Come On, Show Us

Zephyr had arrived early today and saw Akainu greeting Gigue.

He was both surprised and pleased. Both Akainu and Kizaru, the two "star students," had more or less some personality issues.

Kizaru was manageable at least. At most, he gave Zephyr a headache. Akainu, however, was different; Zephyr had always worried about him.

Akainu was a little too gloomy, extremely extreme in his views on certain matters, and usually did not like talking. He had basically no social life.

As a member of the older generation of Marines, Zephyr had always believed that the Marines were a collective. He wanted Akainu to step out of his closed-off heart and actively integrate into the Marines' "big family."

That was why he was delighted to see the small change Akainu had shown today.

Then, seeing that the other person was Gigue, who had come to report in, Zephyr hurried over excitedly. He had wanted to pat Gigue on the back, but he had not expected Gigue's senses to be so sharp. The moment he moved, Gigue noticed him.

Gigue released his hand, gave Zephyr a slight bow, and said,

"Teacher Zephyr, I'm Gigue. I came to report in today."

Zephyr smiled and nodded, very satisfied with Gigue's demeanor. At the very least, compared with problem youths like Kizaru and Akainu, Gigue looked quite normal.

Ginny and Kuma greeted Zephyr as well. Just as Zephyr was about to speak, a lilting voice rang out.

"Gigue, huh? I spotted you the moment I arrived. Looks like today will be a pleasant day~"

Everyone turned to look and saw Kizaru strolling over at an unhurried pace, one hand in his pocket and the other pinching the sunglasses on his face.

The moment he saw Kizaru, Zephyr's previously good mood instantly turned sour, as though he had swallowed a fly.

He glared and shouted,

"Borsalino! What time do you think it is? Look at what the other students are doing!"

Kizaru had just adjusted his sunglasses when he focused his eyes and noticed Zephyr standing beside Gigue. His expression shifted, and he muttered,

"Well, today isn't pleasant anymore..."

He slightly adjusted his posture and said,

"Good morning, Teacher Zephyr. The students sure are diligent. Training has already started before the scheduled time!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "before the scheduled time," making the veins on Zephyr's forehead throb.

Considering that there were new students nearby, Zephyr suppressed the urge to give Kizaru a hard slap. His expression turned stern as he said in a deep voice,

"That's enough. Training time has arrived. Gather in the field immediately!"

With that, Zephyr flashed straight into the training grounds.

Kizaru shrugged and said to Gigue and the other two,

"The old man's always like that. You'll get used to it!"

Then he placed a hand above his eyes as if gazing into the distance, pursed his lips crookedly, and said,

"And Sakazuki too. Why get up so early? He made the old man go crazy again!"

Gigue casually said,

"Maybe he's what they call a grind king."

"A grind king? It sounds impressive. What does it mean?"

"Uh... it describes someone who's very hardworking!"

"I see. Well, why work that hard? The schedule is clearly laid out. There's nothing wrong with training on time! Don't you think, Gigue?"

Gigue could not help laughing. As expected of Kizaru. Maybe the stories about him clocking in after becoming an admiral were actually true.

Patting Kizaru on the shoulder, Gigue said with a serious expression,

"You're right!"

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Kizaru's eyes lit up. He naturally draped an arm around Gigue's shoulders and called out,

"I knew we'd get along. Let's go, or the old man will get angry again."

Ginny watched the two walking away and pouted.

"Brother Gigue isn't going to let him lead him astray, is he?!"

An image automatically appeared in her mind: Gigue wearing sunglasses with his mouth crooked to one side. She could not help shuddering.

Kuma shook his head and said softly,

"No. Big Brother Gigue is much more mature than us. He won't be easily influenced by others. Besides, Senior Borsalino isn't a bad person... his aura is just a little unusual, that's all. Mm!"

"Oh, Kuma, you're so serious. Could it be that you understand Brother Gigue better than I do?"

"Yes. I know Sister Ginny thinks a little too much sometimes because she cares too much about Big Brother Gigue."

Ginny's face instantly turned red. She ground the toe of her shoe hard against the ground.

"Kuma, wh-what are you talking about? I care about you and Big Brother Ivan too!"

Kuma still shook his head, muttering,

"It's different. It's different..."

Ginny covered her ears and ran off in a flash, leaving behind one sentence.

"Kuma! Brother Gigue was right, you're such a hopelessly straight guy! You'll end up single for life!"

Kuma watched Ginny chase after Gigue, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Just then, a clear bell rang out, and the surrounding students began gathering toward the center of the field.

Zephyr stood there with his hands behind his back. When he saw Kizaru and Gigue walking over with their arms around each other's shoulders, his eyelids twitched again.

Fortunately, Kizaru did not pull any more nonsense this time. He led Gigue and Kuma to the very back of the formation, where they stood in the same row as Akainu.

Ginny went to join the female students' line on her own.

Once everyone was in position, Zephyr cleared his throat and announced,

"Three new students have joined us today. Before training begins, let them come forward and introduce themselves."

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The students all turned toward Gigue and Kuma at the back, followed by a round of welcoming applause. Kizaru clapped the loudest of all.

Kuma was the first to step up and introduce himself. His mountain-like build made the students below click their tongues in amazement, and when he mentioned that he was a Devil Fruit Ability User, another wave of exclamations erupted.

Zephyr's expression did not change. He had already learned about Kuma from Sengoku. After all, he had experienced the battle of God Valley himself, so the moment he heard about the Paw-Paw Fruit, he knew what was going on.

He did not say much else. He was no longer an admiral anyway. Anyone sent here was his student, and he could not care less about the Celestial Dragons' bullshit.

Besides, since Kuma was his student and an Ability User, Zephyr needed a general understanding of Kuma's powers first so he could tailor his training accordingly. Thus, Zephyr had Kuma demonstrate his ability.

Kuma nodded. He pressed his palms together before his chest, then slowly pulled them apart. A transparent paw pad that looked rather adorable appeared between his palms.

Some of the female students below could not help exclaiming,

"That ability is so cute!"

Kuma's face reddened slightly, and he lowered his head shyly.

Some of the male students curled their lips, thinking, Paramecia Fruits are always so flashy. This is probably another ability that looks good but is useless!

Zephyr's expression, however, became serious. He could sense the power contained within that transparent paw pad. He waved to the students below and said,

"Spread out! Let Kuma properly show us his ability!"