Understanding the Gap Between Them
Memorizing the names and faces of the forty-nine other people in a single day sounded simple, but it was actually a great deal of trouble.
That difficulty was precisely why Zephyr had assigned it as a task.
To complete it, all the trainees in the special training camp gathered of their own accord for a meal in the large mess hall. Everyone made an effort to meet and talk with as many people as possible.
As they talked and learned about the abilities and backgrounds of Vidal, Dragon, Sakazuki, and Borsalino, the four naturally became the center of attention.
That was society for you.
As for their surroundings, none of them were stupid. They had already formed groups and gone around several times, agreeing to travel together at set times for the first month.
Of course, they would not go out of their way to wait for anyone who was late. They were all adults, after all.
They still didn't know where they were supposed to gather the next day, which was a bit of a mystery. Admiral Zephyr hadn't actually told them anything that day apart from their task.
So they agreed to return to the assembly square the next day.
During all this, Vidal found that Sakazuki and Borsalino were much as he had imagined.
The former radiated intense killing intent whenever pirates came up, though he never gave a specific reason.
The latter said he had grown up in a comfortable, well-off family. He had joined the Marines simply because he thought it was the most stable option, the position was respectable, and it offered a regular salary and various benefits.
Dragon was interesting. Perhaps because Vidal had known so little about him, he turned out to be different from the quiet, taciturn man Vidal had expected.
Dragon didn't talk much and had a steady temperament, but after talking with him more, Vidal discovered that the guy was quite passionate.
"I'll bear the name of justice like my father, protect the harmony of the seas, and defeat every evildoer!"
"I'll surpass my father, challenge him as a Marine Admiral, and then defeat him!"
Whenever he talked about his goals and dreams, he always mentioned Vice Admiral Garp, his eyes full of burning fire.
To Dragon, his father, who had defeated the Rocks Pirates, was the greatest and strongest hero of justice in his heart.
Hearing this, Vidal had a rough idea why the guy would one day defect from the Marines and found the Revolutionary Army.
After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Garp wasn't a perfect man.
In fact, he would have preferred to share a room with Dragon rather than Kizaru, so he could deliberately or casually plant a few random ideas in his head.
Many transmigrators had done the same, hoping the future Revolutionary Army could become more professional. Vidal had much the same idea.
In his view, the Revolutionary Army should focus not only on developing its fighting strength and military power, but also on training and recruiting administrators.
Ideally, it would be able to rapidly fill the key roles of a new government in a short time!
After all, you couldn't just think about how to fight. You had to think about how to govern, too, right? Still, there was no rush with something like that.
Early the next morning, all fifty emerged from their rooms on time. Unlike the day before, everyone wore a standard Marine uniform and cap, making them look like a proper unit.
The young men in their twenties looked at one another, and everyone except Sakazuki broke into knowing smiles.
From today onward, they were partners and comrades-in-arms!
The cool morning air and the sun, which had only recently risen, filled them with physical and mental pleasure.
The group made their way back to the previous day's square with ease. Once there, the relaxed expressions vanished from their faces, and they formed up in meticulous rows, facing the giant warships in the harbor and the rolling waves beyond.
It was quiet. All they heard was the gentle brush of the sea breeze and the soft cries of seagulls. They paid no attention to the people and ships coming and going farther away.
No one knew how long they stood there. It might have been ten minutes or half an hour. No one cared, until Zephyr appeared before them.
"Not bad. Looks like I won't have to worry about your discipline," Admiral Zephyr said in praise, his face expressionless beneath the Justice Coat draped over his shoulders.
"Now then, I'll check how well you've completed your task."
"You have thirty seconds to answer."
Although telling them to memorize one another's names sounded like something he had said on a whim,
the military was no place for empty words. Since he had called it a task, he had to check on its completion.
There would be no muddling through.
"Forest Vidal, what's the name of the fourth person in the second row and second column to your left? Where is he from?" Zephyr asked in a deep voice.
Vidal hadn't expected to be tested this way, but after two breaths, he blurted out, "Reporting to Admiral Zephyr! That's Bunier, from the West Blue!"
For him, having awakened Observation Haki, this was no trouble at all.
"Call me instructor from now on!"
"Yes, instructor!"
Zephyr nodded, turned his gaze to the side, and asked again, "Sakazuki, the third person in the first row and third column to your right!"
This time, Sakazuki thought hard for about ten seconds before answering, "Reporting to the instructor, that's Yaerlin, from the East Blue."
Dragon came next, followed by Kizaru. Zephyr patiently questioned one person after another, spending more than half an hour on the process.
"Very good!"
Although some had taken more than thirty seconds, all had answered correctly within a minute, so Zephyr was very satisfied with the quality of this first class of trainees.
But this was only the beginning. How things would really turn out remained to be seen.
"Now follow me aboard. Today's task is for me to learn how strong you are right now, and for you to understand the gap between each of you!"
Although Zephyr knew the records of all fifty by heart, that was certainly no substitute for seeing them fight with his own eyes.
Vidal and the others felt their hearts tighten at his words, but they kept their mouths shut and obediently followed Zephyr.
Once everything was ready, the warship slowly sailed out of Marineford's harbor, heading for an island said to have been set aside specifically for the special training camp.
At the top of the Justice Fortress, Fleet Admiral Kong stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the special training camp's warship as it sailed away.
Admiral Sengoku stood quietly beside him.
"I'm starting to think making Zephyr the Marine Academy's chief instructor was the right decision," Fleet Admiral Kong said with a smile, without looking back.
He had always regretted Zephyr's retirement from the position of Admiral.
"Look, as soon as he became chief instructor and set up this special training camp, two top-tier Logia users and a Special Paramecia user appeared, along with Garp's son, whom he trained from childhood. What a wealth of talent!"
"It really has been a long time since the Marines had a class of such high quality," Sengoku said, nodding in wholehearted agreement.
"Ever since your class, there hasn't been a single one who's amounted to anything in decades!" Fleet Admiral Kong looked frustrated at their failure to live up to expectations.
There had never been a shortage of Vice Admirals, with one or two appearing every year, but there truly had been no one fit to hold the position of Admiral.
"That bastard Garp actually refused a promotion to Admiral last time!"
Hearing the Fleet Admiral curse Garp again, Sengoku could only shake his head helplessly and remain silent. He often cursed Garp himself, sometimes even to his face.
But what good did it do?!
"Still, we probably won't have to worry about finding Admirals anymore. We might even have to put some thought into choosing between them," Kong said with a delighted laugh.
Eh, while I was writing, I realized I'd reached the word count, so I can only leave the climax for tomorrow. Evil grin.
820453438 is the group number. Anyone who wants to chat with me can join; there are more than a hundred people in the group now.