusing of all, his face was full of surprise.

Come on, what did he have to be envious of?

But they had all guessed wrong. He wasn't envious; it was pure amazement, because he really hadn't met many people close to his own height.

Back at the North Blue selection contest, Sakazuki's appearance had made him happy for days. He hadn't expected to meet another one here!

He was so happy~~~

Beside him, Sakazuki also paid Vidal a little more attention.

Only after the first seven G branches had finished reporting did Rear Admiral Dewitt step forward to represent Navarone Fortress.

"Reporting to Admiral Zephyr! Rear Admiral Dewitt of the G-8 Branch, reporting with Headquarters Senior Sergeant Forest Vidal, Headquarters Captain Comil, and Headquarters Lieutenant Vincent!"

"What! A senior sergeant?"

The recruits already in formation and those from the other G branches alike looked surprised. Fortunately, they were all professional soldiers, so no one made a loud fuss.

But their eyes and expressions gave them away. Bullet, standing behind Vidal, was somewhat displeased and thought, What right do you trash have to look down on him?

But the recruits failed to notice that the commodores and rear admirals who had led the groups were looking at Vidal with great interest.

They had all received some information through various channels.

"Mm. You can go back. The recruits should join the formation." Admiral Zephyr treated them no differently and said nothing more.

But the next moment, he immediately turned his gaze to Bullet. "Why do you have four recruits?"

"Uh, he's..." Rear Admiral Dewitt was just about to explain when Vidal, who had already walked over beside Borsalino, spoke with a smile.

"Reporting to Admiral Zephyr! He's my son, Forest Bullet. He's a new student in this year's class at the Marine Headquarters Academy, and he's fourteen!"

Good news!! The story has finally reached the special training camp arc!! What are you waiting for? For Akainu and Kizaru's sake, how about a round of recommendation votes?